Mackie Control Emulation

[senso]

This patch is an example of a Mackie Control implementation in Usine.

It respects the MackieControl specification but the Master Section part is more specifically designed for Ableton Live. Fortunately it can be easily adapted to any host.

General Features
Host independent features (works in all hosts).
For 8 Tracks:
-volume (1-8)
-Mute (1-8)
-Solo (1-8)
-Select (1-8)
-Rec or arm (1-8)
-Pan (1-8)
-Retrieve automatically the track names from the host.

Master section

-Master Volume
-Master Rec
-Start
-Stop
-Forward
-Backward

Ableton Live specific(Features adapted to Ableton Live)

-Show Browser button
-Loop ON/OFF
-Punch In ON/OFF
-Punch Out ON/OFF
-Previous Line
-Next Line
-Launch Clip
-Launch Scene

[gurulogic]

very cool!

Just to avoid any confusion, In the wiki I corrected "Host Midi In (Maple1) --> Usine Midi in (Maple1)" Host Midi In, now reads Host midi out

The pans are weird for me. They move around when I move my cursor above them and don't work when I grab them with my cursor. Am I missing something?

Also, is this set up to scroll through more than 8 tracks or is that a diy?

oh, also the track names are missing the letter "i" ? in Ableton I am gettin "1-Audo" as a track name

but very cool and just a hint at what you could do with Usine as a midi controller!

[gurulogic]

It is way to late for my brain to work properly but I just had to try using this with Usine VSTI in Live 8. With the below configuration I have Prev LIne, Next Line, Go Scene, Nudge ,Play and stop sending to Usine to LIve but none of the track controls work.

From Live to Usine, I have counter, select, mute, solo,pan and record sending fine but the first fader moves in Usine regardless of which fader I move in Live....

???

[gurulogic]

Hi, sorry to totally spam this thread....

I think I understand at least part of why this won't work in the VST version. Remote out has no effect in the VST version, right?
I suppose it doesn't matter too much in this situation as I see this patch being most powerfull when used on a lowly tablet touch computer to control Live or another host on a faster machine.
Maybe in some situations though it would be nice to be able to send midi remote from the Usine VST version..?
Ok, I have another post to put in the feature suggestions now....

[senso]

[large]yes this patch can't work in the VST version, because Remote out is not implemented.[/large]

[ethnix73]

The wiki link:

http://www.sensomusic.com/wiki/doku.php ... kiecontrol

[ethnix73]

Great job as usual Comrade supreme

[Grim]

Hi there.

Am brand new to Usine & attempting to initially get Mackie Control patch working with Cubase using my Iiyama single touch monitor & Usine free version.

Have read through what seem to be the relevant parts of manual but I'm obviously missing something as I don't get any control in either direction.

Here is where I am at.
Installed MidiYoke. All Yokes showing up in programs.

Opened Mackie Control Patch.

In Usine setup I set midi in to "in from MidiYoke: 1" / set midi out to "out to MidiYoke: 2
Enabled trace in & out & Midi in Feedback.

Then in Cubase I added a midi controller "Mackie Control" with the midi input set as MidiYoke 2 & output as MidiYoke 1

If I move (for instance) a fader in Cubase I see midi info trace info in Usine that refers to the specific channel I moved
in Usine I only see the trace info "Gesture + short click single point" (or long click) no matter what control I move.
This is the only indication I get that there is any connection.

Can anyone suggest what else I need to do to get communication between the 2 apps.

Thanks.

[nay-seven]

what you can check :
Usine as a midi controller

on this wiki page the old remote switch is now the send switches and must be active ( I've to update those pages..)

[Grim]

Thanks for your advice.

It was from this pages instruction that I ran the Midi setup. The only thing I wasn't sure about was your use of "Maple mid in". I have just used the default MidiYoke in & out ports but otherwise followed exactly these instructions.

