Bitwig

gravy · Post by **gravy** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:00 am

I will be editing this first post as required to remove issues which have been dealt with.

The current improved Impulse 25 script is located here:
https://github.com/bitwig/novation-impu ... provements

This is an attempt to consolidate and have a less verbose thread than where this developed from:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5902167

I am running Linux but if anyone has results which are Windows or Mac specific I can also add them in this post.

Impulse 25 control script bugs & shortcomings
1 (Linux only) no aftertouch
2 Second rotary encoder is not working
3 (Not working for me on Linux - but working for others) Controller is not receiving bitwig as a clock source, for the purposes of Arpeggiator and Roll functions (which appear to be the only reason to have a clock source with this controller). Workaround is to manually set tempo separately on BWS and Impulse.
4 No controller assignments are possible in Global Mode, except for the Main Fader, (provided the mixer button underneath it is lit up). It is unclear whether this mode has any purpose. A feature suggestion might be to make some use of it. A user may be in global mode and wondering why none of the controls achieve any result so a good idea might be to add a notification message like 'Mixer and Device mode off'.
5 The main fader can only be assigned when the mixer light is on, just below the Fader. When assigned it loses its function as a Fader. There is no function assigned or assignable to the fader when the mixer light is off. A user may be wondering why they can acheive no effect with this Fader. It would be preferable, and a feature improvement, to make the Fader assignable when the light is off 'Midi mode'. It might even be preferable to hard wire the control as a Fader when the light is on 'Mixer mode'. The second is debatable and I'm not sure if it is possible.
6 The controller is auto-detected, but after auto-detection is loaded in a non-functional state, with only one input. This causes the control script to error. To get the controller working it needs to be manually selected and both 'Impulse Midi 1' and 'Impulse Midi 2' added as inputs.
7 Recent changes to make Drum Pads separately addressable as an input device have not quite worked for me. I see 3 input devices: Impulse Keyboard (Drum Pads and keyboard signals both received), Impulse Keyboard 2 (intended for keyboard only input?), Impulse Drumpads. Only the first of these three devices is working.
8 Using the input 'Impulse Keyboard', by default the drum pads trigger notes two octaves above the note locations where the bitwig drumkits drop their individual drum samples. It should be considered to change these default note triggers and/or introduce a keyboard combo to change octaves of the drum pad notes (if anyone can think of a logical key combo which is unused then please post). Workaround is to use the Bitwig Note Pitch Shifter device.
9 Instructions need improving and redoing, once the current round of changes have been finished. (I might be able to take a look at this one myself).

Note to Tom - I am not expecting my whole wish-list to be magically satisfied! Just documenting...

Thanks to Tom for the excellent improvements in the script over the last week which at the very least include:
- supports the latest firmware (install via Automap using a Windows or Mac machine)
- Mod wheel working
- some bugs fixed in selecting and operating on Device and Mixer pages (Mixer/Midi button below the main Fader now ONLY effects that Fader, as is logical)
- on screen messaging added for changing to Device and Mixer pages

gravy · Post by **gravy** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:43 am

Perhaps a more general question or perhaps an Impulse bug, a bug with the controller api or a bug on Bitwig's Arpeggiator...

When I am playing an arpeggio using Bitwig's own Arpeggiator and I change octaves on the Impulse 25, using the Octave change keys, any note held during the change is not released until that octave is revisited and the same key pressed and released (or the BWS Arpeggiator is switched on and off).

This makes using the BWS Arpeggiator with this small keyboard too chaotic to manage.

If anyone else is following this thread, does this happen on other limited octave keyboards too?

Liquinaut · Post by **Liquinaut** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 12:43 pm

Hey,

just want to let you know that I've been watching this issue and the originating thread with much interest, since I have much of the discussed problems with the same Bitwig/Impulse25 Setup on Windows 8.1 as well. Especially the Modwheel thingy is very annoying.

Thanx for all the in-depth work you put into resolving those issues. Your work is not overseen!

As soon as I have more time I'll try to get onboard

Cya!

