Maybe this has already been asked elsewhere, but I could use some ideas about how to route the Hapax to my other stuff using an MRCC midi router, which will be delivered today. I bought it because I have found myself manually pulling and switching cables from the Hapax to different machines (I have many more than four synths). Do you just have Midi A out to the MRCC and then use the MRCC do all the routing? If so, how do you tell Hapax which instrument is on what channel on the MRCC, all going out and coming in from Midi A out and in? I assume you just assign each machine attached to the MRCC a different midi channel. I might, though, want to use more than one midi channel for a single machine on the Hapax (e.g. multitimbral).
I should also add that I have three other controllers besides the Hapax that will be going into the MRCC.
Can’t talk about the Hapax (yet) and have a MioXL instead of an MRCC but the concepts are the same. Right now, I have two keyboards (Keystep 37 and Blofeld) configured to send note data to my Pyramid which then routes it to the active track’s synth. All 2xMidi+USB I/O of the Pyramid also goes to the MioXL. The MioXL is configured to route each Pyramid out to specific synths which are configured to be on non-conflicting channels. That gives me 3x16 Midi channels. With the Hapax that would be 5x16 channels (+the Host port) to distribute on the MRCC. When I had the Model:Samples I configured it to only receive Program Changes on Ch 16 and receive clock as I was out of dedicated channels and it can very well sequence itself.
For multitimbral instruments like the Blofeld, I have configured it to receive Midi on four channels. I basically never use more than two Blofeld sounds at once so that’s fine. Same with others. Plus I have one Blofeld channel configured to provide the metronome and another one as a multi part drum map. So I can still make full use of its multi timbrality if I feel like it.
The main potential drawback of this setup is that it only allows for one instrument to be played at any one time. As long as you don’t count the Elektron’s integrated button keyboards. Could become an issue in a jam situation. But it also means I hardly ever need to think about midi channels outside the MioXL and this should get so much better on the Hapax with definition files for everything. Very much looking forward to that.
Btw I have configured everything to not send CC as that also would be routed by the Pyramid to the currently playing synth and potentially wreak havoc with the patch. The drawback here of course being I can’t directly record knob movements. Also local is off everywhere, of course. If I had significantly more keyboard than rack/desktop synths I might have gone about this differently.
Also, sorry about the first reply to your question being about neither the Hapax nor the MRCC but again, I felt you were more interested in configuration ideas than specific implementation.
Not at all! I appreciate the feedback, it is helpful for sure. I was on the fence about getting the MioXL, but wanted more “hands on” control, without needing a computer to redo routings, which is why I opted for the MRCC. I know almost nothing about the Pyramid, so don’t really know how the options there compare to the Hapax.
@michaeljk1963 I also use an iConnectivity router (mine is the MioXM).
The MioXM is the hub of everything in my rig. I don’t use Hapax for any routing at all; Hapax connects via USB to the MioXM, limiting me to 16 channels.
As there are only 16 channels in a Hapax, this doesn’t seem like a serious limitation. That said, my tone generators could (in theory) generate nearly 40 simultaneous timbres. To access more than 16 timbres in a given song, I would send program changes from Hapax to select the desired presets.
With MioXM as the hub, my integrated keyboards can ”play” my desktop modules. All I need do is match the MIDI channel. I find that preferable to creating “custom” routings per song.
I have a Hapax and an MRCC. The MRCC is historically notorious for being a bad USB host. I am not currently on the latest firmware, but I am not using USB connectivity with it, since when I initially tested in April it didnt work.
Ok on to the rest of the topology. On the MRCC I have A and B out from the Hapax going into 1&2 on the MRCC. I have some High number channel (9 I think) going back out to the MRCC. I swap out midi controllers regularly, so the rest of the inputs are used for that, and just get pushed straight to the Hapax in.
Occasionally I will plug my OMX-27 straight into the 1/8" input on the Hapax, but usually everything just go throughs the MRCC and then into the Hapax. This is nice since I can have a couple of small keyboards and a fader strip all controlling different channels.
Everything else is routed through the MRCC, except for one of the USB outs. I have that going straight into my Intellijel case, due to me not having much luck with the MRCC as a USB host.
Every now and then Ill hit midi bandwidth issues, which causes timing hiccups, so ill go and do some filters in the MRCC on the machine that is choking, to make sure its only getting what it needs, and then save that off as my default so I dont hit it again in the future.
