Axiom 25 percussion pads -- MIDI routing to different channel strips?

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Axiom 25 percussion pads -- MIDI routing to different channel strips?

Hi all, and sorry for the noobie question! This is a very helpful forum.

I found a thread back in November that asked a similar question, but the thread is archived and I couldn't reply.

I've got an Axiom 25 MIDI controller going into Mainstage 2 via USB. This keyboard has eight percussion pads. I've got those pads transmitting on MIDI channel 10, and the keyboard transmitting on channel 1 (verified by the midi monitor at the top of the Mainstage edit screen).

I would like to get percussion sounds from the pads and keyboard sounds from the keys. I've set things up in Layout so that there are separate keyboard and percussion pads, and I've gone through the "learn" process and specified channel 10 for the percussion pads, etc. None of this seems to matter as far as what sound is produced, at least not yet.

The question I have is whether using my single MIDI controller, I am limited to using one playback instrument at a time and using multitimbral input to it, or if there is an easy way to "route" to multiple channel strips containing distinct instruments based on the midi transmission channel from the Axiom (i.e. channel 10 for the percussion pads, 1 for the keys).

I did RTFM without luck. I hope I've expressed the question using clear & proper terms -- I'm new to this so please be patient with me, and thanks in advance for your reply.

-Rob

MacBook Pro 2.66 GHz, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Mar 8, 2010 7:50 AM

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Answer 1

rdellapi

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Mar 8, 2010 10:12 AM in response to rjglagga

It seems to me like this should be easily accomplished. My suggestion is to use the MIDI Activity Indicator (looks like a little round light), since you're on MS2. Here are the steps that I'd follow, although I don't have my rig in front of me so it's all by memory:

- In Layout mode, create two MIDI Activity Indicators: one that is assigned to Channel 1, and one that is assigned to Channel 10. I would name them "Channel 1" and "Channel 10" so that they're easily identifiable in Edit mode.

- In Edit mode, create a patch with two channel strips: one for your drum sounds and one for your keyboard sound.

- Assign the Channel 1 indicator to your keyboard sound channel strip, and assign the Channel 10 indicator to your drum sound channel strip.

Give that a try!

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Answer 2

rjglagga Author

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Mar 8, 2010 1:26 PM in response to rdellapi

rdellapi wrote:>
- Assign the Channel 1 indicator to your keyboard sound channel strip, and assign the Channel 10 indicator to your drum sound channel strip.

Give that a try!

Thanks for this reply! I can do all that you say, except: assignment of the channel indicators to the individual channel strips is the part I don't know how to do.

Told you I was a noobie! If you (or someone else, too!) could walk me through that step I'd greatly appreciate it.

-Rob

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Answer 3

rdellapi

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Mar 8, 2010 1:36 PM in response to rjglagga

Select the channel strip, and at the bottom of the screen the inspector section will show you all the details for that strip. Select the tab called MIDI Input. There is a dropdown called Keyboard, which really means the device from your layout that will send its signal to the strip. That's where you'll pick the MIDI Activity Indicator that you created on your layout.

Check out page 55 of the MS2 User Manual for a further description of what I'm talking about.

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Answer 4

rjglagga Author

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Mar 8, 2010 2:46 PM in response to rdellapi

Outstanding advice! Thanks so much, it's working now. I'm not sure why the individual channels weren't showing up in the Keyboard dropdown before, but they are doing so now that I've followed your instructions start-to-finish.

Thanks so much --
Rob

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