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Soft Sequencer

Postby Gchapman310 » 30 Mar 2017, 23:17

Wondered if anyone has any recommendations for a Software Sequencer/ MIDI Player to use with an Electra 5. I am fairly new to MIDI and am trying to drive some MIDI to my Electra 5 and clearly am struggling. I am not sure of the difference between a MIDI Channel and a Port. I'm using a USB to MIDI cable from a PC and have tried a number of freeware programs (best results so far from Sekaiju) - but can't ever seem to get all the tracks to play.
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Soft Sequencer


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Re: Soft Sequencer

Postby Quai34 » 31 Mar 2017, 01:36

Think about post as physical plug to insert a midi cable, input and output as well. On one port, could have a maximum of 16 midi channels...Which means that, if you need, in a multitimbral set up, more than 16 midi channels, you need to have a second midi port...For example, on some expanders, you have two midi in, so, 2 times 16 midi channels, 32 channels...Port A, midi channel 1, Port A, midi channel 2...etc...and then, Port B, midi channel 1, Port B, midi channel 2 etc...In any midi patchbay, you have more than one port. Midi via Usb could be considered as another port. Even the midi thru could be considered as a midi port kind of, because you can forward what is coming into the Midi port in, any parts. Let's say you set up your Piano engine to respond to midi channel 1 in your sequencer, midi channel 2 for organ and midi channel 3 parts, will go directly from your midi input to the midi thru...So, if you have an expander connected to this midi thru, your Electro will not respond to any part on midi channel 3 because you set up the Electro to respond only on midi channel 1 and 2, not midi channel 3. You could use up to 16 midi channel via USB and still use 16 channels via the 5 pins "normal" midi port.
I've never been "out of port" in any songs I played in my sequencers, even 30 years ago with my Atari 1040...So, if you are a beginner in midi and start to build some songs with 4 or 5 differents midi channels (Midi Channel 1 for a piano sound in the Electro, midi channel 2 for the organ sound etc...Midi channel 10 for Drums...), that's already very good...By the way, I said midi channel 10 for Drums because with the general Midi protocol, channel 10 is usually the one used for drums, I mean, each different notes on your keyboard in mapped to a drum sound, maybe the C middle is for Kick, the D for Snare etc...It makes you save midi channels, instead of having Kick channel 1, snare channel 2 etc...But you don't have a Drums section/engine in the Electro 5 but you always could use some "drums samples", the Electro 5 read nsmp files right?
Last edited by Quai34 on 31 Mar 2017, 01:43, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Soft Sequencer

Postby Arjan P » 31 Mar 2017, 10:44

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Re: Soft Sequencer

Postby analogika » 31 Mar 2017, 22:01

Yep, "port" is just the plug.

You can send 16 channels through a single plug.

If your MIDI interface has four plugs, you can send 4x16 channels, so 64.

Why, if nobody has that many instruments, you might ask?
MIDI is a sequential protocol, and everything is sent down a single port (AFAIK) one command after the other. So too much information on a single port will result in signal delays and timing issues.
Also, it may not be practical to daisy-chain multiple devices to each others' "THRU" ports - for one, a device may not actually HAVE a thru port, and for another, many, especially older, devices route everything that goes to the Thru via their processor, which can introduce massive delays as the machine processes its own MIDI commands, including Sysex, possibly spends CPU cycles on calculating sound parameters, before getting around to sending along the rest of the incoming data to the thru port.
Last edited by analogika on 31 Mar 2017, 22:09, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Soft Sequencer

Postby Gchapman310 » 31 Mar 2017, 22:27

Thats a very useful summary. Thanks a lot.

However - I am using a 5 pin mIDI, 16 Channels/Instruments will be plenty for me.
The Electro 5 manual is very light on MIDI info, it seems to be that the only options I have in the MIDI setup is to set the instrument to respond to one of the Channels 1-16. IF I set it to Global ON does that mean it will respond to all channel data ?
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Re: Soft Sequencer

Postby misterpt » 31 Mar 2017, 23:06

You might want to try PreSonus Studio One Prime (the free version) Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software for starters: http://www.presonus.com/products/Studio ... e-versions

I use the Pro version for MIDI & audio sequencing with my Nord Electro 5D 61 as the master MIDI keyboard input to the software.

It's totally possible to trigger the Electro 5D sound programs from MIDI note events recorded within Studio One (relevant to answering your question), but I personally find it faster during the creative process to just perform those parts live and commit to the best recorded audio take. Imo, it's faster to just call up software drum kits and use Serum for MIDI triggered synth parts entirely within the software realm itself for MIDI sequenced parts:

S1.png
PreSonus Studio One
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