recording external (MIDI) events

[tiger001]

sorry for this question

referring to ML10 doc about recording here https://www.mutools.com/info/M10/docs/m ... rding.html

i'm trying to simply record some external MIDI parameters into ML - realtime
recording notes is OK
playing with external MIDI control is ok so this tells me everything is setup up & working
-i've setup MIDI cc 51 0 and 127 to control the mute parameter of an audio track, mapped these in the project MIDI controller map (why there are 2 MIDI controller maps anyway ?)
so i hit record , start freaking out but no track or sequence is created - or no question pops up

what i'm doing wrong here?

ps. when i manually create a MIDI sequence and enter MIDI cc 51 through the event list editor and play this back, nothings happens/mutes either

edit 10/1 : solved, scroll to p2

[MuTools]

Sorry for the delay, still on the road.

i'm trying to simply record some external MIDI parameters into ML - realtime
recording notes is OK
playing with external MIDI control is ok so this tells me everything is setup up & working
-i've setup MIDI cc 51 0 and 127 to control the mute parameter of an audio track, mapped these in the project MIDI controller map (why there are 2 MIDI controller maps anyway ?)

Which 2 MIDI controller maps do you mean? Where do you see that?

so i hit record , start freaking out but no track or sequence is created - or no question pops up
what i'm doing wrong here?

The composer only records events that reach its event input.
If you map these CCs on project level then when these MIDI events reach project input they're directly transmitted to the indicated target module, hence they won't pass the composer input. So your mapping is not properly setup to also record these events. I recommend setting up these CC maps in the rack of that mixerstrip.

when i manually create a MIDI sequence and enter MIDI cc 51 through the event list editor and play this back, nothings happens/mutes either

Same reason: When you play that sequence then the sent CC events are sent to the target module of that track and as you had setup the mapping on a total different modular level, the mapping can't be applied.

Please try to visualize the MuLab modular tree with the project being at the top. It's essential to understand how MuLab works, and it's not difficult.
See https://www.mutools.com/info/M10/docs/m ... oject.html

Hope this helps.

[tiger001]

Sorry for the delay, still on the road.

Which 2 MIDI controller maps do you mean? Where do you see that?

in fact there are 3 MIDI controller maps:
project level, instrument/rack level, global (?) - see:

2026-01-06 18_07_30-.jpg

2026-01-06 18_07_50-MuLab App _ Breakbeats_2.jpg

2026-01-06 18_08_12-MuLab App _ Breakbeats_2.jpg

The composer only records events that reach its event input.
If you map these CCs on project level then when these MIDI events reach project input they're directly transmitted to the indicated target module, hence they won't pass the composer input. So your mapping is not properly setup to also record these events. I recommend setting up these CC maps in the rack of that mixerstrip.

even when i setup a MIDI controller map for the rack/target (see above), nothing is recorded
-my event input in the modular area isn't mapped after this action either

Hope this helps.

what would help is a quick walkthrough to set this up correctly - there isn't anything documented (for this) is the MuLab manual (or YT vids)

[pljones]

Get the input to a track. That makes it route through the project input. Don't divert it elsewhere. Then set the track target to what you want to automate. Then edit the controller map of the target (probably a MUX at this point). Recording should then record to the track.

If you bypass the project input by using the project MIDI mapper to send to a level below the project input, you won't hit a project level recorder.

[MuTools]

Which 2 MIDI controller maps do you mean? Where do you see that?

in fact there are 3 MIDI controller maps:
project level, instrument/rack level, global (?) - see:...

Ohw, you first wrote 2 MIDI controller maps on project level, but now you write something different. This is how it works: Each and every module has its own MIDI controller map.

what would help is a quick walkthrough to set this up correctly - there isn't anything documented (for this) is the MuLab manual (or YT vids)

My best advice is to get insight in how MuLab is structured: A modular tree structure with the project at the start of the tree structure. Note that a composer also is a module in that modular tree structure.

[MuTools]

Get the input to a track.

To avoid misunderstandings: Tracks don't have inputs, tracks are not modules. Tracks send the audio/events of the clips on that track to the target module of that track.
Anything related to signal routing should be seen in the context of modules.

[MuTools]

what would help is a quick walkthrough to set this up correctly - there isn't anything documented (for this) is the MuLab manual (or YT vids)

As i already adviced: Put those MIDI CC maps to a rack's mixerstrip's mute into the rack CC map. That's most probably the most relevant place as i assume the track is sending to the rack, which is a typical setup.
That way sending those CC from the track to that rack will be converted to parameter events to the rack's mixer strip (which is a child module of the rack) by the rack CC map.

And also that way, when recording and that track is focused, which (by default) also focuses the target module = the rack, these CC's will be recorded for that rack andplaced on that track and when played back we get the same scenario as described in the alinea here above.

Hope you see the picture.

[pljones]

Get the input to a track.

To avoid misunderstandings: Tracks don't have inputs, tracks are not modules. Tracks send the audio/events of the clips on that track to the target module of that track.
Anything related to signal routing should be seen in the context of modules.

Oh... tracks used to (act like they) have recorder modules that recorded their inputs to clips displayed in the composer for that track... I must have missed the change.

