Author Topic: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 49/61  (Read 46265 times)

Offline Hermu

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[Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 49/61
« on: May 12, 2015, 10:42:40 AM »
Preset for NOVATION Impulse 49/61 to use in DAW-Mode

Last Update October 15, 2017:
- additional functional improvements
- Track, Bus and ACT mode support


How to use:
1. download and install latest AZ Controller version
2. Connect NOVATION Impulse 49/61 with BasicMIDI Setup
3. Start Cakewalk and load a Project
4. use Cakewalk Plugin Manager and import "Novation Impulse 61.spp" for AZ Controller
5. configure AZ Controller and assign NOVATION Impulse 61 Input-/Outputport
6. after attached plugin "NOVATION Impulse 61" is selected and loaded, NOVATION Impulse 61 is initialised to use in DAW-Mode
the NOVATION Impulse 49/61 buttons Mixer (near the faders) and Plugin (near rotarys) are now on and can be switched on/off
if NOVATION Impulse 49/61 did not work, please check connection and port assignements.


Preset Configuration (Mixer and Transport):
Mixer=On
Plugin=On


SHIFT:
=====

[Shift]+[Track >] - Shift Mixer to next track
[Shift]+[< Track] - Shift Mixer to previous track
[Shift]+[Bank ^] - Shift Mixer to previous track -8
[Shift]+[Bank v] - Shift Mixer to next track +8
[Shift]+[Page ^] - Select next Bank 1..4
[Shift]+[Page v] - Select previous Bank 4..1
[Shift]+[Button 2] - Select Mode: Track
[Shift]+[Button 3] - Select Mode: Bus
[Shift]+[Button 4] - Select Mode: ACT
[Shift]+[<<] - Goto Previous Marker
[Shift]+[>>] - Goto Next Marker
[Shift]+[Stop] - Goto Start
[Shift]+[Play] - Set Marker, Marker can also be set during playback


Bank select:
========
[Shift]+[Page ^] - Select next Bank 1..4
[Shift]+[Page v] - Select previous Bank 4..1


Button select:
=========
Mutes/Solos button switches Mute/Solo button functionality

Bank1,2,3:
- Button: Off = Track/Bus: Mutes - ACT: actual values
- Button: On = Track/Bus: Solos - ACT: actual values

Bank4:
- Button: Off - Track/Bus: Select Track/Bus - ACT: actual values
- Button: On - Track: Rec.Arms - Bus: Solos - ACT: actual values


Mixer:
====
Fader 1..8 - Track Volume with Track Select for Track 1..8
Fader 9 - Main Volume for Stereo Master
Encoder 1..8 - Encoder Value for Track Pan, Bus Pan and ACT Values
Mute/Solo 1..8 - see Button select
9/Master - see Button select


Transport:
=======
<< - Rewind or stops playback on actual playback position
>> - Forward or stops playback on actual playback position
Stop
Play - Start/Pause playback or stops active rewind/forward and continues playback on actual position
Loop On/Off
Record
« Last Edit: October 15, 2017, 09:40:08 PM by Hermu »

Offline rivers88

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2015, 04:59:25 AM »
I've been using this with my Impulse 49, and it is REALLY nice -
Thank you for the work that must have gone into this!!

One problem I have noticed -
Whenever I use the template with Sonar, it remaps the MIDI channel of my Mod Wheel.
Instead of Channel 1, like all the other controls, it changes the mod wheel to Channel 3.
I have to do a factory reset on the Impulse 49 to get the Mod Wheel channel back to Channel 1.

I'm still very new to the AZSlow plugin, so any tips on how to address & correct this issue would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Offline azslow3

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2015, 10:06:27 AM »
Hermu's preset just activate one of Impulse presets, it does not remap anything. So you can reconfigure MIDI Channel for ModWheel on Impulse itself, the change can be saved and so it will be permanent.

My answer is based on Impulse documentation and how I understand it, in case that does not work or you need more precise instructions, try to ask on Novation related forums (I think that is not DAW).

