iRig Pads Sending Transport Messages To Beatmaker 2

Hi heartmood,

We need to find out what MIDI events the pads send and then we can translate those into the correct incantations for transport for BM2. This is something you will need to do for me since I don't have that device:

Download the free midiwrench app and run it up. Choose which pads you want to use for the transport controls (ie. start and stop) and tap those pads one at a time. The events should register in midiwrench. Post the event details here and I can create some rules for mapping.

Regards, Nic.

Hi heartmood,

Switching scenes via controller is not too hard. I verified that BM2 works with these rules. Note that the 'play' option will start play from the beginning of the track. If you want to just 'continue' then remove the rule that ends in F2 00 00.

These rules go into the Stream Byter on the iRig Pads on the left in MidiBridge. Here is what you do step by step:

1. Connect iRig Pads in (left) to MidiBridge out (right) in MidiBridge.

2. In Preferences>Options tab set Scene Change channel to 16

3. Touch beaker icon of iRig Pads, press (i) button on Stream Byter and press 'On'

4. Paste the following rules into the edit box:

# heartmood transport
# iRig Pads > BM2 start
BX 0B 7F = F2 00 00 +C
BX 0B 7F = FA +C
BX 0B 7F = CF 01 +C

5. Press Done and then Done again to return to Interfaces.

6. Touch 'Scenes to bring up scenes panel. Hold down Scene 000 until dialog appears, enter 'Start' and press Save.

7. Return to Stream Byter on iRig Pads, and paste the following rules in replacing the existing

# heartmood transport
# iRig Pads > BM2 stop
BX 0B 7F = FC +C
BX 0B 7F = CF 00 +C

8. Press Done and then Done again to return to Interfaces.

9. Hold down Scene 001 until dialog appears, enter 'Stop' and press Save.

Background MidiBridge and switch to BM2. Press the settings cog and select MIDI.

Under inputs make sure the only ON input is 'MidiBridge'. All others should be off.

That is all I had to do. I have assumed that when you press the footswitch that iRig sends value 127 for controller 11. Hopefully that is correct. Let us know how you get on.

Regards, Nic.

Hi heartmood,

Hmm, the plan was that the other iRig Pad messages would just be passed to BM2 via MidiBridge so you just needed BM2 to select MidiBridge as the only input to prevent double events. Those rules I gave you would leave all original messages alone (even controller 11). I'm reasonably certain that as long as you don't have other filtering going on in MidiBridge this is correct.

Or is it that just the lights on the iRig Pads are not coming on now? If that is the case, in MidiBridge add a route to connect iRig PADS in to iRig PADS out. I assume this works just like the novation launchpad in that it turns on the lights based on it's own MIDI messages.

Thus your final routes should be the iRig PADS in going to both iRig PADS out and MidiBridge.

Let me know how you get on.

Regards, Nic.

Hi heartmood,

Here are some resources:

  Stream Byter Guide

  Really Good MIDI guide

  Hex to Note table

To move to different parts of a song probably doesn't require scenes. You just need to issue the appropriate SPP (song position pointer) command. In that first set of rules, this rule:

BX 0B 7F = F2 00 00 +C

Forces the SPP to 0 when controller 11 is received. To start play at bar 5 in a 4/4 track the rule is something like (I think)

BX 0B 7F = F2 00 0F +C # start at beat 16

Regards, Nic.

Hi heartmood,

Ooops. URL works now. Sorry about that.

Regards, Nic.

Hi heartmood,

Yes, I think this can be done if I am right that the control of the lights is done via the note event. We should be able to reverse the events going to the pads as long as BeatMaker 2 isn't also sending them via MIDI thru which we will have to disable if it is doing so.

What we need to know is what the notes the pads you want to reverse send. Run up MidiWrench and tap those 16 pads; they are hopefully all within the one range. If you can post back the note numbers midiwrench reports, I can create a ruleset for you to try.

It might be the case that the pads lighting is purely internal in which case we probably can't do it.

Regards, Nic.

Reversing the MUTE command sounds like a plan, but how do I do that? At the moment he iRP pads are sending CC messages from cc21 to cc36 toggle mode, i.e. when I press the pad it sends for example cc21 at velocity 127 (mute on, light on) when I press a second time it sends cc21 at velocity 0 (mute off, light off).

BTW on Saturday I will play my first gig with the iRigPads and Beatmaker 2, feeling excited... here's a listening sample.