GR-55 - Marc Benigni's GR-55 TouchOSC Navigator for iPad

Started by MCK, February 17, 2011, 03:05:24 AM

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Toff.

#375
I do, I do :)
The very reason I was glad to get your template converted by Fabien into TB Midi Stuff - much easier from there rather than start from scratch again with Floorboard.
I also used the midi.xml information from Gumtown's software.

There is a Lemur module circulating on the forum, from Xtian82 whom I have been in touch with by email - another great dude and testimony to this community :)
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=5379.msg71596#msg71596 (this is Tracy Evan's thread on his own Lemur experiment).

Unfortunately, none of these templates/modules show how to change TONE NUMBER for PCM 1 & 2, and I am looking into Gumtown's work how he did it.
*EDIT* Marc, I just looked at your latest template and can see the differences with Fabien's adaptation, with regards to PCM.
I am going to have fun ^^ HUUUUGE thanks.

My other issue at the moment is trying to bypass Lemur's drop down menu limitation of 32 options max (!?) to list the PCM tones by genre.

PS: Marc, I'll move my comments and feedback from here into the thread listed above, as to keep things separate from your TouchOSC work and facilitate future search.
By all means, please feel free to drop in this other thread :) Your expertise on the Sysex side is much appreciated.
Musical regards,

Toff.

Godin nylon ACS special edition (Light Burst Quilted Leaftop), Taylor T5 Classic, Fishman Triple Play, Roland GR-20, Roland GR-55, TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3, Digitech Vocalist Live5, iConnectMidi2+

mbenigni

#376
QuoteI also used the midi.xml information from Gumtown's software.

It sounds like you're a step or two ahead of me then.  I wasn't aware at the time that there was a human-readable XML file... chances are that would have saved me a lot of effort.  Ah well...

Quote*EDIT* Marc, I just looked at your latest template and can see the differences with Fabien's adaptation, with regards to PCM.
I am going to have fun ^^ HUUUUGE thanks.

My other issue at the moment is trying to bypass Lemur's drop down menu limitation of 32 options max (!?) to list the PCM tones by genre.

This was a real hassle in TouchOSC, and a 32 option max in Lemur will present challenges as well.  Ideally, you'll want a hierarchical pair of dropdowns, where the first selects a genre, as you say, and repopulates the descriptions and values in the second dropdown, which in turn selects an actual PCM voice.

TouchOSC doesn't have any sort of dropdown controls, nor any way to associate an array of descriptions with numerical values, so in my original template (i.e. GR55 2013) I cheesed it with sliders for each genre, where you swipe from left to right to select the specific instrument.  This puts all of the voices on screen with pretty minimal effort, but you have to sort of hunt around to find a specific voice, and there's no way to see its name/number without looking at the GR55 (and being on the appropriate GR55 edit screen at the time.)  In the newer version (GR55 2014) I've set up individual buttons with individual labels - one button per PCM voice.  This is much more intuitive to use, but there's no practical way to get every voice on screen at once, so I have to pick my favorites, adjust the labels, adjust the underlying SysEx... this will be a long tedious task, and I may or may not ever actually get it done.   :(

Toff.

Quote
his was a real hassle in TouchOSC, and a 32 option max in Lemur will present challenges as well.  Ideally, you'll want a hierarchical pair of dropdowns, where the first selects a genre, as you say, and repopulates the descriptions and values in the second dropdown, which in turn selects an actual PCM voice.

Well, the community is strong on Lemur, and I got help to understand how to fake a drop down menu, using a container and sub options (max items: 16).
Basically, options are a subset of text lines which can be selected (16 of them).
Then, the trick is to create container (which is like a up/down slider) to allow browsing all the options - This requires coding to scroll all "boxes" of options on top of each other while the main container is scrolled, using hide & show as well.

A bit cumbersome, I admit (reminds me of old Dynamic HTML / Javascript 2), but it does the trick and allows browsing more than 32 elements at a time for sure (just managed 123, which is the amount of "Synth Lead" tones).
And they have to be pre-filled by hand - hard coded. No hope to build the content from the GR-55's content, but chances of Roland adding new tones is slim and would only require updating a few lines of code.


