Layout button to trigger a MIDI preset (but not Layout MIDI)?

[Ahiru]

I'm already using 'Layout MIDI' to send MIDI msgs at Song Completion (reverb off in my case).

However, I'd also like to add a button to layouts to send another MIDI msg on demand (lights-up for between-song banter in this case).

Is there a way to do this? 

(I suspect since I want to keep Layout MIDI on Song Completion, there's not a way to also have a separate control for different layout-level MIDI, but thought I'd ask in case...)

[arlo]

Do you mean you want to have one set of layout-level presets that are sent on song completion, and a second set of layout-level presets that you can send manually? No, you'd have to attach those manual presets to all your songs to have access to them.

[Ahiru]

Understood, thanks.

[Ahiru]

[Refreshing this old topic, based on newer topic http://forum.arlomedia.com/index.php/topic,2138.0.html, which contemplates a new capability to add a layout button assignable to some specific event.]

To be more explicit about my interest in dedicated buttons:
* I already have a number of MIDI presets associated with each song (gtr fx, reverb, etc.), that are in automation and I do not need or want to see as separate buttons or in a list.
* I also already have a MIDI preset at the layout level that gets sent at every song end.
* I'd like to add dedicated buttons to the layout (i.e., easily selectable from every song), for example:
1. One will send a MIDI Preset to put reverb in a neutral state.
2. One will send a specific MIDI note on / off event pair (triggers a specific lighting scene (for between songs).
3. One will send a MIDI Preset to trigger a neutral guitar fx patch.
In general I'll only select one or more of these buttons 'in emergency' (e.g., if aborting a song/automation or some other unusual situation).

Is this already possible to do, or will the potential new dedicated layout button feature be more what I have in mind?

Thanks!

[arlo]

You could do this using layout MIDI presets and the Multiple MIDI Buttons item if you aren't sending the layout MIDI on song completion using the Send Layout MIDI action -- if your automation tracks are triggering that specific layout preset directly -- and if you didn't mind seeing all the song-level presets in the button list.

Then the generic button mapped to a remote control action would allow you to show buttons for the layout MIDI presets without having to see the buttons for the song-level presets.

But if you'd only be calling these additional presets in unusual situations, it's probably not a big deal to scroll down in the Multiple MIDI Buttons item when you need them.

[Ahiru]

if you aren't sending the layout MIDI on song completion using the Send Layout MIDI action

But I am doing this...

if you didn't mind seeing all the song-level presets in the button list.

But I do mind seeing this (can be a fairly long list for some songs).

it's probably not a big deal to scroll down in the Multiple MIDI Buttons item when you need them

But that's what I was hoping to avoid with use of dedicated buttons.

So I will hold on for the possibility of dedicated buttons.
But more seriously, I'll look into shifting the MIDI on song completion events directly into each song's automation, so I could instead use the layout MIDI for these 'emergency' buttons...

[Ahiru]

Hi Arlo...  I've now gone through all songs and added what used to be my Layout MIDI / Send On Completion to each song's Automation, so I now re-purposed Layout MIDI for universal actions for any song.

It does work very nicely for this purpose, using the Multiple MIDI button on my performance layout.

A request: As it stands, the Song MIDI Presets are always listed before the Layout MIDI Presets in the Multiple MIDI button, so the list can get long.  Could you please consider a future option for this button to display only Song MIDI Presets, only Layout MIDI Presets, or both?  I think this would help in using this button for 'global controls' without requiring as much real estate and/or extra scrolling steps for fast access.

(In other non-performance layouts I also use the Multiple MIDI button for automation programming, where I do need the Song Presets listed in this case (and don't care about Layout presets)... thus an option to choose which presets to list would be best on a per-layout basis, not global for the entire account.)

Thanks!

[arlo]

I'll put that on my wish list. A similar option would be to show the layout presets first in the list.

[arlo]

Yesterday's release adds a Content option to the Multiple MIDI Presets layout item (accessed by editing your layout, selecting the multiple MIDI presets and clicking its options button) that you can set to Song, Layout or All. If you leave it set to All, you will now see a divider line between the song and the layout presets.

All yesterday's changes are listed here:

http://www.bandhelper.com/support/release_notes.html

[Ahiru]

Thanks Arlo!

[Ahiru]

Request for an enhancement of this enhancement: Allow an ordering option that can cause the Layout presets to be listed before the Song presets (when show All is selected), since the Song preset list tends to be longer and variable in length, whereas the Layout preset list is (for me) short and fixed.

And just to double-check... correct that using a Layout preset in this fashion is still the best way in BandHelper to expose a button to send an arbitrary MIDI sequence on all layout screens?  (Adding a new piece of equipment that needs a couple of action buttons, so verifying the current best practice...)

Thanks

[arlo]

Allow an ordering option that can cause the Layout presets to be listed before the Song presets (when show All is selected)

Do you need to see the song presets in the Multiple MIDI Buttons, or can you just show the layout presets there? The song presets still function the same way (accessible from layout actions, remote control actions and automation tracks) even if they're hidden from this button. You could also show both the Multiple MIDI Buttons to access one set of presets and and single MIDI Button to access all of them with a long press.

Correct that using a Layout preset in this fashion is still the best way in BandHelper to expose a button to send an arbitrary MIDI sequence on all layout screens?

Yes.

[Ahiru]

Do you need to see the song presets in the Multiple MIDI Buttons, or can you just show the layout presets there? The song presets still function the same way (accessible from layout actions, remote control actions and automation tracks) even if they're hidden from this button. You could also show both the Multiple MIDI Buttons to access one set of presets and and single MIDI Button to access all of them with a long press.

I rarely need to see the song presets (in a gig situation), whereas the layout presets are more critical for fast access.  So your advice is good: I've changed the layout for Multiple MIDI Buttons to show only Layout presets, and added the big MIDI button to press/hold in the rare occasions I need to get to the song prests.

Thanks!

(No need for that enhancement enhancement ;-)

[arlo]

Excellent.