So far, aside from the USB shenanigans, I have been SUPER happy with the MRCC
Thanks for this very useful bit of information. I had seen at the Conductive Labs forums issues with USB Midi, and had hoped they’d worked these out by now. Pretty big deal for the MRCCs limited purpose. Hopefully they are still working on it, and haven’t given up on fixing this.
Just curious, what is the benefit of having two, rather than one, connection between the Hapax and MRCC? I only ask because I have at least four other controllers that I want to use the MRCCs ins for, unless there’s a good reason to have two coming from Hapax.
Some thoughts from a Hapax v1.11 and MRCC v1.1.052 (with some experience) user:
Both works very well and very well together, at least in my case.
MRCC USB ports A-D also works well connected to the HAPAX USB device port in both directions.
not every midi device with USB midi capabilities is compatible to the MRCC USB ports. Take Your time and test Your devices. It’s worth it. Midi ports are always too few. (and there are more advantages: my Microfreak stopped humming the moment I connected it to a MRCC USB port! Midi and power over the same USB cable!)
Some planing is recommended, so maybe You write a list to get the quantity of the needed midi channels and thus ports of the devices You want to connect to the HAPAX.
E.g. if Your Hapax should send midi out to 16 or less mono timbral devices (and each device got a different midi channel number) and it should get midi data from 16 or less midi channels from controllers or keyboards at the same time, one midi in port connection and one midi out port connection (two cables) or even one USB connection (one cable!) should be enough.
It’s convenient to connect each multi timbral device to its own port via the MRCC to the HAPAX if possible.
So, depending on Your setup it may be recommended to connect each HAPAX midi out to the MRCC or just connect one cable … or something in-between.
So, maybe You describe Your needs more in detail.
it allows me to isolate hi traffic midi channels into their own eco system, which for some machines (based on the resolution you can get out of the hapax) is a necessity.
That is my plan. Once I have an idea of what I want to do, I also bought a label printer so I can mark the ports/cables on the MRCC to immediately know what is going where. I wish they’d made the MRCC so that it could accommodate some kind of printable or writable overlay for this. Right now I have am using the Hapax as a completely standalone midi hub, using all four midi outs to different devices. Everything else is connected to two of my other controllers, a Korg Kronos and a Linnstrument using a two-port midi merge which is connected to a 16 port midi splitter. My plan is to replace all of that with the Hapax, Kronos, Linnstrument and Octatrack using mid ins on the MPCC, and then midi outs going to the Kronos, Octatrack, and then 7-9 other midi devices, 3 of which are multitimbral, and four are monophonic, and 3 of the source devices also support MPE. I really want the Kronos, Linnstrument and Hapax to have easy access to any one of the other instruments by simply clicking the routing buttons on the MRCC (although I mostly use the Linnstrument to control a Hydrasynth Desktop). I haven’t even begun to think about which devices to connect via USB as opposed to DIN Midi. I haven’t had great luck with stability of USB Midi in the past (e.g. using Logic on my Mac), but maybe things have improved there in the past couple of years and I will have better luck with the MRCC and Hapax with USB Midi. I also need to figure out the advantages of USB Midi over DIN Midi (other than much higher bandwidth and speed, which maybe doesn’t matter with Midi).
That’s no problem and the strength of the MRCC. But if the HAPAX is always evolved and You send midi data to only one device at a time You may access this device by selecting the HAPAX track (midi in channel has to be “auto” on Hapax track.)
If it matches Your workflow it’s very convenient to route all devices only through the HAPAX.
So You also avoid double midi notes.
Every time you send midi data directly from a controller to a device the selected HAPAX track is routet to (e.g. to play some chords from HAPAX on the same device You want to improvise over …), and the controller is simultaneously routet to the HAPAX you have to deselect the midi in port of the HAPAX track to avoid double notes causing strange flanger effects. (If not wanted to )
So it makes sense to play only routed through the HAPAX. Not only avoiding double notes but to be always record ready to catch Your ideas.
In this case on the MRCC You leave everything connected from and to the HAPAX and You have to change on the MRCC nothing at all.
This is really helpful, although I need to give it some thought and practice to fully understand how it will work in real time. I hadn’t considered the Hapax as being like a DAW in that respect. I do foresee always having the Hapax involved (or at least “turned on and ready to go” even when I am not specifically using it as a controller–as you said, I might come up with a melody on one of my other controllers and then decide it would make a good track on the Hapax and then could record that on the fly.
Interpolating here, but I guess that’s a common situation. My skills from acquiring to wiring all this stuff have advanced at a much faster pace than my songwriting/singing/playing skills. In most small companies I’d been employed I quickly became the reluctant sysadmin. Now I’m that guy in my own home studio. A shame the sole musician using it is always busy doing something else.
