Korg Forums

pete.m · Senior Member Joined: 05 Apr 2013 Posts: 484

I'm starting to use my recently-acquired Virus TI2 desktop with the Kronos as master. I'm well-used to working with MIDI, but I can't figure out what is going on in this particular case. I appreciate that the problem isn't likely to be with the Kronos itself, but I'm wondering if one of you has struggled with the same issue.

The problem I have is in getting the Virus to stay on the multi that I have selected. Let's say that I have decided to use the Virus multi '4 Init Multi' for my song. What happens is that, every time I stop the song, the Virus returns to '0 Init Multi' - the first multi - and I have to change it back to '4' again. And again, and again...

After a lot of experimentation, I've found a peculiar workaround which kind of works, but which makes no sense to me. Let's say that I'm still wanting to use '4 Init Multi', and that the MIDI Global Channel on the Virus is set to 1. So, on MIDI channel 1 on the Kronos, I have to select a program - any program - that ends in 004 (eg Bank A-004, Bank F-004 etc). That way, the multi won't change. I don't know why it works, though.

Doing this doesn't affect the patch I decide to use on the Virus - I simply select the patch on the Virus itself. But if I then want to transmit a program change from the Kronos on that channel during the song, the Virus loses the plot because the program no longer ends in 004. (I can transmit program changes on the Virus using all other channels that I am controlling from the Kronos, just not on Channel 1).

The program change issue isn't the important thing here, because I'm using multiple channels and don't always need to make program changes. But the whole thing seems a bit bonkers. I can't understand why it is that I can only get a multi to stick by using this weird method, and I would appreciate it if anyone can tell me where I'm going wrong, and how I could do things better.

yeskeys · Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 5:46 pm Post subject:

Are you creating the song on the Kronos? or your DAW? I can't recall if the Virus has an internal sequencer...
You probably already know this, but make sure there's no program change command hitting the Virus from the source of your song in the first measure.

I have been known to be a master of the obvious....
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pete.m · Senior Member Joined: 05 Apr 2013 Posts: 484

There's nothing wrong with being a master of the obvious - that's often all that is required, especially when I'm stuck on something!

I'm creating the song on the Kronos. At the moment, I'm using just those two instruments with the usual MIDI connections. I don't think that the Virus has a sequencer, but I'm only ever going to use it as an external tone module anyway.

I didn't know about avoiding program changes in the first measure - thanks for that - but, in this instance, the program changes I had put in were all placed later on in the song.

Mike Conway · Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 11:56 pm Post subject:

pete.m · Senior Member Joined: 05 Apr 2013 Posts: 484

Thanks, Mike - you've helped me enormously there.

I wasn't aware of sequence mode (or 'multi-single', as some call it) before, and I have to say that I like it better than Multi mode in many ways. It dispenses with the need to set up and select separate multis, and also you don't need to store it after you've finished - that's a great way of working.

I struggled for a while with figuring out what was going on with the MSB and LSB selection, because they didn't respond in the way I had expected. What happens is that I can select a bank using MSBs with no problem, but selecting a value for LSBs doesn't work. What does work is to leave the LSB value at 000 and alter the number in the program select box on the Kronos' main sequencer menu page instead, and that does what I had expected the LSB to do. Not sure why it should be like that, but it works.

My one reservation is that sequencer mode on the Virus won't store any EFX settings you choose (like it would in a Multi), unless you store the updated program separately. But that's small beer.

Thanks again, Mike. I really appreciate your help, particularly as the problem probably doesn't stem from the Kronos. The Virus' manual is poor, and there wasn't much information to be found on the Virus users' forums either - no disrespect, but they don't cover nearly as much ground as this forum, and what is on there relates mostly to DAW issues, of course. I'd have been stuck without you.