N Stage 4 - N Lead A1 - Midi

[the_steff]

Hi !

I've both Nord Stage 4 and Nord Lead A1 and I'm working on a show including fast sound changes. To be effective, I use midi function "Send on load" from the NS4 in order to select the appropriate program into the Lead A1. It forces me to use on the NS4 a synth layer as "Extern" to do that. It works fine ! A program change with the NS4 affect the selected program on the A1 and both send audio when I'm playing.

Now, for a particuliar tune, I want the Lead A1 to act as a controller keyboard with the NS4. So, I've tried to use the dedicated function "Aux Keyb". I set the midi channel used for it and... tada !! It works fine... except the "Send on load" tricks no longer work. Logically, I use the same midi channel for both "Extern" and "Aux Keyb" and I think it's where the problem is coming from...

My question is : is that possible to send a program change from the NS4 to the A1 AND then use the A1 to be a controller keyboard ? ... and if yes, how ??

Thanks !!

[Heatha05]

You don’t need to have the extern layer active to send the PC message to the external synth as long as send on load is on. So all three synth layers are available.

A workaround for the NS4 Aux MIDI limitation is to set the receiving synth to receive on all channels- don’t know if the NL has that option though.

HTH

[the_steff]

You don’t need to have the extern layer active to send the PC message to the external synth as long as send on load is on. So all three synth layers are available.

You're right... except if you want to send CC value wich is very usefull to refine a preset on the secondary keyboard. But thanks to remind me this.

A workaround for the NS4 Aux MIDI limitation is to set the receiving synth to receive on all channels- don’t know if the NL has that option though.

That's a good idea !! ... unfortunately, Lead A1 oblige us to choose a unique midi channel.
So the solution I found is to change global midi channel of the A1 depending on the role I want to assign to it : master or slave keyboard
... maybe I have to search a midi device able to do this automatically (convert every midi message to one specified channel maybe..).

Thanks!

[the_steff]

... maybe I have to search a midi device able to do this automatically (convert every midi message to one specified channel maybe..).

If you have or can add a computer/tablet to your setup and connect both NS4 and NLA1 via USB to it, there are many applications that can do MIDI routing/remapping (Mainstage, Camelot Pro, Cantabile, MIDI Ox, MIDI Patchbay,... to name a few)

[cgrafx]

you don’t need a computer or tablet, you can do midi processing using a dedicated processing box see
https://midisolutions.com/prodevp.htm

[Heatha05]

I just ordered one of these

https://miditech.de/en/portfolio/midi-thru-4-filter/

Which takes power from midi and will take the output from the second tier board and map to a different channel for the AUX KB. ( I hope!).