Cantabile and RPN/NRPN

[larrythethird]

I have been playing around with making a foot pedal midi controller. I was trying to set midi assignments using either RPNs or NRPNs for the knobs, which are incremental rotary encoders. I thought that the RPN/NRPN method might be the way to go because using a CC you have send a 1 to 127 value, rather than incrementing or decrementing the value. Dealing with RPN/NRPNs are cryptic enough, but it appears as though Cantabile is not acting upon the MSB LSB combo of commands and only processing the Data Button Increment or Decrement part of the entire string of commands. So if I turn my encoder clockwise while in the midi assignment window I get a controller value of 96 (60 hex). And if I turn it counterclockwise I get a controller value of 97. I have two encoders and the appear exactly the same in the midi assignments even though I send a different MSB LSB combination. For an increment on RPN 01, in hex I send:
B0 65 00 /RPN msb 00
B0 64 01 /RPN lsb 01
B0 60 00 /Button Increment
B0 65 7F /RPN msb reset
B0 64 7F /RPN lsb reset

Should I just sent the increment/decrement CC command? It appears as though that's all that is getting processed. I have used the vst plugin midimonitor to verify what I am sending. And according to all the documentation on midi CC commands, that is correct.

If there was a process for just incrementing or decrementing a parameter without sending a 1 to 127 value, I would rather use it. But the CC commands tutorials I have read all say status/channel - control number - value is the only form within the CC commands. I can make my encoders function as a pot by storing a counter and sending it, but that defeats the purpose of the encoders, starting with the existing value in the plugin rather than whatever the pot reads.

[TiUser]

Thanks for reporting this... interesting.

I'd prefer to use incremental controls too but had always the suspicion that there could be some hassle... I also hesitated getting one of these controllers like BCR 2000 because there is no value feedback when you have encoders with led rings around.

I remember these things weren't high priority on Brads list - but well, he has implemented some probably lower priority features too, so let's not lose hope...

I'd asked for a similar feature a while ago - 14bit resolution controls. This is an option in midi CC definitions to combine two CC's to one value by linking CC n (range 0..31) with CC (n+32). Basic example for this is bank select which works alike. This can be used either if a controller provides precision control values from one knob as well as assigning two knows in coarse/fine value style.