Another USB MIDI question

I just got my Organelle recently and am trying to get comfortable with it. I’m trying to use it with my old Novation ReMOTE25 keyboard which has both 2xDIN and USB outputs. So I’m connecting with a USB cable and I have the keyboard outputting on all three ports (USB, MIDI1, MIDI2), channel 1. The Organelle MIDI Setup screen recognizes the keyboard as “ReMOTE25 MIDI 1”. I have a preset loaded which I can play through the Organelle itself. But nothing happens with the keyboard. Any idea what’s wrong?

If you connected the ReMOTE after you launched a patch, the patch won’t know to listen to incoming MIDI information. Can you reload the patch?

Actually already tried leaving everything connected, restarting the Organelle, and re-selecting a patch. I’m using CZZ-Multi but I can try again with something else, like Combo Organ.

What channel is your Organelle receiving on?

It’s set to Omni. It did work after I rebooted again. Part of the issue with the CZZ-Multi patch is that the velocity is very (in?)sensitive. I don’t get any sound unless I hit the key pretty hard. So it may have been working before. I just happened to pick a preset with velocity issues.

Thanks for the help. Sometimes you just have to make a new thread before things get sorted.

CZZ Multi isn’t velocity sensitive. I think probably the Amplitude attack setting (knob1) was set to a long attack time. If you turn it down, you will hear the synthesis much sooner.

Maybe CZZ Multi isn’t supposed to be velocity sensitive but it was acting that way. Playing the wood gave an instant response. Playing the keys produced nothing unless I used more-than-normal force.

I’m actually wondering if there’s something wrong with this unit (I got it used). MIDI responsiveness is hit or miss. In some cases the keyboard will work fine but then 20 minutes later will not – even when the wood keys do. I concede this could be a cable issue. But usually I can reboot the Organelle and MIDI will work fine - for a while.

It seems like any time I leave it sitting powered on for a while, it becomes less stable. I can change patches but it takes about 10 seconds before they work. There is usually a popping sound that occurs when this happens.

Has this happened to anyone else? One of the first things I did was upgrade the OS to 3.1 so it’s current. Sorry this is slightly off topic from the original post. Maybe the MIDI issue is symptomatic of something bigger.

It could be a power issue with the ReMOTE. Are you powering the controller via Organelle USB? From: Sound On Sound:

The Remote 25 is supposed to be able to draw power solely from the USB connection, which in some degree would excuse the lack of PSU. But not all USB connections are equal, especially on laptops, and some may not provide enough current to drive the keyboard. The Remote’s manual even mentions this possibility in connection with some laptops, but we found that the USB current generated by our desktop Apple G4 wasn’t sufficient to power the Remote 25.

Do you have another class-compliant USB-MIDI device you can try?

If the patches are loading slowly without the ReMOTE connected, you may want to try another USB drive for your patch storage.

No the ReMOTE is powered by it’s own wall wart.

I let the Organelle sit for a few hours without the USB plugged in. It’s been holding steady and not showing signs of instability. I also noticed with the USB plugged in (yesterday) that the Organelle gets a bit warm in the area around the volume knob. But not today w/o the keyboard attached.

So it must either be the USB cable or something about the ReMOTE (which would be a shame since it’s my primary MIDI controller). The USB drive doesn’t look like the one normally seen in Organelle pics so it must have been replaced by the person I got it from. I think it’s OK but can try swapping it if the other things don’t work.

I do have another class compliant device, the QuNEO, which I can also try out – but it’s really more intended for drum/sample triggers. I’ll keep at it and let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the responses.

are you sure the REMOTE is pulling power from the wall wart,
e.g. does it power on ok from the wall wart without being connected to USB?
make sure you have the power switch to extDC, not USB

can you confirm it only has one midi port… (some novation products use 2 ports)
e.g. what does it look like in a DAW on your computer?

which exact model do you have… there’s been many versions, and the older ones were not class compliant afaik.

is it a proper branded usb stick? if so perhaps try reformatting it. if Id get something like a SanDisk.
slow loading/glitch playback of samples is highly symptomatic of a usb drive having read errors.

thetechnobear
are you sure the REMOTE is pulling power from the wall wart,
e.g. does it power on ok from the wall wart without being connected to USB?
make sure you have the power switch to extDC, not USB

The keyboard does power up fine w/o the USB. I even tried pulling the power while the USB was connected to the Organelle and it shutdown. So I don’t think it’s pulling any power – but I’m not 100% sure. I’m looking through the ReMOTE manual for clues. I’m remembering why I’ve avoided USB MIDI like the plague all these years now…

thetechnobear
can you confirm it only has one midi port… (some novation products use 2 ports)
e.g. what does it look like in a DAW on your computer?

It has 3 ports. One USB and two MIDI DIN. I’ve only used DIN with the DAW but I don’t remember what it looked like then (I’m kind of between DAWs right now).

thetechnobear
which exact model do you have… there’s been many versions, and the older ones were not class compliant afaik.

I’m guessing it’s the oldest version. This one – Novation Remote 25

It is surely not class compliant. I keep forgetting the Organelle is a host… So the Novation is probably a no go by itself. Are you familiar with the KMI MIDI expander? Used to interface a DIN device to the various KMI controllers like QuNEO – which are all USB. I’m wondering if I could use that to interface the Novation with Organelle via the DIN port. Accessories - MIDI Expander, CV Control Voltage Cable Kit, Rogue Wireless | Keith McMillen Instruments

thetechnobear
is it a proper branded usb stick? if so perhaps try reformatting it. if Id get something like a SanDisk.
slow loading/glitch playback of samples is highly symptomatic of a usb drive having read errors.

It’s a Samsung stick – looks exactly like this one. It’s USB3, which I figured wouldn’t make a difference but maybe it does. USB 3.0 Flash Drive FIT 32GB Memory & Storage - MUF-32BB/AM | Samsung US

No luck with the KMI Expander. I am getting a Mio USB-DIN cable. That seems to be a pretty safe bet.