How r new electribes for sequencing external midi?

01iv3r · Post by **01iv3r** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:08 am

Anyone have some insight into how good or bad the new electribes (incl. the sampler model) are for sequencing external midi gear? Or could you point me in the right direction of where this is thoroughly documented? Information from Korg on this seems scant.

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:46 am

The MIDI spec is in the 2nd to last page of the Manual:

http://i.korg.com/uploads/Support/USA_E ... Manual.pdf

01iv3r · Post by **01iv3r** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 8:51 am

Hmm.. that doesn't tell me much about E2s capabilities or workflow for sequencing external gear via midi. I did a bit more searching and found some info on this thread, which doesn't sound promising.

Seems like fixed midi channels for each part and might not even output MIDI notes of the parts being played back..?

I still don't really have a picture of it's capabilities for recording or playing back MIDI.

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:05 am

My E2 is the master clock. It is the brain of my entire set up.

01iv3r · Post by **01iv3r** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:12 am

Tarekith wrote:The MIDI spec is in the 2nd to last page of the Manual:

http://i.korg.com/uploads/Support/USA_E ... Manual.pdf

Ha! Tarekith, I just watched you're extremely informative youtube review of the E2. Huge thanks for posting that!

ps. pretty sure I was using some of your sweet ass Live effect racks for some mashup dj sets like a decade ago! mad respect!!

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 1:53 pm

Frenzies · Post by **Frenzies** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 8:42 pm

01iv3r wrote:Hmm.. that doesn't tell me much about E2s capabilities or workflow for sequencing external gear via midi. I did a bit more searching and found some info on this thread, which doesn't sound promising.

Seems like fixed midi channels for each part and might not even output MIDI notes of the parts being played back..?

I still don't really have a picture of it's capabilities for recording or playing back MIDI.

I use mine to control my iPad via use midi and to control 5 other hardware synths via midi with a Kenton Thru 5 box. Each track is fixed on the corresponding midi channel, but this is no big deal. It's easy enough to record midi in to it from external, but I have found it's a bit buggy if you have in and out to the same synth. Most of the major CCs are mapped already, filter frequencies and resonance etc, if your hardware accepts those commands. Just turn the internal engine amp down to 0, or set it to Ext Audio if the hardware responds to volume control messages. I don't sequence everything from the e2, I prefer to run Volcas from their own sequencer, though I do send the cv sync out to the Volcas to ensure everything stays in time. I find this a really easy and solid set up to work with and have found no real downsides to it.
Oh and it sends midi from all the tracks when they are being played back, and from the gate arp.

01iv3r · Post by **01iv3r** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:08 pm

Frenzies wrote:I use mine to control my iPad via use midi and to control 5 other hardware synths via midi with a Kenton Thru 5 box. Each track is fixed on the corresponding midi channel, but this is no big deal. It's easy enough to record midi in to it from external, but I have found it's a bit buggy if you have in and out to the same synth. Most of the major CCs are mapped already, filter frequencies and resonance etc, if your hardware accepts those commands. Just turn the internal engine amp down to 0, or set it to Ext Audio if the hardware responds to volume control messages. I don't sequence everything from the e2, I prefer to run Volcas from their own sequencer, though I do send the cv sync out to the Volcas to ensure everything stays in time. I find this a really easy and solid set up to work with and have found no real downsides to it.
Oh and it sends midi from all the tracks when they are being played back, and from the gate arp.

Wow! That sounds fantastic! Huge thanks for the detailed reply. Mostly, I would love to be able to groovebox style sequence a Shruthi-1, P5 & preenfm2 and likely some other DIY synth kits (been addicted lately) from an e2 and a QuNexus controller. Otherwise, I'm plugging it all into Live and routing it through my audio/midi i/o. The portable standalone functionality and sd export to Live would be an amazing bonus too. And would just switch to Live when need more robust sequencing and tracking.

I was worried the e2 might have some deal breaker issues with recording and playing back midi. Slaving each mini synth to it's own MIDI channel is no problem as they're all deeply configurable. Funny that the E2 is not yet configurable in the same way.

Love the idea of using the knobs on the E2 to control external synth parameters. I didn't realize that's how it worked. Gonna check the parameter guuid to see how it's cc values line up to the synths I got. Worst case they're all open source and could be modified.

Thanks again man. I'm stoked. Now just waiting to hear the first reviews on the Sampler edition.

