Roland TD-50 only receives on channel 1

[hrdnfkeisfopo]

Hello everyone,

I am a new Bitwig user and am attempting to setup my TD-50X to send and receive notes to atrack in Bitwig.

I added the controller to the Setup->Controllers (it loaded as Generic TD-50X).
In the arrange window I set up an instrument track and assigned the input to TD-50X "All Channels" from the Notes Input section.

I was able to record all of the 14 drum pads onto the track.

Then I set the track output to Notes Output - TD50X, and the track channel to "All" and "Same", hit play, but only get MIDI Channel 1 notes sent to the Roland TD-50X.

Here are some interesting troubleshooting clues I have seen:

The Roland TD-50X is setup to transmit all of the MIDI pad notes to Channel 10, but they only come into Bitwig on Channel 1. I tested this by setting the track input to MIDI Notes->TD-50X->Channel 10 and received no notes when recording. When I set the input to Channel 1 or to All Channels, I can record the MIDI notes.

When I look at the Detail Editor Panel for the recorded MIDI notes, they don't reflect the key notes that Roland says are the default. For instance Roland says the default for the kick drum is (36)C2, but Bitwig records it as C1. It still plays back as a kick drum, but seems very confusing to me.

So, I guess my questions are:

Is the "Generic" setting for the Roland TD-50X controller changing the channel and/or note assignments?

If so, how do I map the Roland TD-50X properly in Bitwig?

[BertKoor]

I don't use Bitwig, so can't comment on your issue with midi channels. But it looks like something is messing with the midi channel numbers.

When I look at the Detail Editor Panel for the recorded MIDI notes, they don't reflect the key notes that Roland says are the default. For instance Roland says the default for the kick drum is (36)C2, but Bitwig records it as C1. It still plays back as a kick drum, but seems very confusing to me.

This is a minor thing, not to worry about. The question is, in MIDI, where do we start counting with the octave numbers? And there is no right or wrong answer to that.

Midi notes are numbered from 0 to 127. What the standards do specify is that note number 60 is the middle C on a (full-sized 88 key) piano keyboard. The left-most C on a full-sized 88 key piano keyboard is three octaves below that. So that would be note number 24. Some vendors call that C0, some call it C1, and others C2. Midi has room for even two more octaves below that.

So this note 36 of yours is two octaves below middle C. Whether that's called C2, C1 or C0 is irrelevant. But it's a source for confusion nevertheless.

[lfm]

I would troubleshoot like this
- try and setup a generic keyboard, or similar setting like for a keyboard not having it's own setup
- then some generic midi module or whatever might be there for outpit
- going by how it's done in StudioOne where they are separate setups

If you select both input and output on a generic device fine, use that.

If you use same device for input and output no mapping should be needed.
So minimum of interference from the setup as possible.

Seems like you describe it that you set things up correctly, just a measure to troubleshoot.
- in Cubase you have to set channel to Any or a specific channel will be assigned to all data
- in Sonar I just select Omni as channel

See if Bitwig has a midi list view, where you see every event on it's own row
- from that you can see if everything enters on channel 10 or not
- but you should be able to check in piano roll like view taking properties on a midi event too

Is the distortion of data done already as entered daw, or done on output???

Also, is there some kind of midi monitor in Bitwig?
- so you can check what is actually coming from TD-kit or going out to it
- StudioOne has one built in
- in Sonar I use midi plugins to watch that

If nothing domestic in Bitwig try and get a Midi OX or whatever it is called to just receive midi data as is from TD50.

I never bothered with any device setup my Yamaha DTX700, just select midi ports as such in daw.

[pljones]

MIDI Channel Number is generally irrelevant for anything turning MIDI events into something else -- once it's been used for its intended purpose of routing. Therefore it's likely being "dropped". When you send MIDI out somewhere, you'll likely need to assign a specific channel number to those events explicitly.