Offline rivers88

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2015, 03:05:34 PM »
Appreciate the quick feedback!

Unfortunately, this issue does appear to be caused to the control surface plugin preset -

I can do a factory reset restore for all the Impulse 49 settings, and everything reverts back to MIDI Channel 1, including the Mod Wheel channel.
(I'm using the default "BasicMIDI" keyboard preset on the Impulse)

Using the same Impulse keyboard preset, if I launch Sonar without the control surface setup, everything is sending MIDI Channel 1, as expected, but of course none of the mixer functions are mapped.

Using the same Impulse preset, as soon as I enable the control surface settings using this plugin preset, all the mixer and other keyboard functions are enabled properly and transmitting MIDI Channel 1, but for some reason the template resets the Mod Wheel to MIDI Channel 3.  I have to manually reset the Mod Wheel to Channel 1 - but the plugin preset sets it right back to MIDI channel 3, which definitely causes a problem when trying to use the Mod wheel with my synth plugins and external hardware.

Note that once the MIDI channel is changed by the plugin preset, and with the keyboard still at the default "BasicMIDI" preset, the Mod Wheel remains on Channel 3 even after I exit Sonar, until I manually reset the keyboard settings (i just use factory restore - quicker that way...)

I don't know if using the Impulse 49 with the Impulse 61 plugin preset might be part of the problem, but I haven't had the chance to spend much time with the plugin at this point, and am a bit of a loss a to where to look to try to figure out which settings are causing the Mod Wheel to change from MIDI channel 1 to Channel 3. So far, it appears that the Mod Wheel is the only control MIDI channel that appears to be changed by the plugin preset; all the other controls appear to be working as expected.

Appreciate the help with this!!

« Last Edit: October 24, 2015, 03:15:33 PM by rivers88 »

Offline azslow3

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2015, 04:44:01 PM »
If you send me the documentation with SysEx sequences to change Mod Wheel channel (I have not found such information in the user manual), I (or you) can check where it is sent. Hermu is sending some text messages (for display), may be one of it by mistake change the channel.

Offline azslow3

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2015, 07:06:13 PM »
I have found interesting thread: http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=259&t=422120
Some part is about some other script for some other DAW, but symptoms are the same: as soon as DAW connects, Mod Wheel is on channel 3. Unfortunately, there is no solution in this thread.

Other thread: http://forum.novationmusic.com/forums/impulse/impulse-61-modulation-wheel-problem

I do not have the device, documentation is not detailed and I have not found the protocol specification. I hope Hermu or someone else with Impulse can help or I have just missed something in google.


Offline rivers88

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2015, 12:40:28 AM »
Well bummer -
I was hoping this would be a fairly quick fix.  :(

Not having a usable mod wheel on my primary controller is kind of a big deal -
I'll start a template from scratch and see if I can come up with something usable  ;)

Thanks for the assist, all the same!!!!
« Last Edit: October 25, 2015, 01:00:53 AM by rivers88 »

Offline azslow3

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2015, 01:28:34 AM »
No need to start preset from scratch...

Open "Feedback" tab and find '_Init::Timer" (the first). Then delete 2 first actions (2 SysEx marked "Init"). Restart Impulse (so ModWhell is on channel 1). It can happened that your controls will not be assigned correctly with (impulse) preset you want to use, you can reassigned them in the "Hardware" tab.

If still no luck, try remove other "SysEx"es from the (AZ Controller) preset.

Offline azslow3

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2015, 10:15:07 AM »
The only place I have found mentioning initialization SysEx is Impulse support in BitWig:
https://github.com/bitwig/novation-impulse/tree/Improvements, mentioned in one of the forum.

Impulse has 20 presets, but it can also have some "native" mode (just a guess, no info about that). In any case, the initialization is done with 2 sequences "6 1 1 1" and "7 19" (the rest is SysEx header for impulse). 6 and 7 are "commands" (f.e. 8 and 9 are setting the text on display). So, either "1 1 1" or "19" are real instruction to switch into particular mode.

