Program Change Message ONLY with MD Midi Machines

Elektron Gear Machinedrum
#1

Hi there. I’ve looked everywhere (several hours researching online and fiddling with the machine itself) for an answer and found none so this is my last resort. I can’t seem to get ONLY the Program Change message sent via midi to a Mother 32 from the MD.

Using Midi Monitor I discovered that the note value is being sent (under Synthesis I can’t set the midi note value to ‘Off’) and I think that is what is screwing up the sound of the Mother 32 instead of just changing the pattern. I’ve made sure that I have CTRL OUT set to ‘on’, PRG CHANGE OUT set to ‘on’, and I’ve tried BASE CHANNEL as both ‘–’ and ‘1-4’.

I assumed that the PRG change needed to be P-lockd, so I’ve triggered step 1 of each pattern with the chosen PRG change number but as stated before a note value is sent after the program change.

I’ve read several forums where people are controlling other sequencers via midi with the MD but I can’t figure out how to remove the ‘sent’ note value.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

#2

Do you need the MD to send a Program Change message on an individual sequencer step, or just when a new pattern starts on the MD?

#3

I guess just when a new pattern starts on the MD, I’m still pretty new to sequencing and synth programing. I want the MD to create the song from the Mother 32’s patterns. I’ve got 3 patterns at 16 steps a piece in the M32, I’d assumed that in the MD I’d just p-lock the program change to the first step of each pattern but it seems that each triggered (lit) step also sends a note value? Unless there is a way to send program change messages without having to trigger a step?? Thanks Peter.

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#4

In that case, you don’t need to use a MID machine on one of the tracks.

By setting Program Change to OUT in the GLOBAL > CONTROL menu, the MD will automatically send a Program Change message (with the number of the new pattern) whenever the MD changes pattern.

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#5

But what other machine will allow me to select the Program change message? The only machine that has that selection is MID, under the routing window, bottom left.

Something just occurred to me… Since you said the MD would automatically send the PCM with the selected pattern… Are the change messages sent according to the selected bank/pattern? So Bank A Pattern 1 would, with no steps triggered, send a program change message for pattern 1 of the receiving device? For example, in song mode just select A1, A2 x2, A1, A3 (pattern 3)?

#7

Basically, yes.

The only wrinkle is whether the two instruments start counting their patterns at 0 or 1. You will soon find out.

(Only if you need to send an arbitrary Program Change message would you need to use a MID machine.)

#8

Thank you! Finally had some time to check it out and outside of not having some basic knowledge of MIDI it now seems quite obvious, although it’ll take some getting use to devices that do start on 1 for the first pattern while the MD starts at 0 for A1. You have taught me a valuable lesson and I appreciate it immensely.

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