"Intermediary midi mapping" software *discussion thread* (Traktor mapping is a pain)

[zestoi]

launchpad flashing led shenanigans...

i'm starting to think that enabling flashing leds on the launchpad is more hassle than it's worth - but i started so i will finish....

the problem is that if u enable flashing colors on the launchpad and then send an 'off' zero message to a pad to turn it off, it won't. it will in effect turn a yellow solid pad into a flashing yellow pad as only one of the buffers will have been affected by the zero message. this is a royal pain when using some flashing leds with traktor (with midimashers handling of flashing colors) and then also using it to control something some other app that thinks if it sends zero it will turn a pad off - as u would expect....

solution 1

instead of calling launchpad.init("lp") u can now call launchpad.init("lp", false) which won't enable flashing leds at all

solution 2

calling enable_launchpad_led_fix("lp") will ensure that any zero message gets converted into 0x4 which means the copy bit is set and so it will actually turn off the led

solution 3

calling enable_launchpad_led_fix("lp", 3) will ensure every midi message sent to page 3 of the launchpad will have the copy bit set, so disabling all flashing colors for just that page - so u don't have any unexpected leds start flashing when u didn't expect it

i didn't want any device specific code in the midimasher core, but can't see any way round this and personally i really like the flashing leds, esp as when used with traktor they sync to the beat via the beatphase

[zestoi]

new version http://midimasher.djism.com/download...r-20111125.zip

* fixes odd led issues when using slicer and switching pages

* fixes flashing leds becoming normal leds on twitch area page switching

* halved the frequency of flashing leds when sync'd to traktor

* support for scrolling sub devices

* added launchpad led fix functions to stop solid leds becoming flashing ones

the scrolling device stuff probably doesn't interest many (any) people but there's a demo called "launchpad_scroll_demo.lua" that if u run creates a 64x16 grid with a few led's lit up that u can scroll around by using the launchpads up/down/left/right buttons.

if u run debug.bat and select that demo file you'll see it sending out different midi messages depending on where it is scrolled to - so u basically have a 64x16 grid controller that u can "learn" etc with any app. usefull when 8x8 pads just aren't enough

[zestoi]

i've started writing some documentation on the various functions available, still plenty to do tho and will add more examples and better descriptions over time as well: http://midimasher.djism.com/doc/ it's a start tho

edit: traktor functions: http://midimasher.djism.com/doc/lib--traktor.html

edit2: a handy list of all traktor controls within the midimasher tsi http://midimasher.djism.com/doc/lib-...or-events.html

[zestoi]

just experimenting with the post fader effects method described by DJ MiCL in another thread and also thought about the "fader fx" mode that the twitch has. turns out it's really simple to implement in midimasher, tho i did add a new function to lib/base.lua pipe_shift() since i didn't need the led feedback of button_shift() and also added some extra call back options so we can invert the value of the volume fader when controlling the fx unit wet/dry

this mini config is just using my djm101

open_midi_device("traktor", "traktor", "Traktor to MM", "MM to Traktor");
open_midi_device("djm101", "djm101", "DJM_101", "DJM_101");

faderfx_a = toggle_modifier("djm101", "pfl_a", 0, ON, OFF, nil, function(d, e, v, p)
    if v > 0 then send("traktor", "dry_wet_group_unit_1", 0) end
    send("traktor", "effect_unit_1_on_a", v)
end)

faderfx_b = toggle_modifier("djm101", "pfl_b", 0, ON, OFF, nil, function(d, e, v, p)
    if v > 0 then send("traktor", "dry_wet_group_unit_1", 0) end
    send("traktor", "effect_unit_1_on_b", v)
end)

pipe_shift("djm101", "volume_fader_a", 0, "traktor", "volume_fader_a", "dry_wet_group_unit_1", faderfx_a, 0, { cb_shift = invert_value_cb})
pipe_shift("djm101", "volume_fader_b", 0, "traktor", "volume_fader_b", "dry_wet_group_unit_1", faderfx_b, 0, { cb_shift = invert_value_cb})

this just adds a faderfx toggle button for each deck (on the only two buttons the djm101 has available) and uses the main volume faders

toggling one of them on sets the wet/dry of effects unit 1 to 0 and enables that effects unit for that deck, then the fader controls the wet/dry (with dry at the top and wet at the bottom). toggling it of just disables the effects unit for that deck and puts the fader back into normal mode.

it's a lot of fun... i can see why people like fader fx stuff now... also would be easy enough to add code in there to turn a fader into a "super fader" but i'll probably add a new dedicated function for that later that sends out the extra events/messages

[escapemcp]

After chatting on other thread (post fader FX), thought I should really check out this midimasher stuff, cause if I can get my head round it, I could do some crazy stuff with it.

