ML10X Presets not responding to switches on MC8 Pro

Morningstar Gear MC3/6/8 MIDI Controllers
1

Hi,

I have 10 mono, non-MIDI guitar pedals that I’ve used to make 30 presets that will work with my ML10X. The presets all work and I can change them using the switches on my ML10X.

I bought a MC8 Pro (I have no Midi experience) and have tried to get the MC8 Pro connected with the ML10X so that I can used the MC8’s footswitches to switch the preset loops on the ML10X.

The MC8 Pro can see the pedal list in my ML10X.

image
image2746×408 25.7 KB

I have told my ML10X to ignore MIDI.

I have read the manuals for both the MC8 Pro and ML10X and have consulted them repeatedly. I have also watched what I think are the pertinent videos from your YouTube channel.

I would appreciate your help in getting my ML10X and MC8 Pro communicating.

I want the MC8 Pro to be able to switch among the advanced presets that I have put into my ML10X.

Thanks for your time and help.

Heath

2

Be sure to check that the ML10X is powered with 9v (not just USB) if you want to control it with MIDI.

Just to troubleshoot, have you tried using regular Program Change messages to check that you can control it successfully with MIDI?

If that works and only the ML10X message type does not work, check if you have the MC8 PRO connected directly to the ML10X. If there are other MIDI devices inbetween the MC8 PRO and ML10X, do note that some devices like the HX Stomp and Microcosm do not pass SysEx messages through (which is that the ML10X message type is sending), so the ML10X will not receive these messages if these non-SysEx compatible devices are inbetween.

3

Hi James,

Thanks for replying.

I have tried to use Advanced presets and Simple presets on my ML10X. I will discuss the Simple preset results below.

When I have the devices connected to my MacBook, the MC8 Pro connects from the “Device” USB port to my laptop.
The “Host” USB port from the MC8 Pro is connected to the USB port of the ML10X.

When trying to use them on my pedalboard, I am running a 5-pin MIDI cable from the “Out” of the MC8 Pro to the “In” of the ML10X.
Pressing a switch associated with a preset on the MC8 Pro has no effect on the ML10X.

I am using the ignore MIDI option on my ML10X but I have tried to set both devices to MIDI channel 1 but the problem persists.

I also tried to use the “Engage Selected Loops” option in the Type pulldown menu in addition to the “Set Loops” option and neither is having the desired effect when using the Morningstar Editor for my MC8 Pro.

I have nothing connected between the Morningstar devices. The ML10X only connects to my 10 non-MIDI guitar pedals and the MC8 Pro, and the MC8 Pro is only connected to the ML10X.

I am powering the MC8 Pro and ML10X with individual 9V (500 mA) connections to a Strymon Zuma when I am using them on my pedalboard.

If the devices are working properly, should I be able to press a programmed preset switch on the MC8 Pro while it is connected to my computer and the ML10X, and have the ML10X respond by switching to the appropriate bank and preset? It is not doing so. The same issue persists when I connect the ML10X and MC8 Pro to my pedalboard.

I deleted the Advanced presets from my ML10X and tried to use Simple presets instead.

The three pedals that I’m using for this experiment are the Origin Effects Halcyon Green (Gr), Blue (Bl), and Gold (Au). They are all mono, non-MIDI, overdrive pedals.

I made 8 presets in the ML10X for Bank 1 and Presets 0 through 7.

Here is the Green pedal in Bank 1 of Preset 0.

(Sorry that this photo is difficult to see, the screen says: I+ Gr O+.)

IMG_0779
IMG_07791920×1440 72.8 KB

Here is what my MC8 Pro looks like.

IMG_0778
IMG_07781920×1440 205 KB

I chose each MC8 Pro switch to correspond to a particular ML10X preset.

For example, Bank 1, Preset 3 engages the Green and Blue pedals in series in the ML10X preset; therefore, I set the preset in the MC8 Pro for that preset as shown in the next photo. This preset should be activated by switch D on the MC8 Pro (see previous photo).

image
image1876×690 146 KB

The good news is that if I press any button on the MC8 Pro other than the A button for the Green pedal, the Green pedal gets disabled.

That is, the MC8 Pro will engage the Green pedal when I press button A and will disengage the Green pedal if I press buttons B, C, D, E, F, G, or H on the MC8 Pro.

IMG_0781
IMG_07811920×1440 93 KB

This is minor progress because now I know that the MC8 Pro is sending signals to the ML10X; it’s just not sending the signal that I need.

