Got a bit of an odd one here.

My setup is a YouRock guitar synth, going into Behringer FCB1010 (with Uno firmware), going into a Roland XV2020. In general it works. But every now and again, the XV2020 doesn't see note-offs. The result is massive hanging discordant builds, which is not at all what I what!

According to the FCB1010's MIDI traffic LED, the YouRock is sending note-on and note-off. However the XV2020's MIDI traffic LED says it's not getting those note-offs. I don't know whether the XV2020 is lying, or whether the FCB1010 is actually failing to do the thru thing properly.

It sometimes seems to be related to the order in which things are turned on. If I turn the XV2020 on first, then the FCB1010, then the YouRock, it's usually stable. But sometimes it's stable doing it other ways too. And sometimes nothing seems to bl**dy work!

I know the solution is to get a MIDI splitter cable and use my PC MIDI interface and MIDI Ox to monitor what's going out of each thingy. I'll be doing that at some point when I've got time. Does anyone have good suggestions for things to prioritise checking, though? One of the big reasons I went for the Uno firmware for the FCB1010 was that it reported having fixed various bugs from the Behringer firmware including dodgy MIDI thru. Has anyone else with an FCB1010 had issues? Or has anyone else with an XV2020 (or similar) seen strangeness with note-offs?

Also in general, do people recommend a "MIDI merge" box (MIDI Solutions or similar) to put two or more sources into one synth module, instead of relying on MIDI thru? If I can avoid spending money then great, but if opinion is that it's good for stability then it's be a no-brainer compared to having an unreliable gig rig.

Is it rock solid without the FCB in the circuit...? If it only happens when you're playing through the Behringer, it sounds like a separate MIDI merge box is the logical next step.

I don't have a YRG to check myself so I looked at the manual for some clues and came away disappointed. No MIDI implementation chart !!! That's a total disgrace.

Anyway, the reason I was looking for the MIDI implementation chart was to check whether the YRG sent MIDI Note Off messages or not. The MIDI spec doesn't require Note Off messages but makes provision for them. Some manufacturers use them, others don't. You can send a Note Off message when a key is released, but alternatively you can send a second Note on message with a velocity of Zero.

So I would suggest that the first step is to look at the MIDI output from the YRG and establish exactly what MIDI messages it generates. Not just to decide whether it sends Note Off or Zero Velocity messages, but to find out what other MIDI controller messages are being generated.

I'd also suggest recording a section of your playing straight into your DAW as a MIDI file. Then you can use it as a repeatable source for testing the FCB and Roland combinations. When you get problems you will be able to compare the corrupted output with the original file and work out if there is a pattern.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Good point, Andy - for some reason I'd not thought about recording it to use for testing. God knows I should have, since we're constantly doing similar stuff at work!

I'm being a bit lazy by posting the question before I've done the prodding around, I know. Just thought I'd check beforehand whether anyone who might have used any of these beasties had any known bugs to report.

Yeah, the YRG people seem not to be the best at customer support. All the "coming-soon" upgrades promised initially turn out to be either "not coming after all", or "coming in version 2 which you'd need to buy a YRG for". Bit pants really, although I spose I can't complain too much for the pricetag.

Try recording the output from the FCB1010 - or running through midi-Ox. Could be one of the pedals is generating lots of continuous controller messages and prioritizing them over the note offs. This may be dependent on the position of the pedal.

hi,

just a quick follow-on to the excellent advice already proffered. i've owned 3 different gtr midi (photon, axon, casio midi gtr) and they all can get confused and drop a 'notes off'. i think it has to do with the processing o/t input signals, estimating pitch, volume, etc, and getting overwhelmed. definitely a PITA. if you're using this live, i'd suggest investing in a stereo volume pedal to put after the 2020. useful not just for stuck notes but also the occasional mis-track, when suddenly you get a note that's not in the key you're playing - even worse than a stuck note ;-)

also, it may be possible to program the 1010 to send a MIDI 'all notes off', ie 'panic' signal. i had a 1010 briefly but was disappointed with some things so returned it and don't recall but i know you can program at least one of the switches to send CCs. worth checking into if you're going to be sticking with your current setup for a while. as i recall, the manual's not too terrible, especially for behringer...

cheers,

d

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"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"