Help with LPD8 - Use pads for track activation

[db82]

I'm using the LPD8 pads to activate and deactivate tracks in Live. And I want the pads to be lit if the corresponding track is active, and unlit if it's not.

I've got the pad lights to turn on and off if I use the mouse to activate and deactivate the tracks, but if I use the pads to do this, the track gets activated but the pad does not light up. It's like the pad turns it's self off when i take my hand off it.

Any help on this would be appreciated!

[db82]

After a bit of research it seems a few people have a problem with the pads turning off automatically when you release it with your finger. So Live sends the 'on' message to the LPD8 to turn the light on, but that happens before you release your finger which then turns the pad off.

This really needs to be fixed in the LPD8 firmware

Can anyone think of a workaround for this?

Maybe if I can get the track to activate when i release my finger from the pad rather than pressing it?

[outershpongolia]

Have you used the LPD8 editor?

You can have momentary or toggle buttons, you want TOGGLE.. That way they'd go full (127) when pressed, and 0 when pressed again..

[db82]

Have you used the LPD8 editor?

You can have momentary or toggle buttons, you want TOGGLE.. That way they'd go full (127) when pressed, and 0 when pressed again..

Yes I've tried the toggle mode. As far as i can tell -

in CC mode the LPD only sends 127 if you press the pad hard. If you could fix the velocity of the pads this would probably work. But as it is you can tap the pad lightly and the light will go on, but Live wont activate the track.

in PAD mode you have to press the pad twice to twice to send 127 and twice to send 0.

So one option is to find away to fix the incoming velocity to 127??

[outershpongolia]

Have you used the LPD8 editor?

You can have momentary or toggle buttons, you want TOGGLE.. That way they'd go full (127) when pressed, and 0 when pressed again..

Yes I've tried the toggle mode. As far as i can tell -

in CC mode the LPD only sends 127 if you press the pad hard. If you could fix the velocity of the pads this would probably work. But as it is you can tap the pad lightly and the light will go on, but Live wont activate the track.

in PAD mode you have to press the pad twice to twice to send 127 and twice to send 0.

So one option is to find away to fix the incoming velocity to 127??

Most MIDI mapped params have MIN and Max.. when I map the button (momentary) to a beat repeat it will default to min:64 max:127 meaning I have to hit it at the medium velocity or higher to get the effect to turn on.. Turn the MIN to 1 and it only takes the lightest touch to get it to trigger..

Don't know if track activators have a MIN/MAX value, but I'm afraid they don't.. So that's a bummer.

[db82]

Have you used the LPD8 editor?

You can have momentary or toggle buttons, you want TOGGLE.. That way they'd go full (127) when pressed, and 0 when pressed again..

Yes I've tried the toggle mode. As far as i can tell -

in CC mode the LPD only sends 127 if you press the pad hard. If you could fix the velocity of the pads this would probably work. But as it is you can tap the pad lightly and the light will go on, but Live wont activate the track.

in PAD mode you have to press the pad twice to twice to send 127 and twice to send 0.

So one option is to find away to fix the incoming velocity to 127??

Most MIDI mapped params have MIN and Max.. when I map the button (momentary) to a beat repeat it will default to min:64 max:127 meaning I have to hit it at the medium velocity or higher to get the effect to turn on.. Turn the MIN to 1 and it only takes the lightest touch to get it to trigger..

Don't know if track activators have a MIN/MAX value, but I'm afraid they don't.. So that's a bummer.

Yes they do have min / max and this fixed it! Thanks so much for your help. I just wasted 30 mins getting fixed velocity to work using midi-ox Guess I should have checked back here first!

[outershpongolia]

Yes they do have min / max and this fixed it! Thanks so much for your help. I just wasted 30 mins getting fixed velocity to work using midi-ox Guess I should have checked back here first!

Always willing to help out, especially if it's gear I have at my disposal, great way to learn the ins/outs of your stuff.

I have noticed that if you set the mode of a pad in CC mode to toggle, it also makes it toggle in Pad mode.. which sucks because I'd map the CC to toggle an effect, and the Pad would be set to a drum rack note, but it won't work in pad mode cause it's momentary which means you'd have a signal on the press and then a 0 on the second press..

So my 8 CC mappings are momentary so that my 8 pads on that preset will work right (at least within a drum rack).. Not really a bug, just a lack of flexibility I guess.

[db82]

Yeah i also don't like the fact that all the pads have to be CC or PAD type. You can't have to top row as PAD and the bottom row as CC. But i guess you could run MIDIOX to map them differently.

[outershpongolia]

I guess they figured a smaller controller would only need to be programmed simply, and not really a vital element of a setup.

I use a MacBook Pro, with a 4 port hub, Launchpad, nanoKONTROL and LPD8.. Thats basically my most minimal setup, other than busting out the laptop and launchpad alone just to mess around.. but I've gotten by with the basic programming you can get away with on the LPD8, same with the nano.. Maybe something bigger would fit my needs better but I like the bus-powered stuff that is super small and fits in a backpack.

speaking of, FFS, I need something to replace this nano that has MIDI FEEDBACK! Akai 1up'd Korg on the nanoKEY and nanoPAD, I want AKAI (or anybody) to come out with a 1up on the nanoKONTROL that will actually give MIDI feedback like the LPD and most other decent controllers do..

[Mr.Licious]

We have THE solution!
Download and install Max !RUNTIME! at this address: http://cycling74.com/downloads/
Next Download and install Midi Yoke (or another port midi maker) : http://www.midiox.com/
Next Download our patch for max rutime and our tuto pict : http://www.mediafire.com/?cng2v88ccd4qz3o
Extract.
Lunch Max runtime, lunch the LPD8 patch, config midi in/out (CTIN, CTOUT see pict), and run live.