MIDI signal interference?

[psensibil]

Hi, all. I recently introduced a new MIDI controller into my Res setup and am experiencing a strange issue.

The controller is floor-based and integrates a TRS- connected expression pedal which I have assigned to secondary layer opacity. When simultaneously adjusting the pedal and any knob or fader on my other devices, the other device takes priority within Res and haults or introduces heavy latency in the pedal's control. This is MUCH more apparent in Arena 6 than Arena 5, but the behavior is present in both. The new controller is assigned to MIDI channel 10 with all other devices assigned lower channels (1-4). I'm not certain if that would cause this behavior as it hasn't been an issue when making simultaneous adjustments on two of my old controllers. Behavior is exhibited when the pedal interacts with inputs from any of the other controllers.

I haven't had a chance to test other expression pedals, but it behaves perfectly outside of this scenario, so I'm optimistic it isn't the hardware itself. Tested different USB ports with no change.

Arena 5/Arena 6, Windows 10
Controllers: MIDIMix, Launch Control, Launch Control XL, FaderFox DJ4, Actition 8-button USB, Nektar NX-P

Thanks in advance for any help! I'm open to trying out any possible solutions.

[Arvol]

My 2 cents would be to take all of that MIDI traffic into a program like Bomes and then merge everything together and send it back out another virtual midi device on it's own channel.

Example:
APC40 comes into Bomes on channel 1. It uses MIDI CC 1-19, and all of it's notes are from -2C to -1B
-
MIDIfighter Twister comes into Bomes on channel 4. It uses MIDI CC 21-39, and all of it's notes are from 0C to +1B
-
Your floor controller come into Bomes on channel 8. It uses MIDI CC 40-59, and all of it's notes are from +2C to +3B

You take ALL of this into Bomes and then merge it together on channel 16 and then send it out a virtual MIDI port.

In Resolume you connect the virtual MIDI port as your input device and then map everything.

Notice the MIDI CC and note offset, and how everything is limited to a range of CC's and notes, this way nothing steps on each other.

This is how I map all my multiple controllers.
I'm sure there's are other ways to do this as well, But this method keeps everything happy on my systems, AND.... If a device get's disconnected, I don't have to do anything in Resolume, as Bomes does all the auto-reconnect and refresh stuff for me.

[psensibil]

Thank you so much for the recommendation!! I'm in the process of rebuilding my MIDI assignments from scratch anyway, so this doesn't pose a great deal of inconvenience. I had read about Bomes, but always assumed that adding a middle man would introduce latency to the commands. But, as your tag says, you know Res better than the devs, so I'll take your word on it. I GREATLY appreciate the time you took to post this response! Cheers!

[Arvol]

Thank you so much for the recommendation!! I'm in the process of rebuilding my MIDI assignments from scratch anyway, so this doesn't pose a great deal of inconvenience. I had read about Bomes, but always assumed that adding a middle man would introduce latency to the commands. But, as your tag says, you know Res better than the devs, so I'll take your word on it. I GREATLY appreciate the time you took to post this response! Cheers!

Haha, I think that's a joke I'm learning stuff, I should have known as a beginner years ago, every week. There's always more to learn.

I haven't had an latency between Bomes and Resolume.
Give the demo a try and see if it's the solution you're looking for. IMO It's well worth the money. If you want to spend a few hours writing in custom commands, you can even color code all your controllers to your specific needs. It's just basic logic that has variables. It's a small learning curve, but there are a ton of help and tutorials on their forums (and probably Youtube).
Always happy to help.

[psensibil]

I just wanted to provide a brief update to this issue. I tested additional plug-in expression pedals and ruled that out as a cause. I downloaded the trial of Bomes, sent all MIDI output from my controllers into a single virtual out from Bomes and now the behavior has been resolved. All devices are using their original channel assignments and still appear in Res as such. No re-mapping of my current setup was necessary. Not thrilled with another piece of software to throw in the mix, but the price/usefulness balance is there. Thanks again for all your help, Arvol!