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Free way to add visual feedback to Controller Assignments


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I was feeling all pleased with myself, because I picked up an Akai APC40 for next to nothing, and even the most basic Assignment scheme should give me instant access to 40 different plug-ins, with all the rotaries and buttons on the right-hand side dedicated to that plug-in. But how was I ever going to keep track of what the right hand controls actually did in each plug-in?

 

I started a spreadsheet to map out what I was trying to achieve, but it soon became obvious that adding 40 further tabbed spreadsheets showing the function of each plug-in's controls, might be a good tool to help me write the assignments. As a visual aid when working in LPX, it would be worse than useless!

 

I've found an app called ProPresenter: https://renewedvision.com/propresenter/ It's a multi-media show control, aimed mainly at Houses of Worship who want to present visual images, the words to hymns, video etc to congregations. Best of all, it can be cued using MIDI messages, and the personal use version (not to be shown to audiences) is free.

 

That means if I create a 40-slide presentation showing the function of all the controls for each individual plug-in, I can send the same MIDI Note On value from the APC40 to activate the plug-in in LPX and related slide in ProPresenter.

 

So far, this is a concept, rather than a completed set-up, but I'll let you know how I get on. Of course, I'd love to hear from anyone who done, or would like to try, a similar path.

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Sounds interesting, but I wonder how one would deal with different Modes, i.e. same midi message doing different things depending on what mode you're in ? Also, when targeting plugins, I guess you have set it up to target insert slots rather than type of plugin, how would one deal with that ? Interesting though, most important to me would be to get a visual on what parameter page you're in, for instrument and plugin edit modes...
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After some googling, the LC XMU could be worth looking at, but haven't found where it could be downloaded, I don't trust CNET and similar download sites... Also found something called MidiTools, which claims to have a "virtual display for Mackie controls", but haven't tried it out yet...
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After some googling, the LC XMU could be worth looking at, but haven't found where it could be downloaded, I don't trust CNET and similar download sites... Also found something called MidiTools, which claims to have a "virtual display for Mackie controls", but haven't tried it out yet...

 

Thanks you for the heads-up. I went to https://mountainutilities.eu/miditools and downloaded it. I'll definitely need to read the manual before I understand what some of the utilities are supposed to do, but it looks quite a handy thing to have.

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So, I had a go at the "Mackie Monitor" in MidiTools, and it's actually working (!). Had to set the "Mackie Monitor" to listen to an IAC bus, which I had set as "output port" in Logics Controller Setup, and it immediately started to spit out data, couldn't believe it haha ! (I've set up an old gen1 nano kontrol as an emulated Mackie Control) Success (so far) :D

47691500_MidiToolsMackieDisplay.thumb.gif.635b8d8a2b8940df1501c709f34a9d4f.gif

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