I need a good, simple guide on learning and implementing MIDI. I would like to store and recall presets for Ghosts (plus CB Lost & Found, CB Mood MK2, Eventide H90 and other pedals using a pedal switcher). I have tried multiple times to start learning, and each time I got overwhelmed and stopped. I am ashamed at not being able to learn this, and I am convinced it can’t be that complicated and yet here I am.
Can you recommend a good starting place?
Start by sharing your setup, what you’re using to pass and send midi, etc.
Try this, explaining is clear.
Do you already have a MIDI controller or a MIDI-capable loop switcher? If so what’s the make/model?
Storing and recalling presets via MIDI is probably the simplest task in MIDI setups, but a couple of basic notions need to be understood.
That video linked above by Scott Uhl is excellent, and he’s a fantastic teacher - has a great talent of explaning complicated things in a very easy to digest and concise manner.
Think of MIDI as your e-mail communication with colleagues at work.
The MIDI Channel will be the e-mail address, so you know for sure who gets the message.
MIDI Messages are… well, your e-mail messages) They tell your colleagues what you want from them.
How exactly you create such an email and where you put the email address, and where you put the message, depends on you MIDI controller.
I have a Morningstar MC6 controller w/ ML5 loop switcher. I bought them used, and have yet to use them,
I think I need to start with some more dummy-level understanding. I would eventually like to use guitar > [Beano] > [TB MKI] > Morningstar ML5 > CB Preamp MK2 > CB L&F > Ghosts > CB Mood II > Tone King Imperial pre > power amp > speakers.
Totally doable.
There is gone be a slight learning curve but nothing crazy; first learn how messages works for midi in general (see video), it’s very quick and simple
MC6 can do almost anything imaginable in MIDI ) Even if it’s the Mk1. Beware though that MC6 Mk1 will require you to use a dedicated editor, you can fund this info on the MS website.
The learning curve will be a bit steep, because it’s a very powerful controller.
Morningstar have their own video tutorials that are great, I recommend checking them out.
My advice to approach MIDI is the following:
Lay down what you WANT first. Don’t try to “encompass everything”. You can start with some very simple and basic “needs”, and then expand and learn afterwards. Your current midi controller will certainly NOT be a limiting factor ))
Think of it as “figure out what you want your colleagues to do upon receiving your e-mail” ))
Think of it “What words should you then send to your colleagues by e-mail so that they do what you want”.
After you did the first two steps - start learning your MIDI controller documentation. This is the most time-consuming part. Think of it as "how to use your e-mail client to send an e-mail to your colleagues with the right words so that they do (hopefully)))) what you want them to do.
If this does not work - come back here, we’ll try to help)
while OP is exploring, can i hijack the thread to ask if i understand right that midi has worked fine on ghosts for people? just got mine, and am struggling; successfully changed the midi channel on the pedal, but seem to be struggling to save presets via PC messages.
before i throw up the play-by-play, have i got the basics right? find the settings i want while in live mode, then switch to preset bank, then send a PC message with the number of the preset slot i want to use? is that the process, or am i missing something/doing it wrong?
If your description is correct, then no, this is not the process to SAVE a preset via MIDI. What you describe is the procedure to CALL a preset via MIDI.
I highly recommend reading very carefully the Ghosts manual. Jaak has done a great job of compiling a very comprehensive document.
To save a preset, you need to send a PC message, WHILE the Ghosts is in Preset mode (hold the Layers button for 3 sec).
thanks, and sorry, but i don’t understand the difference between what i did/described and the process you describe. i promise you i referred to both the print manual and the one online.
is the part i’m missing that you don’t find the settings you want first, then put it in preset mode to save them? do i need to enter preset mode first, then adjust the knobs, then send the PC message?
OK, for avoidance of confusion, can you please describe step by step your actions?
You said “switch to preset bank”. What exactly do you mean?
You need to dail in your settings first, then long-press the Layers button to enter the Preset mode, and then send a PC message from a MIDI controller with a PC number of the slot, in which you want to store your settings.
Is this the procedure you’re following?
yes; that’s exactly what i’m doing. i mean, wrongly, seemingly.
here are the details i threatened about my rig, in case helpful:
i’m running through a boss es-8, with its midi out going to a disaster area midi box. i’ve got the slot outputting to ghosts set as midi type a, and a 1/4" TRS cable that i’m 99% sure i’ve used successfully with other pedals.
i have a patch on the es-8 with the correct midi channel receiving a PC message of 11. (apologies if i’m using terminology wrong.) i was under the impression this would save my settings to preset slot 11. i’m then going into onboard presets on the pedal and changing to one of the six onboard presets, purposely picking one using a different model so i can see whether that led changes color when i select the patch on the es-8. so far, the model led is not changing to the correct color.
Can you confirm that your Ghosts is actually receiving MIDI from your Boss ES-8?
The easiest would be to try CC81 to toggle bypass On and Off. Program your ES8 either via patches, or via an Assign, and try toggling CC81 values 0 and 127, and see if Ghosts turns on and off.
thanks; wish i’d thought of that. but no luck.
realized that the es-8 uses 0-127 instead of 1-128, so i tried changing the channel to 5, but same result.
i’m down to one other pedal with a 1/4" midi input; gonna confirm whether i can send PC message to it using the same controller/midi box/cable. will report back.
so i confirmed that midi works with my setup; everything was the same except the pedal. my strymon iridium was able to receive a CC message.
i plugged back into ghosts, and tried CC81 again; this time, I had the midi box output set to TRS type B. It still did not toggle the bypass switch. the only difference between how i tested the two pedals is that i set the channel on the iridium by sending a PC message, where on ghosts, i set it via the Layer button, as per the manual. or tried to, anyway. that seemed to be successful, as entering the preset bank puts me on the channel i chose.
ОК, then apparently your Ghosts does not communicate with your ES8.
Let’s troubleshoot it first.
Note that MIDI channels are 1-16, there’s no “0 to 15” tricks for the purposes of this conversation.
Try setting the Ghosts to Ch1 (leftmost LED set to Green), and set ES8 to send to MIDI ch 1.
This part “…that seemed to be successful, as entering the preset bank puts me on the channel i chose.” sounds very suspicious )))
MIDI channels have nothing to do with presets. So entering the Preset bank will tell you nothing about the MIDI channel.
fair point; i mixed 'em up because you accomplish both via the Layer button, right?
but i went ahead with your instructions, and as far as i know set the midi channel back to 1. when i disconnect power and reconnect while holding the footswitches down, the Model LED lights up green – channel 1, right? but when i send a CC81 message with a value of 0 to channel 1 via the ES-8, the same way I sent one to the iridium, it doesn’t put the pedal in bypass.
I can’t help but reference the Ghosts manual once again )
To change MIDI channels, you need to apply power to the pedal, while holding BOTH footswitches. Then, yes, you cycle through available MIDI channels with the layer button, but after you made your selection, you need to press Touch footswitch to confirm the selection.
Did you do all of this as described?