MIDI Learn CC is not working as expected (Minilogue -> Ocatrack) - why?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hello everyone,

I setup the Octatrack <-> Minilogue XD with MIDI IN / OUT going both directions.
Next I go to the MIDI track 1 and confirm I can send MIDI notes to the XD.
I then go to setup the CC1 parameter, and I do a MIDI learn and turn the Filter knob on XD.

The MIDI CC1 learns a CC value of 63, which is incorrect! Value 63 is wrong, and turning the knob on the Octatrack doesn’t turn the filter on the XD.

However, if I manually set the CC1 to value 43 (which is the correct XD filter CC value from the manual), then everything works as expected. Turning the knob on the Octatrack for CC1 changes the filter value on the XD and I can watch the knob sweep as I turn the knob on the Octatrack.

Why does the Octatrack MIDI learn function learn the incorrect value of 63? Why does it not receive the correct value of 43? Is this the fault of the XD or the Octatrack? I think it’s the XD but I can’t find a relevant setting to tweak. It seems to me that the XD must be sending the wrong CC value? What am I missing?

#2

Can you check with a midi monitor which CC# the Minilogue XD transmits?
Maybe there’s indeed a bug.

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#3

The manual that I saw for the XD shows that no controls are assigned to CC 63, so your situation is puzzling.

I can only suggest a few things:

  • first try the MIDI learn procedure with only the XD MIDI Out to OT MIDI In connection;
  • ensure that the firmware on your XD is up-to-date;
  • make sure that you’re not using a damper pedal (which transmits CC 64) on the XD.
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#4

Yes! I checked that too. Weird.

#5

Thanks, guys. I updated the XD firmware and tried connecting directly to the OT - no luck. Same problem.

I downloaded MIDI-OX to read what MIDI data the XD is sending, and unfortunately I’m a bit lost. I see a bunch of data (channel, “DATA1”, “DATA2”, “status”), but I don’t see information on what message is being transmitted. Anyone have a suggestion on a good midi monitor that will show this information?

Thanks again for your help.

#6

Perhaps you could post a screenshot?

You may need to deactivate MIDI clock send on the OT in case those messages are dominating the output.

Separately, you might try starting a new project on the OT to see whether the problem persists there.

#7

Annotation 2020-02-09 114351
Annotation 2020-02-09 114351992×249 107 KB

This is what shows in the output monitor when I turn the amp EG release knob. (I’ve tried opening a new project, to no avail.)

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#8

B0 13 09 means Control Change 19 with value 9 on channel 1, which is the Amp EG release.

B0 3F 05 means Control Change 63 with value 5 on channel 1, which is not specified in the manual for the XD.

These interleaved CC 63 messages are what is causing the problem.

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#9

Thanks for interpreting that for me. I’m starting to think this is a feature of the XD, not a bug. According to this post, the “Korg Midi Implementation Spec” says for most knobs on the XD, “When a 10 bit value is sent, the lower 3 bits are first sent via a CC #63 message.” I can’t find what document the poster is referring to, but it doesn’t seem like something that can’t be changed… bummer.

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#10

Various versions of the MIDI implementation chart appear on line, only some of which mention CC 63.

Did you install v2.01 of the XD firmware, which promises bug fixes?

#11

I did! I was so hopeful that would do the trick, but it did not. :frowning:

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#12

OK. Seems like this is a Korg mess-up. The OT’s MIDI learn may or may not work depending on the particular control you choose to learn from.

The good news is that you can still control the XD from the OT by simply entering the appropriate CC number (for example, 19 for Amp EG Release) in the OT’s MIDI sequencer.

#13

Yeah, it’s not the end of the world, but I was really hoping to use the midi learn feature. Oh well.

#14

Slightly off topic but I wish this midi learn feature would be present in DT & DN, I used it a lot when I had Octatrack.

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