Hello GPO and JABB users,

There was some reference in the above discussion to MIDI controller #131 (cc131), which is referred to on p22 of the JABB PDF documentation. That led to the question: shouldn't Composer included controller #131 in its list of controllers in the graph tool?

Well, I was surprised about the existence of controller #131, because MIDI controller numbers only go up to 127.

I found a couple helpful statement in the Garritan forum:<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

CC# 131 exists as a virtual controller on some M-Audio keyboards... To assign aftertouch to a slider with an M-Audio keyboard, you assign (using the keyboard functions, not doing anything in your DAW of JABB) CC#131 to that slider - I think this is just an M-Audio CC reference that doesn't really mean anything other than telling the M-Audio keyboard to transmit aftertouch information if that particular slider is moved.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>So, this controller #131 really is an M-Audio keyboard invention that is outside view of Composer or any other MIDI sequencing program. If you have an M-Audio keyboard that supports "virtual controller" numbers above #131, then you can take advantage of that feature, and reassign the virtual controller to any real honest-to-goodness MIDI control that you want to in the range 0-127 (well, really, only some of them). If you use the virtual controller #131 on your M-Audio keyboard in this way, that's totally you're little dance with the keyboard that Composer (or any MIDI program) will be unaware. Said another way, don't bother asking Composer to add cc131 support, because there is no such thing as cc131, as far as Composer or any other MIDI program is concerned.

Composer can't duck out of trouble completely here, though. JABB (and probably GPO, I don't know) uses the aftertouch "voice message" in MIDI. Aftertouch isn't a MIDI controller, just like pitch bend isn't a MIDI controller, even though it seems like it is one. That's why you don't find aftertouch and pitch bend in Composer's list of controllers. However, there is a problem here in Composer. It supports pitch bend with a special graph tool, but it doesn't (as it should) support aftertouch with a special graph tool. It's high on my list to add this aftertouch graph tool. Actually, it's already mostly done.

One more thing: controller 64. Controller 64 is the Sustain Pedal. Composer has a separate tool for sustain pedals, but according to the MIDI specs, which say that the sustain pedal value is only on or off, Composer only supports graphing of these two values on and off. Also, Composer does not currently list controller 64 in the generic list of controllers. I will fix this. I'll add controller 64 in the list of generic controllers; and the controller 64 graph will support any values, not just on and off. This will make Garritan users happy/ier.

Cheers
-- Mark