So "Choose target module" on a track is for the output of that track? Tracks can't record anything any more because they have no input?

[MuTools]

Oh... tracks used to (act like they) have recorder modules that recorded their inputs to clips displayed in the composer for that track... I must have missed the change.

I just wanted to highlight how things are structured.
Tracks themselves indeed don't have any ins/outs.
Recording itself is done using the Audio/Event Recorder modules.
It are modules that have ins/outs.

That said there is some special support to link a recorder to a track so that it looks like you're recording on that track. When doing Add Audio Track, an Audio Recorder is inserted and linked to that track. That way things are working close to how traditional DAWs are working. Close, but not exactly the same. MuLab is not a traditional DAW.

Each composer also has a built-in (hidden) Event Recorder that can record the event input of that composer. That's how MIDI recording works when e.g. doing New project with only a Basic Synth and click record and play your MIDI keyboard. But you can also use a specific Event Recorder module, just like an Audio Recorder module.

So "Choose target module" on a track is for the output of that track?

Exactly.

[tiger001]

what would help is a quick walkthrough to set this up correctly - there isn't anything documented (for this) is the MuLab manual (or YT vids)

As i already adviced: Put those MIDI CC maps to a rack's mixerstrip's mute into the rack CC map. That's most probably the most relevant place as i assume the track is sending to the rack, which is a typical setup.
That way sending those CC from the track to that rack will be converted to parameter events to the rack's mixer strip (which is a child module of the rack) by the rack CC map.

And also that way, when recording and that track is focused, which (by default) also focuses the target module = the rack, these CC's will be recorded for that rack andplaced on that track and when played back we get the same scenario as described in the alinea here above.

Hope you see the picture.

i've done this ("Put those MIDI CC maps to a rack's mixerstrip's mute into the rack CC map") - if i understand correctly- and it is still not working ; no MIDI CC info is recorded, anywhere

[MuTools]

i've done this ("Put those MIDI CC maps to a rack's mixerstrip's mute into the rack CC map") - if i understand correctly- and it is still not working ; no MIDI CC info is recorded, anywhere

To test the mapping: When that rack currently has MIDI focus and you tweak that mapped CC then do you see the mute changing according to the CC?

Tip: If you're unsure which module has MIDI input focus, right-click the keyboard at the top of the project editor and choose "Show MIDI Focused Module".

If you want to know more about MuLab's MIDI input handling, see
https://www.mutools.com/info/M10/docs/m ... uting.html

[pljones]

Each composer also has a built-in (hidden) Event Recorder that can record the event input of that composer. That's how MIDI recording works when e.g. doing New project with only a Basic Synth and click record and play your MIDI keyboard.

OK, but if I have three racks, three tracks and three MIDI channels routed to a separate racks, will that give me three different MIDI clips, one per track for that channel, when I record? Because that's just how MIDI works -- multiple pieces of hardware on different channels controlling separate sound sources based on channel. The "obvious" expectation is each rack then gets a recording for itself based on that per channel routing. Focus shouldn't come into it when recording and I'd expect any events not explicitly routed still to get recorded somewhere. I may well then need to sort out the events by hand so they're sent to what I'd intended on playback, if I'd been moving focus between modules, creating clips etc, unless all that's automatically handled too.

[MuTools]

OK, but if I have three racks, three tracks and three MIDI channels routed to a separate racks, will that give me three different MIDI clips, one per track for that channel, when I record?

Did you try out that case?

It should work fine.
MuLab indeed takes MIDI channels into account.

FYI: In fact a track target is defined by 2 things: The target module and the MIDI channel.
That's why you can choose a MIDI channel for a track.

Does this answer your question?

[tiger001]

Each composer also has a built-in (hidden) Event Recorder that can record the event input of that composer. That's how MIDI recording works when e.g. doing New project with only a Basic Synth and click record and play your MIDI keyboard.

OK, but if I have three racks, three tracks and three MIDI channels routed to a separate racks, will that give me three different MIDI clips, one per track for that channel, when I record? Because that's just how MIDI works -- multiple pieces of hardware on different channels controlling separate sound sources based on channel. The "obvious" expectation is each rack then gets a recording for itself based on that per channel routing. Focus shouldn't come into it when recording and I'd expect any events not explicitly routed still to get recorded somewhere. I may well then need to sort out the events by hand so they're sent to what I'd intended on playback, if I'd been moving focus between modules, creating clips etc, unless all that's automatically handled too.

for the record:
that is not totally true: MIDI (stream) includes always the MIDI channel, so one can record 1 track which includes info from different MIDI channels (devices or sounds), so it not necessary "obvious" to have a separate track per separate/ different MIDI ch, it depends on the sequencer layout/config

-we should test and play a (multichannel) MIDI sequence to MuLab and see what gets recorded

[pljones]

FYI: In fact a track target is defined by 2 things: The target module and the MIDI channel.
That's why you can choose a MIDI channel for a track.

Ah, right. I guess I'd still be happier if the track was a module getting input from the composer and wrapping a recorder (which stored the clip references), with the composer displaying the clips held per track. Not seeing tracks as modules themselves given the overall modular nature throws me now