The title says it all...
StepPolyArp is a better midi bridge than 'MIDIBridge'. By simply routing thru SPA, I can control any app with any other, in ways I didn't think possible.
Would you post the steps for doing this , please? I tried to do this, but can't get it to work.
Also, can I use StepPolyArp to use BeatMaker to run my synth apps like Sunrizer or Animoog? If you can, Is it the same process? (I want to write parts in BeatMaker but have the sounds come out in real time through these other synth programs. Will StepPolyApp do that and how do you set it up?)
Well, first let me say that Sunrizer and Animoog are both Virtual MIDI apps that can be directly controlled by Beatmaker 2 without the need of any intermediary apps.
When you want to control a Core MIDI app, such as Nanostudio, one would think that MIDIBridge would do the job. But I've found that in some cases, it doesn't. That's where StepPolyArp comes in. I've found it's a 'better' MIDI bridge. Anyway, here's how:
Start Beatmaker. Make an instrument. Make a sequence in the track editor. Loop it, play it.
Start StepPolyArp. Open the MIDI Settings. Set MIDI in to Beatmaker 2. Set MIDI out to Network Session 1.
Start Nanostudio. Go to the Manage page. Go to the MIDI tab. You should see the MIDI In light blinking now, it should be receiving Beatmaker 2 MIDI through StepPolyArp. That's it-!
-
I'm sharing this not to say one app is better than another, but when we combine different apps together, it increases the functionality of all. Many people have said Beatmaker would be even greater with its own internal synths like Nanostudio has, but instead I'm hoping that the developers at Intua focus more on expanding MIDI interoperability, specifically adding MIDI Program Change messages (which StepPolyArp recognizes), then we would have a real beast on our hands-!!!
Thanks to all the great developers out there for giving me something to do on my subway ride to work everyday. My quality of life has gone up exponentially since the Virtual MIDI revolution...
Thanks for your help and quick reply! I followed your directions, but it's still not working for me. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Do I have to select a certain midi channel in the apps? Very frustrating! I wasted a couple of hours trying to get this working because I really want to use the two Beat Maker with Nano Studio...
(And I agree with you, tying the apps together through MIDI is only a plus for all the apps, not a slight on any of them.)
I'm using channel 1 for my Beatmaker instrument. You should also be aware that Nanostudio has no background capability, so you need to get BM2 and SPA rolling before staying in NS.
What device/iOS version are you on? I'm using an iPad 2, iOS 5.0, JB.
hmmm, I just did it again from scratch and it works. Let me see what else I can say about the process...
Follow my first steps, get all the apps running, then:
Go to Beatmaker, to the MIDI Setup panel, make sure no inputs are selected. They should all be switched off, whatever they are. Make sure the only output is to Network Session 1. Make sure the MIDI out and Clock are active. Latency doesn't matter. Close MIDI Setup. Go to your instrument, to its MIDI Cofiguration panel. Make sure its MIDI in is set to NONE, and its out is set to channel 1.
Go to StepPolyArp, to its MIDI settings. Make sure the MIDI out channel is 1. Make sure the MIDI in is not filtering any channels. Do not have any notes in the step sequencer. Do not have the Clock, Latch, or Arp buttons active.
Go to Nanostudio. Go to the Manage page. Go to the MIDI tab. Is the MIDI In light blinking? If so good. Now go to an Eden synth instance, to where you can see a piano keyboard. Did it start to play?
Well, that's about all I can add, it's pretty simple actually. Let me know how it works out-!
Thanks for the extra info... But, so far, I still can't get it to work out.
I'm using an iPad 2, ios 5.1, no JB. Do you think the jailbreak is making the difference?
I really hope this will work out, because I've been wanting to work with these apps together for a long time and I'm ready to stay up all night working on them <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":-)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->
But, I've gone through both your direction posts about 10 times, putting all the instructions together, and I can't get it to work....
Any idea what the problem is? (Yeah, it could be me, but I'm pretty sure it's either something with the some other settings or no JB.) I even reinstalled NanoStudio.
Go to Apple Settings App. Go to Beatmaker settings. Turn on Virtual MIDI Ports.
(the proof of this would be to get any other apps listening to BM, like Sunrizer or Animoog. Are they working for you?)
I honestly don't think the JB is making a difference here, and really really don't think that a reinstall matters either. But i could be mistaken, maybe some other heads out there can give this a spin and post their results...
Yes, Virtual MIDI Ports was already on. The synth apps I have (Animoog, Sunrizer, Addictive Synth) are all working with the set up that you posted. Only NanoStudio isn't working...
