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Reliably working with MIDI

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OldNick
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:32 pm

Reliably working with MIDI

Post by OldNick »

I am trying to control Magic with MIDI and having a heap of unreliable results and grief. I work with Reaper for both Audio and MIDI.

AFAIK if I place the note events I want to control separately on different MIDI tracks, saving each track to a different MIDI filename, then referring individual Sources to those files, one by one, then that is solid: one Source will respond to one file and another source to another file.

But, feeling that this could be done in a less cumbersome way, I have tried using a single File/ Source, but then assigning different MIDI notes to different MIDI channels, the response starts to fail. The Source asking for MIDI Ch1 will respond correctly, but another Source assigned Ch2 will not at all, maybe until I remove the first source and then C2 _may_ give the result. Sometimes Magic seesm to be playing both MIDI channel's Sources at once, even without the other Source. etc.

So: write a simple MIDI file, with a slow note rate for Bass drum and a rapid rate for any other stuff such as, say, snare drum or cymbals. Easily distinguishable either audibly or visually in Magic. In Reaper, assign all Bass notes to Ch1 and all Timpani to CH2. Export the file as one track and into Magic. Place one Source into the Input sources box and then another from the same File. But then ask Source 1 to respond to CH1 and the other to CH2. Wrong results: Source 2 will not respond at all, or maybe to both MIDI channels. Sometimes it responds if I remove Source 1

I have actually taken the exported file back into Reaper, in a new project, and checked the Properties of the events within the track. They are Bass to Ch1 and Timpani to CH2.

So I tried using Velocity of chosen notes. Some work and some do not not and there seems no pattern. Notes that play in Reaper will or will not play. They all fir within the MIDI range 0-127 and all play and instrument in Reaper. For instance ...no...enough.

I have used MIDI for years and understand how it (should, IMO) work. I can also get everything to work if I use audio, rather then MIDI.

Help/advice appreciated. I have no idea what is wrong.
Magic
Site Admin
Posts: 3440
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:28 pm

Re: Reliably working with MIDI

Post by Magic »

There is a sample project called "MIDIFileExample". If you load it, press play, and listen all the way to the end, does it appear to work normally?
OldNick
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:32 pm

Re: Reliably working with MIDI

Post by OldNick »

Thanks for the reply.

Yes it seems to work ok in the the little circle moves to match the midi notes. But it is a very limited and particular example.

I have to admit that I trying different visual effects, and was caught out by things like the fact that, AFAICS, the Rotation action goes a full 360 deg for an input of 1. It looks as if it has not moved.

As I did a fair while back, I have shelved Magic for a while: I have realised that I have a LOT of work to do to make it more than a very basic output.

Nick
Magic
Site Admin
Posts: 3440
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:28 pm

Re: Reliably working with MIDI

Post by Magic »

Yes, 360 degrees is 1 rotation. 180 is half a rotation (.5), 90 is .25, and so on.

These sorts of things are described in the User's Guide.
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