01iv3r · Post by **01iv3r** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:56 pm

Tarekith wrote:The MIDI spec is in the 2nd to last page of the Manual:

http://i.korg.com/uploads/Support/USA_E ... Manual.pdf

Thanks for the heads up on where the E2s "MIDI Implementation Chart" was buried. Using it now to see which of the stock CCz match up to the Shruthi, P6 and preenfm2.

edit: while watching your review on the OP-1

Frenzies · Post by **Frenzies** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 1:32 am

01iv3r wrote:
Frenzies wrote:I use mine to control my iPad via use midi and to control 5 other hardware synths via midi with a Kenton Thru 5 box. Each track is fixed on the corresponding midi channel, but this is no big deal. It's easy enough to record midi in to it from external, but I have found it's a bit buggy if you have in and out to the same synth. Most of the major CCs are mapped already, filter frequencies and resonance etc, if your hardware accepts those commands. Just turn the internal engine amp down to 0, or set it to Ext Audio if the hardware responds to volume control messages. I don't sequence everything from the e2, I prefer to run Volcas from their own sequencer, though I do send the cv sync out to the Volcas to ensure everything stays in time. I find this a really easy and solid set up to work with and have found no real downsides to it.
Oh and it sends midi from all the tracks when they are being played back, and from the gate arp.
Wow! That sounds fantastic! Huge thanks for the detailed reply. Mostly, I would love to be able to groovebox style sequence a Shruthi-1, P5 & preenfm2 and likely some other DIY synth kits (been addicted lately) from an e2 and a QuNexus controller. Otherwise, I'm plugging it all into Live and routing it through my audio/midi i/o. The portable standalone functionality and sd export to Live would be an amazing bonus too. And would just switch to Live when need more robust sequencing and tracking.

I was worried the e2 might have some deal breaker issues with recording and playing back midi. Slaving each mini synth to it's own MIDI channel is no problem as they're all deeply configurable. Funny that the E2 is not yet configurable in the same way.

Love the idea of using the knobs on the E2 to control external synth parameters. I didn't realize that's how it worked. Gonna check the parameter guuid to see how it's cc values line up to the synths I got. Worst case they're all open source and could be modified.

Thanks again man. I'm stoked. Now just waiting to hear the first reviews on the Sampler edition.

Just checking, it doesn't seem to send modulation or motion recorded CCs to external units, so you can only control them in real time.

01iv3r · Post by **01iv3r** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 4:53 am

Frenzies wrote:Just checking, it doesn't seem to send modulation or motion recorded CCs to external units, so you can only control them in real time.

Seriously?! that sucks! So if you're modifying parameters on an external synth which transmits and receives CC values, the electribe won't record these or play back these CC messages? What about mod wheel and pitch bend? That seems like it would MASSIVELY limit the devices potential for sequencing external gear.

edit: the question has been asked specifically on this thread http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpbb2/ ... 897#631897

mstrnic · Post by **mstrnic** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 1:37 am

01iv3r wrote:
Frenzies wrote:Just checking, it doesn't seem to send modulation or motion recorded CCs to external units, so you can only control them in real time.
Seriously?! that sucks! So if you're modifying parameters on an external synth which transmits and receives CC values, the electribe won't record these or play back these CC messages? What about mod wheel and pitch bend? That seems like it would MASSIVELY limit the devices potential for sequencing external gear.

edit: the question has been asked specifically on this thread http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpbb2/ ... 897#631897

MIDI Chart in the Manual (page 65) states that neither After Touch or Pitch Bend is transmitted or received.

Don't know about what's recorded though... i really hope that CC/Automation is saved. I want to buy this device next month.

01iv3r · Post by **01iv3r** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 3:02 am

mstrnic wrote:Don't know about what's recorded though... i really hope that CC/Automation is saved. I want to buy this device next month.

Sounds like only CC values used for internal parameters are recorded and no CC values are output over MIDI during playback.

Frenzies · Post by **Frenzies** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 11:59 am

01iv3r wrote:
mstrnic wrote:Don't know about what's recorded though... i really hope that CC/Automation is saved. I want to buy this device next month.
Sounds like only CC values used for internal parameters are recorded and no CC values are output over MIDI during playback.

After touch and pitch bend are not transmitted or recognised internally. For me, pitch bend is the big omission.

meggul · Post by **meggul** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:24 pm

Is midi out only via the jack plugs or can usb be used?