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Virtual Midi Interface?

Connecting Hauptwerk to MIDI organs, sequencers, ...
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ludu

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Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon Mar 28, 2016 11:23 am

Hello All,

On my new console, I wish to have 7 pistons (5 thumb & 2 toe) for the "Stepper +" and 7 for the "Stepper -" but HW does not allow it. Therefore I will use Bome's Midi Translator (https://www.bome.com/products/miditranslator/overview/classic) for the conversion of all the Midi signals "+" and "-" to only one signal "+" and one "-". Since HW cannot share a Midi interface with an other program, is it necessary to buy an additional Midi interface specifically for the Midi Translator or is it possible to use a Virtual Midi Interface? In this case, which one should be the best for Windows 7?

Thanks in advance.
Luc
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Andrew Grahame

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon Mar 28, 2016 11:42 am

There is another solution. On my console I have 9 pistons for "+" - 8 thumb and 1 toe. The toe piston is independent, but the 8 thumb pistons are wired in parallel so they only require one MIDI input.

Andrew
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ludu

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon Mar 28, 2016 11:50 am

Andrew Grahame wrote:There is another solution. On my console I have 9 pistons for "+" - 8 thumb and 1 toe. The toe piston is independent, but the 8 thumb pistons are wired in parallel so they only require one MIDI input.

Thanks Andrew for your post. My console is not DIY and I have imperatively a different Midi signal for each piston. If I change something inside, my guarantee will be cancelled. But over more, I wish to keep the possibility to change the position of my "+" and "-" pistons easily in the future; they are not engraved.
Luc
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johnh

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon Mar 28, 2016 12:32 pm

I've used MidiYoke, LoopBe, and VirtualMIDI to do things like this... MidiYoke is an old 32 bit program and may not work successfully on the latest Windows OS.

---john.
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ludu

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon Mar 28, 2016 4:19 pm

Hello John,
Thank you for your message. Indeed MidiYoke is too old. I have tried LoopBe1 but I am not sure it does what I described. It seems made for a connection between two programs but HW and Midi Translator cannot be connected simultaneously to LoopBe1 and there is no settings window, no way to dispatch the Midi In & Out events. Very strange...
Luc
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johnh

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon Mar 28, 2016 4:51 pm

Based on what you described, the MIDI translator would read events from the console, persumably via the physical MIDI interface. The MIDI translator would output to LoopBe. HW would be configured to read from LoopBe. I've never used Bome's MIDI translator (I'm a MidiOX fan) so don't have experience with it.
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ludu

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostTue Mar 29, 2016 1:50 am

Indeed, in my case, it does not work. A long time ago, when I used Windows XP, I remember having had a virtual Midi driver (I do not remember the name) giving many ports available in each Midi program. I am wondering if this kind of driver should not the right way to resolve my problem. If not, I always may buy an additional Midi interface but I am trying to avoid too many external devices and cables.
Luc
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mdyde

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostTue Mar 29, 2016 3:21 am

Hello Luc,

LoopMidi ( http://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/loopmidi.html ) is the only 64-bit virtual MIDI cable software that I've found to work reliably on current versions of Windows with all types of MIDI messages (including sys-ex).

To use MIDI translation software (e.g. Bome's MIDI Translator) you wouldn't need more than one physical MIDI interface:

- In your MIDI translator software, enable *only* the physical MIDI IN port for input, and *only* the virtual MIDI cable MIDI OUT port (e.g. loopMIDI) for output.

- In Hauptwerk, enable *only* the virtual MIDI cable MIDI IN port (e.g. loopMIDI) for input, and *only* the physical MIDI OUT port for output.

No MIDI port will then be open in both programs simultaneously, and there will be no MIDI feedback loop, so there won't then be a problem.

ludu wrote:On my new console, I wish to have 7 pistons (5 thumb & 2 toe) for the "Stepper +" and 7 for the "Stepper -" but HW does not allow it.

Andrew Grahame wrote:On my console I have 9 pistons for "+" - 8 thumb and 1 toe.


I'll log as an enhancement request that some people would find it useful for Hauptwerk to have even more than existing four MIDI possible inputs for the stepper + and - pistons.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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ludu

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostTue Mar 29, 2016 4:15 am

Hello Martin,

Thanks for your message. I have downloaded LoopMidi and installed it.
In Midi Translator I have: IN "my console" & OUT "loopMIDI"
In HW I have: IN "loopMidi" & nothing OUT

But HW doesn't receive any Midi signal any more. I suppose I have missed something. Do you have an idea?
Luc
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mdyde

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostTue Mar 29, 2016 4:23 am

Presumably you need to configure Bome's MIDI Translator to forward all MIDI messages it receives (from your console) to its output port (=loopMidi) by default. (However, I've never used that software, so I can't advise on how you configure it to do that, I'm afraid.)
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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ludu

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostTue Mar 29, 2016 4:38 am

Yes Martin, you are right, I just forget to activate the "Midi Thru". Now all is OK.
Many thanks again for your excellent support.
Luc
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ludu

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostSun May 15, 2016 8:34 am

Hello Martin,

Your tip works perfectly with my old console. The new one will arrive end of May and will have many lighted thumb pistons. If the "Midi In" comes via Bome's Midi Translator, can I use another "Midi Out" for a direct connection to my console, in order to light my related pistons?
Luc
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mdyde

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon May 16, 2016 8:06 am

Hello Luc,

It doesn't matter to Hauptwerk which specific MIDI IN port (whether real or virtual) any given virtual piston/control usse, and which specific MIDI OUT port. Hence there's no problem in principle with a virtual control receiving MIDI messages from a virtual MIDI IN port and sending MIDI messages to a real MIDI OUT port.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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ludu

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon May 16, 2016 8:14 am

Thank you, Martin. I will come back on this post after the installation of my new console, in order to confirm that everything is OK, I suppose. It could help other users in the same situation.
Luc
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Jmecho

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Re: Virtual Midi Interface?

PostMon May 16, 2016 1:07 pm

Hello Luc,

probably this is a silly question.
I have a Viscount unico organ and the pistons do not send unique midi messages. Do you know if I can I use Bome's MIDI Translator in order to generate unique midi messages?

Thanks
Joaquin
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