Hello. I just set up my Bomebox and it is working fine as a pass-through. I would appreciate your help with:
Connecting Bomebox to my Allen & Heath CQ20B … it shows as connected on the Remote Direct MIDI, but on the Allen & Heath MIDI screen, it did not detect/discover the CQ20B. I manually added the IP address and it reads ‘enabled, unreachable [manual]’.
I need to send MIDI commands (e.g., changes to channel volumes, effects, etc.) from my Line 6 Helix to my CQ20B, so I purchased the Bomebox and Translator – but all the videos and instructions are over my head. Is there an example of how to increase channel 1 by 2db that you could share to get me started?
Notes:
I am using a windows computer
I am connected to Bomebox via wifi
The Helix allows me to send either bank/program or cc
Ureachable usually means it is on the wrong network. Is you BomeBox ethernet on the same network as the CQ20B? Have you configured your A&H for the proper network address and netmask? I would need to see your ethernet settings for your BomeBox as well as you settings on your A&H (screenshots should help here).
First, thanks for your purchase! There are some example project file on our forum. This one shows how to use a CC on a Launch Control XL to control the CQ L/R level. You could use it as a model (along with the Allen&Heath CQ documentation) for constructing other actions.
You would normally run the project on Bome MIDI Translator Pro located on your computer for development, sending the output using Remote Direct MIDI to the BomeBox Allen&Heath port. Once you get it working on your computer through BomeBox , you should then be able to upload it to BomeBox for execution (after modifying the MIDI aliases).
You can learn more about aliases from this tutorial.
But first of all, we need to figure out why it is not connecting with the manual connection. I know the current version of the firmware does not auto discover the CQ, but that is OK as you should be able to manually connect. A newer version is in the works that should help discoving some of the newer Allen & Heath products using auto discovery.
Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care
Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
Set your BomeBox ethernet to fixed IP address at 192.168.0.1 and then your CQ to 192.168.0.2
Netmask at 255.255.255.0
Then it should work.
I’m assuming you are connected via WiFi from your computer.
Now if you are connected with ethernet on your computer, Set you computer to fixed IP address at 192.168.0.3
Right now your BomeBox and CQ are in APIPA mode which is less reliable than fixed IP address.
If you have a router on your ethernet network, then it may be different so if that is the case, don’t change anything yet, but let me know what your router ethernet is set to and if it supports DHCP. I suspect not, since the current configuration is using APIPA.
The thing about APIPA is that at anytime if there is a device on your network that is a DHCP host, it can kill all APIPA connections.
One you can manually get connected to the CQ from you BomeBox, then we would move on to the next step in getting MIDI Translator set up to work.
Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care
Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
Steve, more clarification … I am connected between the computer and Bomebox via WIFI. I am also connected with ethernet cable direct from the computer to CQ.
I appreciate your patience with me. I followed the instructions but it still won’t fond the mixer and–worse yet–my CQ Mixpad app can’t see the mixer either. I tried connecting to that fixed IP address, but that didn’t work either.
If the mixpad app is connected directly to the CQ, maybe set the address of that device (iPad?) to 192.168.0.4.
I believe it also needs to be on the same network. If you are using the BomeBox as a gateway to the CQ then I have to give some thought to how to connect it like adding a route in the advanced settings of the BomeBox. I’m not that familiar with the CQ and if it has wireless capabilities, however.
Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care
Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
Update … I assigned the fixed IP on the computer and it now connects with the CQ and Bomebox (via ethernet cable, no router). It still does not detect the CQ on the Allen & Heath MIDI screen.
Note: The CQ does have wireless capabilities and I was able to connect to it with my iPad. I switched it back to ethernet after testing that capability.
Yes, automatic discovery of the CQ will not happen until a new BomeBox firmware release. For now, you will need to create a manual IP on the BomeBox for it to connect.
Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care
Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
I don’t think you will see the Bomebox in any screen on the CQ, because it’s a stupid Midi connection. When the bome menu show the connection established, everything should be ready (as far as I know).
Try to change some levels on CQ and have a look if the Bomebox can receive this commands.
I don’t have a CQ, however you can monitor what comes back from it using a MIDI thru path. If you want to reverse translate it, you will need another translators.
The attached file has a MIDI thru path that I can monitor with Bome MIDI Translator Pro from my BomeBox. I monitor it using the log window of Bome MIDI Translator Pro
My aliases are as follows. My BomeBox name is ‘FOH’.
Yes, I connected the BomeBox to the CQ20B via USB. I am able to see the connection via the BomeBox app. I agree, I like seeing the commands on the translator app when I change settings; it’s reassuring
Hi, Steve. Thank you for the guidance in your reply to my email. I can see it’s getting closer, but the CQ20B is not responding to the command. Attached is a screenshot from my translator; there was no event in the log when the “line 6” was the only one selected for MIDI in, but when I clicked on the Bomebox DIN, I saw activity. I tried other selections for MIDI out (in case that was the issue) and still got no response.
More progress! There is no longer the error message.
It still is not changing anything on the CQ20B.
I noticed a difference between assigning the alias for the Helix … when I selected the Bome DIN, it responded with lines 51-52 in the log. When I selected the Helix, it responded with lines 54-63.
It looks like you probably has the Line-6 Helix plugged in to your MIDI DIN IN on your BomBox so that is how the aliase should be set up. What is coming in your Helix USB port is a SysEX message and should be ignored but it doesn’t look like it is sendind MIDI CC from your knob.
I’ve renamed the alias ‘Line6-Helix’ to ‘My-Helix’. Use that alias and then select your BomeBox MIDI DIN port for input.
Steve! I got it to work! I removed the variables in the MIDI out command and replaced with numbers and it works (file attached). I also added a couple more translators and learned from your tutorial how to map the translator to the Bomebox and was able to work without connection as planned.
An interesting thing I learned … I had mapped a translator and then made updates in the translator program. I was confused at first when I tested it, because it was still using the commands that were mapped in the Bomebox for command 64 and using the new one for 65 from the Translator Pro … once I realized it, I mapped the whole new translator (overwriting the first version) and it works great!!!
