how to control VSTHost with a midi controller?

[badgrplayer]

I've made a test. I've assigned channel 2 and 3 to my first and second plugins instead of channel 1 and 2.
The good news is that now, the plugins are clearly separated. When I play a note on channel 3, the first plugin doesn't receive any data, that's good.
The bad news is that channel 1 is still used I don't know why.

91 2F 62 Ch.2 Note On: B1 (47), Velocity: 98
80 2F 40 Ch.1 Note Off: B1 (47), Velocity: 64
91 30 50 Ch.2 Note On: C2 (48), Velocity: 80
80 30 40 Ch.1 Note Off: C2 (48), Velocity: 64
91 34 50 Ch.2 Note On: E2 (52), Velocity: 80
80 34 40 Ch.1 Note Off: E2 (52), Velocity: 64
91 29 45 Ch.2 Note On: F1 (41), Velocity: 69
90 2B 3C Ch.1 Note On: G1 (43), Velocity: 60
80 29 40 Ch.1 Note Off: F1 (41), Velocity: 64
80 2B 40 Ch.1 Note Off: G1 (43), Velocity: 64

As you can see in this example, the note off is send on channel 1 instead of channel 2. What the hell?

I'm gonna do a General Midi Mode Reset, to see if it changes something.
edit : doesn't change anything.

[jancivil]

scratch that, I had to think about terms.

The note-offs may not be meaningful at all to the plugin. I think it's more typical for software to take a note-on velocity of zero to turn the note off. If you aren't getting notes that do not turn off, & as we should probably figure the note-off in channel 1 is not communicating the message to channel 2 in this case, this would appear to be true. Your controller then has a redundancy built-in (which is common).

Note off with a particular velocity (default 64 as you see) was designed to effect something in a synth, a release velocity which does something more than just get you off the note.
EG: the Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression protocol's fifth dimension is "Lift", ie release, and the message is note-off velocity.

[jancivil]

It still seems weird (I've seen it before*) but you need to *worry about it if you need note-off velocity as a control**, unless of course you're just getting a held note which cannot be stopped except for a panic button.

IE: it could be (I think it probably is, Occam's Razor/fewest assumptions) the design of the controller is to consider note-off <velocity> **as a control message instead of a note message, and you have a global channel 1.

[badgrplayer]

If you aren't getting notes that do not turn off,

I do, unfortunately.
I press one key and the note keep ringing. I use the CC #120 to turn it off.
It did happen before but it was only sometimes. Now it's constant. I may have mess with something in the CC.
By the way, it's really a pita that every CC are set through the modulation wheel. (except for selecting Bank which can be selected through the numeric buttons. But doesn't matter since it doesn't work. ). Some CC are supposed to be only On or Off. Using a wheel for that is not handy.

as we should probably figure the note-off in channel 1 is not communicating the message to channel 2 in this case, this would appear to be true.

It seems to be the case. My plugins receive the Note On on the right channel but not the Note Off so they keep ringing.

Your controller then has a redundancy built-in (which is common).

Can I fix it?

Note off with a particular velocity (default 64 as you see) was designed to effect something in a synth, a release velocity which does something more than just get you off the note.
EG: the Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression protocol's fifth dimension is "Lift", ie release, and the message is note-off velocity.

Er, yes maybe I don't know.
I'm note quite there yet in terms of MIDI knowledge.
Or keyboard knowledge for that matter.

One thing is sure, the MT-49 manual won't help me. It's very short, and some pages are cut.

Clipboard01.jpg

I can find much info on google, except that it's an "old but hard wearing" keyboard.

edit: btw, the sound is slightly different with the virtual built-in keyboard of VSTHost. It send every note ON and OFF on channel 4, as I told him too, but it's not the only thing. It hard to describes but it's like there's something about the sound. Like pressing a key doesn't play only a note, it add something more to the sound than my hardware keyboard doesn't.

[badgrplayer]

After asking the same question on midi.org, I now think the problem is due to my midi to USB cable.

I'll keep you updated.

Thank you.

[jancivil]

hit quote AGAIN causing a dupe

[jancivil]

Your controller then has a redundancy built-in (which is common).

Can I fix it?

You're misunderstand me; your problem actually is that it doesn't do note on velocity = 0 instead of - or in redundancy to - note off velocity.
Which [the latter] is useful only where the instrument takes advantage. Which is why a controller tends to have note on velocity = 0 as well as.

Your controller sucks, get another one.

EDiT: I have seen note-on velocity on a different channel, well, numerous times. It isn't a problem because the note is getting turned off the other way due to that's coming from the controller.

[jancivil]

If you aren't getting notes that do not turn off,

I do, unfortunately.
I press one key and the note keep ringing. I use the CC #120 to turn it off.
It did happen before but it was only sometimes. Now it's constant. I may have mess with something in the CC.
By the way, it's really a pita that every CC are set through the modulation wheel. (except for selecting Bank which can be selected through the numeric buttons. But doesn't matter since it doesn't work. ). Some CC are supposed to be only On or Off. Using a wheel for that is not handy.

I've seen it said so many times when I was starting out, and for years I was in the dark (saw it googling for manuals to show you) believing it, 'certain CCs are _fill in the blank, or they're designed to be _. NB: that is true in hard-wired hardware but in fact all CCs are continuous controllers, 0-127. EG: we can use CC64 as a regular controller as long as it's assigned to something which can, simply, use it. Which is almost anything.

So if you proceed in the world of software instruments, you can, except for instances like an actual sus pedal (on/off toggle), or an actual hihat pedal (basically four zones via 'CC4') on the control side, ignore the designations. All of it is there from a time where there was next-to-no software to control except inside a hardware synth. If my basic CC lane doesn't have CC4 and I want to control the variable hat or variable snare for some reason, I'll tend to use whatever is already showing and assign it to the kit.

[badgrplayer]

That's weird, I thought I had answer this thread.

I wanted to say that (almost) everything was fixed after buying a new cable.

Don't buy generic no-name usb-midi cable kids.

(Well, I didn't buy it, the seller gave it to me with the keyboard. Whatever)