Are Smart Controls Broken? [SOLVED]

Or am I missing something?

I'm using encoder knobs 1-4 on my controller (assigned respectively to CCs 31, 33, 34, and 56) to control Smart Control knobs 1-4. Everything is working fine. But when I create a new track and load a patch with its own customized smart controls, my knobs are still controlling the Smart Controls for track 1. Even when track 2 is selected.

Why are my knobs controlling Smart Controls on unselected tracks? Is there a way around this?

Logic 10.2

Yosemite 10.10.2

M-Audio Code 61 (control surface)

Macbook, 4 GB RAM

I'm not highly proficient with control surfaces as I only use basic stuff (wah pedal, etc) but i'm pretty sure that this has to do with the way your controller assignments are configured.

Go to LPX's Preferences > Control Surfaces pane and click the Controller Assignments.. button at the bottom. Browse the various existing assignments in your setup to select either of your four controllers, and check out, in the top section ("Controller Assignment Parameter") of the inspector on the right, how they are configured. There's a parameter there called "Channel Strip", and you want to have it set to "Selected Track" (which greys out the channel number appearing on its right, making it irrelevant).

Doing it this way should have your controller remotely control the parameter it is assigned to, on any track you select, and therefore change assignment as you change selected track (which is what I understand you would like to achieve).

You have to repeat this for each of you four controllers.

However, I'm not sure how you can generically assign a controller to a not yet existing parameter (such as "assign my Real knob 1 (sending CC 31) to Smart Control virtual knob 1 of the selected track, whatever that virtual knob 1 is"). To me, assignment is made by (to be controlled) parameter name (which you don't know yet for a newly created empty channel strip), plus I'm not so sure that all Smart Control layouts are organized in exactly the same way (for instance is the 1st "knob" really a knob or an on/off button?). This may change (and the knob name as well) from Smart Control pane to Smart Control pane, especially in case of tracks for which LPX configures the Smart Controls automatically. What I mean is that, aside for the "Selected Track" thing, you may have other issues to sort out, and here I reach my limits.

I hope this will help nonetheless.

Arnaud

Tried a couple things this evening without much luck.

Thought this might be a zone/mode problem, so I switched my keyboard into Mackie mode, then set up a mode for the knobs to control panning, then a mode for the knobs to control smart controls, then finally a midi button to toggle between modes, but I'm still limited to controlling the smart controls on track 1. Even when track 2 is selected.

Second thing I tried was fiddling with the Controller Assignment Parameters, but "Class: Channel Strip" and "Channel Strip: Selected Track" sure seem like they should be the propper settings.

Did notice that the number "1" is grayed out next to the Selected Track pop-up menu. I assume this is part of the problem, as I couldn't edit it to say track 2, or 3, etc.

Anyway to scrub this so that track 1 is not always the "Selected Track"?

Hi Garamond!

Do you use the Learn function within the Smart Control Inspector to assign your knobs?

Thanks for the suggestion, Eric. I'd been using the "Controller Assignments Expert View" window, but your method is less complicated. Unfortunately, I'm having the same issue either way. Even though I have track 2 selected, I can still control only track 1's smart controls.

It's almost as if my control surface is tied to track 1. Is there a "Track Lock" function buried in Logic somewhere? That sounds vaguely familiar.

Garamond,

The more I think about it, the more I believe that you can assign a controller to a Smart Control only after the smart control has been created. I mean, if you assign smart controls for tack 1, and then create track two, with its own smart controls, you can only assign a controller to a smart control on track 2 after you have created it. If you have assigned controllers to track 1, and then create track two, there's no way I suppose for Logic to map you assignments to smart controls on track 2 simply because you have selected it (not same individual smart control name, nor same smart control layout, etc), unless that track uses the same patch as track 1.

Try the following :

1st TEST

Create track 1, load a patch, assign controller 1 to smart control 1 (and maker sure that the "Channel Srip" setting si set to "Selected).

Create track two and load the exact same patch. This has the effect to load the same smart controls, same names with same layout, on track tow.

Now see if your controller, shifts to controlling track 2 instead of track 1 if you select track 2 instead of 1.

2nd TEST

Same as above, but load a different patch on track 2 than on track 1 (therefore, different smart control names and layout).

If 1st test works but not 2nd test, you have a hint that assignments depend on smart control names and layout. If neither work, then it's even muddier and I have no clue...

Arnaud

Thanks for the suggestion, Eric. I'd been using the "Controller Assignments Expert View" window, but your method is less complicated. Unfortunately, I'm having the same issue either way. Even though I have track 2 selected, I can still control only track 1's smart controls.

 

It's almost as if my control surface is tied to track 1. Is there a "Track Lock" function buried in Logic somewhere? That sounds vaguely familiar.

Start from scratch and do it via the Smart Controls Inspector. Delete all the previous entries otherwise you are going to have these kinds of issues.

Start with knob 1. Click Learn and wiggle the knob. Click learn again. Go tho the second knob and so on...

It should work for all your patches once you have one setup. There are of course patches that use more controls and you can Learn the extra controls once you come across a patch that needs it.

Good news, I think I licked this.

I became even more convinced that somehow my control surface assignments were tied to track 1 when, in a last ditch effort, I took track 2 (an electric piano) and drug it above track 1 (a synth pad) in the main window so that the electric piano was now track 1. And, lo and behold, I magically had control of its Smart Control knobs via my keyboard!

So then I went digging for that "Track Lock" function . . . and here's where it was hiding. Go to your Control Surface setup window, then your Control Surface Group window. There's a "Track Lock" checkbox about 3/4ths of the way down the parameter list. NOTE: You may not be able to see it if you have your Device window open too (this is why it took me FOREVER to find it), but if you click to disclosure triangle to close the Device window, you should be able to see all your CS Group parameters.

Long story short, I unchecked the Track Lock checkbox and now everything works great. When track 1 is selected, I control track 1's smart controls. When track 2 is selected, I control its smart controls. Works on any track, any patch.

Thanks for your help, gentlemen. Without your feedback, I'm not sure I would have solved this. I think I just would have had less hair.