Triggering Live butons with Beat

live control with midi devices

Triggering Live butons with Beat

Postby zorpiedoman » 18 April 2020, 22:01

So I am sending midi data to ShowXpress to have a very pricise light show track exactly to the music.

When I monitor the data, it is coming in exactly as expected and on time. I'm watching the Midi logger window. So it is getting the MIDI data perfectly.

BUT, the buttons and the 3d rendering often miss triggers. It is most apparant for one song where there is lightening. The lights are set to blue and on queue with the sound FX the MIDI calls for a quick switch to bright white and back again. It does this three times in a row. Sometimes it flashes once; sometimes it flashes twice; often it messes them all and doesn't flash at all; and rarely does it 'catch' all three messages and flash three times.

It is not limited to these fast switches either. Sometimes it misses a note-on message for a simple color change. I can also see that it is a split second off the beat sometimes too.

I obvioulsy need this to work reliably.

I know the file is perfect because if I use my old system (a C-2 footswitch) the lilghting is dead-on perfect.

So all of this makes me think there is something weird about the midi clock in the background. If so, why can't it just be passive when it listens and react to the MIDI data as it comes in? The Midi logger is certainley exact...

This is a game stopper if this can't be reliable and accurate. :( :( :( :(

The only thing I haven't tested yet is using actual lights. I'm waiting for my XPress calble to arrive next week. Hopefully the delay is ONLY in the rendering of the 3D and the rendering of the buttons on the screen but the USB/DMX is on time? I kind of doubt it, but I have my finders crossed.

Here is a video of my screen: https://youtu.be/fG2iJ92IMAc

When you watch keep one eye on the Midi Logger, and with your other eye watch both the buttons and the 3D rendering.

The lighting happens about 10 seconds into the video. Note that the first 'strike' makes the buttons flicker, but not the 3D render. The second flash, nothing happens, and the third one the 3D render flashes but not the buttons.

Then at about 20 seconds in the light switch to the Red/Blue mix. Her you can easily spot the split seond delat from the midi message in the logger screen and the button/3D change.
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby support » 20 April 2020, 10:53

The Live screen speed refresh is slower than data speed, and depending of its settings, 3DView may be also slower.
Please double-check with the dmx outputs ; their speed refresh is faster.

We just added this post regarding the midi messages to switch off a button in Live: https://thelightingcontroller.com/viewt ... =76&t=6695
Please watch it.
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby zorpiedoman » 28 April 2020, 01:04

Hi,

I read your post about MIDI off. It looks like the correct midi messages are getting sent. (See attached log)

I now have my actual lights hooked up with a Xpress 100 cable (I only have two light fixtures, T3's) and the performance is much better, but still not perfect.

The good news is that all the simple, infrequent midi messages are on the money... in other words, the lighting changes in exactly on the beat as expected.

The lightening flashes work about half the time. Here is some data about that:

The song has a 112 BPM tempo. The Note On for the white flash is note 23. The note length is a 1/128th note so there is a NoteON(23) Data2=100 followed by a NoteOn(23), Data2=0 0.0042 seconds later.

Perhaps the glitch is because of the NoteOn() Data2=0 happening each time? Is there a setting to ignore the Note Off messages?

In the mean time I'll see if my DAW can make a midi file without any note off messages... I kind of doubt it, but we'll see.

-John
Attachments
Annotation 2020-04-27 205019.png
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby zorpiedoman » 28 April 2020, 01:06

... I have an idea. I'm going to try and send program change messages instead of note messasges....
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby zorpiedoman » 28 April 2020, 02:05

NOPE. Using program change messges is even worse. Now it is often missing the very first message leaving my stage in the dark. :(

I'm attaching my .mid file for you to experiment with. Program 0 = Blackout, Program 8 = Blue, Program 20 = White

See if you can get this to work somehow, please.
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby zorpiedoman » 28 April 2020, 02:05

attaching the file again...
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby zorpiedoman » 28 April 2020, 02:21

Its so weird... It seems to work correctly every other time I play the midi file...
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby zorpiedoman » 28 April 2020, 02:23

Here's the MIDI log now using program change messages...
Attachments
Annotation 2020-04-27 222301.png
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby Luc Henrion » 28 April 2020, 07:27

Where are the MIDI data coming from ?
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Re: MIDI clock issue???

Postby zorpiedoman » 28 April 2020, 18:26

I'm playing a midi file from another device. Specifically I use a program called BandHelper. It plays backing tracks, shows lyrics, and controls all my effects and now my lights.
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