Is anyone else having this problem? Or even better, does anyone have the solution for this?
I'm the author of the much-maligned MidiBridge in this thread (!) and knowing a reasonable amount about how CoreMIDI works and NanoStudio's MIDI implementation, I think one missing step is that CoreMIDI net in and CoreMIDI net out must be looped using the 'localhost' trick. I don't see how events will flow without this - something needs to create the loopback and I wouldn't think StepPolyARP is secretly doing this. To the OP, are you sure you didn't use MidiBridge to the create the loopback at some stage?
It is possible to get Nano to recognise BM2 using MidiBridge and the 'localhost' trick, but what is vital is the order in which it is done.
This works, step by step (just followed this myself):
1. Terminate all music apps or reboot your iDevice to start everything from a clean slate. Unplug any physical MIDI devices.
2. Start NanoStudio first (as it resets the whole CoreMIDI network when it starts).
3. Press Home button and launch MidiBridge. Route MidiBridge in (on left) to CoreMIDI Net out on right. Remove any other routings.
4. In MidiBridge Prefs:
- ensure 'Run in Background' is 'On'
- enter 'localhost' (no quotes) in CoreMIDI Destination Host/IP Address
- press 'Connect' button
If all is well, there should be a little '2' over the Interfaces tab
button.
5. Now launch BM2 (you can also launch it from MidiBridge) and in BM2's MIDI Setup send MIDI OUT *only* to MidiBridge. Make sure 'Network Session 1' input is OFF or you'll get a nasty infinite loop. Ensure the OUT button at the bottom is highlighted so BM2 sends MIDI out. Start your song playing in BM2.
8. Double-tap Home and switch back to Nano which should now respond to BM2's events.
Now, in theory, you could use SPA to do the bridging, but again the order is important (to work around Nano's MIDI peculiarities) and you'll need something to make the localhost loopback.
Thanks for your post. MidiBridge works to bridge the two apps! You left out one step in your instructions:
- In MidiBridge, you have to draw a green line between MidiBridge and CoreMidi Net Out to send the signal. If you don't do this, MIDI data doesn't get to NanoStudio.
I spent about $20 on the 2 apps (MidiBridge and StepPolyArp), which is, sadly, hard on my wallet right now. But, this goes back to the orginal point in my posts above: being able to tie all these apps together is a huge plus /win , no slight or negative against any of the apps. And, I can see that I'm going to get a lot of good use out of both MidiBridge and StepPolyArp. For me, being able to concentrate on writing from BM2 (which is for me my most comfortable hub to work from), and have the other apps synced up so I can jump in and out to create parts with great sounding patches w/out having to load /tweak samples is a huge jump forward. And it looks like AudioBus is on the way.... It's a funky way to work, but it's pretty fast, and all in all, for me, the ios way of life is about as efficient as my macbook multitasking, strangely.
Nic, no intention here to put down your app. Thanks again for your help with this! My OC had gotten the best of me and I was doomed to waste much more time without your intervention <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":-)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->
You left out one step in your instructions:
- In MidiBridge, you have to draw a green line between MidiBridge and CoreMidi Net Out to send the signal. If you don't do this, MIDI data doesn't get to NanoStudio.
That is in step 3! <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":-)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->
Nic, no intention here to put down your app. Thanks again for your help with this! My OC had gotten the best of me and I was doomed to waste much more time without your intervention <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":-)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->
Nic, I really appreciate you jumping into this with the real method. I use your MIDIBridge app all the time, but hearing a bit more about the inner workings definitely shines new light.
If you have deeper knowledge you can share about what's going on in MIDI behind the scenes, demos, examples, +++, i'm sure we'd all appreciate-!
I restarted my iPad and my method stopped working, so MIDIBridge is definitely figuring into the mix, but i never did the 'localhost' trick, so its not clear to me just why this was working in the first place without your app actively running. When i get home tonight i'll put some more time into this, i'd still like to know how StepPolyArp is doing what it does.
Nic, i think you are onto something. [ ... snip ...]
If you have deeper knowledge you can share about what's going on in MIDI behind the scenes, demos, examples, +++, i'm sure we'd all appreciate-!
I have tried to document how CoreMIDI works in relation to MidiBridge and the result is the 'Understanding MidiBridge' guide which is available here: http://j.mp/v7WfYC.