Next step will be to allow showing each of the containers I created only when a master one (showing the tone family) is selected.
That should be easy.


Quote
It sounds like you're a step or two ahead of me then.  I wasn't aware at the time that there was a human-readable XML file... chances are that would have saved me a lot of effort.  Ah well...

As always, we have our very own Elantric to thank for that - He placed the link to this in the GR-55 top things to know thread, teh FAQ and about everywhere people where discussing Sysex.
(and, of course, Gumtown actually did find 99% of the Sysex we rely on - karma to him forever)
Musical regards,

Toff.

Godin nylon ACS special edition (Light Burst Quilted Leaftop), Taylor T5 Classic, Fishman Triple Play, Roland GR-20, Roland GR-55, TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3, Digitech Vocalist Live5, iConnectMidi2+

mbenigni

QuoteGumtown actually did find 99% of the Sysex we rely on - karma to him forever

Absolutely!

mbenigni

Joe Conti:  I got your last VM, but your inbox is full and I can't reply.  I hope you see this:

QuoteThanks for the reply - i did try to download that on the ipad but it only shows unrelated apps to open it with:  OnSong, Google Drive, etc..

    I see that it is a one way street with the communication, and that is fine as a librarian will help me sort thru things, but I cannot seem to load that template into Touch Osc.  Also, touch osc in not listed in the apps on the ipad, only under the General- usage- manage storage (just to delete the app)

   I did see the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4,  and am looking at other ways to get these gizmos talking....  any other suggestions are appreciated!  It looks great as for as real time in the trenches tweaking...  I have a free hand sometimes!

This is a red flag and pretty much a show stopper.  First thing is to get this sorted out.  Are you looking at iTunes, or trying to manage all of this on the iPad itself?  If you have touchOSC installed, you should see it in iTunes when you bring up the Apps tab for your device.  From there you would select the app and see all of the default templates in the file list on the right.  Then click "Add File" bottom right, and select the touchOSC file you downloaded from my post.

I agree (obviously) that having an iPad editor on hand is awesome for real-time tweaking.  :)  But I'm still concerned that you're going to have trouble finding a compatible interface.  Forum member Elantric knows a bit more about OSC protocol than me, and he owns a Focusrite Scarlett.  I strongly recommend you post that same question to the thread I linked, so you'll have the benefit of his experience.  I'll be keeping up with your efforts too!

Best,
Marc

Elantric

#380
At this hour the biggest hurdle for anyone who wants to run Marc's GR-55 TouchOSC Navigator for iPad is the crucial requirement for the Jabrudian Missing Link Wireless OSC to MIDI converter hardware unit. Marc created his GR-55 Control using Touch OSC's native "OSC" (Open Sound Control) communication protocol.

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=8984.msg99414#msg99414

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Sound_Control

The Jabrudian Missing Link Wireless OSC to MIDI converter hardware unit is necessary to translate "OSC" to "MIDI"  - MIDI is required for the GR-55 to understand the commands.
The sad news is that as of Oct 2014 - the Jabrudian Missing Link Wireless OSC to MIDI converter is no longer being manufactured
https://www.facebook.com/WifiMidi
QuoteDear Missing Link friends and fans, please note that the Missing Link is no longer being produced, and there are no plans to revive it.

This has been the case for some time, I apologize for not being more active.

Best of luck with all of your musical and other projects, and thank you for all of your support.

Yours,
-Hans Lindauer

In the recent years - TouchOSC has added MIDI control to TouchOSC - but there are other IOS control platforms


*  MIDI Designer
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=7156.msg87979#msg87979

* TB MIDI Stuff
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=5798.0

*  Lemur
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=5379.msg93317#msg93317

All may be better suited to remain 100% MIDI - many include Bi-Directional MIDI communication now -   and avoid the OSC protocol required for Marc's solution. 

mbenigni

Sorry to hear the Missing Link was discontinued.  For a while it looked like Hans might update the firmware to support bi-directional communication.  But as I've said before, I don't think that alone would have guaranteed the GR-55 would respond appropriately to user input on the iPad.

