Using two Akai APC mini with Daslight4

[stephan.broeer]

Hello everybody,

I want to use two Akai APC Mini with my lightning software Daslight4.
As I know, there’s no way to change the midi channel at the Akai device. But some guys at the Daslight Forum told me, that I can use a software which can be change the midi channel. So I decided to buy Midi Translator Pro after testing the demo version.

The request I need is to change the midi channel from my 2nd Akai APC Mini from 1 to 2 and send this information to Daslight4. Then I could use both devices separately.

I set up a project as described at this post. But I’m not really sure if this is the one I need. When running the project and switching to Daslight4, I could see 3 devices at the midi settings of Daslight4 (see screenshot). I tried all combinations, but non of this gave me the function I expected.

So it would be very nice, if some of you could give me a little help of what to do, that I could use both Akai APC Mini with different Midi Channels in the Daslight4 software.

Many thanks in advance …
Stephan

[SteveC]

Hi and welcome to the Forum!

1. In Daslight4 select BMT 1

In Bome MIDI Translator create 2 presets

First preset should define input as APC-MINI 1 and output as Bome MIDI Translator Virtual Port 1 (BMT1)

Second preset should define input as APC-MINI 2and output as Bome MIDI Translator Virtual Port 1 (BMT1)

Set up translators as follows in the first preset

Under first preset:

Incoming: oo pp qq
Rules: None
Outgoing: oo pp qq

Under second preset
Incoming: oo pp qq
Rules:
// mask MIDI channel
rr=oo&0xf0
// Change it to MIDI CH 2 (MIDI channels start from 0)
oo=rr|1
Outgoing: oo pp qq

The above will handle traffic from your APC MINIs to Daslight4
If you want MIDI feedback from Daslight4 (and it provides it) you would set up 2 more presets and reverse the translation rules so that Daslight4 sends outgoing MIDI CH1 message to APC-MINI1 and converts MIDI CH2 message to MIDI CH1 and sends to APC-MINI1.

Again, Daslight4 would only communicate with BMT1 and not directly at the two APC MINI controllers.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

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

[stephan.broeer]

Hello Steve,

many thanks for your quick response.
I’ll try this tomorrow and then come back with the feedback.

By the way … Daslight support MIDI feedback and it would be great to have

Greetings,
Stephan

[SteveC]

OK, does it work with single APC MINI connected directly. If so, feedback should be clean. If not, you may need to convert Note-Off messages with value of 7F to Note-On Message with value of 0 going back to APC MINI. APC MINI sends 80 xx 7f for note off but the LEDs only turn note off with 90 xx 00.

Steve

[stephan.broeer]

Hey Steve,

the MIDI feedback work with single APC MINI connected directly.

In Daslight4 you can assign one of the buttons of the APC MINI to a scene you created. A dialog window will appear (see screenshot) and the values for the different fields are filled automatically. The left value for the field “Aus” set the color of the button when inactive and the right value for the field “Aus” set the color when the button is active. 1 is for red, 3 is for green, 5 is for yellow.

I will try to create the translators for the MIDI feedback as you wrote in your last post. But I’m not sure if I understand everything right, because MIDI and its functions are new to me. I’ll try my best and let you know how it works

Thanks again!

[stephan.broeer]

Hi Steve,

i add 2 presets to the project and tried to reverse the translation rule.
But unfortunately this doesn’t work … the buttons work but no LED is actived when I press them. Could you please take a look on my project what I have made wrong. I send it as attachment of this replay. Many thanks.

Stephanakai_apc_change_midi_channel.bmtp (1.9 KB)

[SteveC]

Hi,
First I removed your default thru paths since our translators will handle all 3 byte messages. I typically like to control everything with translators unless there is SysEX involved. less surprises in unwanted MIDI messages getting through that way.

I added a thru translator for APC MINI 1 Reverse. I put a rule in there to only process
MIDI messages coming from your app through MIDI CH 1.

// look for MIDI CH 1 only
rr=oo&15
if rr!=0 then exit rules, skip Outgoing Action

I modified the translator for APC MINI 2 Reverse. Here I’m looking for only MIDI CH 2 messages and converting them to MIDI CH 1 back to your second APC MINI.

// mask MIDI channel
rr=oo&15
// Look for MIDI CH 2 only
if rr!=1 then exit rules, skip Outgoing Action
// changingit so MIDI CH 1
oo=oo&240

The port routing is handled at the preset level which it looks like you had correct.

akai_apc_change_midi_channel–sjc.bmtp (2.1 KB)

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

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

[stephan.broeer]

Hi Steve,

many thanks for editing my translator and presets. Now it works exactly as I want to get
I only had to change the reverse channels for APC MINI 1 and APC MINI 2, because when I press the button on APC MINI 1, the light goes on on APC MINI 2
If you want to take a look on, I send you the actually project as attachment of this post.

Kind regards,
Stephanakai_apc_change_midi_channel–stb.bmtp (2.1 KB)

[SteveC]

My pleasure! Beware that the APC MINIs may assign themselves based on how you plug them in. If this happens, just move them on your desk to the right order.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

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

[panciovilla.massi]

Buongiorno Stephan
Ho provato il tuo file con 2 Akai apc mini ho mappato un colore su un tasto della apc mini 1, quando spingo il tasto che ho mappato si accende lo stesso tasto della apc mini 2

[panciovilla.massi]

Ok grazie
In verità mi piacerebbe collegare 3 di apc mini so che di tratta di ripetere per 3 volte la solita cosa
Io non riesco proprio a capirci nulla e credo che anche il traduttore non mi aiuti, il messaggio che mi hai inviato tradotto è incomprensibile.

[panciovilla.massi]

Se riuscite a inviarmi un video con il dettaglio di quello che devo fare per creare queste porte forse ci riesco

[SteveC]

Yes, I saw a few errors in the project file I posted.

Here is an updated project file. Also a snapshot of how I set up my project aliases.

akai_apc_change_midi_channel-sjc.bmtp (2.7 KB)

The way it works is basically each APC MINI is translated from MIDI CH 1 to a different MIDI CH going to Daslight. The reverse happens coming back from Daslight and sends to the appropriate APC MINI device.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

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

[panciovilla.massi]

Buonasera
Steven funzionano tutti e 3 i controller midi

[panciovilla.massi]

grazie

[SteveC]

Glad to hear it.

Basically the APC MINI always sends messages on MIDI CH 1. They are all 3 byte messages

Note On Messages
90 pp qq
Note Off Message
80 pp qq
CC Message
B0 pp qq

The zero in the first byte of all of these means MIDI CH 1 (Counting starts from 0).

I change it to a different channel

I looks at the first byte as oo
rr=oo&0xf0 // this removes the channel informatnoi
rr=oo|1 // OR for MIDI CH 2
oo-rr // put it back into oo

Outgoing will now be
oo pp qq

With MIDI CH 2 set.
For MIDI CH 3, I use I change the channel by ORing with 2 instead of 1

For notes coming back I look at the MIDI channel and depending on what channel is coming back only one of the translators fire, and change it back to MIDI CH 1 for the APC MINI

Incoming : oo pp qq
Rules:
Look for Channel 1
rr=oo&0xf0
if rr!=-0 then exit rules skip outgoing action
outgoing oo pp qq

For channel 2
rr==oo&0xf0
if rr!=1 then exit rules, skip outgoing actino
// change changes back to 1
oo=rr // already masked above
outgoing oo pp rr

And for MIDI CH 3
if rr!=2 tjem exit rules, skip outgoing action

Each preset is set up to only send to it’s designated APC MINI (Look a preset input and output definitions)

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

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