Mojo dual manual B3 clone + GSI burn -> recording midi

[Darryl Hebert]

When I'm recording B3 tracks in my own studio, I love to use my Mojo with my ventilator pedal. Sounds fantastic, I believe as good as my 1955 vintage B3 with 251 leslie. The downside is that I can't give the producer a midi track with the rotor on/off signals. Ventilator has no midi functions. They usually want midi.

 

So...I just ordered a GSI Burn which has midi. Due to backorder, it is not going to get to me until mid-December.

 

I just realized the GSI pedal has NO midi out (just in and thru). So when I step on the pedal to turn on the rotary effect, it doesn't generate and transmit midi, so I still won't have a midi track for the rotor. Doh!

 

I've been trying to find a midi foot switch that I will do the trick. Problem is that assigning one button to send out a CC#1 change (modulation) of either 0 (off, or slow rotor) or 127 (on, or fast rotor). I don't want to have to step on separate foot buttons for on and off.

 

Anyone have any ideas?

[mate stubb]

Just why does he need a midi track? So he can replace your wonderful sound with some crap vst?

[HammondDave]

Just why does he need a midi track? So he can replace your wonderful sound with some crap vst?

 

Exactly!

[ElmerJFudd]

Heh,

Thinking on this for a minute...

Most typical scenario is he's in the room/location and he's going direct - in which case you don't need MIDI anything - the live audio from the Mojo will go straight into the DAW (rotary effect included).

 

Second scenario, he's in the room with the producer but they aren't recording the output from the Mojo - in which case he is using the Mojo simply as a controller and triggering some VST/AU/AAX organ from the get-go on a MIDI/Instrument track - so he'd want to record the pedal on/offs to trigger the rotary effect. He'd also want his drawbars to trigger the VST's drawbars (does the Mojo send MIDI from the drawbars?). This would be silly, since the Mojo is going to sound as well as any VST the producer has, so just record direct.

 

Third scenario is the same as 2 except he's not in the room with the producer, so he's recording just MIDI at home while he monitors his Mojo and Vent live from his amplification. He doesn't have the same DAW and/or VST as the producer has so he plans to send the guy just the MIDI file of the performance which he would like to include the drawbar changes as well as the rotary triggers.

 

Since the Burn has no MIDI out it's not going to do the job you desire and you already have a Vent - I'd cancel that order right now. YMMV

 

I would suggest the producer sends you a quick bounce down of what he already has in this arrangement, especially the drums/percussion. Drop it into your DAW and drag it back to measure 1 beat 1. You can use it as your guide track to perform against. Record your Mojo's output straight into your audio interface - live performance including all your drawbar moves and rotary effect, the lot. Then send him just your track, or bounce down with the guide track muted and he can simply drop into his project. Done.

 

If you don't have a DAW - download something free like Audacity - it will do the job. Or if you haven't an audio interface, use something like a Zoom recorder to capture the live sound from your amplification. If you perform to his guide track, it will be in time. He can slide it left or right until he gets it where he needs it to be.

 

Alternatively, you record your MIDI performance into your DAW without the rotary on/off messages. Go back and use the mouse to draw them in. Send him the MIDI he is asking for.

 

I can't think of much in the way of VST that is going to sound any better than your Mojo + Vent. The only thing that comes to mind is the B5

https://www.acousticsamples.net/B5 which is $76 (30% off sale). A lot less than a GSI Burn. Get this instead and assign your Mojo drawbars to the B5's and use any momentary switch(es) for your rotary messages (also assignable). Then you can render/bounce the audio part for your producer if he doesn't have the B5. Or send him your MIDI performance and let him figure out how to assign what he needs.

[Darryl Hebert]

Thanks for the replies, I've found a midi stomp box that will do the trick from Disaster Area Designs. Here is their reply to my query:

 

Hi there! The DMC-4 Gen3 can definitely do this using its CC mode - just set up one button as CC1 / TOGG and it will send 0 and 127 on each alternate press of the button. It's a bit overkill for such a simple application but it would work. You could also change presets on the Burn by sending it program changes.

 

Thanks!

Drew Smith

Customer Support

 

 

To respond to some other response comments to my initial post:

Producers just like having a midi file in case they'd like to change something later. Leaving my personal studio (Sonar & Protools) to go to a session, I'll usually take my Nord 5d because it's so light. I've had sessions where I take a truck full of gear - Kronos, Nord 5D, RD800, Moog Voyager XL, Receptor Quattro rack (running Ivory II, Native Instruments, and classic synth modeling). I've got a new fibre optic Yamaha C6 grand in my studio, which I would take it to a session if I could (nothing like the real thing)! They like the great quality sounds, but just in case of future changes like rearranging song sections or shortening passages they record both audio and midi.

 

Thx for the ideas, I really appreciate it. This issue had me concerned, as I had already ordered the Burn pedal and missed the midi port type issue.

[John Tweed]

I see you've already come up with an acceptable solution. Here's mine - the GSI Rotary Interface, which I originally obtained to allow me to put the Mojo or SK1 through my Leslie, and an 11-pin to Vent cable which I got from Ashby solutions along with the Vent.

 

With the Mojo's sim off, and using the half-moon switch for speed changes, the signal path for recording is

Audio: Mojo --> Audio In (recording straight signal)

--> Vent (for monitoring)

Midi: Mojo --> Midi In (recording)

--> Rotary Interface --> Vent (speed control)

 

While recording I can monitor the Vent's sound in real time, plus capture all the Midi (notes and Leslie speed changes).

 

On playback, I can either

* filter out the Midi notes, and send the original audio from the track into the Leslie, controlling speed with the Midi signal sent to the Rotary Interface or

* replay the Midi recording, notes and speed changes, back into the Mojo and into the Leslie via the Rotary Interface.

 

[Darryl Hebert]

Wow! Super tech! thx