Reports from a gig.

[ksiragusa]

Hi all
I've used my Rev C on gigs before but only in a very simple fashion - one sound for one midi channel.
I'm now doing the sound design and keys for an artist (finalist from a TV comp we all know and love ), that requires a lot more in the way of sounds and samples. So I've spent the last week programming snapshots and creating special sounds/samples using Kontakt etc.
I'm VERY happy to report that the Receptor worked like a champ! Even after the back of the truck roadtrips.
Ivory and B4 were constantly engaged and other instruments like Kontakt (x2), Stringer, NI Elektric Piano and OP-X were on various snapshots. All running on 64k buffers.
Program messages were sent from my Korg SGproX which is a great master controller but does not have the best keyboard action. These PC's were sent to the receptor as well as the Korg Trinity. So one button push changed the SG, Trinity and Receptor to the right sounds.
Now....
I still managed to have 3 meltdowns at the gig. Here's why.
I am using an EMAGIC unitor 8 as a midi merger and when I had the first meltdown, I looked down at the receptor thinking it was the issue, however, what had happened, was that the unitor8 had locked up and was sending note on messages but no not off messages. All the lights were stuck on. So I finally found the 'Panic' button and all was fixed.
This happened another two times at the gig, usually with the combination of a hammond slide and the sustain pedal. So I'm guessing the Unitor8 is not built for massive midi throughput.
Has anyone experienced this type of midi lockup?
And, I guess I'm in the market for a better midi interface/merger. Any recomendations eg MOTU midi timepiece AV?

Thanks for your time, and again the receptor at a live gig is rather special.

Kim

[Briggity]

We use 3 MOTU Micro Express USB MIDI interfaces (4 in/6 out) on the Tom Jones tour. One of them is in the keyboard rig to do what you're describing - routing MIDI from two controller keyboards (Kurzweil PC2X and Roland VK-7) to a Receptor, Mac Mini and Kurzweil K2500R. They have been extremely reliable for several years and hundreds of shows. Occasionally a Micro Express will fail to be recognized by the Mac at startup, but simply pulling the USB and reinserting it will get it working, and this has never been an issue during a show. We also had to replace the backup batteries (standard CR2032 watch battery) in the MOTU boxes recently when two of them started losing their setups (again, only between startups, never during a performance) - but that's not surprising since they were all put in service in 2003.

[ksiragusa]

Hi Briggity
Thanks for the reply.
I've got another show coming up soon and would like to avoid the midi lockup I had on the Thursday night gig.
Thanks for the MOTU suggestion, I'll look into it.

Kim

[Acoutistic]

Hello,

I picked up a Unitor 8 used some years ago - I've had the very same lock up problem with it intermittently (most recently yesterday). I use it at home in a testbed setup, but I don't trust it in performance situations.

M

[Robert Karasek]

I'm using MIDITEMP PMM88-E for years - and also with RECEPTOR now.

[thesoundsmith]

I would suspect the Unitor is from an era that did not anticipate massive midi controller throughput. Like my VMK88-just too slow for the real world.

[richwhite9]

Not a solution but a couple pretty good articles over MIDI bandwidth limitations and some solutions (like disabling velocity and aftertouch on organ patches. Other obvious one with organs is using a real leslie and not pushing modulation through the channels).

http://www.midisolutions.com/chapter3.htm
http://www.billbuxton.com/MIDIlan.html

MIDI needs as new spec. It was obvious when Oberheim released the Matrix-12 that polyphonic aftertouch and complex mods could be a killer and could flood just about anything availabe at the time for sequencers or midi mappers.etc.

[Bryan@MuseResearch]

[quote="ksiragusa"]Hi all
up?
And, I guess I'm in the market for a better midi interface/merger. Any recomendations eg MOTU midi timepiece AV?

Thanks for your time, and again the receptor at a live gig is rather special.

Kim[/quote]

We have recommended the MIDI solutions to a number of tours and have heard of ZERO problems with their products. They make a two to one, a four to one, and I believe an 8 to 1 merger.

Cheers

Groovology

[Watto]

Yep, MIDI Solutions is the go - just make sure you get more inputs than you think you'll need

[looneytunes]

I've been using the Midi Solutions 4->1 for centuries!

Centuries? Did I say centuries? I meant about 4 years.

It's been completely solid, not a glitch. I didn't even need to change a battery (It gets power from one of the MIDI-in's.

Regards,
Kevin L

[gizmostatic]

Not a solution but a couple pretty good articles over MIDI bandwidth limitations and some solutions (like disabling velocity and aftertouch on organ patches. Other obvious one with organs is using a real leslie and not pushing modulation through the channels).

http://www.midisolutions.com/chapter3.htm
http://www.billbuxton.com/MIDIlan.html

MIDI needs as new spec. It was obvious when Oberheim released the Matrix-12 that polyphonic aftertouch and complex mods could be a killer and could flood just about anything availabe at the time for sequencers or midi mappers.etc.

Great stuff there, thanks for posting that. But it makes me wonder .. I'm on the verge of buying a new Kurz. PC3, which uses USB. My Axiom 61 also uses USB, so was thinking of a hub to use both keyboards to control the Receptor. I could use USB out of one and midi out of the other, but I've found the Receptor sometimes doesn't react well (it may have been that I was controlling the same B4 VI with both keys to get that organ solo part in 'Give It To Me' by J Geils ...) So any was thinking of trying a USB hub and not use midi at all .. particularly since I also use a 34one pedal for setting tempos on the receptor which is midi.

Anyone merging USB into the Receptor? Is the speed of USB significantly more/better than midi? PC3 isn't shipping yet so wont be able to test that out for a while.

[thesoundsmith]

I'm on the verge of buying a new Kurz. PC3, which uses USB. My Axiom 61 also uses USB, so was thinking of a hub to use both keyboards to control the Receptor. I could use USB out of one and midi out of the other, but I've found the Receptor sometimes doesn't react well (it may have been that I was controlling the same B4 VI with both keys to get that organ solo part in 'Give It To Me' by J Geils ...)

I use an Axiom 61 USB with an sx88 via midi to control the B4ii - no problem, even when they are both set to upper manual. Whichever gets there last wins... I don't know if there is a speed difference via USB, certainly the bandwidth is higher, but I don't think the multiple midi nibbles can be processed any faster if they are gong to stay in sync with the other port(s) - but I could be wrong. Has anyone seen any test relative to this issue? Could be significant.