[LAU] Usage of undefinded MIDI mesages

[Folderol]

On Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:22:53 +0200
Crypto <crypto at online.de> wrote:

> Nick,
> 
> it is a Dr. Boehm CnT/L. These organs were sold as a kit until about 1982. 
> This one was made in 1978.
> 
> I have stripped out all of the old analogue circuitry while keeping the 
> drawbars, push buttons and turning knobs, and using the circuit boards of a 
> MIDIbox64 project I built my own MIDI controller.
> 
> The two manuals and pedal were already converted to digital via a genuine 
> Boehm MIDI controller, but the drawbars, pushbuttons etc. were not.
> 
> I have finished the hardware part of the controller, now I am busy getting the 
> programming to work.
> 
> There are several things that make the whole business rather complicated:
> 
> I am planning to mimic the behaviour of the old single finger chord drum 
> accompaniment and recreate the rhythm section. And I want to switch between 
> GM compatible SF2 sounds and B4II organ. All of these have their own features 
> that have to be made to work with the drawbars and switches. And there is an 
> LED panel as well, that should display the function of the buttons and 
> drawbars when operated or give other useful hints.
> 
> I have finished programming the MIDI box64 controller part although at the 
> moment it does not much apart from sending a SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE message when 
> pulling drawbars / pressing switches, and I want to use keykit for tracking 
> these messages and converting them into MIDI messages for the applications 
> that I use. I think that using an external "host" application for preparing 
> all of the MIDI stuff is easier to use because it offers more memory and is 
> quicker to program. There is more to come as soon as I have things working 
> together as expected (more "convenience functions").
> 
> I have used the SYS EX command now with an "arbitrary" ID that I hope no other 
> component (hardware, software) is recognizing apart from keykit - but only 
> because I will tell keykit to recognize it...
> 
> It seems to me that NRP controller will produce too much overhead for simply 
> switching a sound on and off. I know that normally a PRESET CHANGE would do 
> that, but such a command cannot toggle sounds, like stops of a church organ, 
> but only switch between them. 
> 
> Regards,
> Crypto.

That's quite a challenge you've set yourself :o

Please keep us informed on how you get on.

-- 
Will J Godfrey
http://www.musically.me.uk