On my list of things to do is document the secrets of NanoStudio's CoreMIDI implementation and how to master it. MidiBridge v1.4 is going to have note remapping inbuilt including presets for driving Nano's TRG from external GM or (Yamaha) XG drum pads fed by an external physical MIDI device. To get this working, requires careful 'gymnastics' to get Nano to receive only from the Network port; using trial-and-error I was able to figure out how to trick it into behaving. I'll post when I have done the document, although that won't be until I actually get v1.4 out the door, hopefully over the next 4 weeks.
As to why it worked once and now it doesn't for your particular setup, well I can't really say, but something fed the MIDI events into the CoreMIDI Net source. Maybe it was BM2 or SPA (for example if they wrote events in error to the CoreMIDI Net input instead of the output) - if you never did the localhost thing in the first place, then I suspect it wasn't MidiBridge!
If you do manage to make it work again, let us know if you can reproduce it.
For anyone interested in combining Beatmaker and Nanostudio with MidiBridge-
You may want to read this: [ ... snip ... ]
And I have added a step-by-step howto/recipe to the 'Understanding MidiBridge' guide on giving NanoStudio a virtual input which is usable by BeatMaker:
Comments
Also, can I use StepPolyArp to use BeatMaker to run my synth apps like Sunrizer or Animoog? If you can, Is it the same process? (I want to write parts in BeatMaker but have the sounds come out in real time through these other synth programs. Will StepPolyApp do that and how do you set it up?)
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.intua.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2834">viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2834</a><!-- l -->
But I still can't get NanoStudio working...
When you want to control a Core MIDI app, such as Nanostudio, one would think that MIDIBridge would do the job. But I've found that in some cases, it doesn't. That's where StepPolyArp comes in. I've found it's a 'better' MIDI bridge. Anyway, here's how:
Start Beatmaker. Make an instrument. Make a sequence in the track editor. Loop it, play it.
Start StepPolyArp. Open the MIDI Settings. Set MIDI in to Beatmaker 2. Set MIDI out to Network Session 1.
Start Nanostudio. Go to the Manage page. Go to the MIDI tab. You should see the MIDI In light blinking now, it should be receiving Beatmaker 2 MIDI through StepPolyArp. That's it-!
-
I'm sharing this not to say one app is better than another, but when we combine different apps together, it increases the functionality of all. Many people have said Beatmaker would be even greater with its own internal synths like Nanostudio has, but instead I'm hoping that the developers at Intua focus more on expanding MIDI interoperability, specifically adding MIDI Program Change messages (which StepPolyArp recognizes), then we would have a real beast on our hands-!!!
Thanks to all the great developers out there for giving me something to do on my subway ride to work everyday. My quality of life has gone up exponentially since the Virtual MIDI revolution...
(And I agree with you, tying the apps together through MIDI is only a plus for all the apps, not a slight on any of them.)
What device/iOS version are you on? I'm using an iPad 2, iOS 5.0, JB.
hmmm, I just did it again from scratch and it works. Let me see what else I can say about the process...
Follow my first steps, get all the apps running, then:
Go to Beatmaker, to the MIDI Setup panel, make sure no inputs are selected. They should all be switched off, whatever they are. Make sure the only output is to Network Session 1. Make sure the MIDI out and Clock are active. Latency doesn't matter. Close MIDI Setup. Go to your instrument, to its MIDI Cofiguration panel. Make sure its MIDI in is set to NONE, and its out is set to channel 1.
Go to StepPolyArp, to its MIDI settings. Make sure the MIDI out channel is 1. Make sure the MIDI in is not filtering any channels. Do not have any notes in the step sequencer. Do not have the Clock, Latch, or Arp buttons active.
Go to Nanostudio. Go to the Manage page. Go to the MIDI tab. Is the MIDI In light blinking? If so good. Now go to an Eden synth instance, to where you can see a piano keyboard. Did it start to play?
Well, that's about all I can add, it's pretty simple actually. Let me know how it works out-!
I'm using an iPad 2, ios 5.1, no JB. Do you think the jailbreak is making the difference?
I really hope this will work out, because I've been wanting to work with these apps together for a long time and I'm ready to stay up all night working on them <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":-)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->
But, I've gone through both your direction posts about 10 times, putting all the instructions together, and I can't get it to work....
Any idea what the problem is? (Yeah, it could be me, but I'm pretty sure it's either something with the some other settings or no JB.) I even reinstalled NanoStudio.
Go to Apple Settings App. Go to Beatmaker settings. Turn on Virtual MIDI Ports.
(the proof of this would be to get any other apps listening to BM, like Sunrizer or Animoog. Are they working for you?)
I honestly don't think the JB is making a difference here, and really really don't think that a reinstall matters either. But i could be mistaken, maybe some other heads out there can give this a spin and post their results...
