MIDI Feedback?

[Prototype]

What is this? And what causes it?

I think it may have happened once during practice, and I'm very afraid of it.

Please shed some light...

Thank ya much.

[Prototype]

humm... used the search..

kinda get it, when the MIDI info sent out from (for example) the TD-10 goes directly back to it the machine. ... bad things happen.

I see a soft glow but I think I still need some more light.

[dr. kildrum]

Not sure if I know what you're after. I have heard people use the term for a situation like this. A keyboard player has a main midi controller keyboard with sounds. He is all happy playing the sounds for a while but then throws a sequencer in the mix.

What is played on the keys is sent to the sequencer via MIDI and then returned in the same manner to play the keyboard sounds. If the "local" switch is set to on, the keyboard may receive play messages from itself and the sequencer (doubles). Some refer to this as MIDI feedback. Is that what you mean?

[Prototype]

maybe...

I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm just trying to prevent problems. We have a lot of MIDI going on in our set up. We have a total of 6 machines right now sending or receiving MIDI in some manner. We use the MOTU 8 I/O MIDI Express. Planning to add some more sequencers soon and things of the like. And as I said really I’m just trying to prevent any future problems.




[This message has been edited by Prototype (edited January 08, 2002).]

[Louis]

Just a real quick example

I have some visu-lite cymbal triggers going into my Alesis D4. I use the D4 to send midi signals to my TD-10 to trigger cymbal sounds on the TD-10. No sounds come out of the D4 itself, just the midi information, via midi cable from the D4 midi out to the TD-10's midi-in.

If I were then to hook up a second midi cable from the TD-10 midi-out to the D4's midi-in - it would create a loop.

I would hit a cymbal, it would trigger the D4 to send a midi note to the TD-10, and the TD-10 would send that midi information thru it's out jack to the D4, the cycle would start over, and round and round the note would go, playing like mad industrial music.

Conceptually, kinda like feedback from a microphone - the sound starts at the microphone, goes thru the amp to speakers, and if its loud enough, goes thru the microphone again, etc etc. Except you're not dealing with sound, you're dealing with midi info.

I've never actually heard of anyone hurting their equipment by a midi loop, but it might cause your piece of equipment to 'crash' and need a reboot.

[Louis]

Ah - I should also mention..

Most devices and computer programs that use midi have the ability to turn on or off "Midi Thru", mainly for this exact reason, to prevent midi-feedback.

So if I turned off Midi-Thru within the TD-10's settings, any midi signals the TD-10 recieves from the D4 will not be allowed to go though to the midi-out jack. The loop is thereby prevented.

[Prototype]

That makes perfect since! When the same note # goes round and round creating a never ending tone, or cymbal, or whatever, it would just re-trigger and re-trigger over and over again until somebody hits the panic button on our MIDI interface!

So I guess the solution would be to just watch your note #’s. I may need to use the MIDI thru once I add a sequencer to my personal rig.

Thank You.


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[postnuklear]

If you get that problem again,go to SETUP/MIDI/GLOBAL and make sure local control is set OFF. (assuming that you have a td10).
P.