The MIDI
mixer window
Mixer window
Any changes in the mixer are routed to the MIDI output device.
So the mixer represents the current states in your MIDI output
device and not the content of your loaded MIDI file.
It will of course show the controller adjustments made by a playing
sequence but this is only a result of updating the mixer to the
current content of your MIDI output device.
All 3*16 knobs have user selected types, each knob shows a controller
value of a controller which was selected by YOU (if you didn't
activate an automatic explained later).
After a fresh MIDI Locator installation these types are
set to Panorama for all first knobs, Expression
for all second knobs and Modulation for all third knobs.
You can choose a knob's type by pressing the button below the
knob. Your complete set of last selected controllers is always
shown again, any time you open the mixer window new. This is application
running time encroaching (saved to registry).
If you open a new MIDI file it would be usefull if MIDI Locator
could look into it, and "count" which controller types
appear the most. That are those controllers where really data
flows, and which are worth watching on the mixer. So you can activate
an automatic inside MIDI Locator which exactly does this.
Therefore switch MIDI Locator's parameter Set knob's
controller types when loading MIDI file automatically to "ON"
in Settings / mixer. Its result
will destroy your manual controller type selections, so we decided
to make this feature selectable by the user with a parameter.
If you want to see the same controller-types forever, and don't
need no automatic, set the parameter to "OFF".
If you start playing a MIDI file and MIDI Locator sends
a Control Change event of your sequence to your MIDI output device,
MIDI Locator looks if you selected this controller for
one of the three knobs (at the MIDI channel of that controller
event). If it was selected the knob will be animated - you can
see knobs turning left/right, faders moving or switches turning
on or off. This is because your MIDI output device got this new
values, so the mixer windows has to update its view.
The mixer is also updated if it is not visible (window closed).
If you later open it, you can see that the knob and fader positions
are updated by events which came meanwhile.
Please note that the knobs and switch buttons can change its type
by your choice, but the fader represents always the MIDI controller
"Main Volume".
Turn a knob to the left by clicking on it and moving the mouse
downward. Turn it to the right by moving it upward. Don't try
to move in circles.
Choose a new instrument
in mixer's instrument displays
The instruments you could choose
here in each of 16 MIDI channels are sent to your MIDI output
device if the MIDI channel is not routed to sampler output. If
the MIDI output device receives such a program change event, it
will choose that instrument for future Note On events.
Open Instrument
selection dialog
An instrument selection is done in 3 steps :
Mode depending instrument
names
The mixer always represents the MIDI output device's states.
Therefore the output device's current MIDI mode influences the
instrument names in these combo boxes. GM, GS and XG mode offer
different instrument names. Don't be confused by the instrument
names in the MIDI editor's combo boxes which mirror the names
of the MIDI file's MIDI mode.
If you want to create a GS file and are going to test different
instrument sounds but don't see the Variation text behind
each bank number it is simply because you didn't turn your MIDI
device to GS mode ! And as long as you don't send a GS mode reset
to it the bank text will be probably of another MIDI mode. In
GM mode are no bank selections possible, even if they do nothing.
So they have no names and so the Variation text could be
missing here. Then send a GS mode reset in the MIDI mode reset
dialog which appears if you click on the Your device window
MIDI mode reset dialog
How
to insert a selected instrument at the mixer in the sequence ?
If you select an instrument at the mixer you have to see this
temporarily. MIDI Locator in fact sends your selected instrument
to your MIDI device, but in conflict to MIDI Locator's
controller adjustment at your sequence start point (determine and send) it looks
for the actual active instrument in your sequence if you
press play. And if you are going to create a new song it is always
Piano1, so your selection is destroyed in the moment where you
press play - MIDI Locator sends a Piano1 selection to your
device.
So how to put an instrument selection in your sequence ?
You need three MIDI events at
the beginning of your sequence for each of the 16 MIDI channels
:
MIDI editor showing the
three MIDI events needed for a program selection
If you are too lazy to insert these events in MIDI Locator's MIDI editor for each channel, you can open the mixer, press record and then select the instruments at the mixer, alternatively. Then stop recording. Choose select all and the move function. Type in a value of -9999 ticks, so that all events recorded are moved to the left edge.