Controlling tempo via external MIDI clock?

allochthon · Post by **allochthon** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 2:32 am

I'm at a loss at how to do this. I want to send a MIDI time signal from a sequencer (Roland MC-303) to the Monotribe via MIDI out of the 303. I naively thought that the Doepfer Dark Time would fit the bill, but no dice. I can get it to sort of talk to a MIDI-controller via the 2.1 firmware upgrade and using a hand-wired 4-connector mini-jack from the CV/Gate outputs of the Deopfer. Pretty unimpressive result.

The only reference I have tracked down specifically referencing this - not controlling anything else besides tempo - was accomplished by sending a square wave from an LFO from a Deopfer Dark Energy into the sync.

I am very close to getting the MIDITribe, but I can't actually discern if it can do this. I control three other devices with the 303, and am aching to get the Monotribe on board.

Any thoughts welcome, although I will freely admit I'm a bit of a MIDI / CV dummy.

chris-korg · Post by **chris-korg** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:11 am

Get the MIDItribe !!!

It opens up much more possibilities for the Monotribe than anything else:

MIDI Note - ON / OFF
MIDI Velocity to VCA LEVEL (Needs MONOTRIBE OS 2.0)
Pitch Bend - Pitch Bend Wheel (-7 / +12 semitones)
LFO INT. - Modulation Wheel - CC 1
VCA LEVEL - Volume or Expression - CC 7 or CC 11 (Needs MONOTRIBE OS 2.0)
LFO RATE - General Purpose Controller 1 - CC 16
EG SHAPE - General Purpose Controller 5 - CC 80
LFO TARGET - General Purpose Controller 6 - CC 81
LFO MODE - General Purpose Controller 7 - CC 82
LFO WAVE - General Purpose Controller 8 - CC 83

AND you have MIDI-In and MIDI-Out !!

With only cv/gate-in you will have only very limited possibilities with the Monotribe.

Chris

darenager · Post by **darenager** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:06 pm

Or if you want a cheaper, better alternative:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Korg-Monotrib ... 4617cd33d3

darenager · Post by **darenager** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:08 pm

Or an external solution:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Midi-interfac ... 4618a0209d

DrHoo · Post by **DrHoo** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 7:00 pm

I use the amazing machines midi i/o & i just can't imagine a better mod kit out there.

allochthon · Post by **allochthon** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 8:14 pm

Thanks, all! MIDItribe ordered! I wonder how long it'll take to make it's way from Brazil to CA...

I'm hoping to mostly use the Monotribe sequencer as a slave to a drum machine, hence my question regarding having it only sync to the clock signal, nothing else. However, since the ribbon is fairly useless as a keyboard, what I'm hoping can happen is:

MC-303 out --> MicroKORG out --> Monotribe

Since the 303 is the master clock, and the MicroKORG is using external clock, I'm hoping I can enter in key info to the Monotribe and also have MicroKORG functionality (i.e., use it separately). I think I might have a problem, in that anything I play separately on the MicroKORG will still be sent to the Monotribe, which I don't always want...

So.. I may need to build/buy a manual MIDI-switcher so that I can turn off the signal from the MicroKORG so that it won't control the Monotribe. Or, switch it to be a direct slave of the 303. If the Monotribe will keep on doing it's thing once it loses or switches the MIDI signal, then cool.. if not, then it won't work.

Maybe I'll just need to get a MIDI controller with an in and out to preserve the clock?

Yes, I'm thinking out loud, but if this all makes any sense, please chime in and tell me I'm on the right track / loony.

Cheers.

darenager · Post by **darenager** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:46 pm

Well, if you have are happy with an ungrounded midi out, fine I guess, not for me though.

darenager · Post by **darenager** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:37 pm

chris-korg wrote:Get the MIDItribe !!!

It opens up much more possibilities for the Monotribe than anything else:

MIDI Note - ON / OFF
MIDI Velocity to VCA LEVEL (Needs MONOTRIBE OS 2.0)
Pitch Bend - Pitch Bend Wheel (-7 / +12 semitones)
LFO INT. - Modulation Wheel - CC 1
VCA LEVEL - Volume or Expression - CC 7 or CC 11 (Needs MONOTRIBE OS 2.0)
LFO RATE - General Purpose Controller 1 - CC 16
EG SHAPE - General Purpose Controller 5 - CC 80
LFO TARGET - General Purpose Controller 6 - CC 81
LFO MODE - General Purpose Controller 7 - CC 82
LFO WAVE - General Purpose Controller 8 - CC 83

AND you have MIDI-In and MIDI-Out !!

With only cv/gate-in you will have only very limited possibilities with the Monotribe.

Chris

Just to clarify this, the specs above are not exclusive to the Amazing Machines one, the Midi functions are part of the Monotribe firmware.

Google gameboy genius monotribe midi and you will see.

Yes cv/gate only gives control of the synth section.