'Direct PC recall' (feature request?)

Morningstar Gear MC3/6/8 MIDI Controllers
1

Hi all

New forum member, recently got an MC6 mkII.

Newbie regarding the terms and functionality in this controller, so beer with me (see what I did there… cheers! :beers:). I do have quite some experience in MIDI in general.

An regular midi controller does utilize numbers (0-9) and bank up + bank down (bank select). Obviously that requires 12 buttons (which MC6 nor MC8 doesn’t have) and often makes it too big in size.

Some, but certainly not all, of these midi controllers does also have a mode often called ‘Direct PC recall’. You simply ‘dial in’ the PC number directly. So if you i e want PC#127, you press 1>2>7 and then hit another button (i e bank up or down) to transmit that PC. This still requires the number buttons which of course still makes the pedal big in size. This had me thinking of how something similar would be possible to implement in a pedal like MC6 or MC8.

One button would be activate ‘Direct PC’ mode. Other buttons would be the digit counters. Where you press each button to increase its digit. In above scenario regarding PC#127, one button counts the 100’s, the 1xx (one press), second button counts the 10’s, x2x (press twice). And the third button counts the 1’s, xx7 (press seven times). When done with the digits, press the activate button to transmit the PC#127.

Since different receiving units may have different capacity in memory slots (thus which range of PC# that is valid). This idea opens up to set min - max limits on the buttons that act as the digit counters including a round robin feature.

Take for example an pedal with 32 memory slots. One button is the 10’s with max limit set to 3, second button is the 1’s with full range and round robin (0-9). However, there could be a potential problem when you are at the 3x (in the 10’s), and basically only have up to 2 of the last memory slots of 32 to recall (whereas the 1’s button min - max limit is set to full range 0-9 and round robin). Well there is an solution to that as well. Define the ‘combined’ range in a global setting. That overrides each of the digit counters min - max limit range depending what the other digits are set to at the moment.

In this case the ‘combined’ range of all the digit counters is 32. So the 1’s are full range 0-9 only as long as the 10’s is NOT at 3x. If the 10’s is at 3x then the 1’s min - max limit is temporarily set to 0-2. So what would happen if you first enter 27 (twice on 10’s and seven on 1’s) even though you haven’t activated/transmitted that PC# yet. And then press once again on the 10’s button thus increasing it counter to 3 which logically would lead to 3(7). Well since the combined max range is set to 32, the 1’s digit (7) changes to nearest max number in the range that is temporarily available, that is: 2.
So if there are min - max limits and round robin feature for the digits what happens if you press the 10’s again. 32 goes to (0)2, press 10’s again = 12. Press again = 22. And so on.

Same applies if the receiving unit have hundreds of memory slots. It’s very common with 127 memory slots. But there are units with 384 memory slots (i e Fractal Audio AxeFx II).

What is interesting here is that if you skip any of the digits it automatic means that it is an 0 in that digit. Take the example of 127 again.

Press 100’s (1)
Press 1’s (7)
Activate = PC#107

Press 100’s (1)
Press 10’s (2)
Activate = PC#120

Press 10’s (2)
Press 1’s (7)
Activate = PC#27

So depending on how many memory slots one might want to have within reach with transmitting PC#. One choose the appropiate number of buttons for that kind of setup. With four buttons there would poentially be up to PC#999 that one could transmit if needed if one have that kind of memory capacity in something.

‘Activate’
100’s
10’s
1’s

And basically the same method could also be used with CC as well. Where the digit number buttons could be either used for the CC id (data value 0) or the CC range value (data value 1). It is quite common that unit might utilize the CC range value of a given CC id to load a ‘state’ within a preset (i e Axe Fx II).

I don’t know if this is possible to implement in i e MC6 mkII but it would make it more potent than one might think first…

2

In principle you could achieve something like this with the pc number scroll feature. For example:
I’ve set up the first 10 patches of my gt core for a wet dry wet scenario, the next 10 patches for stereo and another 10 patches to be used with an active amp sim. I programmed 3 dedicated buttons on my mc to scroll through the patches within the given range of each scenario. So rather than having to tap in a number on 3 to 4 buttons I can just tap in the patch I want to activate on just one button.

3

Yeah thanks, I’ve figured out something similar. Tried to find a method that are using minimal amount of switches. If I recall correct:

D: Press & Hold (PC scroll upwards within the range I set)
D: Short Press (step 1 & then send PC)

A: Press & Hold (PC scroll downwards within the range)
A: Short Press (step 1 & then send PC)

Thus, I can scroll to any PC number that is just prior to the one that I actually want to activate. And to activate it (the next one) I press the same switch again with the Short Press. And if I am using the Short Press only, then each new number will be activated. So i e, if I scroll too far then I just use the other switch with a Short Press.

Pretty neat with two switches only.

4

I’ve found that a single up (or down) button is more than fine if the number of items you’re scrolling through is small. Takes about the same amount of effort to loop through the list than to choose an up or down button.