DMX Operator Midi controller suggestion

Did you assign your MIDI channels properly and does the foot controller cover the signalling that the DMX Operator requires?

Also, layer 1 issues: are your cables good?

f.y.i. the fc-192 was never brought to stock so i don't think you will be able to buy one. did u say u have one? or what exactly are you using for the dmx op? peace. jingles.

Looking at the manual for the DMX Operator(since that is what the OP is mentioning and what I have), looking through the MIDI spec sheet, I have come to the following conclusions:

First off, does the OP(original poster) have MIDI enabled? Follow the manual and read instructions on how to do this.

Second, the DMX Operator works off note values. Just because the foot controller you purchased has things labelled such as "bank" and maybe "patch", doesn't mean that this will just defacto work with the DMX Operator. Remember that while MIDI is a standardized protocol, there is lots of "wiggle room" for hardware makers to implement perhaps odd things to give their devices added functionality. I won't go into why this is good or why this is bad. The main thing is thanks to standardization, everything else works with everything else, with only advanced features being the only things requiring being at the unit itself to take care of.

Since the DMX Operator uses MIDI note numbers(only), you're going to need to be able to PROGRAM your foot switch to assign MIDI notes to pedals. And you're going to need to go past the typical 61-note keyboard range to make this happen too.

Let's get ugly now.
Thinking standard MIDI practices, which may have changed, MIDI channel 10 is for drums. Why? Because. Move on.
I typically use channel 16 for my MIDI-enabled Mixers, so I'd probably choose MIDI chanel 15 for my DMX Operator. So, first off, you know you have to match your MIDI channels for communication purposes. So, again, as I stated early on, match your MIDI channels.

Note, some devices/units/software don't start at 0, but rahter 1, meaning that 1 is actually MIDI value 0. Why? MIDI is an 7-bit protocol in an 8-bit data stream(using 3 bit words), with values ranging from 0-127, which gives a total of 128 possible values. So, just adjust yourself properly.

What you need to see when reading the spec chart is that the DMX Operator works using using MIDI Note-ON values. The first hit turns it on, and the second hit of the same note turns it off. Alternately, I would assume hitting a different note value would simply switch scenes.

MIDI Notes 0-7 triggers bank 1, scenes 1-8 respectively. 0 will trigger scene 1, 1 will trigger scene 2, so on and so forth.
MIDI Notes 8-15 triggers bank 2, scenes 1-8 respectively. See the above pattern to figure it out.
This pattern repeats until MIDI note 120, because at 120, notes 120-126 are used to trigger chases 1-6 on and off.
MIDI note 126 is used for blackout.


Now, you're probably saying "ow, my brain hurts" and you're reaching for some booze or other chemical solutions to try and prevent overload. See, this is why musicians need to stay sober, its a technical world out there.

Doing the math real fast,(or real slow using your fingers and toes), you'll see that the last bank you can directly access via MIDI is Bank 15, using MIDI notes 112-119. Yet, you can program a total of 240 scenes via 30 banks in the DMX Operator.

So, you have two choices: program your scenes according to the limitations, use chances to access the additional scenes while building a smart show out of it, or just forget about it.

Now, I'm sure you're not going to buy a foot controller that has 127 pads on it. If you do find one, please let me know as I do have applications for this myself(for other purposes). Chances are you can use a pedal to move between note banks, then use a pedal to trigger scenes within that bank. Maybe reserve a pedal or two for some favorite chases, and definately reserve a pedal for a favorite scene(I use Bank 1, Scene 1 for general White for quick Stage lighting, so that would be my suggestion), and another pedal for blackout. That would put you down to 6 pedals being required., that is assuming your pedal is programmable and then compatible with the DMX Operator.

Have fun!

Chris (or jingles, or ???),

I am having a problem with my Elation DMX Controller being triggered by my midi source. I have done everything as instructed in the manual.

I play the first midi note and the note plays, the midi interface blinks (indicating an event passed through) and the DMX Controller switches to the apropriate scene. But if I play another note (to change the scene, nothing happens. The note plays. The midi interface blinks. But the DMX Controller does nothing.

This would be fine so long as I want to start a scene and don't want to change it the entire song. But that would have to be one heckuvan intersting scene.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Jim

Hey did u post this on the elation forums? if so ya i didnt answer cause midi isnt my thing but im hoping to learn it soon. and i do not know how to trigger midi on the op. 192. sorry! is the one thing about that controller i DONT'T know. again sorry. im hoping some of our other members can help out here. from one jim to another! HA! lol welcome. sincerely,

Don't have stuff set up in a manner to test MIDI functionality, although I do keep a MIDI cable plugged into my DMX Operator.

I wonder if it operates off continous controller data.

What I would do is set a scene at value 36(typical your lowest C on a 61-note keyboard) and maybe another set of scenes starting at that value. Just do your scene/bank conversion to ger your overall scene value to match not value.

It could still be a MIDI issue. It could also be that your fade controller is up and should be down. It is a global and controls the time between fades. Set it to it's lowest value and the scenes should change in a snap. That could be the issue right there.

What are you using to trigger your changes? Any MIDI device on the MIDI signal chain will "respond" to a MIDI message and "blink" if that's what they do, regardless if the unit is responding to that MIDI channel and/or message. It's merely confirming it saw soimething. Does the DMX Operator behave like this? Not sure. I know some of my rack-mount MIDI Synths are configured to only blink like that when they receive a MIDI message on a channel or channels they are configured to to respond to.

Jingles,

Yes. It was me.

Chris,

It was not the fade controller.

But, I think I figured it out. It's not how I would envision it, but it works.

I placed a controller event between each note (scene) change (the controller value doesn't seem to matter) and all of a sudden, each scene change was enabled exactly as programmed.

Now is the fun part; programming each song with scenes...

While I didn't get the solution from the tech folks here (and they may know a better way), the purpose of a forum is to share info. So if anyone else out there has the same problem, this is what worked for me.

Take care,
Jim

That doesn't sound good. They state note numbers, so it should be a matter of hitting the note ON(since note off is automatically generated anyways).

I guess if you have a MIDI sequencer laying around, you're golden. Well, depends how you're going. Most performers are pre-mixing their recorded tracks to CD, DAT, MiniDisc, DVD or some sort of other computer-based systems(say, ProTools) or an MDM format.

If you're already hitting the stage with a PC-based laptop, use MyDMX and save some clutter. If you're using a workstation keyboard, I'm not used to using those and especially with triggering outside data.

I'm currently not working on anything where syncronization with the music is essential or critical. When I do, MyDMX will be ready and waiting. I'm working on a ProTools system right now.