Zynewave.
absolutebeginnerHi, I’m new in this forum.
I’m trying the demo version of Podium. It seems a good and powerful DAW.
My Midi keyboard is an Edirol PCR 800 and it can’t be used as a control surface on Podium, as Podium only accepts the Mackie control surface protocol.
So I’ve installed on my computer a software called GMCE (Generic Mackie Controller Emulator) and a driver called Midi Yoke, as suggested by the Gmce developers, to be used as a software Midi patch bay.
Now, the Podium manual says that I should enable in the Midi interfaces an option called Detect Mackie compatible control surface, but I cannot see it. According to the guide, the box to be ticked should be in the Midi interfaces under the Send Time Code box, but it’s not there.
Is this because I got the demo version? This box will be enabled if I’ll buy the licensed version?
Thanks for the answer.
ZynewaveHi,
The control surface support was updated in one of the latest Podium releases, and the manual unfortunately has not been updated on this point. The auto-detect option is gone, and instead you should just manually select the in/out ports on the control surfaces page. This was done to enable support for devices that only partially supported the Mackie protocol.
Note that you should not enable the MIDI port for your Mackie device on the MIDI page.
absolutebeginnerThanks!
I’ll try to do that.
absolutebeginnerNo way… 😕
Now the Midi chain is:
Genmce Midi In Port => Edirol PCR1 (my midi keyboard controller PCR800)
Genmce Midi Out Port => Out to Midi Yoke 6 (as suggested by Genmce guide)
Genmce Feedback (DAW MCU Out port) => In from midi Yoke 7 (as suggested…etc)
Podium Control surfaces window:
Midi input interface: In from Midi Yoke 6
Midi output interface: Out to midi Yoke 7
Now the midi signal should go through keyboard, Genmce (the mackie emulator), Midi Yoke (the software patch bay) and Podium, but it doesn’t work.
If I move a slider or a knob in the controller, the midi meter in the lower right screen of Podium flashes, so they send some midi to Podium…but nothing in the right place (volume sliders, mute/solo, etc.)
The TelenatorI’m no MIDI genius or expert, having only begun using MIDI myself about a year ago after avoiding it whenever possible (I’m originally an old-school guitarist type!). But let me see if I can help some.
I don’t know the names and details of your gear but, ideally, I shouldn’t have to. First, Podium is flashing because it ‘sees’ MIDI connected in whatever way, whether right or wrong.
The important thing to know first is that the MIDI In and Outs you will use for your control surface MUST NOT BE the same ones you will use for MIDI In and Out for your VST instruments actual note functions. This is what confuses most new to setting this stuff up.
My example — my keyboard has a dedicated MIDI IN 5 for control surface use, and it has MIDI Out 2 as the return to keyboard for same. Therefore, I use them on the Mackie-styled control page in Audio/MIDI Prefs ONLY. Then I have MIDI 1, 2, 3, 4 as available to run various VSTi stuff, and have MIDI Out 1 (not needed, not used when using USB) for return, which I connect anyway, if only so I won’t try to apply it to control surface, etc.
I have used MidiYoke before, but I don’t understand why you would need it for this above use in Podium. It is usually only required for novel or unusual connection attempts (e.g., running things in from desktop, etc.).
Hope this might help. Whole point here is there are sort of two types of MIDI hookups going on here — one sort for instruments (MIDI note things only), the other to run your DAW, knobs, sliders, other assignable items on your instruments and so on.
absolutebeginnerThanks for your answer!
Yes, I use separate Midi Ins and Outs for the keyboard notes (Midi section in Podium) and the control surface (Control surface window), as Zynewave told me before.
I too don’t know exactly why I have to use Midi Yoke, it’s suggested by the guide of the Mackie emulator. Perhaps the Genmce Mackie emulator cannot send midi signals directly to the Daw.
The idea you gave me is that perhaps my control surface doesn’t trasmit Midi signals on every channel, but only on a specific channel.
I’ll try to check that.
The TelenatorThe newer it is, the more likely certain ports or certain channels are indeed ‘dedicated’ for control duties. This is partly because of recent advancements in controllers, but also because less experienced users had so much trouble setting up channel offsets and so on by themselves.
When I posted before I did so assuming you probably knew all I was saying already, but I though perhaps reviewing it some might assist. One note about MidiYoke — those virtual cables are unpowered; they are nothing more than a guitar cable really, no power to actively send, just mere connectors. Now, MidiOX and some of the others are a different story all around.
Again, I’m clueless about most specific hardware products and brands, but I have to assume your emulator does send control messages. I mean, how could it not? Back to what you closed with, It must have its preferred channels. The manual for my keyboard was extremely vague, so it was an evening of trial and error until I set things straight. Good luck with your efforts. Once you get things straightened the benefits are truly grand! Cheers!
absolutebeginnerThe Podium guide, page 171, says that “when a control surface is present, the mixer view menu has a Follow control surface option”.
In fact, the follow control surface is there and it’s ticked on. So it seems that Podium sees the control surface, it understands it’s a mackie, but the sliders and knobs of the Podium mixer are not affected.
GMCE is a software emulation of the mack, but I think that, if Podium sees it, it sees that it’s a mack.
In my Edirol PCR800 keyboard I have 16 preset “control maps” and I tried them all to check if some are “more mack” than others but it’s useless…anyway it shouldn’t make a difference, as the signal passes through the emulator before going to Podium…
❓
ZynewaveOn the mixer strips, do you see half-circles with the numbers 1-8?
absolutebeginnerYes, they’re on the right side, under the SMR buttons
absolutebeginnerI’m here again… 🙁
I’ve made a small step ahead, now I’ve set up the Gmce so that some signal passes through and moves only some track’s pan sliders on Podium screen…but I can’t make it to do anything else.
The Gmce developers showed me how to assign every hardware slider to the software one, but the changes I do in Gmce setup don’t affect Podium.
The main thing I wish to do is assign my hardware buttons to the track’s Solo-Mute sliders…according Gmce developers I should push those buttons and see which CC# and channel numbers appear on Gmce, and set those values. The CC# number should identify the kind of hardware control (first slider, second slider, first button, etc.). But nothing happens.
Should I do anything else in Podium?
ZynewaveAny control changes you set up must match the MCU defaults. This page can be helpful: