nerdseq as preset sequencer

[blofeld]

Hello everyone!


So I am still quite new to NerdSeq and still try to explore all the possibilities and how I could use them best for my goals. And I have this idea about using it as a preset sequencer/performance controller.

My idea would be to get CV16 + Midi I/O and then an external controller with Motorfaders. Then use the CV16 to control certain module values in a eurorack patch, set up patterns that either are static values/tracks that should not change or are dynamic so I can jam/perform with theses values on the controller. When I switch to a new pattern, the static values get changed and I get new sounds from my modules (and also new note sequences since I can switch these patterns on the NerdSeq as well). 
The new values are also send to the Controller, so the fader positions are always synced to the actual values.

I am thinking in direction of something like a performance controller to control multiple Eurorack modules with fixed values set by the sequencer and dynamic values to jam with the external controller.

Has anyone tried something like this already and can give some feedback? 
From my understanding the sequencing in Nerdseq should be possible but I am not very familiar with Controllers and the possibilities of syncing values and faders.

The same would also be possible with Droidmaster and the M4 or E4, but it would be great if this could also be achieved with NerdSeq and expanders, so I have it all 'under one hood'.

EDIT:
When I think back to my DAW period...usually with a controller, I would map CC values to certain control elements of the plugin/daw. Is it possible to map CC values in NerdSeq to a CV value of a certain track?
I would think it could work this way.

[blofeld]

So I tried and generally this is working. I can map a motor fader to a CV output (should also work with mod output) and back, and the fader will react. Works also with led rings around encoders, they show the current value. To set a value, you can use one pattern to set the value, auto start the next pattern with no value and then you can use the motor faders/encoders with the current value.

Some questions/issues:
1. My Multi i/O seems to have a host port that is a little too big, the USB cable isnt working until I press it a bit up- or downwards. Right now I use a small piece of paper to press the USB upwards. Can I slightly bend the metal frame? Just a tiny bit? Or better bend the USB cable?

2. Currently this only works with the 6 CV/MOD outputs on the main unit, but not with the CV16 expander as I can't select these as sources in the mapping screen. Is this something coming in the future? When? ¨

3. The buttons from my controller don't toggle. They send "Note on" when pressed and then NerdSeq also does what it should, but when I release the button on the controller, the event is off again. I tried to mute a track with MIDI "C-0N to B-9N". Am I missing something here? How can I toggle something with a certain "Note On"?

[blofeld]

About 3.

I tested with a MIDI debugger what is happening. The controller sends 2 events, the first "Note #16 Velocity 127", the second "Note #16 Velocity 0".
I guess both are events that would trigger the same row in the mapping. Is there a way to treat them differently? A time delay?

Might try something with Vars, Calc and Skip, but not today anymore...

[XORadmin]

So I tried and generally this is working. I can map a motor fader to a CV output (should also work with mod output) and back, and the fader will react. Works also with led rings around encoders, they show the current value. To set a value, you can use one pattern to set the value, auto start the next pattern with no value and then you can use the motor faders/encoders with the current value.

Some questions/issues:
1. My Multi i/O seems to have a host port that is a little too big, the USB cable isnt working until I press it a bit up- or downwards. Right now I use a small piece of paper to press the USB upwards. Can I slightly bend the metal frame? Just a tiny bit? Or better bend the USB cable?

2. Currently this only works with the 6 CV/MOD outputs on the main unit, but not with the CV16 expander as I can't select these as sources in the mapping screen. Is this something coming in the future? When? ¨

3. The buttons from my controller don't toggle. They send "Note on" when pressed and then NerdSeq also does what it should, but when I release the button on the controller, the event is off again. I tried to mute a track with MIDI "C-0N to B-9N". Am I missing something here? How can I toggle something with a certain "Note On"?

1) Oh that is not good. You could indeed try to bend the metal frame a bit and I am always happy to fix your problem and replace the port. Shouldn't be like this of course.