Back to topic…
One Midi connection gives you 16 channels. Across all your synths you have a lot more than that, thanks to the multitimbral ones. Also, MPE usually uses all 16 channels at once - so there goes one MIDI port just for that. You might be able to connect everything at once by using USB instead of MIDI for some instruments or controllers, depending on whether the MRCC supports them.
Well, since routing is the topic here, your comments are arguably within the sphere of this conversation. I have a somewhat similar experience, but not at work, but with my son’s school. I successfully obtained a very large private grant to fund a completely new computer lab at his school, but it provided no funding for anyone to set it up, so we had something like 30 computers, 4 printers, some router equipment, and between me and the librarian whose task it would be to run the lab, a set of manuals to set it all up.
Good points. I forgot that I will need a dedicated connection for MPE between the Hapax and any other device and will want to have the option of using more than once sound from a multitimbral device which would seemingly require at least one of its own midi ports just for that. So much to think about before actually getting going on this. Its a “good problem” to have.
I just finished (for now) disconnecting all my midi cables from the old system and then reconnected everything to the MRCC. For some reason, the new system just seems “cleaner” (less messy). I then labelled things so I’d easily be able to what is going where. I realized after making the DIN Midi connections (which I did first) that I can save an in/out with the Hapax by using the USB Device connection, so I don’t need the dedicated DIN Midi out to the Hapax. I am sure I will be tweaking things as I become familiar with using the MRCC. I also realized I am going to have to dust off the manuals for a couple of older multitimbral instruments to see how to change individual presets and midi channels when using a combi (Korg) or a “perf.” (Roland). Also, for some reason, I am not able to send midi from the Hapax to the Model:Samples through the MRCC, atthough I had no problem doing this directly from the Hapax. I might just leave that one instrument as a dedicated drum machine for the Hapax.
This sounds strange.
MRCC helps troubleshooting with …
Connection:
connection matrix on the first MRCC display page: regarding the midi in row, is the concerning rectangle of the midi out column outlined?
or selecting the midi in port of the HAPAX (green led light underneath): is the midi out port of the model:samples selected (blue led light underneath)?
Data:
on the second MRCC display page:
Are there any incoming data displayed in the second line?
Are the filters selected?
If You didn’t change anything in any settings after sending data from HAPAX to model:samples with the exception of the midi output on the HAPAX (!) and the MRCC displays data transmissions there has to be a connection error between MRCC and model:samples!
One of my favorites: confusing the midi A port with the midi B port on MIDI OUT 11 & 12 on the MRCC.
@WaldMeister you are a wealth of information. I really appreciate your taking the time to say all of this. I ended up switching things around so now have the M:S connected directly to the Midi D port via TRS cable. Since I don’t immediately foresee having any other instrument controlling the M:S, this is fine, but I do like your diagnostics. I do need to get into the details of the MRCC and am looking forward to it. I watched a couple of videos on it about 6 months ago, but have now forgotten much of it.
One issue I had yesterday was with the Analog Four. I’d created a two-track pattern from Hapax through MRCC to Analog Four, using DIN MIDI. I left the studio for a while to do some chores around the house. The patterns started to morph on their own. Then eventually, the pattern became a “drone” (stuck midi signal?). When I came to the studio, the Analog Four had reverted to it’s startup “splash” screen and would accept no input from any knobs or buttons. I turned it off, turned it back on and it wouldn’t do anything. I was scared, thought I’d fried it. Fortunately, over at Elektronauts, some guy had a similar experience so I learned how to reset it on start up and all was fine, so I tried to recreate the issue, and watched as the analog four struggled, with popping up the flash screen, and then sort of stuttering. I changed the cable from MRCC and the Analog Four, the problem continued. I will have to investigate further. I haven’t had any of these kinds of issues with any other gear so far.
That sounds very much like a midi loop. Have you connected both Midi In and Out to the A4? I’d recommend not using Midi Out from the A4 in your case.
Edit: Also, you could check if you have multiple instruments sending clock signals which could confuse the A4.
(and there are more advantages: my Microfreak stopped humming the moment I connected it to a MRCC USB port! Midi and power over the same USB cable!)
)
My skills from acquiring to wiring all this stuff have advanced at a much faster pace than my songwriting/singing/playing skills. In most small companies I’d been employed I quickly became the reluctant sysadmin. Now I’m that guy in my own home studio. A shame the sole musician using it is always busy doing something else.