ThomasHelzle · Post by **ThomasHelzle** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 1:17 pm

Re Arpeggiator: The Impulse doesn't send anything to Bitwig when changing octaves so there is no way for Bitwig to know about this change. Some small keyboards automatically send note-offs for all sounding notes in that case, but the Impulse obviously doesn't, so it's your own responsibility to handle this.
Otherwise it makes more sense to get a proper keyboard

I can't say when I find the time to look into this, we may even have to contact Novation to get help with the possibly AutoMap-induced random feel of the whole thing. So far the weirdest controller I ran into...

Cheers,

Tom

gravy · Post by **gravy** » Sat Oct 18, 2014 9:01 am

Thanks for the input Liquinaut and for the explanation Tom.

The Logic people here are talking about the identical issues with this keyboard (held notes), and various ways to set up a 'panic' event which will switch all notes off.
http://www.logic-users-group.com/forums ... php?t=8644

My next step will be to investigate some of these leads. This might be a case of poor technique or too-short keyboard but it is bound to happen and I find shutting down the playing notes too much an interruption in the workflow so I'll try and work out the smoothest way to do this.

I'm still generally happy with the functionality on the Impulse 25, but sorry for your frustrations with Automap.

gravy · Post by **gravy** » Sat Oct 18, 2014 10:11 am

Liquinaut, if you had a chance to download the new script can you check if sustain pedal is working?

I've tried my sustain pedal off my Korg keyboard with the Impulse and it didn't work. It is an on/off sustain pedal and I'm not sure if it is meant to be compatible in the first place.

all the best
Graham

Liquinaut · Post by **Liquinaut** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 10:25 pm

Hey, sorry for the delayed answer. I only copied over the modwheel part from the improved script, since Bitwig refuses to recognize any input from the Impule25 with the improved script at all. I've dropped Automap completely (totally unusable, at least within Bitwig) and work with the 8 macros for controller assigments. These do work with the original script, so...

Nonetheless - I have a pedal laying around somewhere, will see if I can find it and get it to work tomorrow (together with the improved script) and then report back.

Cya,
Paul

gravy · Post by **gravy** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 5:18 am

Thanks paul. All I could suggest about the new script is update your firmware (using automap) and remove and then manually add the impulse on the controllers dialog. See point 6 of the top post.

Graham

Liquinaut · Post by **Liquinaut** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 7:23 am

Adding the controller manually with both Midi inputs active did the trick. I can confirm some of the quirks within the improved script like the second encoder not working and no aftertouch. I'm on Windows 8.1 BTW. If I now just could find that pedal...

ThomasHelzle · Post by **ThomasHelzle** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 12:03 pm

I fear I will not be able to work on this script before the 1.1 release since I can't even get the device to behave the same each time I start it so far

Recently it insists on going into Reason mode all the time - I don't even have Reason installed.

I would also like to see the BWS Linux Midi bugs fixed first (2 Bit events don't work at all, Aftertouch, Program Change etc.) so I don't end up fighting windmills.
Not sure if this even affects Sysex.

I'm very sorry for the delay.

Cheers,

Tom

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 7:54 pm

What about a 49/61 where the sliders work? Is that something I can fix with API?

ThomasHelzle · Post by **ThomasHelzle** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 8:00 pm

I only have the 25 here ATM, but yes, you can do all that and more with the API.

Cheers,

Tom

cosmicx · Post by **cosmicx** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:04 pm

Hi,

I've got a 61 and i've managed to update the improve script to make faders work (8 volume tracks + 1 master track).
But as for encoder 2, fader 2 doesn't work.

I'm not a developper and i just took example to TOSC script.

I will try to have mute/solo button to work

Cosmicx

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 4:13 am

Ok, so the script in 1.1 is NOT the updated script mentioned here?

Liquinaut · Post by **Liquinaut** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 7:10 am

hibidy wrote:Ok, so the script in 1.1 is NOT the updated script mentioned here?

No it is not. I have a the original script modified with the modwheel fix (as I don't make use of all the other enhancements) and I copy this over to the script library with every update.

Not the perfect solution, of course...

Bitwig

KVR Audio

Novation Impulse 25 control script fixes and improvements