Send is engaged but as far as I can see nothing is being sent other than the touch data. ....If I use the mouse then there is no trace info updated. As I said Usine receives correct data but doesn't seem to be passing it to the MackieControl Emulator
I'm beginning to wonder if the Mackie Emulator patch is the problem....maybe I'll attempt setting up my own single fader to confirm if I can get control.

EDIT: Creating a single fader I managed to get 2 way control of a Cubase fader though it seems a little more complex than the instruction which had one single line in the remote setup called fader.
I have lines for fader, fader min, fader max & CC. I just used midi learn on all of them & set min & max to 0 & 127 & now the fader controls Cubase & vice-versa.

If I look at the remote settings for the Mackie Emulator none of the channels or controllers are set. Could this be the problem...do I need to learn every control? I assumed these would be pre-programmed as part of the Mackie protocol.

EDIT 2 So by editing the remote settings I have managed to get some parts of the emulator working but others i can't figure out. For example the Pans I can't seem to get working at all & the track names feedback I can't get at as the free version doesn't allow patch edit.

Certainly shows a lot of promise....tempted to buy it & see if I can make it work as I want it but also worried I would never get it working well enough to be any use!!

[yooha22]

Hi guys


couple of months ago i managed to work with this patch on the same computer and it worked like a charm , but now i'm using a tablet as control out , with rtp midi . its weird how some of the the controls doesn't even send data ! at first i thought my patch is kinda messed up but i downloaded it again .same problem . next previous and play pause button etc works , but the faders don't !

any help would be appreciated

[nay-seven]

the patch don't have been changed/update so the problem must be in rtp midi or in the tablet configuration ?
You can try to use the trace option in the midi global setup ( in and out ), there also a trace value module in the browser/module/interface control which can help you to see where the data don't pass.

[yooha22]

its wierd , i even tried on a different computer , the faders won't work and only gives pan gesture id ! and no output in tracer !!

[yooha22]

i just made a little patch to test the stuff and everything works , some parts of mackie emu are not working still !

[nay-seven]

have you read the 2 wiki pages :
mackie
and
usine to midi

BTW, have you assign any midi controller to the faders..? ( right click and choose find in remote panel to check ) not a mackie specialist but not sure faders are standard

[sephult]

Senso/Nay,

Does this patch still exist?

-s

[senso]

I don't think you need it anymore ...

[sephult]

Nope, I scoured and found old MCU to MIDI chart I had finally. If you have anything more extensive like LCD / VU Meter control then I would like.
Actually yeah, I am trying to get my hands on the entire MCU MIDI protocol documents (which I wish I could find, and probably a lot of others?)

I have a full Mackie d8b Console...which only has HUI implementation on 8 faders.
I tapped into the main CPU/Console cable which has 2x RS232 and now converting them via Usine to MCU MIDI, and other options.

-s

[x.iso]

to me, Mackie seems too expensive for what it is in 2017

[sephult]

haha...well I end up with insane finds sometimes, i've got strange odds with things.
I picked up an entire fully loaded d8b, with a fully loaded HDR 24/96, all cabling, headphone amps...inside an Argosys desk!

and how much??
Originally $22K...got it all for $400
Wasn't going to pass that up.
After research I found it funny that there was only one solution to make it fully compatible with a DAW through an external Probox that a guy has been making and selling forever. Well it's just two RS232 paths via DB25 and the CPU parallel port. I do this all the time for work so just sniffed the messages (well most surface at the moment). Just working the conversion details.

Yeah when it comes to the missing MIDI implementation and proprietary CPU OS it is definitely dated.
Such an awesome console though and I want to integrate it badly. Now if I can get it fully integrated, honestly I think the d8b would be worth just for a control surface (and all the extra external audio capabilities are just bonus).
The problem is HUI and not MCU, and that the messages are only CPU/Console and never come out via MIDI. If it was supported and around a little longer they could have implemented that...and no they did not release the source code...hell i think they lost half their assets for it.

If there were better DAW options for it, it would definitely be worth the $550+ cost for a full-fledged control surface.
As is, and some of the newer ones...yeah I would have to agree. Quite expensive.

-Shane