Joe V

The "central control" thing can be yes, no, and sort of - IT DEPENDS (on YOU!)

First, like we have all suggested when you have more than a few external MIDI items - "Get a PATCH BAY!"


But even without a dedicated MIDI patch bay: you ALREADY have the basic equipment you need. However, sounds like you need to get a lot more familiar with it. I highly suggest you actually hook up the GI-20 to the PC and USE IT to send "stuff" (obviously not notes) out to the MIDI port on your Firepod to the GT10 and learn to control the GT10 patches and parameters with a combo of your guitars GK2/3 and/or PC DAW and you will start to figure it out (you will have to read the GI-20 manual, GT10 manual, and Firepod manual as well as read/understand your DAW's MIDI I/O and control ability).

Any DAW (RB, Reaper, Sonar) can send patch changes to your EXTERNAL HW in real time, most can send SYSEX as well as real time control data (e.g., continuous controllers, note transpose, reverb on/off, chorus levels) to external HW, SYSEX can be used to completely re-configure that external HW, etc.


You really need to read all your manuals end to end (or as we say in the military RTFQ), then sit down with paper and pencil (AWAY from the PC) and try to draw maps of various hook-ups (include both MIDI AND AUDIO routing) and don’t forget if using PC or LAPTOP to include the PC as a another NODE in your MIDI and AUDIO routing.

With a patch bay you can control MIDI routing from each of the other MIDI units (where the PC counts as a MIDI unit) to ALL other MIDI units, or to a few units, or just one unit, or no units.

Patch bays themselves are controlled via one of these methods:

1. The front panel with buttons and menus (like my MSB's or MX-8's) and/or via simple patch changes to those patch bays themselves over THEIR MIDI control channel (the patch bays themselves have multiple "programs" or patches [routing table sets]). I actually prefer these units because I can run a complex rig without ANY PC's turned on at all. It can all be controlled from front panel, foot switches, MIDI patch changes from keyboard or other external sequencers, or any combination thereof. or,

2. ONLY from a PC via their own software (e.g., MOTU MIDI Express 128) , or

3. BOTH front panel and dedicated PC software (e.g., MOTU MIDI Express XT USB, MOTU Micro Express USB, Roland UM-550). I admit to having ZERO hands on with the MOTU stuff btu the Express XT is probably the most flexible


And if you look on-line for the various patch bay manuals and actually read them you will see how they work and this SHOULD EXPLAIN a lot and will/should, by simply reading them, give you mental road maps on "how to configure" YOUR equipment (even without having that the patch bay).

Most patch bays have fairly sophisticated internal additional functions (MTC & SMPTE control, MIDI delay, MIDI merge/split, data filtering/thinning, etc.).

http://cdn-data.motu.com/manuals/midi/MOTU_USB_MIDI_Manual.pdf

https://jlcooper.com/_manuals/legacy/mSB/MSBREVII.pdf

http://www.rolandus.com/support/by_product/um-550/owners_manuals/7525


Note, as far as I know MIDI Solutions Co. doesn't make true or FULL routing patch bays as discussed above - (not a knock on MIDI solutions I own some MIDI Solutions boxes: a Breath Controller box for my BC 2; and a MIDI merge box) . They do make a small box called a "Router" and it does route based on MIDI channel or other MIDI parameters (so it might come in handy but it alone is $149) . Their HW can take multiple inputs and send to one output (merge); take one input and send to multiple outputs ("thru" boxes) ; they make small units like the aforementioned Router, or a Breath Controller (used with a BC2) and send out MIDI breath control (I have one and use it), a dedicated small merge and thru boxes, and even units that can take foot switch inputs and convert to MIDI control change, program change or increment/decrement, start/stop, transpose, re-channelize, etc. These last functions can usually be done (VIA PC messages and sans foot switch) in other MIDI patch bays which can perform these functions on a port by port/channel by channel basis.

http://www.midisolutions.com/ordirect.htm


Time to do some homework - good luck.

Larry

Win10Pro,i9,64GB,2TBSSD+20TBHDDs,1080TI,BIAB'24,Scarlett18i8,Montage7,Fusion 8HD,QS8,Integra7,XV5080,QSR,SC-8850,SPLAT,FL21&others,Komp.14,IK suite&others, just a guitar player-AXE FX III &FM9T, FishmanTP, MIDIGuitar2, GK2/3'sw/GI20