The bad news is that the MC8 Pro still will not advance through the presets on my ML10X when I press buttons B, C, D, etc.

I still must use the buttons on the ML10X to change presets.

Similarly, the photo below shows the Gr Bl preset on the ML10X.

I had to manually scroll to that preset on the ML10X because the MC8 Pro will not go to any presets using button A through H. Button D on the MC8 Pro should call this preset but it does not.

IMG_0782
IMG_07821920×2560 162 KB

If I press button C (Gold) on the MC8 Pro, both the Green and Blue pedals are deactivated, but the MC8 Pro does not go to the Gold ML10X preset (Bank 1, Preset 2 on ML10X) when I press button C on the MC8 Pro. This is good because the MC8 Pro knows that the Gold pedal is not in preset 3 of bank 1 on my ML10X.

IMG_0783
IMG_07831920×2560 137 KB

If I press button E on the MC8 Pro (Green Gold), the Blue pedal is disabled and the Green pedal remains endabled, but the MC8 does not go to Bank 1, Preset 4, where the Green Gold combination is on the ML10X. Again the MC8 Pro knows the difference among the pedals, but it will not allow me to scroll to the proper preset on the ML10X when I press switches A through H on the MC8 Pro.

IMG_0784
IMG_07841920×2560 135 KB

If I use Advanced presets, the MC8 Pro has no effect on the presets in the ML10X. It can’t scroll to the preset associated with a switch on the MC8 Pro, and it will not disengage pedal like it will with simple presets.

I want the MC8 Pro to be able to switch to any preset on my ML10X, whether simple or advanced.

Thanks for your ongoing help.

4

One more thing in addition to the long message above, if I go back and add an Advanced preset to my ML10X, all of the switches on the MC8 Pro become non-responsive.
That Advanced preset works in my guitar rig when using the ML10X.
Even if I delete the Advanced preset from the ML10X using the editor, I lose all MC8 Pro control of the Simple presets that were sort of working, even thought I can’t scroll the ML10X presets using the MC8 Pro.

5

What do you mean by advance through presets or scroll to the preset? What is being sent on buttons B, C, D?

I’ve testing the SELECT PRESET and SET LOOP options, sending either or both together and it works.

I think I’ll need to see your bank backup file for the MC8 PRO to understand what you are sending to the ML10X.

The MC8 PRO is communicating with your ML10X properly since you can get some presets to work.
Do note that engaging or bypassing of loops in the ML10X in advanced mode is only available in the v1.2 beta firmware. If you are using the v1.1 firmware then it will not work. You can find the beta firmware here: Release Firmware v1.2.0 (BETA) · Morningstar-Engineering/ML10X · GitHub

6

Hi James,

Thank you for replying.

I have updated my ML10X firmware to this version:
2024-12-06_ML10X_REV_B_Firmware_v_1_2_0_BETA.hex

I have made a set of presets in my ML10X that I would like to use with my MC8 Pro.

When I use my ML10X with my pedals, guitar, and amp, the presets work correctly; however, to switch among the ML10X presets I must push the small arrow buttons on the ML10X to do so. I want to be able to use my MC8 Pro to switch among the presets.

The ML10X presets activate three of my non-MIDI, mono pedals from the Origin Effects Halcyon Series.

Long Names:
Green
Blue
Gold

Short Names:
Gr
Bl
Au

I made 9 Advanced presets in the Morningstar Editor for my ML10X to use, an put the pedals in various orders in Bank 1. All of these work with my pedals, amp, and guitar when using the ML10X alone.

I only used series connections between my pedals in this example, but I have made parallel connections that work for the ML10X but not with my MC8 Pro.

image
image1424×784 23.1 KB

I am attempting to associate the switches A-H on my MC8 Pro with those presets. For example, when I press button A on the MC8 Pro, I want Preset 0 (pedal Gr) on my ML10X to be activated. When I press switch D on my MC8 Pro, I want ML10X Preset 3 (pedals Gr Bl) to be activated.

image
image2128×796 31.8 KB

I want to be able to add additional presets on my ML10X for other pedals (up to 10 of them) and other pedal combinations and associated them with a banks and presets on my MC8 Pro.

I have attached my backup .json files for my MC8 Pro and ML10X.

controller_settings_all.json (20.0 KB)
Morningstar_ML10X_Backup_File_20250627_125608.json (157.0 KB)

Thank you for your continued help.

Best regards,
Heath