2) That is correct. Any CV16 value is generated in the CV16 itself and if you would for example start LFO's or envelopes on the CV outputs there is no feedback on the current voltage of the CV16 output. The reason is that it would be a massive amount of data already from one output already which would have to been send (on polling) from the NerdSEQ and that is not possible. Same goes for the trigger expander. Both generate their own voltages and they get only the command of the NerdSEQ to do so.
There might be an option to capture theoretical values which means that only the sent pitches are stored and could be used. But if there is any modulation on the CV16 involved like glide, LFO, envelopes then that wouldn't be monitored here. Only that pitch signal. It should be enough for what you want to do I think. But it is not included yet.

3) You would have to involve a calculation with it to get a toggle function. The button pressed=on and button released=off is the most pure functionality.
This does work:

Code:

00 MIDI  TC 1   C-3N     >   ----  ----  ----         This one would get the row 00 result 1 or 0 on note C-3 on or off (here from the TRS Port)
01 CALC  FLG^   00=1     >   TRCK  TRKx  MUTE         This one toggles each time row 00 (which is the 00 in the 2nd source field) goes from 0 to 1 (which is the constant =1 in the 2nd source field.) and the destination for that is track X mute

Also for row 00 if you don't know which note is being send, just set row 00 to "MIDI  LRN  NOTE"  and then press your midi-button, it will recognize the button and fills it automatically into the source.

[blofeld]

So I tried and generally this is working. I can map a motor fader to a CV output (should also work with mod output) and back, and the fader will react. Works also with led rings around encoders, they show the current value. To set a value, you can use one pattern to set the value, auto start the next pattern with no value and then you can use the motor faders/encoders with the current value.

Some questions/issues:
1. My Multi i/O seems to have a host port that is a little too big, the USB cable isnt working until I press it a bit up- or downwards. Right now I use a small piece of paper to press the USB upwards. Can I slightly bend the metal frame? Just a tiny bit? Or better bend the USB cable?

2. Currently this only works with the 6 CV/MOD outputs on the main unit, but not with the CV16 expander as I can't select these as sources in the mapping screen. Is this something coming in the future? When? ¨

3. The buttons from my controller don't toggle. They send "Note on" when pressed and then NerdSeq also does what it should, but when I release the button on the controller, the event is off again. I tried to mute a track with MIDI "C-0N to B-9N". Am I missing something here? How can I toggle something with a certain "Note On"?

1) Oh that is not good. You could indeed try to bend the metal frame a bit and I am always happy to fix your problem and replace the port. Shouldn't be like this of course.

2) That is correct. Any CV16 value is generated in the CV16 itself and if you would for example start LFO's or envelopes on the CV outputs there is no feedback on the current voltage of the CV16 output. The reason is that it would be a massive amount of data already from one output already which would have to been send (on polling) from the NerdSEQ and that is not possible. Same goes for the trigger expander. Both generate their own voltages and they get only the command of the NerdSEQ to do so.
There might be an option to capture theoretical values which means that only the sent pitches are stored and could be used. But if there is any modulation on the CV16 involved like glide, LFO, envelopes then that wouldn't be monitored here. Only that pitch signal. It should be enough for what you want to do I think. But it is not included yet.

3) You would have to involve a calculation with it to get a toggle function. The button pressed=on and button released=off is the most pure functionality.
This does work:

Code:

00 MIDI  TC 1   C-3N     >   ----  ----  ----         This one would get the row 00 result 1 or 0 on note C-3 on or off (here from the TRS Port)
01 CALC  FLG^   00=1     >   TRCK  TRKx  MUTE         This one toggles each time row 00 (which is the 00 in the 2nd source field) goes from 0 to 1 (which is the constant =1 in the 2nd source field.) and the destination for that is track X mute

Also for row 00 if you don't know which note is being send, just set row 00 to "MIDI  LRN  NOTE"  and then press your midi-button, it will recognize the button and fills it automatically into the source.