I think I get how it should work, but it just isn't working! - spent 2 hours on it, and I am hoping for a quick pointer.

What I did:

1) Installed loopmidi, created MM to Traktor & vice versa
2) 'Installed' MM.
3) Learn.exe'd one side of my unit (Citronic MP-X10, although will expand to BCD3000 and maybe Kaoss Pad (although KP has a superfader built in!)).
4) Made mpx10.lua in config folder. It consists of this:

open_midi_device("traktor", "traktor", "Traktor to MM", "MM to Traktor");
open_midi_device("mpx10", "mpx10", "MP-X10", "MP-X10");

pipe("mpx10", "fader", 0, "traktor", "volume_fader_a");

Got a feeling this is maybe where I have gone wrong

5) Imported traktor.tsi into traktor + set in&out ports to MM. If I then load up in correct order (loopmidi>MM>Traktor), Traktor does not move the volume when I move mine, hell, it doesn't even receive any midi (other than an odd signal on 16 (CC i think) very erraticly).

Output from MM is:

* [mpx10     ] b1 10 69 [mpx10] type=cc name=fader value=105
  [traktor   ] volume_fader_a c=2 v=105 p=0
  [traktor   ] b1 54 69 [traktor]

Does this sound like I have correctly set this up or no? I originally thought that commands that MM had no info on, that it just passed straight through to Traktor.. but now looking at how this works, not so sure.

Finally, am I going to have to go into traktor and manually create all commands and point them to a midi command if I want C&D as a track deck (if required, I will, which should help the project).

Many thanks,

escapeMCP

[zestoi]

everything you did looks right from what i can tell

i created a simple debug config based on your config (using "volume_fader_a" instead of your "fader" only as that's what it's called - i'm trying to rename controls to match the traktor ones where possible now, but it's only a name)

open_midi_device("traktor", "traktor", "Traktor to MM", "MM to Traktor");
open_midi_device("mpx10", "djm101", "DJM_101", "DJM_101")

pipe("mpx10", "volume_fader_a", 0, "traktor", "volume_fader_a");

and got this output:

* [mpx10     ] b0 41 4a [djm101] type=cc name=volume_fader_a value=74
  [traktor   ] volume_fader_a c=2 v=74 p=0
  [traktor   ] b1 54 4a [traktor]

which ties into what u saw:

* [mpx10     ] b1 10 69 [mpx10] type=cc name=fader value=105
  [traktor   ] volume_fader_a c=2 v=105 p=0
  [traktor   ] b1 54 69 [traktor]

i.e: the same 0xb1 0x54 being sent out to traktor, which should control the fader for deck A

when u ran midimasher u didn't see any errors/warnings? i.e: u saw something like this?

loading: lib/startup.lua
loading: config/debug.lua
connect: in "Traktor to MM"
device name=[Traktor to MM] is index=2 port=2
traktor: open midi.in.2: Traktor to MM
connect: out "MM to Traktor"
device name=[MM to Traktor] is index=14 port=2
traktor: open midi.out.2: MM to Traktor
loading: devices/traktor.lua
loading: lib/traktor.lua
connect: in "DJM_101"
device name=[DJM_101] is index=11 port=11
mpx10: open midi.in.11: DJM_101
connect: out "DJM_101"
device name=[DJM_101] is index=24 port=12
mpx10: open midi.out.12: DJM_101
loading: devices/djm101.lua

no chance the ports are the wrong way round in traktor? to see if it's down to the traktor config and not midimasher itself u could try closing traktor and running dump.exe like this, selecting the input device to be "MM to Traktor"



as u can see there i'm getting the correct data being sent to the "MM to Traktor" port.

my guess is either the loopmidi ports weren't named exactly right, tho you'd see some warning when midimasher starts up, or theres some issue with the ports assignment in traktor

[zestoi]

Finally, am I going to have to go into traktor and manually create all commands and point them to a midi command if I want C&D as a track deck (if required, I will, which should help the project).

yep, as u saw i've only added the controls in for decks a+b, except for effects stuff as they apply to decks c+d as well ofc.

