egw

My setup is complex, so it may not be a good illustration, but I'll try to explain. Midi sources include keyboard controllers: px-5s, nord modular g2x (two), alesis andromeda; step sequencers: emu xl-7, nord modular g2x, laptop running plogue bidule; fader boxes: peavey pc1600x (two); ribbon controller: kurzweil expressionmate; drum pad: roland handsonic; pedals: roland pk-5. Some of them run through midi arpeggiators: oberheim cyclone, kurzweil expressionmate. All of the sources are merged together (midi solutions 8x1 and 4x1 mergers) then through a midi switch (sycologic m16) out to all of the destinations. Destinations are anything that can make sound: px-5s, nord modulars, andromeda, emu xl-7, proteus 2000, waldorf microwave xt, yamaha dx-200, laptop running soft synths; or the DAW for recording (pc running windows xp with reaper); or devices that can be edited via midi; also effects processors that can be controlled via midi (various). The advantage of a network like this is that any of the sources can control any of the destinations without the need for reconfiguration, or a single source can control multiple destinations for a layered sound, also everything can be recorded at the same time on a single midi interface to the DAW. Here's a diagram: http://gregwaltzer.com/egw/equipment/files/midi.gif Hope this helps! Thanks for taking the time to consider my situation.

I use the usb port for the editor only. Midi over usb would only work for connection to the DAW, all other gear in the studio uses midi cables.

Of course it's a flaw. Pretty much every midi device I've encountered can be configured for which midi channels they will receive. The px-5s has this, but it isn't saved when turned off. That must be an oversight since it renders the feature useless. The channel enable function cannot be sent via midi from a DAW or any other midi source, it must be configured locally. The midi protocol is designed with channels so that multiple devices can listen to the same midi stream and respond to different channels. Even if the DAW sends program change, volume, etc. all devices listening to that channel will respond. In my studio I have many synthesizers but they all receive the same midi stream. Not just from the DAW but from keyboard controllers, step sequencers, arpeggiators, fader boxes etc. Since the px-5s responds on every channel I have to remove it from the midi stream. I thought about populating channels 5-16 with a "dummy" tone, e.g. a drum sound with no instruments assigned. But this doesn't work because the px-5s does not save the assignment of tones to channels 5-16 and would require a DAW to send program change on setup to load these tones. That is not practical because all the other instruments would also receive program change messages on those channels. I could try to filter program change to everything else but that gets complicated. Furthermore I don't always use the DAW when I play and it's not reasonable to have to turn it on just to configure the sounds on the px-5s. I hope this clarifies things. It really should be fixed in a firmware update. The channel enable and mixer part assignments should be saved with either the system settings or stage setup.

This is a pretty serious flaw. You can't properly integrate the px-5s into a studio with other midi devices. Also, what is the point of having the sound engine respond to channels 5-16, when you can't save the assignment of sounds to those channels? The only solution I can think of is to turn off midi input into the px-5s. That precludes using it with external sequencers or other midi controllers, or using any sounds other than on channels 1-4. I hope that this can eventually be fixed.

It seems that the assignment of tones to the mixer parts (5-16) is not saved with the system settings or stage setup. Also the part enable/disable is not saved. Am I missing something? To use in the studio, I need the px-5s to not respond on all midi channels (I have other instruments on those channels). It's not practical to go in and edit the system settings every time I turn it on. To effectively use parts 5-16 of the mixer there must be a way to save the assignments. Any suggestions?

Excellent! Generator off seems to work just like Local off, except that it is saved with the setup (as it should be). As far as I can tell, all of the parameters (even non-midi) can still be controlled with the sliders and knobs. Thanks!

It seems that the local on/off setting is not saved when power is off. So I have to reset it every time I turn on the PX-5S (I need to use local =off in my studio). The other midi system settings are saved. Am I missing something, or is this intentional? Or maybe it is a bug that can be fixed?

With the midi setting Local Control set to "off", the manual says this disables the sound engine. Will the PX-5S respond to external midi received when in this state? (this is how most synthesizers work and is the best way to use with an external sequencer.) I don't have my PX-5S yet to test.