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I have completed the final build of the interface and have tested it out with the dimmers and lights. PERFECT!!
I choose to use DMX for my lights as opposed to MIDI .I use midi note numbers only to trigger SCENES, CHASES, EFX etc. within the lighting software.Much easier this way. For instances, SCENE 1 may be used in 10 songs.Lets say scene 1 is C1.That's all I need to enter on a MIDI track. Piece of cake.
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I choose to use DMX for my lights as opposed to MIDI .I use midi note numbers only to trigger SCENES, CHASES, EFX etc. within the lighting software.Much easier this way. For instances, SCENE 1 may be used in 10 songs.Lets say scene 1 is C1.That's all I need to enter on a MIDI track. Piece of cake. ?? It sounds like you are indeed using MIDI .. if I read this right. MIDI note signal triggers DMX setting. Like a MIDI note signal triggering a synth sound; it's just digital data triggering something, MIDI based and device driven. I don't understand how you qualify "I choose to use DMX for my lights as opposed to MIDI" as it sounds like you are indeed using MIDI.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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I choose to use DMX for my lights as opposed to MIDI .I use midi note numbers only to trigger SCENES, CHASES, EFX etc. within the lighting software.Much easier this way. For instances, SCENE 1 may be used in 10 songs.Lets say scene 1 is C1.That's all I need to enter on a MIDI track. Piece of cake. ?? It sounds like you are indeed using MIDI .. if I read this right. MIDI note signal triggers DMX setting. Like a MIDI note signal triggering a synth sound; it's just digital data triggering something, MIDI based and device driven. I don't understand how you qualify "I choose to use DMX for my lights as opposed to MIDI" as it sounds like you are indeed using MIDI. Instead of controlling each fixtures settings with say CC7 7 mapped to control intensity of a fixture I use just a note number to control a whole series of events within the software.So yes of course I am using midi but in a more limited way. To completely use midi would require many individual events to be programmed in the audio software. This way all the setup is in the light software.With 100% midi implementation I would have to record each midi command for each fixture for each song. The way I'm doing it I can just use 1 note number to implement a specific scene of events and this one scene can be used many, times on many songs. Make sense?-
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Yes, it makes sense to me.
My earlier post said "Each MIDI note message sends a new lighting command .. " and then you said you chose DMX instead of MIDI; that's what confused me.
You are using MIDI, just assigned MIDI .. which was my point in the earlier post. Most controllers allow you to send a single MIDI note that triggers a DMX event 'automagically'. Or you can write special MIDI events if you want to ..
I was trying to explain to Pat and others that it is easier than it appears since MIDI and DMX work so well together (both hardware and software aspects)
'It ain't rocket surgery!'
Your findings seem to support this.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Yes, it makes sense to me.
My earlier post said "Each MIDI note message sends a new lighting command .. " and then you said you chose DMX instead of MIDI; that's what confused me.
You are using MIDI, just assigned MIDI .. which was my point in the earlier post. Most controllers allow you to send a single MIDI note that triggers a DMX event 'automagically'. Or you can write special MIDI events if you want to ..
I was trying to explain to Pat and others that it is easier than it appears since MIDI and DMX work so well together (both hardware and software aspects)
'It ain't rocket surgery!'
Your findings seem to support this. Yep. What does make DMX better is that DMX is 512 channels of only one type of data. With value of 0-255.The resolution is much finer. Very important if you're trying to aim intelligent lights at a target.Pan & tilt actually use to channels each one for coarse adjustment and one for fine. It's fun no matter how you do it.
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The final rig is up and running great. I have my Keystation 88 plugged into the computer with midi thru enabled.Open a sond, hit midi recor and using the keyboard I can control the light scenes in real time as well as record the midi notes for future playback. Works like a charm.
I did discover an odd thing though. One of my scenes is note F4. If I press F4 while looking at the MIDI monitor in RB it says F6.If I hit F2 on the keyboard it says F4 and indeed turns on the light scene.All I have to do is use the octave button on the keyboard but I'm curious as to why the default on the keyboard seems to send the wrong note number. Or maybe RB is transposing? I checked the thru settings and there's nothing there. Any ideas?
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There really is no MIDI standard as to the placement of middle C, John.
Some designate C4 (note number 60), yet others can be C5 and on some controllers as well as softwares, it may also be assignable, though most users likely never realize that.
I just figure out which is what and, for lighting purposes, "transpose" the octave accordingly.
Playing music on the darn things is a different story, for that I have to delve inside controller or software menus because I like my middle C to be, well, in the middle unless I've programmed some sort of dual voice split.
--Mac
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There really is no MIDI standard as to the placement of middle C, John.
Some designate C4 (note number 60), yet others can be C5 and on some controllers as well as softwares, it may also be assignable, though most users likely never realize that.
I just figure out which is what and, for lighting purposes, "transpose" the octave accordingly.
Playing music on the darn things is a different story, for that I have to delve inside controller or software menus because I like my middle C to be, well, in the middle unless I've programmed some sort of dual voice split.
I get that however my controller has the note numbers labled across the top. With the octave buttons set for no transpose if I press the key labeled C1 the midi monitor says it's C3.
--Mac
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There really is no MIDI standard as to the placement of middle C, John.
Some designate C4 (note number 60), yet others can be C5 and on some controllers as well as softwares, it may also be assignable, though most users likely never realize that.
I just figure out which is what and, for lighting purposes, "transpose" the octave accordingly.
Playing music on the darn things is a different story, for that I have to delve inside controller or software menus because I like my middle C to be, well, in the middle unless I've programmed some sort of dual voice split.
--Mac I get that however my controller has the note numbers labled across the top. With the octave buttons set for no transpose if I press the key labeled C1 the midi monitor says it's C3.
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The middle C assignment must be different in either the controller or the software.
Sometimes it is different in both, which can lead to some headscratching until you go thru the motions to determine what's up.
I have a short 49 key M-Audio controller that has the MIDI note numbers silkscreened above the keys, along with what the *other* "shifted" functions are, since the keyboard uses one of the MIDI keys as assignment and Patch send buttons in that mode. BUT -- the darned thing can be programmed internally to place the keyboard number assignments in *different* octave locations than what the silkscreen says, which is only the default.
Invoking Octave Transpose at the keyboard, for example, is actually a shift of the middle C point by octaves. This is in order to be able to play in areas where the number of keys would not be able to go.
My 88 key M-Audio Pro also can be set from the panel buttons to place the middle C note at any C on the instrument.
Gets even further confounding sometimes when the MIDI note number designated by a particular controller as the default middle C point is different from the point designated by any software we are attempting to control. Band in a Box even has a setting in the MIDI menus somewhere to allow easy change of that middle C point for the user, often much easier for them than plowing thru menus on their controller keyboards, etc. which are often deep and sometimes cryptic as well. And, little understood by the nonmusic student.
Once you scope it out for your own equipment, though, and understand what is happening, usually pretty easy to handle.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
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Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
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