FYI: Tech 21 Midi Mouse and NS2

Everything about the Nord Stage series; features, specifications, how to operate, and questions about technical issues.
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maxpiano
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Re: FYI: Tech 21 Midi Mouse and NS2

Post by maxpiano »

The point is that in this setup (NS2+Midi Mouse) you can't change the Bank from the Midi Mouse, because it can't send Bank Change messages, you can only change it manually on the NS2.

So the Bank shouldn't change at all if you just send a PC from the Midi Mouse, this means the issue is in the way the NS2 handles the Bank Change messages and (you are right) there is no solution unless someone owning a Midi Mouse can do the tests Mr G. was asking for.

Anyway the issue sounds strange to me, I use an iPad to manage setlists and send Program Changes to the NS2 and I haven't observed a different beahviour regardless I send the both Bank&PC or PC only
Last edited by maxpiano on 02 Jan 2015, 14:55, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: FYI: Tech 21 Midi Mouse and NS2

Post by jjfreedmannh »

Somebody sort of posted the answer up above. All of the values you see as part of the messages are hexadecimal (e.g. 20 hex is 32 in decimal, 2 * 16 + 0). The Nord Stage 2 must receive a Bank Change message "B0 20 xx" where xx={00,01,02,03} for Banks A-D respectively, before receiving any Program Change messages "C0 yy" where yy={00-63} to select the 100 possible sounds in the selected Bank. If you select from yy={64-68} you get Live 1-5 respectively. Without any Bank Change message the default is Bank A. I was able to simulate the whole thing using a program called Bome SendSX 1.40, freeware for your PC. It was able to address a MIDI USB UNO (USB to MIDI cable adapter) plugged into the NS2.

So I believe this now answers Mr. G's tests. Whether or not there is a pedal that will let you send this Bank Change (or a programmable MIDI message) remains to be seen. The only other way I can think of to use a MIDI mouse (with non-Bank A) would be to somehow force the NS2 through its menus to assume its default MIDI bank is something other than Bank A -- no idea if that is even possible.
Last edited by jjfreedmannh on 06 Jan 2015, 07:30, edited 1 time in total.
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Mr_-G-
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Re: FYI: Tech 21 Midi Mouse and NS2

Post by Mr_-G- »

jjfreedmannh wrote:Without any Bank Change message the default is Bank A.
I need to try this, but I find it a bit strange that without Bank Change (MSB LSB) issuing a Prog Chng, it would make it go to Bank A.
Do you mean that let's say you set it manyally to Bank C, then issue the Prog Chng and it goes to Bank A?
I would expect it to stay in whichever bank the instrument is set to...

The type of pedal that would be useful for the NS2 is, I think, one that had a Bank switch which by pressing repeatedly cycles from A to C, then a +1 and -1 switches that move to the next/previous patches and +5 and -5 switches that move to the next/previous page.
I do not think it would be too difficult to make an Arduino project to do this. :idea:
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Re: FYI: Tech 21 Midi Mouse and NS2

Post by jjfreedmannh »

The limitation is really in the MIDI messages themselves. Program change means go to a program between 0 to 127, you specify which one. So for some keyboards that have only that many, it's obvious what will happen. For the NS2 that has 4 different banks with 100 programs you then need to select a bank (only the Bank Change LSB is necessary in this particular case). I agree with you that the NS2's assumption that without any prior information the default bank is Bank A should be selectable in the menus somewhere (or just keep whatever bank you are already on). But to be absolutely clear the MIDI mouse does not send any kind of relative message like go up 1 program or go down 1 program like you would think, it is keeping track of the number of times you've pressed that pedal, doing its own math and sending the program change to whatever program it thinks you should be on.

Hook it up for yourself with the free Bome software, you'll see the NS2 do exactly what others are reporting when they hook up the MIDI mouse.
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Re: FYI: Tech 21 Midi Mouse and NS2

Post by joosties »

I have difficulties assembling a Hex program change code for sending to my NS2 from Setlistmaker app. I found the system exlusive table from Clavia but still can't get it to work. Can someone please give me a hint.
What I found for the nord ID is the following
F0 33 7F 0B .... F7 so far so good....
but... I get a error:CRC in the Nord (BomeSendSX) when I fill in the blanks with the above (quote: Bank Change message "B0 20 xx" where xx={00,01,02,03} for Banks A-D respectively)
F0 33 7F 0B B0 20 03 F7
Last edited by joosties on 12 Feb 2015, 15:05, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: FYI: Tech 21 Midi Mouse and NS2

Post by Mr_-G- »

I think PrgCh are usually sent without a SysEx message.
In the NS2, you have 4 banks with pages (1 to 20) and programs (1 to 5) and the ProgChng should address all those.
The $bank is 00, 01, 02 or 03 (for A-D)
The $prog =(Page-1)*5+(Program-1)
For MIDI channel 1 (bytes b0 [twice] and c0 below) the whole sequence is:
b0 00 00 b0 20 $bank c0 $prog
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Re: FYI: Tech 21 Midi Mouse and NS2

Post by Snigel »

So i bought this MIDI MOUSE and hooked it up to my NS2 EX. It is, as stated above, when pressing up or down on the MIDI MOUSE it switches to bank A to the selected number on the MIDI mouse corresponding to the bank A number, from whatever program the Nord is in at the moment. But i dont find this to be a problem, i just put my setlist in bank A and then i can change the programs with my foot during a song. My band is trying to play "Beautiful day" and i have 3 programs that i use. So from my point of view the MIDI mouse is doing the job i want.
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