GrandMA2 on PC and MIDI control

[thematthewman]

Hello,

I am currently working as a lighting designer at a couple night clubs. We are in the process of updating our lighting control. I design on the GrandMA2 on PC and send DMX out through a node. I have recorded different types of lighting effects to the Executors (Shown Below).


Now, with this being for a night club there is a DJ that is doing his thing on two Pioneer CDJ-900's and a DJM-800 which sends out MIDI. I would like to be able to "patch" a MIDI message to a button/fader in my executor page. For example; there is a BPM tap button on the DJM-800, I would want that to control the learn button on my executor (second executor). I think this is possible to do because of all the MIDI Show Control and MIDI Remote settings, but I have been unable to get them to work. If you know of a way to do this I would really appreciate it if you could show me how.


Software/Hardware:

GrandMA2 on PC
Pioneer CDJ-900
Pioneer DJM-800
M-Audio UNO



​

Thanks for the Help

 

[gcpsoundlight]

Hi There.

As far as I am aware, MA2 doesn't respond to midi notes, rather midi show control (MSC) or midi timecode (MTC) Although I am happy to be corrected. For your application you would probably have to run a computer inline as a converter. I know the LD for Linkin Park a few years ago did something similar - check out this link for more info on that one. http://youtu.be/kaJqaSR9LNM
Even though he is running Martin, the principles are the same.

Hope that is of some help!

Gerard.

 

[thematthewman]

Hi There.

As far as I am aware, MA2 doesn't respond to midi notes, rather midi show control (MSC) or midi timecode (MTC) Although I am happy to be corrected. For your application you would probably have to run a computer inline as a converter. I know the LD for Linkin Park a few years ago did something similar - check out this link for more info on that one. ENTECH INTECH - Extended Linkin Park Interview with AJ Pen - YouTube
Even though he is running Martin, the principles are the same.

Hope that is of some help!

Gerard.

Could you explain more on how to use MSC? I have herd of it I just haven found any good tutorials on it.

Thanks for your help

 

[josh88]

There's not a ton of information there but just click the term and get the wiki link for it, found here
MSC

 

[thematthewman]

Thanks. It seems to me that there really is no way to trigger specific buttons on the GrandMA on PC with midi. Is there something like the extension wing by GrandMA that I could use? Our budget isn't the largest so we are unable to buy the actual GrandMA fader wing, but we still need some sort of device to trigger effects on executors a bit more easily than a mouse.

 

[gcpsoundlight]

You can use the DMX in feature to trigger cue stacks and other elements. You can use any DMX console for this.

 

[qr123de]

Here is a video which explains how to setup the midi/gma in a easy way:

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there are also other solutions. normally using a tool to translate cc's to note and a tool which allows local midi-ports which connect the translation software to the lighting software.
Good search words are bome, midiox and loopbe.

 

[Helldunkel]

of course you can map midi notes to buttons!!! setup/show/remote inputs setup/midiremotes ...
you can even specify which exec button / macro / hardkey!!! / midichannel / midinote ...
to control faders you have to use something like BOME miditranslator to convert a midi cc message in a note on message ( the controlller value converts into the note on velocity and determins the fader position )

 

[spwla]

After much trial and error and reading countless misguiding posts and blog entries here is what I have found AND TESTED to be true and working on GrandMA2 on PC:

GrandMA2 on PC doesn't care whether the Midi message is a Note, Control Change (CC), or Program Change (PC) as it treats them all as one in the same (ie. Note D-1 = CC 2 = Note "2" in GrandMA2 on PC, Note C = CC 12 = Note "12" in GrandMA2 on PC, etc.)