ChromaTalk Archives: March 2020
- EEPROM for keyboard scanner
- Microtuning MTS Issue (6 messages)
EEPROM for keyboard scanner
ulfur hansson · Tue Mar 3 22:49:57 EST 2020
Hello list!
Is there anyone in the US that could help me out and burn an EEPROM for me with the latest keyscan OS?
i'd highly appreciate it and also willing to pay for your trouble... all the best to you all!!
sincerely,
-úlfur
Microtuning MTS Issue
Esar Tehrani · Sat Mar 28 17:58:01 EDT 2020
Hi all! I seem to be having a new issue with my Chroma and was hoping someone could chime in. Up until now I’ve successfully been able to send the Chroma microtonal tunings from my Korg Monologue via MTS dump. I already have a custom tuning currently loaded in the Chroma and I am trying to replace it with a new tuning. So far I am sure I am doing everything correctly, midi out from Monologue to midi in of Chroma. Both are on same midi channel. Activate split 36 , 31 set to ON . I’m of course up to date with the latest firmware. Is there something I am missing here? It has been a few months so maybe I forgot a step, or maybe there is a hidden setting within the Chroma I need to adjust?
David Clarke [21030085++] · Sat Mar 28 19:24:28 EDT 2020
Off-the-cuff it doesn't look like you're missing anything.
As long as [Set Split 36][P31] is 'on', then the Chroma should actively be using whatever it has for the 'current' microtonal tuning map.
The tunings are 'live', meaning that as soon as a new tuning is successfully received, it should take precedence over the older tuning.
A few notes/comments:
- You'll generally only want to be in Configuration Mode (e.g., [Set Split 36]) while you're changing settings. You normally want to be back in normal operation mode if you're looking to play or otherwise receive a new MTS dump.
- The MTS dump needs to be recognized by the Chroma. If it is recognized, then you should see a flash of the Green LED on the CC+ cable (if one of the 'factory' cables is being used) and a flash of the 1st decimal point in the "Program Number" display on the Chroma (both/either of these locations indicate 'successfully received MIDI data.')
If you see the activity light show up when the MTS dump is performed - then the dump should be in the Chroma and should be active. If the LED is seen but the new mapping doesn't seem active, then a double check could be done to ensure that the mapping being sent is what is expected.
If you don't see the activity light on the Chroma show up when the MTS dump is performed by the external device, then that'll be the area of focus (e.g., is the other device actually sending, did a cable come loose,
Esar Tehrani · Sun Mar 29 00:40:58 EDT 2020
David,
Thank you for the info, I didn’t know to look for the visual indicators and that’s very helpful. I’m gonna give it another go here in the next few and I’ll post a status update. I think the majority of my attempts of re tuning were made while I was in the settings menu. This time I’ll try it during normal operation and see where it gets me.
Thanks,
Esar
David Clarke [21030085++] · Sun Mar 29 08:06:43 EDT 2020
… I’m gonna give it another go … and I’ll post a status update...
Yes, please let us know how you make out.
Another debug step to consider, if needed. Two test scalings have been placed here:
http://web.ncf.ca/ac151/music/
t_scale1.mid and t_scale2.mid are MIDI tuning standard dumps, saved as MIDI files.
If you 'play' these to a Chroma over MIDI, then that should place the new tuning from the file into the Chroma.
The two different files are provided so you can hear it easily when the tuning changes from one to the other.
If sending these to the Chroma works OK, then that says everything on the Chroma side is OK.
Note - these will replace whatever custom microtonal tuning is already in the Chroma - and so you'd only want to use these if you can otherwise get back to where you can send your desired tuning to the unit.
Esar Tehrani · Sun Mar 29 18:30:41 EDT 2020
Success!! Here’s the trick, at least when using either the Korg Minilogue or Monologue to transmit MTS dumps; it will ONLY transmit User Scale 1 that is saved within the instrument.
You see the Korgs allow you to save up to 6 user scales and 6 user octaves. I was of course trying to send it one of the few that I had made that was not present in slot 1. I used the visual indicators on the Chroma and was able to recognize that only when I sent User Scale 1 would the Chroma midi cable light blink green, as well as dot flashing next to patch number.
Problem solved! However I seem to be having another separate issue. I’m having trouble saving new patches into memory. For instance last night after creating a new patch to go along with my new tuning, I tried to save the new patch in preset 40. I then switched to another preset and came back to find that my patch did not save. What could be the cause of this?
Thanks again for your help,
Esar
David Clarke [21030085++] · Mon Mar 30 07:33:19 EDT 2020
… Success!! Here’s the trick, at least when using either the Korg Minilogue or Monologue to transmit MTS dumps; it will ONLY transmit User Scale 1 that is saved within the instrument...
Thank you for the follow-up. Glad to hear that are things are now uderstood/working.
It would be good/interesting to use a MIDI monitor to see what is different on the actual MIDI wire for the working and non-working cases, as that would definitively let us know 'why' we see the behaviour we do.
That said - as noted in the Chroma CC+ 'user manual' section for Microtonal Tuning we have "...the Chroma is set up to accept any Device ID, Preset 0..."
Part of the MIDI Tuning Standard bulk tuning dump data is a "tuning program number". By default the CC+ is only set up to recognize a dump with a tuning program number of '0'.
So - if the 'slot' or 'scale number' in the Korg is used to set a tuning program number in the MTS dump, then this is a likely reason why only the lowest storage location would be detected by the CC+ (as the higher slots may be sent out with some other preset number in the dump - which will be ignored by the CC+).
… I’m having trouble saving new patches into memory. For instance last night after creating a new patch to go along with my new tuning, I tried to save the new patch in preset 40. I then switched to another preset and came back to find that my patch did not save. What could be the cause of this?
A key here will be 'how' you attempted to create the new patch. If you did it locally on the Chroma itself - then as long as the 'store' LED actually did work (e.g., memory wasn't write protected), you should have been OK.
That said - if you created the new patch 'remotely' (e.g., from an external device/editor/knob box), then it will be important to check which Continuous Controller mode the CC+ was set to (e.g., [Set Split 36][P24]).
Here is the manual excerpt:
If "Inst" is selected, the Continuous Controller data will only affect the 'instrument', and not affect the program. (i.e., the changes are gone when the program is reselected, the Chroma is turned off, etc.) If "Prog" is selected, then any Continuous Controller data will change the values for Program 0.
If you wish to have remote patch edits able to be 'saved', then you'd nominally want to be sending those to the Chroma on the MIDI base channel _and_ to have [Set Split 36][P24] = Prog.