As for touchOSC supporting direct MIDI, it's true, but in this mode it doesn't allow for SysEx strings, so it would be extremely limited with the GR55.  (See attached screencap from touchOSC editor.)

I guess the million dollar question would be:  Isn't there some alternative OSC-to-MIDI interface that could be used in place of the Missing Link?  Or is this a protocol that's conventionally brokered by a Mac/PC?

I wish I could remember the sequence of events that led me to using OSC in the first place.  TouchOSC was probably cheapest at the time, and one thing led to another, until finally I'd purchased the Missing Link and went for broke.  I've considered doing the project again on another app, but I can't justify the investment in time right now.  Shame, I wish more people could have benefited from this work.

Geer

I had trouble finding a GR55 midi controller and ended up with making one for the IPad myself. I used MidiDesigner. I wanted it to work without using SysEx massages for my Alesis IO dock1 is not SysEx compatible. They say the dock2 does SysEx.
Here it is:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=7156.msg97380#msg97380

asb2m10

Quote from: mbenigni on November 12, 2014, 11:06:58 AM
I guess the million dollar question would be:  Isn't there some alternative OSC-to-MIDI interface that could be used in place of the Missing Link?  Or is this a protocol that's conventionally brokered by a Mac/PC?

I think it's doable by using a Raspberry PI + USB WIFI dongle; for under 50 bucks. Since the site (wifimidi.com) is down, where can we find the documentation of "Missing Link" osc/midi protocol ? I think this would be an interesting project.

Is there any Mac/PC program that can do the OSC -> Midi translation ?

Macciza

Could probably do it in Lemur fairly easily.
If all you need is to send OSC to an IP address then it should not be a problem.
If the ML can be configured to send back to the necessary port on the iPad the bidirectional is possible.
Cheers
'70s Strat, Brian Moore iM, VG-8, VG-99, FC-300, VL-70m, StringPort, SoftStep, Sentient6, iMac QC i7 27".

eniovasconcellos

#385
Hi guys! Sorry if this quest is out of topic. But I recently finished my Arduino foot controller for  GR-55, and I am having some trouble with compatibility between arduino and GR. I am using program change to access the patches. When I send this commands to windows PC or a yamaha keyboard everything works ok. But, when plugged to GR-55 nothing happens. When I plug arduino to windows PC (or keyboard) midi IN and then Midi out to GR-55 midi IN,  it works like a clock!! Looks like there is some freq. issue that impossibilities GR-55 to recognize arduino PC messages. Does anyone knows what's possible happening? 

mbenigni

#386
That is very strange.  The only thing I can think of where Arduino->Computer->GR55 is concerned, is that possibly your computer is translating the PC message from a specific (wrong) channel number to Omni?  But it seems unlikely that your Yamaha keyboard could be configured to do the same.

I'm not specifically familiar with Arduino, but once you're transmitting MIDI, the source shouldn't be relevant.  Just be sure that you are sending and receiving on the correct MIDI channel.  (And to be clear:  you are sending MIDI to the GR55 via 5-pin MIDI cables, and not USB cable, right?  The USB jack on the GR55 will not process USB-MIDI directly.)

And if possible try sending a SysEx string formed as follows, instead of a straight PC message, and see your results are any different:

0xf0 0xb0 0 0 0xb0 0x20 0x00 0xc0 [patch number] 0xf7

Hope this helps.  Let us know.

eniovasconcellos

thank you mbenigni! Yes, I am using 5pin standard midi, not usb. I will try to use sysexc instead of PC.

gumtown

If you are sending PC only, check the GR-55 Midi Program Table is set to "Fixed",
if it is set to "Programmable" it will require Bank Change _ Control Change _ Program Change midi messages to respond.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

eniovasconcellos

The quest is finished! GR-55 is now working! Cause: resistor 2k2 wired from 5vcc to midi jack pin 5. it was limiting the current causing gr-55 not recognize the incoming signals. I changed it to 220r and it solves the problem. one more time Very very thank you all!!!!

Elantric

Excellent to hear the success of your MIDI Hardware debug efforts !

mbenigni

Impressive troubleshooting!  Glad you got this sorted out.

asb2m10

Quote from: mbenigni on November 12, 2014, 11:06:58 AM
I guess the million dollar question would be:  Isn't there some alternative OSC-to-MIDI interface that could be used in place of the Missing Link?  Or is this a protocol that's conventionally brokered by a Mac/PC?

