just started using something like this single input KVM switch to quickly switch the thumb drive between the laptop and the mm. no more physically plugging/unplugging the drive with every patch update. with the kvm pointed to the laptop, u just save the yml on the thumb, hit the button on the kvm to switch over to the mm, and then the drive shows up on the mm. done.
note that the mm doesn’t yet support midi hubs, so you have to use a basic single input → 2 output type kvm switch.
relying more on the thumb drive, one could maybe even just leave the micro sd in at all times (im just using mine for plugin/firmware storage, final live set patches only, and eventually samples)
the next experiment is to try putting a 2nd ‘bi-directional’ kvm (switches between 2 inputs) into the main kvm, for quickly testing out midi controllers/keyboard - without having to manually plug/unplug swap the usb thumb drive and controller with each/every patch update.
Great tip, I have not enjoyed the sd card shuffle - especially with a patch that is really working as a vca and filter for my hardware Ensemble oscillator. I can’t really test it in VCVrack. {I found a different WARNING DO NOT USE THIS WITH MM Amazon.com DO NOT USE THAT SWITCH! EDIT 10/3/24 Developer does NOT recommend it!}
I have ordered a midi to USB cable and a hub - NO point in a hub as MM does not recognize a hubs at the moment.
I hope it will work with the MM. I’m not sure it will as it needed a driver in windows - I just thought of that (rats) - maybe touchOsc on an ipad might work too…
i have a bcr2000 and tried it with mm and it works great! sadly usb hubs don’t work yet with mm. ive seen dan has mentioned before he will get them working in the future. for now i am going to try a dual kvm setup to easily switch midi controllers and the thumb drive without constant unplugging/plugging:
Well cool!
I guess I don’t need the $10 midi to usb I ordered.
Was it difficult to map the knobs from BCR to knobs on mm modules?
Did you map them in VCV first or do it on the mm?
Can you give some brief instructions or did you follow the doc and it worked fine? Do the endless encoders on bcr avoid knob pickup?
So many questions - sorry about that. This module has me very excited.
Thanks much!
The only weird thing I found with the usb switch was that mm stayed powered up - when I turned the power off on the go-case - until I disconnected usb from mm.
no worries! my bcr2000 is all setup with absolute mode on all the knobs so i dont know if mm can handle ‘relative’ messages. for my quick bcr test above i just mapped the knobs directly in the mm (the instructions here ). imo its definitely easier/faster to hook the midi knobs up inside of vcv.
that definitely sounds interesting- so you’re saying the mm was being on powered by the usb port? wonder if that’s a feature…
No, that’s not right. The USB-C jack will not properly power the MetaModule. For one, the MM will not “request” any power from upstream devices, so a USB-C compliant device should not be sending power to the MM. I’m not following the exact adaptors and cables you used in this setup…? Did you use the hub? Or just the switch? Something would have to be non-compliant in order for this to happen. I’m ordering the items in the links in your post.
The MM has an internal power switch that it uses to turn on/off power to devices that request it, and that switch shouldn’t allow for power to go the other way. I’m a bit confused how that would even happen… The audio inputs and outputs need +/-12V so there’s no way the MM would be fully functional even if the somehow a USB device forced +5V into the MM via the USB-C port.
I power up the go-case. when the docking station power button is on >if I turn off the go-case 4ms stays on - if (power off already - go-case) power off hdd docking station, 4ms shuts down.
If I only power up the hdd docking station, 4ms does not boot up.
Does that make sense
Good morning, I just tested. My BCR is setup as relative for all knobs (used for CSI for REAPER) in vCV rack 2 I was able to map a rack knob to relative cc from bcr, however. the knob just jumps to those values.
Ex:
move bcr knob counter clockwise cc val 65 is sent to VCV knob jumps to 65 (halfway up),
move bcr knob clockwise cc val 1is sent to VCV knob jumps to 1.
Not very useful. May need more research.
Wouldn’t this be expected behavior on a device with a usb c connector?
I don’t know what mm is running on rasp pi, you don’t have to say, but wouldn’t any device with a usb c allow it to be powered from that connector?
No, the USB-C specification has three ways a device can operate: power source, power sink, and DRP (both sink and source). The MetaModule uses a custom board (based on an STM32MP1 chip) and establishes itself as a power source only.
Ok, I got the USB switcher you linked to, and it’s doing the same thing for me. The MM stays “on” when I shut power off, but the audio ins/outs die (or sound horribly distorted). I traced it on the circuit, and it’s not harming the MetaModule’s CPU but it might be bad for the codec chip since the codec is powered down and feeding modular-level audio into it could damage it in theory.
The switch is not behaving as a USB switch should, it’s just connecting the power rails from all three ports together. When combined with a USB-A to C adaptor (which simulates a device, even when one isn’t connected) the MetaModule opens to switch in order to supply power, but with no Eurorack power, it flows the opposite way and enough current gets in to keep the CPU and RAM turned on.
So I don’t recommend using this USB switch! It’s doing something dangerous and non-compliant. If it doesn’t break your MetaModule, it might break some other gear you have. The other one that @offthesky posted this one does not have this bad behavior and seems to be built better.
