MIDI notes...

Hey Guys,
I've been programming on your boards / software for the better part of 3 years and love SOOOOOO much about how the wholehog systems go about things. Thanks for that!

Now is when I switch modes though, and ask why in the world there is not a midi-note control for WH3??? This was in 2, but somehow, after many many strings of questions in these forums, it is still ignored as a feature request.

If I sound pissed/impatient/disappointed, it's only because the neglect of this feature has cause immense headaches for me and at least 2 of my colleagues at other organizations and companies. On top of that, one of my clients wants to use a solution where midi notes could be used, but because they are not in the current wholehog feature set, I am forced to look elsewhere.

PLEASE take another look at this and consider the many ways this could help bands, houses of worship, and production companies use your otherwise awesome product in new and creative ways (ableton, etc...)

Thanks so much,
Jeff Johnson
  • Jeff,

    As a community member, thanks for a constructively written request. If anything that follows seems obvious, please disregard. I just want to make sure we're on the same page. (i.e. - no slights are intended)

    While the MIDI note functionality does not exist in the same manner as seen on the Whole Hog II, there is in fact a pretty robust MIDI implementation that makes use of bi-directional MIDI Show Control (MSC) and uni-directional MIDI Notes output. (In fact, I was using the MIDI Notes functionality just last week in coordination with Q-Lab.)

    [MIDI Notes]

    In Section 29.1 (Page 331 of the current manual) you can find the documentation for the Comment Macro which allows for the output of any MIDI string at the moment of a specific cue. (This could of course be built into an empty cue, and even a page change quite easily.)

    [MIDI Show Control]

    In Section 28.2.3 (Page 320 of the current manual) you can find the documentation for the implementation of MIDI Show Control (MSC). MSC can be used as both an input to and an output from the console. Most of today's MIDI-enabled software supports MSC, which is significantly easier to deal with, as it 'thinks' a little more like we do (i.e. not in hex values).

    This is also the current method of slaving/tracking consoles to each other.

    It's worth pointing out that MSC can be enabled/disabled on any cue list.

    I hope that answered part of your question. That being said, what important functionality do you still feel is missing from this implementation. I know that Barco/HES/FPS is always looking for input on future functionality.

    Cheers,

    Phil
  • Hey Phil,
    Thanks for your response. Let's see if I can touch on a few things.

    Let me first say that I am by no means a MIDI master. I'm still learning much of the different protocols within midi. That said, here's some thoughts.

    I agree and realize that the Wholehog system has a wide variety of MIDI options to accommodate a wide variety of users. I appreciate that you point out the MIDI notes output capability of the console software/consoles, and that IS helpful for a wide variety of uses. I'm looking for MIDI notes INPUT more than anything.

    The fundamental difference here I guess is that most of the protocols supported are top down in nature. What I mean to say, is that there seems to be a robust bunch of MIDI solutions for situations where MSC/MIDI notes, etc can be generated from a production area or an engineer, and little to no support where MIDI is generated from a creative source (musicians mainly). SO, for instances where I would like the first cue of the lighting sequence to be triggered by a sequencing platform (the sequencer of choice for clients in both areas of houses of worship and club/theater level bands seems to be Ableton Live) there seems to be no good solution. Also, I wish there was a good Wholehog solution for being able to trigger all lighting from a MIDI sequencer so that I could conceivably pre-program much of the tour and send it out as a package.

    Finally, the ability to have MIDI notes input would allow for a variety of midi controllers to conceivably cue the console. Think of all the midi triggers out there from keyboards, to drums to guitar pedals that speak this format. As a lighting engineer I could allow control of certain parameters within my programming to be cued by these and could pull off some pretty sweet stuff.

    I recognize that MSC is a much more robust solution for this type of ask, but I don't know of many software sequencing programs that generate it. (I would love to know if other folks know which programs DO generate MSC).

    I hope this helps, and am grateful for anything that I could learn here to accomplish this set of tasks in a way that would be more accessible for a wider set of consumers of the Whole Hog productions.

    Thanks Phil and others,
    Jeff
  • Try using something like this to convert MIDI Notes to MSC.

    www.midisolutions.com/prodepp.htm

    Hope this helps. :)
  • Midi note input would be EXTREMELY useful. A lot of the gameshows I work use midi note triggers for the gameplay. H3 isn't even considered for those gigs. I know you can convert to MSC, but that's just another piece of gear and another point of failure.
  • Hi Stephen,

    We understand the request and may have something in the near future...
  • Hello Everyone!

    I set on the basis of the supplied images HOG3Pc the driver to be controlled by a Korg NanaKonrtol2 MIDI controller, but for some reason can not control.
    My question: What could be the problem.
    Each would be asked to help because it would be very important.
    Thanks in advance.

    drive.google.com/file/d/0B1gqaqXxXyMlNGZEd2JaTWduUnc/view?usp=sharing
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