Sustain Pedal Issues

Question

Level 1

8 points

Sustain Pedal Issues

Hi all,

I have two midi keyboards plugged into Mainstage 3.4.2. and I cannot seem to separate the sustain, pitch bend or mod wheel of the keyboards.

In Layout mode, each of these controls work individually from each other; if I have displays setup for each of them, they light up correctly and individually. But as soon as I go to Edit or Perform mode, the sustain of one keyboard will effect the Channel Strip assigned to the other keyboard. The same is true for the Pitch Bend and the Mod wheel.

I have found other threads of people having similar problems, but have not yet been able to find a solution. This thread from a few years ago seemed to be heading in the right direction but never quite got there: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5760724

I wonder if anyone out there is still having this problem or better yet, had this problem and found a solution?

Thanks,

Kevin

Posted on Apr 26, 2019 11:32 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

kevonkeys Author

Level 1

8 points

May 2, 2019 12:00 PM in response to lifenoise

Belated response and solution(!) for future reference:

I set my two midi controller to different midi input channels (the Impulse on Channel 1 and the SV1 on Channel 2) and in Layout mode, set the midi thru for each sustain pedal to the keyboard it is attached to.

Success! I'm not totally sure why this works but both pedals are working independently and are only effecting the channel strips mapped to the relevant midi controller. Big relief.

Thanks for your help! Hopefully this will work for anyone in the future who has this problem. One final note; make sure which ever controller you assign to Channel 2 is set to transmit midi on Channel 2. The frustrating thing about the SV1 is it seems to reset to Channel 1 every time it is turned off so I have to remember to change that each time it is powered on.

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Answer 2

lifenoise

Level 4

1,019 points

Apr 27, 2019 5:15 AM in response to kevonkeys

How are the keyboards connected to the Mac? Are they individually connected via USB or MIDI to USB? If that is the case, I would guess that the MIDI port assignment in layout mode is set to all. Select the controller(sustain, etc.) in the layout window and click on the MIDI port box and select the proper keyboard/USB device.

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Answer 3

kevonkeys Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 27, 2019 5:59 AM in response to lifenoise

Thanks for your response. Both keyboards are connected via USB and the correct MIDI port is selected:

Both seem to be receiving signal independently in Layout mode but this does not translate into Edit or Perform mode. Very frustrating as I'm having to unplug the midi cable from one of the keyboards for patches that I do not want the sustain pedal effect the other keyboard.

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Answer 4

lifenoise

Level 4

1,019 points

Apr 27, 2019 6:26 AM in response to kevonkeys

In edit mode, select the channel strip you want to assign. In the channel strip inspector, select MIDI input>keyboard. Find your instrument in the menu. If it doesn't show here, go back to layout. Select the keyboard, sustain, etc. and select assign in the screen control inspector>hardware input. Assign button will turn red. Press the sustain pedal. Idid the same with the keyboard, etc. Try the MIDI input again in edit mode. The keyboard should show up now.

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Answer 5

kevonkeys Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 27, 2019 6:36 AM in response to lifenoise

Sorry I don't think I explained this part fully, my keyboards are assigning correctly to the channel strips I want them to; so the note data from each one is going to the right place in edit and perform mode, but the sustain pedal from each keyboard is effecting all channel strips in the patch, not just the ones assigned to that keyboard. The same is true for the pitch bend and modulation wheel.

In the screenshot below, you can see that I have the selected channel strip assigned to my Noavation Impulse and am playing a chord on the Impulse which is coming through correctly. But I am pressing down the sustain pedal which is going into my bottom keyboard (Korg SV1) and as you can see, it is registering for the Impulse.

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Answer 6

lifenoise

Level 4

1,019 points

Apr 27, 2019 8:44 AM in response to kevonkeys

Check the sustain pedal assignment in edit mode at the concert level( the folder icon at the top the patch list). Select a sustain pedal in the workspace. It works if the the pedal is unmapped and set to same as input.

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Answer 7

kevonkeys Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 27, 2019 5:38 PM in response to lifenoise

Hmmm no joy I'm afraid. Both pedals are still sustaining all channel strips in the selected patch. There is a slight difference now with your recommended setting in that the pedal icon for the Impulse (top keyboard) now lights up independently when I press that pedal and both light up when I press the pedal for the SV1 (bottom keyboard). But nothing has changed in the actual effect the pedals have on the channel strips.

This first image is when I have the Impulse sustain pressed, the second is with the SV1 sustain pressed. But as I said, both are still effecting all channel strips.

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Answer 8

lifenoise

Level 4

1,019 points

Apr 28, 2019 8:23 AM in response to kevonkeys

In layout, delete both sustain pedals and start over. Drag new sustain pedals to the workspace area from the screen control palette. Make the desired assignments. Hopefully, this will resolve it. I must admit I've never had this exact problem in the nine years I have used this app, but occasionally, starting over with a controller seems to work.

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