Just recently bought an MD UW MK2 and trying to figure out how to set it up so that it triggers my Nord Rack 2 via midi…(and in general any other external gear). Ive spent a few hours looking through the manual and messing with the global settings, but no luck. Id like to be able to use the sounds from the NR2 for sequencing as well as use the controls on the synth to modify the sample live.
Quite a newbie to the whole music tech world, so any input/advice would be great, even a step-by-step walkthrough of how to setup would be fantastic (searched around the internet and couldn’t find any clear “how to” guide for this)…
thanks for the response and useful links, was good to see the updated manual as the one the MD came with has old screenshots that dont quite match up…all the more confusing!!
But ive checked the info suggested (ie global setting, base channel, local control etc) and changed these to all i believe to be needed, as well as setting up a track to a MID machine on mid channel 1. Ive been able to get to the point where the MD is triggering the NR2 (the trigger light blinks on the NR2 whenever i press the track on the MD), but no sound output unfortunately.
I then tried to mess around with the outputs in the global setting, but trying various combinations, still no luck!
Ive sent a ticket to Elektron hoping they might be able to assist as this seems a fairly common query (ie setting up a external midi device with the MD)…hopefully i should get a response soon, but in the meantime, if there are any other suggestion from yourself or others out there, be great to hear any input.
BTW below are a few steps that i sent to the elektron contact:
Connect Midi In (Nord Rack)–>Midi Out (Machindrum)…should note that in the NR2 manual, it mentions to also connect MIDI out (Nord)–>Midi in (MD).
created a new kit on 1-BD, MID 02 SYNT w no parameters selected for relate>mute position or trig position.
went to global setting to change the local control to on, from which point when i press track 1-BD, it triggers the Nord Rack (light flashes on the NR2) but no sound.
Base channel is set to 1-4 for slot 1, while the midi channel on the Nord is set to midi channel 1 as well.
This might be your problem: if you have set the Nord Rack to receive on MIDI channel 1, you should use the MD’s MIDI machine 01.
The MD will send all kinds of MIDI data on channels 1 - 4 in this configuration. For simplicity, I would advise to change the Base Channel setting to ‘–’.
Thanks for the info…tried both points, using MIDI Machine 1 and changed the base channel to “–”, but still not luck im afraid…seemed like it might be the solution, especially the first point, but frustratingly not the case…worried there might be an issue with the unit itself, though as mentioned before, i get the nord rack light to trigger, just no sound!!
Do you or anyone else have external synths connected via midi and if so, howd you go about doing it…? Also, if there is any way to connect it via C/V, one of the audio inputs (and output on the Nord Rack)?
Wished it had been a bit more simple than this, just feel im missing something fairly obvious!!
I should mention that i have the my headphones plugged into the MD
when i plug the headphones into the NR2, all works fine when i trigger/demo play, but when headphones in MD, no audible output when trig/demo play pressed on NR2.
Have two midi cables, tried both (MD Midi Out–>NR2 Midi in), but same results (no output, but trig like activating when pressing the MD track)
I have a midi keyboard, which ive tried connecting Midi In, but still no audible output…
Tried moving the headphones to Main Out left/right, but still no luck…
The basic issue here is that you need to listen to the NR2 in order to hear its output! Audio from the NR2 DOES NOT travel down the MIDI cable back to the MD!!!
When you send MIDI notes from the MD to the NR2 and connect your headphones to the NR2, can you hear the triggered notes?
In order to listen to the audio output from the NR2 via the MD, you would need to connect one or more of the audio outputs from the NR2 to the audio inputs of the MD, and use one or more INP-G machines on other tracks on the MD.
Unless you wanted to especially use the sound shaping abilities of the MD to alter the audio output of the MD, it would be more common to connect the audio outputs of the MD and the NR2 to a mixer so that you could listen to them both at the same time.
If you let us know what gear you have, we can possibly advise you on what each piece of gear can do.