Since I find the TouchOSC navigator quite useful, I've decided to write my own "missing link" for the Raspberry Pi : https://github.com/asb2m10/PiLink

It is quite basic for now but all of the TouchOSC panels are now functional without the need of an external computer ;)

What is cool is that the GR-55 USB midi interface on Linux is detected out of the box so no need for an external midi interface, simply plug your GR-55 USB to the Raspberry Pi. I had to add an usbwifi interface (20$) to make it truly wireless with my setup though...

Elantric

#393
asb2m10

Thanks for sharing your efforts with us here!

====
https://github.com/asb2m10/PiLink
PiLink - OSC to midi for the Raspberry Pi
PiLink is a simple python script that enable to route OSC messages to midi. It has been designed to be run headless on a Raspberry Pi to avoid to setup a computer between a device that sends OSC messages (like a iPad running TouchOSC) and a midi instrument.

PiLink tries to mimick some of the functionalities of the "defunc" Missing Link device.

Upon startup, the script will wait until /dev/midi1 is available. To stop the script simply send CTRL-C. If it is running at startup, simply kill it via SSH.

Installation

Copy the script to /home/pi
Set the script to executable: $ chmod +a+x /home/pi/pilink.py
In /etc/rc.local, add this line /home/pi/pilink.py
Configuration

Most of the configuration is done directly in the script :

MIDI_DEV : change this to the configured midi device (usally /dev/midi1)
UDP_PORT : the port that pilink listen for OSC messages

mbenigni

This is great!  Thank you!  I'd love to see someone pick up where I left off with TouchOSC and GR-55 all those years (!!!) ago.

Jack

Hello

i want to use this great thing - i have an Ipad 3. generation and have load touch osc and tb midistuff but i dont know the right connetion from ipad to GR 55
Is it possible by camewra connetion kit or i rig midi interface or must i open the unit and put some interface in it ( i dont understand the pstet photos where the GR 55 is open and something is marked on the picture )
Please tell me more about the connection
(if possible someone could it write in german language ? )

Thanks  Jack

Elantric

#396
Unfortunately this touchOSC  Template for controlling the GR-55 relies 100% on the presence of the now out of production "Jabrudian Missing Link" ( OSC to MIDI Converter)
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=3205.msg20874#msg20874

The hurdle is at the time of its creation, Touch OSC IOS App transmits OSC (Open Sound Control) data messages over Wifi

The Jabrudian Missing Link was a magic gizmo that included a Wifi adapter to wirelessly receive the OSC messages from the iPad.  The Missing Link then converted the OSC Messages to MIDI Messages the GR-55 understands

Bottom line, no Missing Link = No working wireless GR-55 Control. 

This thread remains as an archive , and is all explained if you start from 1st post.

mbenigni

Quote from: Elantric on November 22, 2015, 05:26:19 AM
Bottom line, no Missing Link = No working wireless GR-55 Control. 

With the possible exception of asb2m10's Raspberry Pi solution above?  I understand that may be more involved a solution than most people want to get into, though.

Shame about the Missing Link.  I wonder how many were manufactured before they disappeared.  You'd think there would be used ones floating around by now.

asb2m10

Yes mbenigni, I'm planning to release a 'user' version for pilink that does everything within your browser. I need to finish first the next iteration of my other project (http://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/) and then it is pilink.

I will need beta tester in January, so anybody interested drop me a line and I'll add you in the loop. The only thing you need is a pi, configured USB-WIFI interface on the pi and some Linux experience (plus TouchOSC and the GR-55 off course).

For now, don't expect this project to be a replacement for the Missing Link; let's concentrate on mbenigni TouchOSC first; then it should be more easy to implement the other stuff afterwards.

::)

Eric63

Hi mbenigni,

I just bought a GR55, so buy also this :



A lightning edition for MIDI ;)

And TouchOSC too ofcourse !

Will try it tonigth ;)

For me it's a veru good complement to the FloarBoard.

Thx man