Is anyone else having this problem? Or even better, does anyone have the solution for this?
It is possible to get Nano to recognise BM2 using MidiBridge and the 'localhost' trick, but what is vital is the order in which it is done.
This works, step by step (just followed this myself):
1. Terminate all music apps or reboot your iDevice to start everything from a clean slate. Unplug any physical MIDI devices.
2. Start NanoStudio first (as it resets the whole CoreMIDI network when it starts).
3. Press Home button and launch MidiBridge. Route MidiBridge in (on left) to CoreMIDI Net out on right. Remove any other routings.
4. In MidiBridge Prefs:
- ensure 'Run in Background' is 'On'
- enter 'localhost' (no quotes) in CoreMIDI Destination Host/IP Address
- press 'Connect' button
If all is well, there should be a little '2' over the Interfaces tab
button.
5. Now launch BM2 (you can also launch it from MidiBridge) and in BM2's MIDI Setup send MIDI OUT *only* to MidiBridge. Make sure 'Network Session 1' input is OFF or you'll get a nasty infinite loop. Ensure the OUT button at the bottom is highlighted so BM2 sends MIDI out. Start your song playing in BM2.
8. Double-tap Home and switch back to Nano which should now respond to BM2's events.
Now, in theory, you could use SPA to do the bridging, but again the order is important (to work around Nano's MIDI peculiarities) and you'll need something to make the localhost loopback.
I hope this helps.
Regards, Nic.
Thanks for your post. MidiBridge works to bridge the two apps! You left out one step in your instructions:
- In MidiBridge, you have to draw a green line between MidiBridge and CoreMidi Net Out to send the signal. If you don't do this, MIDI data doesn't get to NanoStudio.
I spent about $20 on the 2 apps (MidiBridge and StepPolyArp), which is, sadly, hard on my wallet right now. But, this goes back to the orginal point in my posts above: being able to tie all these apps together is a huge plus /win , no slight or negative against any of the apps. And, I can see that I'm going to get a lot of good use out of both MidiBridge and StepPolyArp. For me, being able to concentrate on writing from BM2 (which is for me my most comfortable hub to work from), and have the other apps synced up so I can jump in and out to create parts with great sounding patches w/out having to load /tweak samples is a huge jump forward. And it looks like AudioBus is on the way.... It's a funky way to work, but it's pretty fast, and all in all, for me, the ios way of life is about as efficient as my macbook multitasking, strangely.
Nic, no intention here to put down your app. Thanks again for your help with this! My OC had gotten the best of me and I was doomed to waste much more time without your intervention <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":-)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->
That is in step 3! <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":-)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->
No offense taken - glad you got it to work.
Regards, Nic.
If you have deeper knowledge you can share about what's going on in MIDI behind the scenes, demos, examples, +++, i'm sure we'd all appreciate-!
I restarted my iPad and my method stopped working, so MIDIBridge is definitely figuring into the mix, but i never did the 'localhost' trick, so its not clear to me just why this was working in the first place without your app actively running. When i get home tonight i'll put some more time into this, i'd still like to know how StepPolyArp is doing what it does.
On my list of things to do is document the secrets of NanoStudio's CoreMIDI implementation and how to master it. MidiBridge v1.4 is going to have note remapping inbuilt including presets for driving Nano's TRG from external GM or (Yamaha) XG drum pads fed by an external physical MIDI device. To get this working, requires careful 'gymnastics' to get Nano to receive only from the Network port; using trial-and-error I was able to figure out how to trick it into behaving. I'll post when I have done the document, although that won't be until I actually get v1.4 out the door, hopefully over the next 4 weeks.
As to why it worked once and now it doesn't for your particular setup, well I can't really say, but something fed the MIDI events into the CoreMIDI Net source. Maybe it was BM2 or SPA (for example if they wrote events in error to the CoreMIDI Net input instead of the output) - if you never did the localhost thing in the first place, then I suspect it wasn't MidiBridge!
If you do manage to make it work again, let us know if you can reproduce it.
Regards, Nic.
Reproducing it = doesn't matter anymore. Your method works.
For anyone interested in combining Beatmaker and Nanostudio with MidiBridge-
You may want to read this:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://forums.blipinteractive.co.uk/node/1252">http://forums.blipinteractive.co.uk/node/1252</a><!-- m -->
And then read this:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.audeonic.com/#freewi">http://www.audeonic.com/#freewi</a><!-- m -->
That will work for you too, I've tried it.
http://j.mp/I8WDyX
Regards, Nic.