We have seen Streamdeck XL+, Oxi E16, Modern MIDI Timepod and Elektra One Mini, etc. Can MM gain a module which would be made to do the stuff we would want, similar to these devices for parameter controls of other hardware/eurorack gear.
Colour screen (check)
Pages control (check) and Presets (check)
Knobs for bidirectional control (check) & buttons too (with expander)
Usb-midi (check)
The most flexible MIDI controller I have seen is an old iPad running Touch OSC. You can configure the controlling elements (buttons, sliders, dials, X/Y, and more) in any layout you can fit on the screen. TouchOSC runs on most everything out there. From the phone in your pocket to your iTablet Proâ˘. From a Raspberry Pi to a Windows touch-screen workstation. If you have any old portable rig kicking around, it most likely will run this program.
Thanks for sharing. What was described is not following the intent of raising the possibility of a MM module. I wonder if iPad was so good, why do people still eurorack and buy the hardware devices mentioned.
honestly, Im not sure I understand what this module would do, over the existing parameter mapping function?
do you mean a (software) midi mapping module? or for cv output?
you should already be able to do this by mapping (midi and param) with existing modules.
the only âdifferenceâ I can see is this module having its own page/preset control?
note: I have an Electra One and Stream deck+, so im familar with its generic nature, just not sure what you mean in the MM context.
(Im also assuming you mean a MM (software) module and not an expander, as we are in the Plugin Development section)
all that said, I should point out one fundamental difference between MM hardware and Streamdeck/Oxi and Elektra One - the later all use encoders, not potentiometers.
that is a âvitalâ difference for generic parameter control.
the great thing about (e.g.) Elektra one, is you can instantly grab a knob and change a control, no fussâŚ
but if you use a potentiometer, you have the issue of physical position vs current value (mismatch), yes, you have âcatch upâ as a workaround, but its a pretty poor substitute IF you are specifically after a control surface.
also, personally, Id say the MM is a bit small to be a comfortable control surface.
again, thats not to say, it cannot work, as I said at the start, you should already be able to do this with existing modules - so if you need a tiny setup with no attached devices - I guess ok.
in my case, I go exactly the opposite direction, I actually like to use dedicated controllers to create a much more hands on experience to eurorack, something I think it generally lacks.
so I use the Electra One and an Erae mk2 
also Ive been considering adding a Bela Trails
Honestly, I am not sure what you are against. Itâs just a suggestion. There are many modules who are not just duplicating the functions and copying each other, but outright clones. Which module comes closest to the Electra One and Streamdeck XL+? I could investigate that. This also gives 4MS more buyers of their module if it can fit another use case. There are already more than enough modules in the catalogue for endless connections.
Im not against anything, rather I donât understand what it is you are suggestingâŚ
so my comments were around, only what I could guess you mean.
e.g. What does an âElectra Oneâ like module mean?
the Electra One is a hardware device, its purpose comes from its hardware form factor.
its very different to the MM, doesnt even have eurorack functionality.
but, it was quite possible that I misunderstood what you meant, that you had some thoughts on something you would like, and just needed to add some âflesh to the bonesâ
as for whats there at the moment⌠well there is midi mapping, and also bi-directional midi fw 2.0.9 which I would have thought gives you the bi-directional mapping you need from controller to patch.
control of eurorack gear, I have to assume you mean via CV , can be done without outputs. just map the parameter knobs to something like an attenuator (which usually default to 10v input), then take its output to a cv out of the mm.
midi output, Ive not checked this recently, there is the CVtoMidi output module, but I believe this does not currently support CCs. Iâve seen numerous requests for VCV (core) MIdi CV â CC module.
Im not sure if this has been done yet⌠(its pretty trivial to implment)
so yeah, I donât what it means for the MM being a âSouped Up MIDI controllerâ , like the Electra One - rather than âbeing against itâ
perhaps it just means adding Midi CV â CC ? (which has been requested before)
Yup, CV to MIDI CC was added in v2.1.10.
@Starscream, it would be helpful to know what youâd want to do with the MM that canât already be done. You can assign the knobs to send MIDI messages of various kinds. Are you looking for a different onscreen interface for MIDI Out assignment, or MIDI features that the Mera doesnât currently support, or ⌠?
cool, I thought it was slated to be doneâŚ
however, Im running a 2.2.x dev version as Ive been playing with sysex , so couldnt check.
(which I assume hasnât been merged into mainline release⌠though Ive not checked)
so this side of âmidi controlâ can now be done with an attenuator â midi cv cc, in similar way as cv output
edit: talking of 2.2, there is alimitation on current release, that may be relevant for OP,.
current 2.1, only supports single midi device,
this experimental 2.2, supports multiple via virtual midi cables (as well as the sysex), I forgot this (as Ive 2.2 loaded, soo take it for granted -lol)
its a more complex topic, you can see discussed here
Are you talking about a hardware expander to use the MM as a midi controller? You wouldnât really need midi to control other eurorack modules so are you talking about controlling external hardware devices? If so then there are a bunch of cv to midi modules that can control external midi devices.
Maybe look into Der Mann mit der Maschine Droid ecosystem.
If youâre talking about a module to control the MM then you only need modules that send cv and not midi.
I think weâre all confused because weâre trying to understand exactly what youâre trying to do that canât already be done with existing modules.
Hmm. Guess I was still not clear enough. A souped up MIDI controller should mean a MIDI controller with advance functions. I quoted USB-MIDI and some existing devices to help describe what this module should do. I did not mention CV nor constrain its use within the ecosystem of eurorack.
Simply, a MM plugin module that can do what those devices do. If it can already be done, very close to those devices mentioned, please let me know the name of the module.
I got a list of the features of one of the modules you mentioned, the Oxi E16. Hereâs how those features map onto the Meta, as far as I can tell:
The bottom line:
Are you from 4MS? Anyway, the characterisation from you is unkind because I did not just say âsouped upâ and âadvanced functionsâ. I did draw compatibility of the hardware (screens and knobs, etc.) and since it can use USB-MIDI (and with that you can use BT MIDI), then why not? The devices mentioned were given as examples to illustrate & achieve understanding. Obviously, it was not clear enough for you; and you picked one device to discern why we cannot.
It was a suggestion for a new module; and I did not ask for all features from devices that had theirs purpose-built. I suggested having it to also expand the use case for MM and potentially move more sales. Eventually, it can help users gain better control of external eurorack/hardware devices.
I am not from 4ms. And I didnât intend to be unkind!
Let me try a different approach: The basic way to send MIDI from the MetaModule involves using the CV to MIDI and CV to MIDI CC modules in the RackCore plugin.
What do you want to do that canât be done with those modules?