Not sure if I am doing it wrong; but I am having hard time with this
I have few instruments connected to the pyramid via midi 5 pin din; I have one instrument that use more than 128 patches so I need to pass also the MSB and LSB to get to the right bank.
If I switch to track mode, and I use 2ND and TRACK to get in the settings, I can change PC, LSB and MSB and the synth change the patch accordingly. But when I play the sequence, and the synth is on a different patch from the one I recorded, it does not switch to that patch and just play the sequence on whatever patch is set on the synth at that moment.
I assumed that the control purpose there is to set the patch associated to that track, so my expectation was that the PC message would be sent when I press play on the pyramid, which does not happen.
Then the second issue came in the form of patch swap while playing a sequence. I want to change at bar 8 of a sequence, the patch used. I went in step mode; hold STEP and rotated the main knob to switch to CC send message mode, and added in sequence the MSB, LSB and PC values, being sure that I long press on the first pad of the bar I want the change to apply to.
Even this didn’t work at all, the pyramid does not change the value when the 8th bar of a sequence is playing. Strange enough, if I double tap STOP button, it does send the CC message change; so the parameters are set correctly; they just don’t play when they should play.
What am I doing wrong? Is there a better way to associate a patch to a track, either as default patch or as patch to swap to during the sequence? This is extremely time consuming to be honest, and not very intuitive, and I am having quite a hard time to do so; to the point where it is easier for me to write on a piece of paper which patch to use and swap it manually; but this is not ideal when recording.
If it can help further more, I posted something similar on elektronauts. about Digitakt & Monomachine Issues. Because this is no Pyramid Issue, this is always the other machine, or the settings.
I answered on the other thread : Try with 2 SEQ and 2 different patterns and PC’s on the midi Track. to switch properly and reset.
Try to use patterns for PC. Consider it kind of mute/unmute. That’ll always switch the patch.
In step mode, if you want to send several PC by steps instead of one PC by 2nd + track, then have the step with PC a bit earlier to catch up with the rhythm. 1/16th will usually do but in my experience it depends on the instrument.
patterns store PC/MSB/LSB state - so if you change patterns you’ll need to program in that stuff for each pattern (or if you set it up at the beginning, you can copy paste your patterns and that stuff will retain)
My understanding of LSB/MSB and PC is that they all have to be sent in a specific order (given the midi spec) and then even still there’s usually variation between implementations. I know that if you set that stuff via the track it works pretty well - I don’t know how well that works if you try to program it as CC automation (I wouldn’t do that, if i were you).
As for the switching patches during your set - I’m going to second or third the recommendations already here. Program that stuff into your patterns, then set up your changes so that they occur ever 4, 2 or 1 bars - and switch your patterns such that you can land the pattern change with the new sound on the bar you want. Depending on the synth, a patch change may or may not be a big event, so that’s a side issue - but I switch patches for some synths in my set for various reasons and I store everything in the patterns and basically use a sequence to trigger my pattern changes - so that’s how I get things to happen in time and even with synths that use bank messages, this seems to work
I see, so why do you need to use the sequence pattern to change the program, while you have the option in the track itself to set the program? to me it seems like it is a problem with how Pyramid send the message to the synth; more than anything.
To summarize:
PC change if I rotate the PC knob in Track mode instantaneously; but if I press play on the pyramid, that change never get sent to the device. So that option seems to be working only if you manually set programs but not if you play a sequence.
PC won’t change if I go to Step mode and set a pad with MSB, LSB and PC in this exact sequence. It only change when I double press the Stop button
I double checked the midi messages with midiOx and the Pyramid does not send the PC message at all, unless you are moving the knob while in Track settings mode, or if you double press the Stop button.
I am on latest firmware BTW; the device I am trying to control is an Argon8 module that is set as slave to receive the clock from the Pyramid.
it also changes if the user alternates between 2 patterns and 2 PC’s. It “resets?” the slave machine patch. Otherwise, if not a knob rotation (usually only made to set the pattern and never again), the machine patch could stay freezed. (and this is more a general midi issue to me…)
of course if the slave machine is a machine with also a sequencer… it can have to wait for the end of the pattern. Or transport and sync has to be desactivated, and the device used as expander only.
I remember having produced some tunes with mutli layers of PC’s in the same pattern… for some music styles it is cool… It also creates errors or artefacts in the patchs switchs… …
for now, after one week of composing with the pyramid, my Tracks are very often changing PC’s trough Patterns changes. Maybe because I need to have the entire arrangement in sight, only in Track BANK A… question of habits maybe…