Can you check which template is active in "normal" factory reset state and after Sonar is started with AZCtrl/Hermu preset? are these the same? If not, may be you just can adjust the channel for Mod Wheel in the Impulse preset in question (in the mentioned thread, with some firmware version, that is not possible to do after the preset is activated from computer. In this case do factory reset and without starting Sonar do the modification: switch to this Impulse preset, modify Mod wheel settings and save the preset).

Offline rivers88

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2015, 12:20:10 AM »
Very strange -
Once the plugin template changes the Mod Wheel MIDI channel, the Mod Wheel is no longer accessible for editing from any of the Impulse built-in templates.
I have to perform another factory reset to recover the ability to change the Mod Wheel parameters.

Based on what little has been discussed on other forums, it appears that the Impulse does have some known strange quirks where the Mod Wheel is concerned.
I can live it for now, since I can force the Mod Wheel MIDI channel from within Sonar and Cantabile, and can do a factory reset if I need to bypass the computer and control my external synths directly.

Other than the Mod Wheel issues, your plugin solves MANY more problems than it creates, and is a huge improvement, IMHO, over the Novation Automap implementation for Sonar.  Appreciate all your help!

Offline azslow3

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #10 on: October 27, 2015, 12:57:45 AM »
Credits should go to Hermu. But may be to me as well, for patient convincing him to try my plug-in on official forum (I have got -3 votes during that discussion)  :)

But have you tried to avoid one or both initialization SysExes?

Offline cbarn

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #11 on: May 15, 2016, 09:58:55 AM »
I have a Novation Impulse 61 and have been toying with setting it up in AZSlow (right now, just doing some prelim work to see how it behaves using MIDI-OX).  I think I've figured out the problem with the mod wheel (it occurs with the expression pedal and sustain pedal too). 

I'd exchanged some email with Novation to try to set the pad colors, and get better control of the buttons and lights in general.  In some exchanged emails, they sent me the sysex sequence that puts the Impulse into "Control" mode:  F0 00 20 29 67 06 01 01 01 F7.  Control mode lets you do a few things you can't normally do:  you can directly read almost all the buttons.  You can toggle the faders between mixer and midi mode, and read different messages off them depending on the mode; same with the rotaries.  You can toggle the lights on the mute/solo buttons (but not on the mute/solo mode toggle, as far as I can tell).  You can set the colors on the pads (red/green/amber, varying brightnesses, flash) when they're in Clip mode.  Lots of possibilities!

It does come with a drawback - setting that mode locks the mod wheel, expression pedal, and sustain pedal to channel 3, which isn't very helpful!  I think that's bug, and I've asked Novation if they know a workaround - no word yet.

However, I found a workaround.  You can turn control mode back off (losing all its function, and losing any lighting you did) by sending F0 00 20 29 67 06 00 00 00 F7.  (I'll just abbreviate from hereon out - incidentally the 07 19 function referenced earlier in the thread doesn't seem to do anything, and the Impulse doesn't acknowledge it as it does with the 06 01 01 01 sequence, so I don't think it's valid).  But it's more granular:  each byte controls a single function:  it's really 06 aa bb cc.  Set aa to 01 and you get full mixer/midi control of the fader section.  Set bb to 01 and you get full mixer/midi/plugin control on the rotaries.  Set cc to 01 to enable clip mode on the pads and set their colors.  And here's the good part:  the MW/EP/SP lock to channel 3 happens only if you set all three modes active.  If you leave one set to 00 (say, you don't use the pads, or are happy running the faders only in midi mode) then the MW/EP/SP continue to transmit on the proper set channel, NOT on channel 3.

Waiting to hear back from Novation on whether this is fixable, but in the meantime it at least gives me a workaround to play with. 

Offline azslow3

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #12 on: May 17, 2016, 11:32:41 AM »
Yes, unlike InControl (MK2, but it is almost the same as MK1) Novation has not published AutoMap devices related specification...

Let me know in case you think I can help with something.

