Thanks for replying @lokki Yes, yes, it is not new tech, but my understanding is that I can make it work for MPE because it can send data out (notes, pitchbends, CCs) on separate channels.
It is a standard Roland Hex Pickup with a thirteen pin cable, running into an axon AX50 midi converter.
The Axon has a neat feature of being able to send a CC of your setting from the position of your pick when it strikes the string (i.e., pick nearer the neck, low value for CC, near the bridge, higher). It sends this per string as well.
MPE notes are working fine this way. MPE seems to take whatever it gets as long as it gets separate channels.
The separate notes are working in vital, and the CC trick is working. The problem is that it will not accept any continuous CC data, which seems like a problem in a continuous controller.
You can see this in the midi monitor in the vid if it is not too blurry. The first value is read when a new string is struck, but subsequent plucks on the same string register the new note, but not the new CC value. The only way to get a new CC value on the string is to let the first note go completely to note off. When it receives a note off, it snaps back to center like a pitch wheel instead of a modwheel, which would keeps its place til the next CC. This is a software setting since the MPE standard as I read it will allow for unipolar, bipolar and absolute reading of the data, and I dont see why it needs to get a note off before reopening the continuous controller data.
Pigments has its own trouble (or more accurately, I’m having trouble with pigments!) – it is not reading any CC values at all – but it has settings for CC number to use for the Y/Slide, and a choice of unip0olar relative, bipolar relative, and absolute for how it reads the data. For the few seconds I have gotten it to work, it read the CC messages continuously and correctly on the same string, no prob.
I am pretty sure I am asking for things that are within the MPE protocol, but I have not worked through the whole doc yet and I keep learning as I do. If you can help me get the last 40% of MPE working, that would be awesome, or if I can see where the shortcomings in my controller are specifically, I might be able to play around with remapping to get them to work.
On the separate string thing, I have a song from long before MPE where I play six synths, one per string, with six mod wheels set up. That was fun!
