DRAWBAR HARDWARE MODULE FOR B-3X

[rogs]

6 hours ago, stoken6 said:

 

Simply because PCs have multiple USB ports, all powered, which makes connecting multiple devices (a MIDI interface and a fader box) easy. Ipad would require (maybe) a lightning/USB adapter, and a USB hub, and a PSU for the hub, etc. All the stuff we went through in the other thread.

 

But you can confirm that B3X on iPad can accept note input from a controller and simultaneously drawbar input from a separate device? If so, that's good news.

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

As Baldwin Funster has already replied, it should all be possible......   

It is essential to program this type of controller with the correct information of course.

 

The HC2 has fixed MIDI output channels for the Note codes... channel 1 for upper, channel 2 for lower, and channel 3 for pedal.

So the B3X software needs to copy that  by setting to correct channel numbers from the MIDI page on the B3X display. 

The 'Program change' channel I've chosen to use is MIDI channel 16....... So that is the primary channel selected for most codes transmitted by the controller.

 

There are exceptions which need to be considered....

I've chosen to assign the 8  buttons beneath the faders to select the first 4 'reverse color' preset keys on each manual.

Those are 'note codes', not 'control codes', so they need to be assigned to the appropriate keyboard channel (MIDI channel 1 or 2)

 

The attached photo is a screen grab of 3 pages the controller editor software.

The 1st image shows the 'Scene 1 Common' selected for allocations to channel 16.

The 2nd image shows the 'Group Common 1' selected for 'Note C1' on MIDI channel 1. Group Commons 2,3 and 4 are set the same - for Notes C#, D and D#) (All upper manual controls )

The 3rd image shows the 'Group Common 5' selected for 'Note C1' in MIDI channel 2. Group Commons 6,7 and 8 are set the same - for Notes C#, D and D# (all lower manual controls)

So the controller puts out 'Note' data and 'CC' data on the MIDI channel it's programmed to transmit on.

 

The drawbar data is programmed to be transmitted from Scenes 2 and 3  ( not shown in these photos)  with codes chosen to match the ones in the B3X list (and inverted to get the drawbar faders to work the right way round !).  Those are all allocated to channel 16 as well..

 

The keyboard note data is of course derived for the HC2 MIDI data out on channels 1,2 and 3.

 

All working from 2 separate USB connections....

 

A bit fiddly to set up, but quite powerful once it's done!

 

 

[Barry Seelen]

I own a Hammond xm1. It would be awesome to use the drawbar set to control b3x for iPad. Anyone know if that’s  a possibility?

[Baldwin Funster]

7 minutes ago, Barry Seelen said:

I own a Hammond xm1. It would be awesome to use the drawbar set to control b3x for iPad. Anyone know if that’s  a possibility?

I'm pretty sure it's not possible. The xm1 doesn't send midi CC like a normal controller. 

[stoken6]

2 hours ago, Barry Seelen said:

I own a Hammond xm1. It would be awesome to use the drawbar set to control b3x for iPad. Anyone know if that’s  a possibility?

 

2 hours ago, Baldwin Funster said:

I'm pretty sure it's not possible. The xm1 doesn't send midi CC like a normal controller. 

Presumably some kind of software re-mapper in between could fix that? 

 

Regards, Mike.

[Baldwin Funster]

First thing is the drawbar module doesn't even have a standard midi connector. It uses some proprietary mini din thing with I don't know how many pins. I think by the time you got done figuring out the hex assignments and remapped stuff, if even possible you could have gotten a D9u from GMI Labs and be done.

[J.F.N.]

On 9/26/2023 at 3:49 AM, D. Gauss said:

rare as hen's teeth, but if you look long and hard enough, you'll find one...

 

I have one of these, for my HX3, total coincidence, bought it back in the days for the B4 plugin at a fire sale on a local music store, rarely used it, but when I found out about the HX3 and that it even has a preset for this it was just too good to be true!

 

Downside with it is that it's a bit clumsy and there's no way to reprogram it (afaik).