MIDI - from the ground up

[snafu]

Hi everyone,

I'm in my vacation right now, and since it is raining every day, I thought: MIDI :-D
No, seriously - I am using Reaper 6.81 right now, and got infected with CSI Version 3, means to make my good ol DM 3200 fully functional with Reaper (I have a lot of basic control already, but this one promisses to be the "all-you-want"-solution). But I am getting ahead of myself...

MIDI
Turns out I know little about MIDI concerning the DM 3200. My Dm is connected to my music pc via
- Firewire cable (thus using the IF-FW/DM mkII)
- USB connection

Questions:
So first things first:
1)I have physical inputs on the firewire card (MIDI input jack, output- and through jack)
Are they represented in the MIDI-dialog of my DM ? If so, please refer to the attached png.

2) The MIDI dialog on my DM
Please do also refer to the attached image. Is there any particular direction to read it?
There are several follow up questions -->

3) MIDI IN: there are three switches pointing to the filter section I can open/close by selecting them and pressing ENTER.
I realised that e.g. the second switch does not point to the second section of "filters" as a whole but rather to "P.Chng" - or is this a coincidence? Is the whole section meant? And if not: How is the filter section than meant to ´be understood?

4) The filter section is set before the Mixer panel - so there are input and output filters that can be applied to MIDI signals before they reach the mixer, and before they leave the mixer?

5) It is not clear to me what the filters do:
does ticking a box (e.g. C.Chng) every control change message gets filtered out, or does ticking the box mean that these messages are "in" the filter (allowed to pass)?

Thanks for your explanations, I am sure I'll have a lot of follow up questions.

have a nice day,
cheers

snafu

EDIT: It seems I do not have permission to upload a file (why?)
So here's the link to the image
https://www.mediafire.com/view/gb5junr42j1undt/8_midi_setup.JPG/file

 

[mixerizer]

Hey there SNAFU, the midi page is complicated but the MIDI section of the manual (p96) is useful.

1. Ignore the midi jacks on the FireWire expansion card
2. It’s a bidirectional flowchart, the arrows are key. MIDI is bidirectional (IN/OUT) and you can read the chart the same way. The DM’s MIDI ports are on the left, and its USB ports are on the right.
3. Look at the way the chart is organized - yes, it is the enclosing boxes and not the individual filters to which the arrows point
4. Yes
5. See the upper left corner of the screenshot - The answer to your q about filter vs pass is there - if u want to remove that kind of data from the stream, uncheck the box. A checked box allows that type of data to pass thru it. Once u make sure u understand the directionality of the arrows and the MIDI u need to receive or send, the MIDI page makes much more sense.

Good luck!

 

[mixerizer]

Also, I don’t use Reaper but others here likely do, and can help u w settings, including the REMOTE machine control setup on the DM. Enjoy the journey!

 

[snafu]

Thanks for your reply, mixerizer!

If anyone wants to chime in (especially concerning CSI) - you're input is very wellcome. I was lately scripting some LUA-scripts for Reaper that really do improve my workflow a lot (like setting grid adjustment and automation modes for selected tracks alone with your mousewheel.)

Since I learned about CSI v. 3.0 I was instantly drawn to the thought of giving it a try to set up Reaper for my DM - not the other way around! It's (in principle) less programming than making LUA scripts (in fact, as far as I understand it's text based mapping).

Maybe I create in the days to come another thread about CSI - in case any DM/Reaper-Uses would like to join the quest or do have first hand experience.

Should I be able to come up with something usable I'd be happy to share.

 

[Arjan P]

Okay, just Googled and found CSI is not just a TV-show but also 'Control Surface Integration' and apparently there are versions of it. I have no clue what LUA-scripts are, but there are some videos that @jamsire made years ago that go really deep into what can be achieved with the DM and MIDI control inside the DAW. Try a forum search

 

[mixerizer]

And take a look at MIDI control change if u r mostly interested in creating a 1:1 relationship between fader, mute and pan of DAW tracks and DM channels - i use it with @Rockum ’s DM4800Control ctrlr app all the time to keep an online midi mixer that displays and can change those settings on my board.

 

[snafu]

Okay, just Googled and found CSI is not just a TV-show

Hey Arjan, I guess: the more you know :-D

I already found the good stuff (including jamsire's vids), but thanks anyway. CSI v 3 is very promising, and unlike some prior attempts from years ago, this might actually be a starting place to come up with a complete new approach. Though how much can be achieved remains to be seen; as we write I am about to map out the DMs midi capabilities, i.e. what is or can be controled via MIDI. Fingers crossed

Thanks for the hint, mixerizer - atm I am taking my first steps using MIDI OX to see what actually sends MIDI, and get to find out about the system messages.