Hi all,
I'm not sure wether I should post my question on a Novation forum or here, but since the Ableton forum has a much larger community, I hope anybody here can help me.
My setup:
I'm using Live 9.7.7 together with a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 (gen. 2) and a Novation Circuit Mono Station.
The Novation is connected to the Focusrite by a regular MIDI cable. My computer is a MacBook Pro with OS 10.13.6.
My question is about MIDI, and my knowledge about MIDI is quite basic, so please bare with me.
I want to have Ableton to trigger a Session change on the Novation, but I don't have any luck just yet.
The situation:
In my Live project I have set up a MIDI track which sends MIDI to the Scarlett's MIDI-out and uses ch. 1 for this. I've set the Novation for note information for Osc1 to respond to ch. 7 and Osc2 to ch. 8, so I'm guessing I should not send CC data to either of these channels. So I use ch. 1 instead. I've tried both, but it doesn't work.
The Novation's MIDI manual (page 2, Global Supported Commands) {PDF file} states that you can switch a patch by MIDI, using a Program Change #16, with a value of 0 - 31 which corresponds to the Patch#. I want to use Session #19, so I guess the value has to be 18.
From a YT tutorial I've picked up that Program Changes can be send by using a MIDI-clip Evenlopes window.
In the "Device Chooser" I've selected MIDI Ctrl, in the "Control Chooser" I've selected #16.
As a value, I've drawn in #18.
This didn't work and I also tried other values. I've also tried setting the "Pgm Change" to Pgm 16 (in the "Notes" window of a MIDI clip). Also no luck.
Can anyone explain to me what I might be doing wrong, or at least point me in the right direction?
TLDR: How can I initialise a Session switch on my Novation Circuit Mono Station by sending a MIDI Program change from Ableton Live?
How to send MIDI pr. change to Novation Circuit Mono Station
Re: How to send MIDI pr. change to Novation Circuit Mono Station
Looking at the manual it looks like the program changes are on channel 16. The ctrl chooser is for continuous controllers not channels. If you have a track set the channel 16 and put the program change clip in there it might work.
*However* this seems to change session (not sure what that is since I don't have a Mono station) and it also suggests that sending pgm changes to OSC 1 will change synth patches. Since you have set OSC 1 to channel 7 then a program change message on channel 7 might do it if you just want to change the sound.
CC messages sent on channel 7 and 8 will alter your synth parameters for osc 1 and 2 respectively the way you have set it up, that is correct, but I think you have misunterstood what the ctrl chooser does in a Live clip - as above it sets a CC number not a channel.
So to clarify
- Novation manual states that sending a program change to OSC 1 (on channel 7 in your case) will change the synth patch and therefore the sound, presumably for the whole synth. Programme change is not a cc message so will not affect ccs as such, but of course a synth patch change will alter all the ccs most likely anyway,
- Session changes (which are what, a patch plus sequences I'm guessing?) are sent on channel 16 so you will possibly have to send them in a separate MIDI track set to output to the Mono station on Channel 16. Use the pgm change message to send the value 18.
*However* this seems to change session (not sure what that is since I don't have a Mono station) and it also suggests that sending pgm changes to OSC 1 will change synth patches. Since you have set OSC 1 to channel 7 then a program change message on channel 7 might do it if you just want to change the sound.
CC messages sent on channel 7 and 8 will alter your synth parameters for osc 1 and 2 respectively the way you have set it up, that is correct, but I think you have misunterstood what the ctrl chooser does in a Live clip - as above it sets a CC number not a channel.
So to clarify
- Novation manual states that sending a program change to OSC 1 (on channel 7 in your case) will change the synth patch and therefore the sound, presumably for the whole synth. Programme change is not a cc message so will not affect ccs as such, but of course a synth patch change will alter all the ccs most likely anyway,
- Session changes (which are what, a patch plus sequences I'm guessing?) are sent on channel 16 so you will possibly have to send them in a separate MIDI track set to output to the Mono station on Channel 16. Use the pgm change message to send the value 18.
Re: How to send MIDI pr. change to Novation Circuit Mono Station
Tim, thank you so much for your reply and sorry for my late response.
I followed your advice and it works!
Like you said (in a nutshell)
I followed your advice and it works!
Like you said (in a nutshell)
- I set the output of the MIDI track to channel 16
- I've made a program change with value "18"
- Like you said, Envelope values are not needed for this.