Controller Assignments headache, please help!!

[salmon ratty]

Hi,

I am running Logic 10.6.3 on a Macbook, OS 10.15.7

I have about 7 controller assignments from an AKAI MPK249 midi controller keyboard sending to Logic.

They keep randomly changing. For example a fader on the MPK249 is assigned to a Bus level on Logic. It works for a while, then it suddenly decides to control the Master Output instead, or a random channel strip fader.

That is one example, it happens in many different ways.

I then delete all assignments and start again, assigning everything correctly. Sometimes this will last a day until it changes. Sometimes it changes within a minute.

When it works correctly it's great but it is so unreliable - I have a gig in a couple of weeks for which I was going to use this set up..

Pics attached.

Can anybody help?

Thanks,

Simon.

 

P.S. Also being used is a Roland System-8 synth. 

This is also connected via USB hub.

I was using this to play soft synths and I also assigned faders on it to faders on Logic.

However when Logic started ignoring/changing controller assignments I purchased the MPK249 as I thought maybe it was the System-8 that was causing issues.

 

So now I still have the System-8 connected - but only to play the keyboard as a midi keyboard, playing soft synths on Logic.

I have disabled the "Transmit program change", "Transmit Edit Data", " Transmit Bank Change" options in System-8, in case this was causing weird messages.

[des99]

5 hours ago, salmon ratty said:

They keep randomly changing. For example a fader on the MPK249 is assigned to a Bus level on Logic. It works for a while, then it suddenly decides to control the Master Output instead, or a random channel strip fader.

That's because your assignment has been made relative to a moving target - the fader bank position. You assignment targets the channel at the current fader bank position, plus 17. So as you select different tracks in Logic, the fader bank position changes, and thus the targetted channel also changes.

If you want to target one particular channel specifically, change your Channel Strip setting to target that channel directly.

[salmon ratty]

Thanks very much for getting back to me.

That's not easy for me to grasp I'm afraid!

I want faders on my midi control to correspond with  faders in Logic - in this case Buses 1 and 2.

I did it and it was easy to do, it was working for weeks, simple. Now suddenly it keeps changing or not responding at all.

Are you saying that in the Control Assignment Parameter Box I should select:

"Class" = Channel Strip

"Channel Strip"  =  Bus   -   and make the number next to "Bus" 1 and 2 respectively?

 

Because I have tried that and it doesn't seem to work.

 

Thanks!

[des99]

30 minutes ago, salmon ratty said:

"Channel Strip"  =  Bus   -   and make the number next to "Bus" 1 and 2 respectively?

You probably mean "Aux" channels, so you'd need to set 'Auxilliary' for the channel strip type (bus objects are something else) - but the principle is the same yes, directly targeting a particular channel strip you want to always control.

To explain what the fader bank is/means - imagine you have a control surface with 8 faders. You could only control the first 8 tracks, which wouldn't be that flexible, so there is a concept of a "fader bank" which can be shifted up and down - ie, when the fader bank is 1, the faders would be controlling the first 8 tracks, when the fader bank is 2, the faders would be controlling tracks 9-16, and so on.

This lets a small control surface "target" different sets of channels and make them much more flexible.

Edited January 28, 2023 by des99

[salmon ratty]

okay, that makes sense. I don't know why it changed itself to 'fader bank' then. Equally, key commands such as 'play' and  'stop'  have vanished and now when "learn" is enabled the selected faders refuse to learn or even move.

I have an audio/midi expert calling me tomorrow, he will have remote access to my computer. Hopefully he'll be able to work out what's happening and make sure it doesn't happen in the future.

I'll report back.

Many thanks again.

[salmon ratty]

So, if anyone reads this and you're having an urgent nightmare with Logic - get in touch with this guy, Paul at Audio Support. https://www.audiosupport.co.uk/logic-pro-x-technical-support/

I found him on google, he saved the day. He has a deep knowledge of Logic and how to fix its issues.

My issue was Controller assignments. For whatever reason at some point Logic started scrambling or ignoring my controller assignments. Very unstable.

Paul's solution was to  effectively 'hardwire' my controller to the desired faders, via the midi environment.

Hope this helps someone.

[David Nahmani]

8 minutes ago, salmon ratty said:

Paul's solution was to  effectively 'hardwire' my controller to the desired faders, via the midi environment.

But then you can't record any of your controllers? 

[des99]

26 minutes ago, salmon ratty said:

Paul's solution was to  effectively 'hardwire' my controller to the desired faders, via the midi environment.

That's not a very good solution, for many reasons. But if it works for your needs, and you don't want to troubleshoot here any more, then fair enough.

Logic's controller assignments can be buggy, but there are mitigations...

[salmon ratty]

Hi,

I want to use Logic for a live show. Purely to play soft synths and samplers from it. Not to record anything and not to play an arrangement.

I had synths assigned to bus 1. 

Samplers assigned to bus 2.

For each song I have one synth ( midi ch 1) and one sampler ( midi ch 2)

I just record-enable both and play.

I had faders on my midi keyboard controlling Bus 1 fader level and Bus 2 fader level.

And each bus had an aux send ( I mean the bus send , that sends to an effect e.g. echo ) - the send  level of which was also controllable from my midi keyboard fader.

Was really simple and worked great.

Then one day I tried to change one thing, I think maybe the bus that the effect was on - and I went to delete previous sssignments and reconfigure new assignments - and since then Logic would just keep forgetting them, ignoring my attempts to reassign anything or switching the faders that I asked it to operate.

Time was ticking , gig approaching, this guy has made sure I can do the gig.

Admittedly we still don't know why or what caused the problem - so many possibilities it could take ages to understand. 

Hence I posted his details , so if anyone is in an emergency he's really helpful.

Thanks for your help also🙏

Simon.