Feedback LED blinking - AKAI APC Mini MK2

Bome Products
1

Hello,

I am new to the forum and have not yet been able to find a final answer. (Presumably the solution to my problem is simple :slight_smile: )

I am using the AKAI APC Mini MK2 to control the Grand MA Dot2 software.
The only thing I’m currently missing is the LED feedback. With the tutorial ‘Tutorial: Emulate LED feedback on a MIDI Controller using Bome MIDI Translator’ I could already implement a part.

But now I would like to make some buttons blink when they are pressed and stop blinking when they are pressed again. In the Akai manual (page 3) I read that there is this possibility. I have already managed to make a button flash using Midi Message → RawMidi. But what I have not managed to do is to make the button stop blinking when I press it again.

Is there a tutorial for this somewhere or does anyone have a solution?

2

Hi and welcome to the Bome community!

Please find the attached.

There are two translators. The first one both toggles the value of ga and also sends back to the controller either a blinking message (Channel 8) or solid message (Channel 7) with the value of 72 (red).

The second one sends either a value of 0 or 127 to the Application. It uses the same global variable (ga) to determine the state of the button.

I have my aliases set up as follows. I’m using virtual ports so your aliases will need to be different (send directly to and from the controller.

image

You can learn more about aliases from this tutorial.

I set up device selection at both the preset and translator levels to make sure the MIDI messages go to the right place.

For more information about device selection, see this tutorial.

APC-MINI-MK2-Blink.bmtp (1.6 KB)

You can review this post on how your controller handles colors.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
3

Hi Steve,

First of all, thank you for your quick reply!
I tried to use your file, but it doesn’t seem to run. Maybe I did something wrong…
So I tried to copy and paste your setup into my file, unfortunately that didn’t work either.

I have now uploaded my original file here. It currently contains a preset with three translators → two for two buttons and one for a fader. I would now like to create a translator for the button (Note 70-A#4) that flashes or pulses the first time it is pressed and goes off again the second time it is pressed.

APCminiMk2.bmtp (2.0 KB)

4

Hi, there is no note 70 or 71 on an APC-MINI MK2.

You have notes 0-39 (for the main matrix).

The bottom row (mute buttons) are notes 100-107 (left to right). The buttons on the right (top to bottom are notes 113-119. The shift is note 122 but doesn’t seem to have an LED.

Remember when looking at MIDI messages in the log window they are represented in Hex so 70H is 112 ad 71H is 113 if that is what you are looking for. Maybe that is why it is not working.

Also the MK2 sends and receives on MIDI CH1 for the bottom and right LED’s.

For the matrix LEDs it sends on MIDI CH1 but the returning MIDI CH will determine the brightness or blink rate of the LEDs.

Please review this post for my summary or go to AkaiPro and download the APC MINI MK2 Manual.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
5

Note, if the buttons on the right and below are round, you have a MK1. The MK2 has square buttons on the side and below.

6

I have the MK2, the buttons on the side and below are square buttons

7

IMG_2730
IMG_27301920×2560 317 KB

8

OK, I just need to know the right note numbers or describe which buttons you are using.

9

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I don’t know very much about Midi notes yet :frowning:

In the picture you can see the two buttons that are currently lit, I would now like to make one of them flashes or pulses.

PS.: in Bome, the note 70 / 71 is displayed for both buttons. Isn’t that the midi note?

Bildschirmfoto 2023-12-11 um 17.24.10
Bildschirmfoto 2023-12-11 um 17.24.101676×322 46.6 KB

10

Not sure where you got 70 an 71 did you use the capture feature of Bome MIDI Translator to ensure you are capturing the right note numbers?

See this link.

For some reason it looks like one of the lower buttons is blue but I do not think this is possible so perhaps this is an issue with the photograph.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
11

yes I’ve used the capture feature.
in the picture it looks blue. but it is actually white

12

Strange because the APCMINI MK2 does not put out these note numbers. Maybe you captured it from some other controller or you forgot to click on the MIDI message to transfer the captured message from the controller.

Could you point out exactly which buttons you want to set up blink?

By the picture, it looks like 6 buttons are lit.

Steve

13

that is strange, I have marked the button in the picture:

IMG_2730
IMG_27301920×1440 191 KB

I have now used the capture feature again for this button, as far as I can see this would be note 64:

Capture

14

You must be capturing from a different device. The note you marked would be note 0.

Please open the log window and turn on MIDI IN by checking this box. That way we can tell where this MIDI message is coming from.

midi-in
midi-in825×201 6.8 KB

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
15

Here is the excerpt from the log when I press the button:

Capture
Capture1082×304 7.88 KB

16

OK, it appears that you have put your device into drum mode. Press and hold shift and then drum to get it back into the default mode. In drum mode or note mode, you will not be able to control the LED’s.

Or in this version, I set it to default mode when the project file is opened or you hit Control-Up.

I only programmed the one button.

Here is where I found the information on the various modes. I looked at the SysEx that was sent by the APC-MINI MK2 to determine how to set the mode remotely (using MT Pro).

APCminiMk2.bmtp (2.6 KB)

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
1 Like
17

Thank you, it works! :slight_smile:

I had it in drum mode because the brightness of the LED was very low.
I didn’t have the controller in drum mode at first, but as soon as I controlled the LED via Bome, it wasn’t very bright. I had found a video on Youtube where someone had explained that the LEDs are brighter in drum mode.

But with your file the LED is as bright as in drum mode.

That means I can now actually copy the translator ‘Feedback’ you prepared for all the buttons I want to flash? and for the others that I don’t want to flash I use the setting from tutorial Emulate LED feedback on a MIDI Controller?

and one more question: with the variable oo can I set how fast it flashes?

18

Yes, it is in the manual I provided a link earlier.

image
image674×575 41.9 KB

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
19

ok thanks, you’ve really helped me!

I have now changed the variable oo to 9, which changes the flashing in the ‘off’ state. The flashing in the ‘On’ state remains the same. I don’t know exactly how to explain this…

Can I make a video of this and send it to you? or do you know what I mean?

20

Change this

//Toggel global variable ga
ga=ga^1
pp=72
oo=6
if ga==1 then oo=9

To this

//Toggel global variable ga
ga=ga^1
pp=72
oo=6
if ga==0 then oo=9

To change which state flashes.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
1 Like