would be awesome if you could add in the controls for decks c+d would probably be easier to copy the tsi and create a midimasher_cd.tsi or something that just contains the missing stuff. plus then if people don't intend to use decks c+d as normal decks then they don't need to import that one too.

creating that devices file and tsi was pretty boring... so i stopped at just doing decks a+b and sample decks c+d

also there's a neat way of developing that... after it loads in devices/traktor.lua it then looks for devices/traktor.custom.lua and loads that in too. same for lib/traktor.lua and also the same for any device

so u could put the missing controls in there and it will get loaded automatically

i can't see me using up anything more than CC's so the idea was that people could use note's and put the controls in that custom lua file and never conflict with the main one

ofc we'd want the decks c+d to be in devices/traktor.lua eventually, just start from midi channel 7 maybe, then i have about 100 free in channel 6 that i can add if i need to in the meantime

edit: one nice thing i noticed about the latest tp2 btw is that it now doesn't matter whether u load midimasher before traktor or not, i.e: traktor no longer has the bug where it opens/locks midi ports that it shouldn't be.

the bad part is that it seems less stable and uses more cpu on my laptop than the previous (2.0.3?) version

u still need loopMIDI running before traktor ofc - but i just set that to autostart

[escapemcp]

creating that devices file and tsi was pretty boring...

REALLY!?

ofc we'd want the decks c+d to be in devices/traktor.lua eventually, just start from midi channel 7 maybe, then i have about 100 free in channel 6 that i can add if i need to in the meantime

Surely 8 would be better - 100 free may sound like a few, but with sample decks using quite a few, I could see it filling up fast. Annoying thing is that I often use C&D for track decks and A&B for track/sample decks (have 2 controllers, and the one more suited to samples is my main A/B controller).. think I may well have to complete all the MM mappings in Traktor!! :eek:

the bad part is that it seems less stable and uses more cpu on my laptop than the previous (2.0.3?) version

Yeah, and does your controller mapping screen now take ages to go from one logical device to the next? It was like this on the mac before, but now seems to be doing it on Traktor 2.1.1. as well.

[escapemcp]

Oh, and gave the PC a night to mull it over, and my channel fader works now Yeah, I know that I called it fader - going through the lua later to add A_ before everything! - Then copy & paste and find & replace to map to deck B.

[zestoi]

REALLY!?

indeed lol took me quite a few days to go thru and add all the ins and outs that i knew i'd need. then kept realising i'd screwed up and had to go back and change/add more ofc.

Surely 8 would be better - 100 free may sound like a few, but with sample decks using quite a few, I could see it filling up fast.

sure, makes sense. i think i've got all the effects stuff in i need but do want to look at sample decks soon and am sure i've missed a lot of stuff that would be useful. my tsi here has quite a few things added since i last released a version - will release a new one soon that has the latest effects control functions in, faderfx, postfaderfx etc and more documentation.

Annoying thing is that I often use C&D for track decks and A&B for track/sample decks (have 2 controllers, and the one more suited to samples is my main A/B controller).. think I may well have to complete all the MM mappings in Traktor!! :eek:

ouch u said u have a mac? that xtreme mapping app would be bloody useful to edit the deck A+B stuff and turn them into C+D's and vice versa ofc.

i never even considered someone wanting to use them that way round - unless they wanted to run all as sample decks ofc.

Yeah, and does your controller mapping screen now take ages to go from one logical device to the next? It was like this on the mac before, but now seems to be doing it on Traktor 2.1.1. as well.

it does take a while, lucky i usually just edit the midimasher one. i actually find that 2.1.1 seems a lot faster at opening the preferences window than previous versions. it's still not fast tho...

maybe it would even make sense to break the tsi into smaller ones, like "decks a+b", "sample decks a+b" etc so the minimum needed can be loaded. there's currently 660 items in the midimasher.tsi and i can't believe that other people don't have a lot more than that - once u get into complex modifier dependant stuff etc.

the time to change logical device etc tho seems to depend more on the total number of mapping entries. it was faster before i imported the instant grat ones anyway. each instant grat tsi seems to have about 50 "pages" of 8 per page-ish? so with all 4 of those loaded thats about 1200 controls mapped so i guess the midimasher one isn't so bad? as it's only the decks/same-decks stuff that needs to be duplicated for the missing decks it'd only be about 1000 controls by the end i guess. plus there's some existing ones that can be removed once some extra functionality is added to midimasher, like auto-repeat