SSP - Electra ONE troubles

[giovannilami]

Hi there,
hope you all are having a great summer time.
I’ve a questions because I’m going crazy on the past few days trying to resolve it and I failed.
I’m sure Mark @thetechnobear maybe could help since it involves SSP and E1 controller.
The setup of E1 is:
midi1 out (ch.16) → Squarp RAMPLE (to modify some of its parameters via midi).
midi2 out (ch.16) → connected to SSP via a Roland UM-ONE midi din-usb adapter.
a usb keyboard e.g. → usb host → midi2 out → SSP (I’d like to send notes to instruments inside SSP).
my laptop → usb device (to send some note sequences to SSP or receive notes from the usb keyboard since on E1 usb device receive CC messages from other ports).
Inside SSP I’ve patched some E1 knobs to control some plugins parameters, like levels, aux and mutes of PMIX but I also like to control pitch/notes of some instruments inside and this is when troubles begins.

SSP recognizes E1 in two different ways:

1. if I plug the Roland usb after the opening of SSP project it is identified as “UM- ONE”
   

   

2. if I’ve already the usb plugged and I open the project later the connection is identified as “JUCE (1)”
   

   

In the 1. case I can use the external keyboard or a sequencer to control notes inside SSP but I’m not longer able to control all the parameters I mapped. In the 2. case I can control all the mapped parameters but not the pitch, it doesn’t arrive any input to the MIDI block of the SSP

I think it’s something inside SSP (maybe something I’ve to setup I don’t know) since in both cases the routing inside E1 works well, the ins/outs go as mapped on E1, the Roland blinks so it always receives a signal, and midi1 out goes to RAMPLE works fine all the time.

I don’t know, I really hope some of you can help me, it’s a simple routing and maybe it depends by this double identification of E1 (and Roland UM ONE), I really don’t know.

Thanks a lot as usual.
Hugs

[thetechnobear]

ok, so I think the ‘core’ of your problem is… the SSP factory MIDI module only supports one MIDI device.

as your screenshots show, when you plug in a second one it replaces the first.

Im pretty sure I cover this in the wiki…

UsingMidi

so there are two options…

a) use the E1 as a midi thru device.
basically merge the midi data from your keyboard into the E1… so the E1 is the only thing connected to the SSP.
given you can use different midi channels, I don’t see any issue with this.

as you want to connect to laptop and SSP (both midi hosts),
you can use the usb host of the SSP → e1 for one, and the UM-ONE for the other.

b) technobear module midi learn
unlike the MIDI module, my modules support per module midi device.
so you don’t need to use MIDI to control it via CV, you can use midi learn.

there is a small limitation here, that the midi learn is (currently) full range on the parameter.
thats where ATTN/VOST can come in useful…
you can midi lean there parameters which are full range, but then scale there cv outputs as you wish.
e.g. ATTN (midi learn) → HARM

which would I do personally?

probably a bit of both

I like to use the E1 as a kind of ‘midi hub’ anyway ( * ), its kind of designed to be used like this.
but I also prefer to use the midi learn on my modules than faffing with MIDI → module, its just quicker and more direct… and sticking in a ATTN/VOST actually opens up a lot of creative possibilities !

( * ) in practice, I often use my mioXM to do this merging… just as it at the heart of my setup, but the E1 can perform a similar role (albeit it has more limited options on routing)

without going into details…
basically ATTN givens you 16 vcas…so whilst its fun/useful for static control control like this from a controller, it also gives a means to allow the controller to control ‘depth’ of modulation (e.g. from OMOD)
VOST, on the other hand can kind of work more like ‘scenes’ making things a bit more ‘dynamic’

[giovannilami]

Hi Mark, first of all thanks a lot for the quick answer.
Using E1 as a midi hub is exactly what I want to do.
Its only connection to SSP is E1 midi out 2 via Roland UM ONE adapter and I mapped all the parameters on your modules I need to work on via midi learn.
I don’t know at all what that “JUCE 1” means, since it should be read it as UM ONE or ELECTRA ONE.
And the parameters I mapped work only if it says “JUCE 1”.
I made 3 videos to explain it better.

• in the first one you can see the PMIX volumes mapped to the knobs work perfectly, but also if there’s a signal coming from the small keyboard going to midi out 2, the MIDI box inside SSP doesn’t work.
  iCloud
• in the second one you can see me sending notes from the keyboard to E1, they’re going to midi out 2 and usb device out (computer), but in this case all the parameters I mapped on E1 pots are not working.
  iCloud
• in the third you can see that notes are going also to tracks in Ableton via E1 so E1 works as a hub for Ableton but not for SSP. In this case I can move the pots that are mapped of course, but instruments inside SSP are not working.
  iCloud

Thanks a lot.
If you need more pictures or video or info please tell me, I’m really going crazy about this issue

[thetechnobear]

sorry, I don’t know off hand…

I guess what your alluding to is that MIDI does not work if you use midi learn (on PMIX), correct?

i.e. if you just use MIDI then notes work, if you just use PMIX then it works - correct?

Im pretty sure I tested this in the past… and it was working ok, but Id have to test it again to make sure.

(I know it works with multiple of my modules as this is something I use more)

so honestly, Id have to sit down and set it up and see if I can get it working ok.

I will say this is not how I having things usually set up.
what I usually do is have multiple (usb) midi devices connected to the SSP, thats why device selection was so important to me. (as I said, option b in my first post)

(generally, Ive got midi coming in from my mioXM which forwards a variety of midi controllers into the SSP, then I have the E1 connected directly to the SSP)

again, thats not to say, it doesn’t work with one device… Im pretty sure I did test this, but it’s the only thing I can think of at the moment, until I sit down and try it.

p.s. the JUCE message is kind of a red herring, its basically to do with alsa midi and how the juce framework work… its not an indication that anything is ‘wrong’ as such.

[thetechnobear]

ok, so I tried a similar setup to yours, and it works fine for me…
(similar, as I used what I had laying around )

here’s what I did

midi keyboard → e1 midi din 1
e1 usb device → SSP usb host.

e1 running a preset that sends out CC.

simple SSP patch…

MIDI → PLTS → CLDS → OUT
MIDI connects to PLTS voct / trig
CLDS/PLTS- midi learn E1 controls , midi in set to electra one 0

so I can play notes on keyboard , notes into E1, then to SSP (MIDI->PLTS)
then on the E1 I can control CLDS/PLTS parameters via the E1

so all as expected…

my midi learn works on multiple of my modules , and also with MIDI.
I tested reloading patch, and also power cycling - all ok.

---

there is one small gotcha…

if you already have created a patch, when you load it you must already have the midi controller (e1) already plugged in…otherwise you will have to set the Midi IN on my modules again.

basically, when the patch loads, it tries to connect to the midi device thats saved for the module.
(since you may be using multiple midi devices!)
if it fails, I do not try to reconnect when you attach a new device.

I hadn’t notice this before, since the way I work is… I create my setup for the thing im working on, and then leave it setup till Im kind of done.

---

as for the differences with your setup…
I cannot really see any different on the SSP side that would change between your setup and mine.
as far as the SSP is concerned, its using one usb midi device.

perhaps try to setup as I have, and see if you can get that to work.

[giovannilami]

Hi Mark,
thanks a lot. Sorry for the late reply I was out from home in the past days or I didn’t have enough time to check everything on SSP. Yesterday I had time to learn a few things and tried your suggestions. Everything work, using midi learn and ATTN in your modules + MIDI to catch the v/oct pitch.
Thanks again, ciao!