Topic: Masterkeyboard MIDI Controller tips to use with Totalmix FX

Hi,

I'd like to share some tips to use faders and controllers of MIDI keyboards without having MIDI notes interactions with Totalmix FX under OSX.

The idea is to use the faders/panpot/buttons of a keyboard which include MIDI Controllers (mine is a CME UF80).
For some reason I ignore, RME chooses to use MIDI notes to send button messages in Totalmix FX instead of CC. It is not an issue with standard MIDI Surface Controllers but is a pain with keyboard.

To do such a thing I used a little freeware/donationware called Midi Pipe on OSX. I think the equivalent for PC is MIDI OX (and with eventually MIDI Yoke to create virtual internal MIDI ports)

MIDI pipe already auto-creates 1 pair of virtual internal MIDI In/Out port so you don't need to activate OS X IAC Bus in Audio MIDI Setup.

I created 2 parallel pipes :

Pipe 1/ (optional)
to add MIDI thru capabilities to the FF UFX (MIDI In2-> MIDIOut1+2 or whatever you like/need according to your setup)
(in MIDI Pipe) Keyboard MIDI port (UFX port 2) -> UFX out port 1 (thru enabled) -> UFX out port 2 (thru enabled)

Pipe 2/
- to block every MIDI messages send to Totalmix FX except Control Changes
- to convert CC messages->midi notes messages, to be able to use button according to RME MIDI implementation. Of course, I first programmed UF80 buttons with proper CC commands.

(in MIDI Pipe) Keyboard MIDI port -> MidiPipe processes (Messages Filter+6 Messages Factory) -> MidiPipe out port 1
(in Totalmix) in menu Options:
- MIDI Control Enabled
- Settings (F3) : Midi Input=MidiPipe out port 1 / Midi Ouput=None

If you have any questions (MIDI pipe settings), post here. You can also download MIDI Monitor to help you seeing what's you're doing with MIDI.


PS (@RME Suport) : it would be nice to have a complete documentation of MIDI implementation of Totalmix FX including new features introduced with recent firmwares.

RME UFX - TM FX 1.05 / Drivers USB 2.03 fw 1.58
Mac OSX.8.5 / Pro Tools 10.3.10+11.3.1 / VEP 5.3.1

2

Re: Masterkeyboard MIDI Controller tips to use with Totalmix FX

Always in the latest UFX manual.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Masterkeyboard MIDI Controller tips to use with Totalmix FX

@MC : In the latest manual (1.4), new features (like Speaker B button) are not documented. I found the infos thanks to your posts in the Totalmix FX beta thread.

The other thing I didn't find yet is

- how to control input/sofwtare faders for submixes (we can control the mix for Main/Sub B outputs but not for other set of outputs). To me, control surface is useful to quickly set heaphones mixes (and control monitoring feature like mono, dim, etc) and that's what Totalmix (with Zero Latency) has been made for.

But I didn't really understand the Trim Gain function...

- how to control Pans, Mute, Solo, etc with standard MIDI controller (not MCU)

RME UFX - TM FX 1.05 / Drivers USB 2.03 fw 1.58
Mac OSX.8.5 / Pro Tools 10.3.10+11.3.1 / VEP 5.3.1

Re: Masterkeyboard MIDI Controller tips to use with Totalmix FX

demozic wrote:

- how to control input/sofwtare faders for submixes (we can control the mix for Main/Sub B outputs but not for other set of outputs). To me, control surface is useful to quickly set heaphones mixes (and control monitoring feature like mono, dim, etc) and that's what Totalmix (with Zero Latency) has been made for.

I found this one by myself, just need to enabled "Submix Linked to Midi Control" in the Options.

demozic wrote:

But I didn't really understand the Trim Gain function...

I think I finally sorted this out too.

RME UFX - TM FX 1.05 / Drivers USB 2.03 fw 1.58
Mac OSX.8.5 / Pro Tools 10.3.10+11.3.1 / VEP 5.3.1

5

Re: Masterkeyboard MIDI Controller tips to use with Totalmix FX

demozic wrote:

@MC : In the latest manual (1.4), new features (like Speaker B button) are not documented.

Fixed. 1.5 is up.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME