Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

Hi all

Im running the latest OS in both my Command Station XL7 and 2500 and have tried the below in both units.

Choosing a BTS preset and playing (say) C1 will trigger the BTS Kick drum pattern.  However, if I then program C1 into the sequencer and press Play, it will only trigger a single Kick and not the BTS pattern.

I have looked at all the Beat settings but can not work out how to trigger BTS beats from a programmed Command Station sequencer?  Is this possible?

Many Thanks,

Paul

I am not at my gear now.  If no one else has the answer, I can look into this on the weekend.

I thought triggers were recordable, but I will have to double check. A workaround would be to record the bts pattern. A more cumbersome workaround might be to use embedded sysex--but if there's a more direct method, I'd recommend that.

Maybe someone else can spell out the direct steps if its possible. If not, I might have enough of a brain left this evening to give it a test.

Steve

http://www.e-univercity.com/SynthGearDocs/

Not sure, but maybe this is what you need:

Take a look at E-MU Docs > Command Station >  Command Station 2.0 Addendum -  page 21 of 22.

Is your gear set up to transmit riffs?  My thinking is as follows: 

  BTS sequences are special 16-track riffs.

  The sequencer and the sound module are best thought of as independent (but connected) systems.

  If the sequencer is going to trigger a bts riff, there has to be communication between the two systems.

Also look at the Addendum for OS 1.31.

Do you have the trigger note on the correct channel (i.e., the channel designated at the Beats Mode TrigCh?

If the bts are triggered from the basic channel, but the C1 in the sequencer is not coming from the Basic channel, that might be part of the problem.

Finally, look at the flow charts (aka block diagrams) at the back of the OS 1.31 Addendum (esp. the one on page 26--triggers and programmable knobs).  I am not sure this is affecting what you are trying to do, but it couldn't hurt to make sure your settings are such that the data from the sequencer is going to the sound module in the way you want. This may not be relevant, though; I usually refer to it when making sure midi data is going into the sequencer.

Hope this helps.

Steve

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I tried a little today.� The solution depends also on your beats trigger settings/beats key layout.� I think I had the same thing you did until I inserted a Strt/Stp trigger into the sequence at the beginning. For me it's a C-2. I'm just getting started on this, but realized I forgot to say anything about this.� Will try to home it down tomorrow.

Hi Bruno and Steve

"I would suggest you to try the MIDI loopback then."

I think it's fair to say you can not internally sequence BTS frogs. 😀

The work around I'm going to use in my stand alone hotel room is to just record the BTS patterns back into the same Track. This works fine and actually then allows editing. The setup is simple:

1) midi Out1 to midi In
2) make sure Transmit Riffs is on
3) Use the track mute buttons to trigger the BTS parts
4) Hit record (u will hear chorusing as the parts are double triggered whilst recording)

The only slightly tricky bit is you have to press record and the BTS part at the same time or start the BTS on the second loop. But with Quantisation this is fine.

Thanks again for all you help.

Paul
London 
www.punkdisco.co.uk

> On 30 Oct 2016, at 16:00, Bruno brunorc@... [xl7] <xl7@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
> 
> I would suggest you to try the MIDI loopback then.

Yes; no need to use an external computer for the loopback with your setup since the midi in is available.  Thanks for writing up the steps and adding them to the thread.  For my example (since I was using C01B as my BTS preset and C16B as my BTS trigger--and routing), I believe I was routing midi in either to port B or maybe both.

At some point I might play around with embedding a sysex command to start the bts clock.  However, I am wondering if it could be done with a BTS note trigger saved in a pattern template.  One thing I didn't get around was the fact that in latch mode, those triggers toggle between off and on.  I did play around with 1-bar mode triggers, which I suppose if I created a 32-bar pattern template with a 1-bar trigger at the beginning of each bar that would avoid the on/off toggle problem of latch mode.

I'd be very interested in knowing whatever other techniques you come up with.

