Controlling expression via midi

[ollenys]

Hi!

I thaught this would be easy but I can’t make it work. 🙂

I run my H9 with an SP-H9 expression pedal from Mission Engineering. It works perfectly and I really enjoy the dubble functionality with the footswitch on the “toe”.

I also have two Strymon effects, Big Sky and Volante. I’m trying to controle them with my SP-H9, thru the H9, via midi. Is this possible? It’s hard to find any info on how to set this up, any tip or link that kan help me succeed?

My rig is mainly controled by midi so all my gear are set to different midi channels.

Greatful for all help!

/Olle

[bohan]

ollenys wrote:

I run my H9 with an SP-H9 expression pedal from Mission Engineering. It works perfectly and I really enjoy the dubble functionality with the footswitch on the "toe".

I also have two Strymon effects, Big Sky and Volante. I'm trying to controle them with my SP-H9, thru the H9, via midi. Is this possible? It's hard to find any info on how to set this up, any tip or link that kan help me succeed?

My rig is mainly controled by midi so all my gear are set to different midi channels.

Well there are two solutions:

1. Connect the expression pedal to your MIDI controller and have the controller send different MIDI messages to your H9, BigSky and Volante.

Or 2. Connect the expression pedal to H9, and have your H9 send out MIDI messages to your BigSky and Volante. You can set the MIDI CC output mappings in the settings menu. (Press and hold the HOTKNOB and the right footswitch, and go to the MIDI setting)

[ollenys]

I control all my effects thru midi from a software on my iPad called Band Helper. In order to do this I have all my midi effects, Voodolab Hex and controle switcher, set to different channels.

The thing I,m trying to solve is to controle some specific effects, in different units, with my H9-exp pedal.

[ollenys]

Hi!

I thaugh I give you a little bit more background to this question. 🙂

Can a firmware adjustment substantially increase the customer value of the Eventide H9?

More and more pedals allow the user to control it via midi. No competitor can challenge the flexibility of an H9 but today, some of us build effect chains and clusters giving our pedal boards abilities close to a Bradshaw rack system.

Beside the Eventide H9 I use Strymon Volante and Big Sky. Both these pedals can receive CC# messages. Their firmware allows me to switch this on and off on a preset level.

Tweaking the H9 so it can send CC# messages on multiple midi cannels (Global) and expand the range from #99 to #127 would allow me to use the H9 as an expression pedal for all these effects. A sweep of one pedal adjusts the tone of multiple effects. How cool is that! J

I realize that primarily, the H9 is not built for this purpose. But trying to accomplish the same result with other tools seems to be almost impossible. I have been evaluating a lot of different solutions including:

·      Source Audio Soundblox Reflex Universal Expression Pedal

·      Mis­sion Engi­ne­e­ring Expres­sio­nator

·      MIDI Solutions Pedal Controller

No one of these options would make a good solution for me. I also find it hard to loose the smooth double functionality of my H9 that I get with my Mission Engineering SP-H9-WH.

During my research I’ve found a lot of different user groups discussing this topic, so I’m not the only one trying to find a solution. I hope this information will help you to evaluate if a firmware update would be possible.

All the best!

/Olle

[camn]

the idea of SENDING midi on ‘OMNI’ is a little unusual. That is usually a recieve thing, I think.

That said, It would be trivial for one to make a custom MIDI expression pedal that sends multiple channels of CC data, so it can certainly be done. It is pretty niche, though. I doubt any of the majors would do it.

 

I might try and breadboard this out. You could probably make it for, like, $25.

 

[camn]

Yeah it was easy.

 

If you wanted to make a small analog-exp-pedal to MIDI converter…it would cost $20, and you could send whatever CC on whatever channle you want to as many devices as you want, all simultaneously.

The board specified here is overkill by far, but it is what I have laying around. You could use the smallest/cheapest thing you can find, I bet.

 

PARTS:

Nano Board  $11.00

Enclosure $3.99 1590a

LED $1.15 optional

power jack $1.25

Midi Jack $1.50

 

Total $18.89

CODE:

//multiple EXP pedal outs

//by Cameron Newell @the.nw.enterprise, http://thenorthwestenterprise.com/

//Library Source https://github.com/tttapa/Control-Surface

//Built for Ardruino NANO EVERY

 

#include <Control_Surface.h> // Include the library 

 

// Instantiate a MIDI interface

USBDebugMIDI_Interface usbmidi(115200);                         // for serial monitor in ide

//HardwareSerialMIDI_Interface serialmidi = {Serial1, MIDI_BAUD}; //for normal operation via 5-PIN

 

 

/* Instantiate a CCPotentiometer object with multiple output channels

Assicn CC number from here:

https://tttapa.github.io/Control-Surface-doc/Doxygen/d4/dbe/namespaceMIDI__CC.html

https://www.midi.org/specifications-old/item/table-3-control-change-messages-data-bytes-

 

This ia an analog POT with 5v, Ground and Signal.

“Expression Controller” is CC#11

 */

CCPotentiometer device1 = {A0, {MIDI_CC::Expression_Controller, CHANNEL_1},}; // sends C#11 on channel 1

CCPotentiometer device2 = {A0, {MIDI_CC::Expression_Controller, CHANNEL_2},}; // sends C#11 on channel 2

CCPotentiometer device3 = {A0, {MIDI_CC::Expression_Controller, CHANNEL_3},}; // sends C#11 on channel 3

CCPotentiometer device4 = {A0, {MIDI_CC::Expression_Controller, CHANNEL_4},}; // sends C#11 on channel 4

 

 

void setup() {

Control_Surface.begin(); // Initialize Control Surface

}

 

void loop() {

Control_Surface.loop(); // Update the Control Surface

}

[ollenys]

So, ni success yet…

Just checking that I understand correctly: The H9 requiers that I set a specifik midi Transmit Chanel. That means that I can’t use it to controle two units with different midi channels? I would prefer to set the midi transmit channel to omni while the Volante and BigSky ignors exp-midi as long as i don’t specificly program the preset to respond.

In the XMT CC dialog I can chose the destination CC# from 1-99, wich is unfortunate when the Volante seemes to be set to receiver on CC# 100.

Is this correct or do I missunderstand something?

Appreciate your help!

/Olle

[bohan]

ollenys wrote:

The H9 requiers that I set a specifik midi Transmit Chanel. That means that I can’t use it to controle two units with different midi channels? I would prefer to set the midi transmit channel to omni while the Volante and BigSky ignors exp-midi as long as i don’t specificly program the preset to respond.

You are right.

ollenys wrote:

In the XMT CC dialog I can chose the destination CC# from 1-99, wich is unfortunate when the Volante seemes to be set to receiver on CC# 100. Is this correct or do I missunderstand something?

Correct. Let me talk to my colleague and see if this is something we can improve. We might implement this in the future but it would likely take sometime cause we don't update firmware very often and we just released one early this year.

[bohan]

ollenys wrote:

The H9 requiers that I set a specifik midi Transmit Chanel. That means that I can’t use it to controle two units with different midi channels? I would prefer to set the midi transmit channel to omni while the Volante and BigSky ignors exp-midi as long as i don’t specificly program the preset to respond.

Out of my curiosity, may I ask why don't you just set the receive channel of BigSky and Volante to the one that H9 is set to, if you want your H9 to control other pedals as a master device?

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