Note that I have a bit different approach constructing presets. You can have a look at HUI v2 preset, the idea is to define "generic" action list as a "function" for some control type/group (for example "fader") which depends from one State Set only (logically something like "strip no"). In that case once I want modify the whole group, I can modify just in one place. All final control have the list like "Set StripNo to 5. Call _fFaderActions.". All that is "functional programming" which is as old as computers, the only problem while rather simple for programmers it can look fancy for musicians. That is why I was not using that approach before, but I (and MarKo) was suffering too much from "copy/pasting" action lists. For example in Sonar it is possible to save "FX Chain" preset, which is (with presets in general) a kind of the same idea. But they are not allow to modify preset with effect in all places it is already in use, that will be just "too much programming oriented"  :)

Another idea is recently added OSC related. Some phone/tablet logically (and may be physically) glued to hardware controller can add "big HD touch screen" for little money. Since it is possible to use the same preset for hardware controller and OSC, this "display" can show what is going on with controller (mode, bank, parameter names and values) along with additional controls. With (coming soon...) "ACT Fix", that can elevate controllers like Impulse up to NI NKS/Akai Advance level and a bit upper (since AZCtrl+OSC+HW controller is Sonar "native" approach unlike plug-ins only oriented other solutions). I do not have any example yet (the only published OSC preset is "stand alone"), but I have a plan to make one (MPK Mini + Android tablet).

Offline Boscoe

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2016, 03:46:45 AM »
Hi all, I'm trying to get my impulse 61 running. I've got it in DAW mode but have the modwheel problem. I want to try cbarn's workaround, but I have no idea how it's done. I found info on manually installing firmware on Novation's website, and downloaded MIDI-OX. It sounds like this will do what I need, yes? -Or is there an easier way?

And so, if I want to set the novation to sacrifice the pads in order to have everything else functioning correctly, I need to send this:

F0 00 20 29 67 06 01 01 00 F7   -is that correct?  Do I need to do or send anything else? Or can I just send that string and everything will be awesome (except for no pads)?

FOLLOW UP: Okay, I think I've got it working, though for some reason the modwheel is now set specifically to control the fader on track 2, and if I move it while I'm in a plugin or soft synth, it STILL controls fader #2 and causes the Impulse to lose focus and stop working as a midi keyboard until I close and reopen the soft synth. ...so now I'll go find out how to remap it and hope that fixes this new problem. :)

« Last Edit: July 13, 2016, 04:21:15 AM by Boscoe »

Offline azslow3

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Re: [Hermu] NOVATION Impulse 61
« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2016, 10:55:51 AM »
Looking at the preset, I guess I understand "Mod Wheel problem" now... The problem is in the default Impulse Control mode mapping, in this mode:
Fader 2 sends "Channel 1, CC 1" messages
Encoder 2 sends "Channel 2, CC 1" messages.
But CC 1 IS "Mod Wheel" message! And so "Mod Wheel" on channels 1 and 2 are BUSY. So Novation force real ModWheel to the first free channel, so channel 3!

In case you "manage" to avoid the change of MW channel, if it sends default signal "Channel 1, CC 1", it is still mapped to the second fader. So your last update confirm my theory.


And so I see only 2 possible scenarios:
1) you are ready to accept ModWheel on channel 3. In Sonar you can force the channel in the Track settings. So only in case you want to use your hardware Synth IN PARALLEL with Sonar that can cause problems.
2) find the way to change Impulse Control mapping and force channel movement... as discussed before, not sure that is possible at all


Note that current preset put Impulse into Control mode and keep it there... Buttons "Mixer/MIDI" and "Plug-in/MIDI" are not doing anything. It is possible to switch Impulse into normal mode on Project closing or on some button press (sending 6 0 0 0). But that will not unlock Mapped in AZ Controller messages, so you will need to configure MIDI mode to send other messages. For the same reason, ModWheel should still be on channel 3. I had long time plan to enable message unlocking in AZ Controller, may be will do this soon...