Help with MIDI !

sjo89

I use a Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 and have the accompanying H&K MIDI controller, which right now I just use to switch between my various presets stored within the amp. However I want to also configure my Strymon Mobius with these presets so that it is controlled by the MIDI controller too. Just not sure how to configure this both from a wiring and programming point of view? Thanks

normula1

Simplistically, connect a second MIDI cable from the "THRU" on the H&K to the "IN" on the Strymon. If both devices are on the same MIDI channel or are set to "OMNI" (listen on all channels) then preset one on your controller should set preset one on the H&K and also the Strymon. Similarly preset two on the controller should then set both onto preset 2.
The fun starts when you want them to be different, and the ability to do that depends on what the controller can send and what the devices can respond to.

english_bob

normula1 said:

Simplistically, connect a second MIDI cable from the "THRU" on the H&K to the "IN" on the Strymon.

If the MIDI controller is a footswitch thing on your pedalboard it would seem simpler to connect the MIDI controller to the Strymon first, then send the "THRU" connection from there to the amp, otherwise you're running two MIDI cables back and forth to the amp unnecessarily.

Unless the Strymon doesn't do MIDI THRU properly, in which case use either normula1's method, or a MIDI THRU box on the pedalboard to split the signal before the Strymon.

Roland

Midi uses logical “channels”. If your midi controller can send to two different channels at the same time then you can put the amp and the Strymon on different channels. This has two advantages. The messages which you send to device one are ignored by device two. So changing a Reverb or Delay setting won’t cause your amp to change, and vice versa.

The other advantage is that you don’t have to create as many patches on the different devices.

sjo89

Cheers guys. I don't know if my MIDI controller can do multiple channels though. I think the first answer is my best bet as that way I can continue to use the 7 pin connector which always provides power to the unit and then use a 5 pin to connect to mobius. Actually figuring out how to program all this is gonna be tough though as I'm just an old school knobs and dials guy at heart!

english_bob

What MIDI controller are you using? It might help people give more specific advice.

sjo89

http://hughes-and-kettner.com/products/accessories/fsm-432-mk-iii/