Thanks for posting the question!!!!  Sunday afternoon I actually used the test setup I came up with for tackling your question for some improvs as part of the Halloween event at electro-music.com. I had BTS part 1 (bass drum) latched, with parts 2-16 in 1-bar mode.  While playing a usb keyboard going to the P2500 (I rotate through the channels to layer stuff), I had a blast reaching over and swiping bunches of the 1-bar trigger buttons.  Since it was a Halloween event, I tried to make it creepy, but some of the comments in chat said it sound more like it was coming from a mental institution than creepy. I would not have had such fun if I hadn't been tackling your question.  (It was the fun of a "madman" jamming out on the P2500--perfect for the Halloween event!!) 

Steve  

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These are just some footnotes on the setup and interaction of beats and arps.

Test routing/setup {Meats Mode Setup page in Arp Menu system]:
BtsCh:16B - meaning button triggers and midi note triggers will play the bts preset on C16B if enabled.
TrigCh = 01B - meaning midi note triggers coming from channel 01 on port B will decide which parts/groups/functions to activate or toggle on/off depending on settings.

Beats parts can be triggered (momentary, 1-bar, latched) from function buttons.
Beats parts, groups, and other beats functions can simultaneously be triggered (activated or toggled) from external midi notes.
With all beats parts set up as latched, both the trigger buttons and the assigned midi notes will toggle a parts on and off.� Midi notes assigned to groups will toggle all parts assigned to that group.

Midi notes seem to have bts priority. In other words from the trigger channel [01B in my test setup] any notes assigned as beats triggers (as per the BEATS KEY LAYOUT page in the arp menu system) will not play the preset on C01B, but will be directed to the BEATS system--and will toggle or activate Beats on the BtsCh.� Any midi notes not assigned as beats triggers will be passed through to the preset on the trigger channel (01B in my test setup), not the beats channel (16B in my test setup).

Here's where the midi loopback technique can be used with arps to trigger beats parts (or groups and functions, I suppose).

Current settings include:
arp preset on trigger channel (01B)
transmit arps to midi is on and midi-ox is sending the arp notes back in [looping back]
sustain CC is on for trigger channel (01B)--basically
(1) to latch the arp pattern and
(2) to prevent the looped back note from turning the arp off.
[my test arp [S01] currently starts at Key = +0; it doesn't need to be]

The result:
Once the arp has been started the lopped back notes toggle beats parts.

For example, if I start beats with the triggers/parts on as follows:
T1, T3, T5, T7 on; T2, T4, T6, T8 off

I can have the arp so that with each step of the sequencer [both bts and arps are 1:1 as far as tempo) the triggers toggle. T1 goes off, then T2 goes on, then T3 goes off, then T4 goes on, etc.

The way I have my test setup, the triggers are chromatic C1, C# 1,� D1, etc. 
IMPORTANT: If I press C1 on the midi keyboard to try to start the arp, the arp never starts!!!!!!! This is because C1 is being intercepted by the Beats system [BEATS KEY LAYOUT settings] and is used to toggle or activate my Part 1 trigger [T1]. Midi note C1 toggles T1 (because I have it latched), the arp (on C01B) is not started, and no arps are therefore transmitted out and looped back in.

HOWEVER (also important) if I start the arp by playing B0 [one note below] the arps starts, steps 2, 3, 4, etc. play on C01B, are transmitted out, are looped back in, and continue because I have the arp effectively latched on by the CC sustain.

I can watch the trigger leds go on and off to verify the arp is indeed toggling the beats parts. For my test, I have the arp preset playing notes 9i.e., making sounds) but that doesn't seem to be necessary.

Bonus: If I have the display set to C16B, I can play the quick edit busy beats and vari beats CCs while the beats sequencer and the arp loopback toggles also do their thing. Or, I suppose I can map those CCs to two of my keyboards sliders.

Now, I assume if I can do this with external midi, maybe it can be done with midi notes as triggers on a dedicated drummer track in a pattern.� I think I'll save that experiment for another day; but if it can be done, I can envision setting up a pattern template + multisetup for my own E-Mu based self-contained "addictive drums" with programmed variety. �


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