Question about behavior between GR7 + MIDI synths

Milkman

Hello again - Im checking out the features of GR7, playing around with that new looper and finding it quite interesting.

Question about GR7 being used as a plugin (not a send) for a hardware synth:

Ive got my MicroKORG XL+ connected as a HW instrument in my DAW, and I have GR7 plugged in to that instrument directly. Im using my sustain pedal to trigger Looper Pro. Bitwig 5 and Cubase 12.

If I turn my microKORG's main preset and bank knobs while connected to GR7, GR7 receives MIDI program change messages from the microKORG and begins wildly switching (stacking on top) presets. MIDI bindings are also stripped and my pedal stops working. It goes crazy.

I dont think I have control over whether the microKORG sends program change messages out. I can stop it from receiving program change msgs *from* the DAW, but I'm *pretty sure* I cant stop the Korg from sending them out.

Do you have an insight into this? How can I stop GR7 from reading those messages and switching presets? Thanks

Wouter De Muynck

I would propose to install https://www.snoize.com/midimonitor/ and look in the terminal window what is happening on the MIDI-level. Maybe you can limit the MIDI channel in GR7 to prevent the preset switching.

Milkman

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/93607#Comment_93607

This doesnt happen in any other case(including GR6), and I can see what's happening - GR7 is receiving program change messages from the Korg synth when connected directly to the Korg. I dont need a MIDI mon to understand that. Ive changed GR7's MIDI channel from omni to other channels, but the behavior is the same. My Korg is on channel 2.

Im also seeing inconsistent results with mapping a sustain pedal to GR7's "rec/play/dub" control. I can map the pedal, I can hit the pedal and observe the control change happening (I can see the animation changing on the button on GR7), but loop record does not start/stop/next loop. I always have to manually click start with the mouse. Somehow, the mapping disappears after a few minutes and I have to MIDI-learn the pedal again. I wonder if anyone else has tried using a pedal with Looper Pro?

Milkman

So in Cubase 12.0.7, GR7 does not receive program change messages from my Korg synth when directly plugged into that channel.

When using GR7 as a channel plugin in Bitwig 5, GR7 receives the Korg's program change messages and goes crazy. It seems this is happening in Bitwig but not Cubase, and is perhaps something that needs to be blocked at the "HW instrument" level inside Bitwig. I have not had luck in stopping it so far.

Im still having major trouble with MIDI mapping. It just isnt working, both native (using GR7's "MIDI learn") or using the DAW (mapping QCs in Cubase or inside the device panel on Bitwig).

When in standalone mode, I can get the pedal mapping working more reliably. Hopefully NI has some some QA on GR7 inside a few major DAWs and can help resolve this.

dannyhawaii

In Cubase, the VST3 only accepts MIDI on channel 1 so that's why it's not getting the Korg's extra MIDI messages. For Bitwig, you should be able to add the "Channel Filter" MIDI Device and use that to control which channels are enabled.

Milkman

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/93668#Comment_93668

Thank you. I'm trying to use Bitwig's 'channel filter' for this but I haven't been successful so far. Any way I configure that, it doesn't seem to stop them.

I've at least temporarily worked around this by putting GR7 on the main output on Bitwig, using only Looper Pro. This way I can loop anything inside the DAW, and the program change msgs do not reach GR7.

I've also found some solutions for the MIDI learn issue.

-MIDI-learn alone does not work in cubase 12 or Bitwig. You have to find another solution.

-in Bitwig, you can use GR7 to create a macro knob, switch it to button/momentary mode, assign it to rec/play/overdub, then use Bitwig's device panel to bind that macro to a pedal. If I don't create the macro and try to map directly, it won't work.

-in cubase 12, I haven't found a solution but I'm really not using cubase much anymore, so I don't care. Bitwig has become my main DAW. Maybe I'll use the remote control to create some QCs or something, unless someone knows a more elegant way.