Can someone recommend me a midi controller that sends SPP messages? I’d like to jump to certain points in an arrangement by pressing a button.
No one?
Does such a controller even exist?
If it does, it would open up so many possibilities regarding the arranger…
I’ve never tried sending SPP messages from it, but I think that the Bitstream 3X controller can be programmed from its configuration software to do so. If I have time, I will check at the weekend.
I imagine that hardware controllers that are intended to control DAWs are most likely to have this function.
There must also be some iOS and Android apps that can send arbitrary MIDI messages.
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A daw controller. Good thinking.
Regarding ios: I have lemur. Should be possible. However, the forum is down for over a year now. I think they don’t exist anymore…
Some midi processors may be able to convert
Midi messages to SPP. Not sure about Event Processor Plus, I’d be interested in too if it works. Can’t try before next week.
Hadn’t heard of that one. Will check it out, thanks!
If SPP means Song Position Pointer, then yes the MIDI Events Processor Plus can do it. Or to clarify, it can map a MIDI event to SPP. I haven’t tested this with the OT
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wow. Thanks a lot! This is exactly what I am looking for!
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I wonder how well the OT behaves when it receiving song position pointer messages while playing …
Will it be bound to a single pattern when in normal mode? (I guess so)
Will it jump around patterns when in arranger mode? (probably yes?)
Will it glitch up static machines?
I tried without success.
@Open_Mike read maybe OT has to be stopped.
I don’t know how SPP works, OT doesn’t seem to respond to RT Start (FA) Stop (FC)
I don’t have Ableton to test. I wonder what is the start message needed.
From the MIDI spec:
A sequencer’s Song Position (SP) is the number of MIDI beats (1 beat = 6 MIDI clocks) that have elapsed from the start of the song and is used to begin playback of a sequence from a position other than the beginning of a song. It is normally set to 0 when the START button is pressed to start sequence playback from the very beginning. It is incremented every sixth MIDI clock until STOP is pressed. If CONTINUE is pressed, it continues to increment from its current value.
The current Song Position can be communicated via the Song Position Pointer message and can be changed in a receiver by an incoming Song Position Pointer message. The message should only be recognized if the receiver is set to MIDI sync (external) mode.
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What makes you say that? When I start/stop OT from the DN and monitor the midi stream sent from DN to OT, filtering out anything but RT messages AND clock, I see the FA and FC messages allright
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With my last test Stop + SPP + Start messages were restarting only the first pattern, in arranger mode.
I was in a hurry, couldn’t go further (on a boat now), I need to try with a device sending midi clock, as @PeterHanes quote suggest.
Anyway, it doesn’t seem practical / usefull, but my new midi challenge is to control the arranger play start position with midi messages, on the fly or randomly. I’m not sure it will be possible with midi loopback (send and receive midi clock with midi loopback doesn’t work).
I already can arpeggiate patterns with my midi keyboard (direct start), I think it’s more efficient.
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Very interested as well. Following!
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can you elaborate further? Been looking for a way to randomly play patterns for a while now. With a very slow (random) arpeggiator, this might do the trick.
Pretty simple with a midi processor :
Map any midi message with X value to :
Stop / Program Change X / Play
Without midi processor maybe any Program change followed by Note 35/B1 (sequencer restart) is enough. Didn’t try.
Do you have midi processors (hardware / software) or other advanced midi things?
If the master needs to start playback at some other point (as set by a Song Position Pointer message), then a MIDI CONTINUE message is sent instead of MIDI Start. Like a MIDI Start, the MIDI Continue is immediately followed by a MIDI Clock “downbeat” in order to start playback then.
http://midi.teragonaudio.com/tech/midispec/seq.htm
I don’t have a kenton or the likes. But I’m thinking about getting one.
Check this. Don’t hesitate to tell what are your needs, in order to help to choose one.
Midi Processors with Octatrack
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