M3-M Attached to a Fantom-X8?

[nedrob]

I currently have a Fantom X8. I love the keyboard action and piano sounds but have been blown away from the demo vids I have seen of the M3. Also, I have been a Karma admirer for years but was never able to pull the trigger and buy one.

How hard is it to hook up the M3-M to the Fantom? Is it just a MIDI cable connection? I read that the M3-M uses a 9 pin midi connector to hook up to the M3. Is there an adapter for standard 5 pin midi?

The Fantom does not have a ribbon controller nor an x-y joystick. From the vids, it seems that these are really big parts of driving the realtime sound changes from the M3-M. Is there any 3rd party controller out there that will duplicate these functions?

Does is seem reasonable to hook up the Fantom to the M3-M or will I always be worry that I didn't just go for it and get the 88 key version (which would probably require selling my Fantom)?

Thanks,

Ned

[GregC]

The M3-M has standard midi,I own one

I midi my Rd700sx to it. Its great

[Cabes]

I use the M3M with a fantom x8. I really love it. The M3 is a great partner for it imo. And just a 5pin midi lead does the job.


The only problem with the fantom however, is that it has 128 user performance areas, whereas the m3 has 384(??)ish. So you are limited there by the fantom somewhat.

[DrWho]

I am thinking the following should work based on what you said.

If I hook up the midi out of my Triton Studio to the midi in on the M3 - nothing. But if I hook up the Midi out of the M3 to the midi in on the TS - it works.

Any ideas?

[shrike]

If I hook up the midi out of my Triton Studio to the midi in on the M3 - nothing. But if I hook up the Midi out of the M3 to the midi in on the TS - it works.

Should work in both setups, just take care of which one's sounds you want to play.

For example, if you connect M3's midi out to Triton's midi in, than M3 is controller/master and Triton is slave, but Triton's internal sounds will be played, not M3's (of course, this depends on setup and can be changed, but basic one works this way).

In this instance, you can separate sounds - make M3 receive ext data on midi channel 2 and every sound you assign to midi channel 2 will be playable on M3's keybed and every sound that you assign to midi channel one will be playable on Triton's keybed (assuming Triton's global midi setup is set to midi channel 1, Gch).

So, this works the other way around too - if you connect your Triton's midi out to M3's midi in, with basic setup, you'll control M3's internal sounds with both keyboards/keybeds. There is no way it won't work. It has to. If it doesn't, go to global settings on each workstation and make sure everything is set up the way it should be.

If both workstations global midi channel is set to Gch, meaning channel 1, then both keybeds will control/play the same sound, from workstation which is connected midi in.

I hope this helped.

[DrWho]

Thank you for responding - I still can't make it work though.

I even tried reloading preload on both, am using the same midi cable so I know the cable works, for both went to Global and made sure Ch1 is Gch.

I can play the TS from the M3, but not the M3 from the TS.

I don't need to actually separate the two - I just bury the volume on the TS. I just want to use the TS because it has more keys I want the full range.

I even tried disabling the CC, changed the clock reference - still won't work. There must be some secret setting .......

This is driving me NVTS - nuts!

[shrike]

So, you want M3's sounds on both keyboards, if I got it right.

Try this:

connect Triton's Midi out to M3's Midi in.

1. ON M3's global midi settings:
midi channel: 1
checked local control,
midi clock: internal

2. on Triton's global midi settings:
midi channel 1
checked local control
midi clock: external midi

If this doesn't work, try this:

leave everything as described.
Make one combi on Triton and assign every timbre in that combi to midi channel 2 and to EXT.

Than make one combi on M3 and set one timbre to midi channel 2 and INT. Try playing on Triton, now your timbre in M3 set to midi channel 2 should play on Triton's keybed and not on M3's.

See if that works.

If it doesn't, I'm on MSN for 20-30 minutes than I'll go to sleep (shrikehyp@msn.com)

[DrWho]

I tried all your suggestions - still no M3 sounds when played from TS.

Funny - if I switch roles - it works fine - including the switching the midi ch. to 2.

I know my TS works correctly on midi in and out because I use it w/Karma software on PC. So I am starting to think there is a problem on the M3.

I can't do MSN chat.

thanks for your help - at least you confirmed that it should work the way I think it should work.

[shrike]

Well, there is only one reason I can think of for your Triton doesn't want to play sounds from M3 - your Triton is very offended by the fact you want to use M3's sounds and not his own sounds. That's why he doesn't wont to work.
Who could blame him...

[DrWho]

[DrWho]

So should this work?

Both set Global to Ch 2.
Both have sequence setup for voice on Ch 2
Both have local control Disabled!

Route M3 - midi out to TS midi in - route TS midi Thru to M3 midi in?

and vice versa?

[shrike]

Well, no need to set both on channel 2 in global settings, just one of them.

Local control disabled - why do you want to do that?

Now, I'm sorry if I'm explaining something you already know, but do you know what do you get when you turn of local control? If it is enabled, you can control your modulation sources, as pitch bend, switches, ribbon etc; if it is disabled, they wont work.

The thing is, everything should have worked with setup I previously wrote.

I see no point in going midi thru. You should use midi thru if there are more than two keyboards in chain. For example, if you can one more keyboard, you can set you chain for third keyboard to be on midi channel 3, connected midi out - to midi thru on second keyboard which is set to midi channel 2 and connected midi out to midi in M3, which is set to midi channel 1. Now in combi mode you can disperse sounds on three keybeds, regarding of timbre's midi channel.

Maybe there is something wrong with M3's midi in port? If you can control Triton's sounds with both keyboards, but can't control M3's sounds with both keyboards, that could be the issue.

[DrWho]

I was trying the midi thru thing as a debugging experiment. I got the same results.

I also spent some time trying to get the M3 editor to work - that is unreliable as well. So I am wondering if there is something wrong with my M3

I've spent soo much time on this researching an experimenting it isn't funny.

Thanxs for your help.

={> Art

[shrike]

The easiest way to solve this (is it malfunctioning or we aren't smart enough to make it work) is to take someone else's M3 and try what you tried in first place - to control M3's sounds with two boards. If it works with some other M3, than your M3 has faulty Midi In.

This could explain issues with Editor as well (if you connected M3 and PC with MIDI, that is).

[DrWho]

Yes - if I only knew someone local w/an M3.

I did get the editor to work - via USB - with the laptop. Is not reliable with the desktop - dunno why - will work on that one later - like when the KARMA editor for the M3 comes out.

I'ld hate to have to drag my M3 back to Guitar Center to make a test

Maybe I'll repost this with a new topic - one more descriptive - maybe that will have a chance that someone else reading the M3 forum will be able to make a similar test.