Thx for the feedback, appreciated!

1. y, unfortunate. I will unmount it and look what I can do on the weekend.
3. Works. The FLGˆ will always catch the first event with v=127, FLGˇ the second with v=0, right? 
Still have to find a way to send feedback to the controller, the button has a led, but thanks for the help.

2. I don't need any modulation as source. My current process is:
- first pattern sets an initial value on one step, on last step it auto jumps (STSP in FX) to next island/pattern
- next pattern is empty on the lane I set before, so now I can use the faders to control the value
So I set the value in the sequencer that positions the faders at the right place. Thats the only mapping source I need at this point. Controlling the CV16 with the faders works, I already tried, its just setting this initial value, thats missing atm. (But it would be important if you want to use layers on controllers to switch between different values. Something like "send value on command" would be needed then. Though I dont see it, I have 8 faders + 8 encoders, thats already a full CV16 and would need 3 sequencer tracks...)

[XORadmin]

3. Works. The FLGˆ will always catch the first event with v=127, FLGˇ the second with v=0, right?
Still have to find a way to send feedback to the controller, the button has a led, but thanks for the help.

FLG^ will always catch only the V=127 event and that only if V was 0 before (sort of raising edge).
Feedback is possible but in the current state it would involve too many rules to be practical. ( Find out which note, keep that and send midi notes based on the toggle status. That can use quite some lines for each button)

2. I don't need any modulation as source. My current process is:
- first pattern sets an initial value on one step, on last step it auto jumps (STSP in FX) to next island/pattern
- next pattern is empty on the lane I set before, so now I can use the faders to control the value
So I set the value in the sequencer that positions the faders at the right place. Thats the only mapping source I need at this point. Controlling the CV16 with the faders works, I already tried, its just setting this initial value, thats missing atm.

I understand. But they are multiple entry ways where I would change a CV16 value and all would have to be addressed. And also it would work in your situation but someone else would complain why the modulation values are not in the signal = it is not the same as the cv16 output. I got to think about that.

[blofeld]

About 2.

I created a nice workaround for this, its a bit more manual setup on my side, but seems to work, I tested it.

Track setup:
Track 6 is my Trigger expander, I basically don't need Mod 6.
Track 7 is my first CV16 track. (Track 8 will be second, will make another try if I can control 12 channels soon.)

My pattern on Track 7 looks like this:
   

The FX for T7:
   

The mapping rows:
   

So in FX I set MOD 6, a different value each step, the XMAP then sends this value to the controller on each step. In the pattern I set the same value for the CV16 outputs. Last step is jump to empty pattern.
The SKIP should never become true (might change this, so I dont waste a VAR), every of the currently 6 rows sets a different CC. So the faders dont jump together, they jump in sequence.

I would say, thats a pretty nice solution for me. Flexible enough so I can add 6 more controlled values, only 2 mapping rows per value and the extra work step is on the same track. And when jumping to a new pattern the FX tracks are free again.

[blofeld]

About 3.

Solved with 1 setup line for all buttons and one more row per button, makes it 3 per button.

Code:

00 VAR   #  A   #FFF     >   ----  ----  ----         Setup max value
01 MIDI  HC 1   F-1N     >   ----  ----  ----         
02 CALC  FLG^   01=1     >   TRCK  TRK1  MUTE         This one toggles each time row 01 goes from 0 to 1
03 CALC  PASS   02VA     >   MCON  HC 1  # 17         Pass either 0 or Var A (127) to MIDI CC17 depending on result of row 02

The buttons on the controller are now setup to listen to a CC rather than a NoteOn, so I can just send 0 or 127 to turn them on/off.
I just need to repeat row 01-03 and adjust numbers.

[blofeld]

And this is what it looks like:




All made with the controller, no touching the NerdSeq or any module. Its fun