Using some switches for non-preset selection functions

MIDI Control Strymon
1

Greetings,

I just purchased an MC8 to control my Strymon Timeline. It’s replacing a Disaster Area controller that worked well enough but I was drawn to how much easier it is to program the MC8 and the more information-rich display.

I’m not a complete MIDiot, but I’m close :slightly_smiling_face: The editor software is a godsend. It makes programming so much easier than with my previous controller.

I’d like to use the MC8 in a fashion similar to the previous controller, which means that I will have 9 banks. In any bank:
Footswitch A = Tap Tempo
Footswitch B = Timeline Preset On/Off (Toggle)
Footswitch C = Timeline Preset On/Off (Toggle)
Footswitch D = Bank Down
Footswitch E = Tap Tempo Divisions
Footswitch F = Timeline Preset On/Off (Toggle)
Footswitch G = Timeline Preset On/Off (Toggle)
Footswitch H = Bank Up

I’ve set the MC8 so that it will only show me 9 banks. I’ve almost got Bank 1 fully programmed and when it’s all correct I’ll copy and paste it into subsequent banks and change the preset numbers accordingly. So far I’ve got the 8 buttons programmed to do what I want in Bank 1.

I’ve got it set so that any of the four presets can be toggled on or off with a single footswitch. In addition, if a preset is on, I want engaging any other preset to disengage the currently active one even if the “new” preset is in a different bank. To accomplish that last bit, I’m using the “Clear Preset Toggles On” function in Bank Settings. (Which I’m guessing may not work when I switch to another bank?)

I have the four preset Footswitches set so that the name label will show Upper Case/flashing when on and lower case/solid when off.

But I have hit a couple of snags.

When a preset is engaged (Display Name is uppercase and flashing) and I then use the Tap Tempo or Division footswitch, the display name changes to lower case and solid. Pressing the non-preset (tap tempo or division) button again toggles the label back to its other state. Interestingly, it doesn’t turn the preset on or off. It just changes the state of the label.

I haven’t tested whether the Bank Up and Bank Down switches cause the same behavior because I don’t have other banks to switch to yet, but I’m assuming I’ll have the same issue there.

I’m guessing this has something to do with my use of the “Clear Preset Toggles On” function. Is there a different way to accomplish what I’m trying to do that will not affect the label state of the Preset footswitches?

I apologize for the lack of screenshots but I’m not sure how to capture them from the editor’s screen. Hopefully the solution is so simple that someone will be able to help me without them.

Thanks,

moondog

2

Are your tap tempo and divisions presets set to toggle? Honestly, it’s going to be hard to help if we can’t see your settings. Go ahead, take the 2 seconds and google how to capture a screenshot on whatever device you’re using. Trust me, it will be worth it.

1 Like
3

Hi. Turn clear Preset Toggles off. Then in b, c, f and g add a set toggle msg as first msg, set to disengage “the other presets”. So b would disengage c f and g.

1 Like
4

Thank you for responding.

I’m not presently using a toggle function on the tempo and division presets.

I know it’s not really helpful to ask for help on a complicated issue and not provide screenshots but I was pretty fried when I posted last night and anyway this morning discovered that as a new member, I can only include one screenshot in a post. This morning I learned how do to screen captures and will give that a shot if I can’t solve the problem with @moley6knipe’s suggestion and help from a friend I’ll be seeing today. He is quite Morningstar/Strymon conversant so I have high hopes. If that fails I’ll be back with screenshots.

Thanks again for your help.

1 Like
5

Thanks for your response.

I tried using the disengage toggle msg rather than “Clear Preset Toggles” but I wasn’t getting the behaviors I wanted. This may have been due to other settings that were incorrect and which have since been straightened out, so I can give that another try. But my main question is whether that will work across banks.

In other words, if I have engaged preset A in Bank 1 and I then switch to Bank 2 and engage preset B, will that disengage preset A in Bank 1?

I’m going to be seeing a friend later today who is conversant in Morningstar+Strymon usage, so hopefully he will help me get up and running. I will be sure to relay your suggestion and let you know how it goes.

Thanks again for your help.

6

Okay, so I spent some time with my MIDI tutor and I think we have gotten pretty much where I want to be. I took @moley6knipe’s suggestion and removed the “Clear Preset Toggles” setting from the bank. We then added the Disengage toggle message to each of the four presets in the bank, setting the other three presets to be disengaged when engaging the selected preset. As an example, here’s what that looks like for preset B:

Screenshot (5)
Screenshot (5)1920×1080 176 KB

Since I’m a new member, I am only allowed to post one screenshot, so I can’t show you what the setup looks like for a non-preset switch or how the Banks are set up.

The tap tempo and tap division buttons are working as they should and no longer interfering with the on/off states of the other presets. I am getting some artifacts in the repeats of an active preset when I change the tempo, but I can’t say with certainty what’s happening and it doesn’t always seem to be an issue, so I’ll work with that a while and come back if it turns out to be problematic.

Changing banks seems to work well. If I activate a preset in Bank 1, switch to Bank 2, and then activate a preset in Bank 2, the new preset turns on as it should and the previous one turns off. So it seems as if those Disengage Toggle messages work across banks, but more rigorous testing is required.

There is one remaining glitch, albeit a minor one: If I activate a preset in Bank 1, switch to Bank 2, but then switch back to Bank 1 (let’s say I changed my mind and wanted to stay with the original preset rather than activate something new), the Short Name for the activated preset in Bank 1 is now reading as if it’s inactive even though the preset is actually still engaged. If I then want to turn off that preset so that no delay is active, I have to press the switch twice. Once to return the preset’s Short Name display state to the “ON” condition, and then again to disengage the preset.

It seems like this would be a rarely encountered scenario, but if anyone can point out some other message I should be adding or something else I can do to avoid that glitch, I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

7

That’s “remember toggle states” in General Config: https://morningstarengineering.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MMS/pages/931299334/Editor+v1.2.4+Manual#General-Configuration

1 Like
8

And that was exactly what I was looking for!

Thank you so much for your help.