MAudio UC-33 to MXWendler controller programming
This applies to MXWendler version 4.2 and above
Tutorial
- The MAudio/Evolution UC-33 looks like created for MXW, 8 ( +1 ) Faders, 3 * 8 Rotary Knobs, MXW -> 3 Tracks, 8 Layers per Track ....
- This Tutorial suggests one of many programming options for MXW and UC-33, it might not suite to everybody's taste, but it is a good starting point for further custom RnD.
- All programming will happen in MXW, and I will use UC-33 deafault preset 1. Faders, Knobs and Buttons of the UC-33 have names ( F1-F9, C8-C33, buttons 1-0 ) if you don't see the names, remove all overlays.
- First fill all 8 layers of track one with your favorite clips ( layer 8 feedback recommended ), patch it for later recall.
- Now open Settings -> Input and Output and go to the MIDI Tab.
- Click on the First Event ( displaying ghosted "now generate event" ) and move the first left Fader ( F1 ). The button should display 0/7 ( which is Midi Channel 1, CC 7, Midi Channels are counted 0-15 in MXW )
- - if it displays another number, you are not in preset 1 ( click the 1 under the display of the UC-33 )
- - if the event button stays ghosted, your device is not communicating properly with MXW
- This first Event gets "pass value" and the address /mxw/track/active/layer/1/opacity
- Program the following 7 events to your UC-33 Faders F2-F8 ( the event buttons should display 1-7/7 ) and give them the addresses /mxw/track/active/layer/2-8/opacity respectively
- Test your programing, each of the layers opacity should be controllable with one the coresponding Fader, Track 1 must be selected.
- Next the same faders will get one more function, so program the next 8 events again with Faders F1-F8
- All these events we set to "go to" and each one of them gets the same address /mxw/layermanager but we have to give each of these events a different Value.
- The Value for event 0/7 ( the 9th event ) is 1, value for 1/7 is 2, 2/7 = 3, 3/7 = 4 ... 7/7 gets Value 8.
- Test it. The same opacity control, but additionally we jump to the layer we are fading, turning it to "active" and displaying its parameters ( the "active layer" is marked with a red border ). This step is required for further programming.
- Program the rotary knobs C10-C17 to the next 8 Events ( buttons display 0-7/10, we should have 24 events in total now ), and give them these addresses:
- "pass value" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/clip/speed
- "pass value" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/clip/keyin
- "pass value" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/clip/keyout
- "pass opposite value" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/translationx
- "pass opposite value" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/translationy
- "pass value" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/rotation
- "pass opposite value" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/scale
- "pass value" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/scalexy
- "pass opposite value" is optional, of course it works also with "pass value" but for me the knob feels more "logic"
- Try it out. These settings on the knobs are already so much fun. And through "active" addressing we control allways the last faded/selected layer.
- 1drawback, using the first three Knobs with the feedback clip will screw it up. In this case you can only retrigger the patch. But what if one does not want to change opacity to tweak the clip parameters ? Solution bellow.
- For now program the next 16 Events with Rotary knobs C18-C33 ( 0-7/12 and 0-7/13 ), set them all to "do nothing". We will discuss their functionality later, but it is a good idea to keep the main Faders and Knobs together in the midimap, to maintain a system. In total we should have 40 events now.
- Our 8 step system ends here, and we turn to the last Fader ( F9 ), the stop-start-rewind-forward Buttons and Button 1-0
- Program the next event to Fader F9 ( 0/28 ), "pass value" address /mxw/track/active
- This is the Fader of the "active" track, so that we need the option to switch the "active" track.
- Program the next four events with the four buttons on the bottom of the UC-33 ( 0/14-17 ), set the stop, start and rewind button ( 0/14-16 ) to "go to" and the address /mxw/trackmanager, give the stop button a value of 3, start button value 2, rewind button value 1. Set the forward button to "go to" adress /mxw/render/reset value 0
- Test the trackmanager, and the track fader. Track 1 and 2 is set to crossfade by default, when you test them the fader moves both of them but in opposite directions. Switching to track 2 only inverses the slider operation. Track 3 works independently on top of track 1 and 2. When you have tweaked the render layer parameters, you can reset them with the forward button.
- After that create events for the buttons 1-9 ( 0/19-27 ) and button 0 ( 0/18 ) set button 1-8 ( 0/19-26 ) to "go to" address /mxw/layermanager and value 1(0/19 ) to value 8 ( 0/26 ).
- Set button 0 ( 0/18 ) to "go to" /mxw/track/active/layer/active/reset and value 0
- For button 9 ( 0/27 ) there is no use right now, i tried /mxw/track/active/layer/active/clip/reset but this is as dangerous as tweaking the clip Knobs of the Feedback layer. Also its use is limited to start/stop the clip, and not to reset the clip settings to default parameters ( keyin, keyout, playspeed ... ).
- Test buttons 1-8 they set layer 1-8 to "active" without changing the opacity parameter, see above.
- Lets discuss rotary knob c18-33. The Basic idea is to program C18-C25 as clipFX parameter of he "active" clip and C26-C33 to the master FX. The clipFX are not so easy addressable, for a general setup. You create a clip, give it some FX, but the next clip might have different FX with different Parameters, that you would like to address.
- For the Master FX section it is easier, but there we have the issue of only one FX right now, no combinations possible ( due to UI constraints ).
- My personal solution will be to create one huge Master FX with 8 parameters that are "performable". The same for clip FX, but there I will try out some different FX combinations, again 8 Parameters per FX.
- Finally, I don't address the render layer parameters, but if you like, still 16 Knobs are unmapped. Suppose you would like to have 8 Master FX Parameters, but the clipFX are not so important, maybe some contrast or RGB shifting only, so use some knobs from my suggested clip FX knobs and map them to these render layer parameters.
- Hope this tutorial opens doors. It was quite tough for me to understand and logically use the concept of "active", now I do not want to miss it any more.