Something that’s not mentioned in the instructions is how specific ports work when transferred from a PC to the Bome Box. This is from the standpoint of getting a particular MIDI controller to work with a particular device.
I set up my configuration file with MIDI Translator Pro and had it working through my PC. The connection went from a Yamaha KX-5 keytar to a Panda wireless MIDI set, to the PC, then to my Yamaha MM6. (The MM6 is not directly compatible with the KX-5.)
Of course when I migrated to the Bome Box, I was working with a single USB-A port, whereas the PC has two of them, so I switched over to the Panda MIDI’s DIN connection.
Bad move. The Bome Box kept searching for the Panda MIDI USB device. It would not open any other MIDI in ports no matter what I did.
First lesson: when you set your devices up on a PC, make sure you REMOVE all the ports they won’t be using from your configuration file.
Second lesson: MIDI Translator Pro’s ports aren’t actually just virtual, they correspond to the ports on the Bome Box! There is nothing in the instructions about this, the only hint is where it says the box has a “runtime” of MIDI Translator Pro on it.
Third lesson: where at all possible, use the DIN ports. This means once your config file is set up, you will delete all but the virtual MIDI in and MIDI out.
Fourth lesson: If you’re running a keytar you need a cable tester and a wireless setup. Period. You WILL break standard MIDI cables on stage. Your guitar player’s cable has two conductors, yours have SIX. Go wireless and make sure the few cables you will need are always in good condition!
Hi,
The main lesson is that as you move devices around, they may have different physical names depending on how you have connected them. This is the reason, I almost always us “Aliases” instead of the physical device names to connect things. Then when you move things around, it is a simple matter of re-assigning the aliases.
See this tutorial on the use of aliases.
BomeBox will also prompt you for aliases after you have uploaded your project file so the devices need to be connected to your BomeBox in some what to assign them.
Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care
Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
Note, if you are daisy chaining on a DIN port, you need to have all of your devices on a different MIDI channel (unless you want all attached synths to sound) . Also you will need a USB hub for more than one USB device and if you have more than 2 USB devices, I would recommend a powered USB hub.
Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care
Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz