AstroLab Modwheel Question (Bug?)

Lab AstroLab
#1

I’m trying to assign the Modwheel to control a Macro, but I can’t for the life of me make it work. Specifically, in B-3 I’m just trying to control the rotary speed with a macro so I can add a zone to the bottom of the range for the rotor stop. I’ve tried to set it up in both B-3 creating the preset and editing it in Analog Lab.

If I use MIDI learn, it identifies CC33, which is the modwheel LSB, and in that case it seems to read both CC1 and CC33. So it basically goes crazy while moving the wheel as CC33 cycles. But, if I manually change the assignment to CC1, it doesn’t register anything at all. I’m not sure if that’s a bug or not. I’ve tried changing the modwheel assignment in keyboard settings, but that doesn’t seem to have any effect.

Is there any way to actually accomplish this? The limitation of controlling only one parameter per CC plus the weirdness of the modwheel assignment is making me crazy.

#2

Hi @sammyk762 ,

I don’t have Astrolab. But i can tell this:

In the full application of B3 V2 i can assign midi CC1 to a Macro control. Doing this will remove the midi CC1 assignment from any other assignment as one midi CC only can be assigned once.
I can then set that midi config as default midi config. Then it also work, when i use Analog Lab.
(I don’t know if this is the case with Astrolab, but i assume it is. The changes have to be done in the midi configs that Astrolab use, no matter how that’s done.)

The mod wheel will now control what’s assigned to the macro it control.
However - keep in mind that Macro assignments are per individual preset. So it might not be a great idea, if you wan’t it to work with all presets, unless you reprogram them all.

Personally i would use two midi CC’s. One for the Speed and one for the Brake.
I have a X/Y pad on my controller that i use. I use the generel midi CC’s for sostenuto pedal and Soft Pedal. Midi CC 66 and 67. and do like described above. Again i assume you can do it with Astrolab too. Only an Astrolab user can test this.
Instead of a X/Y pad you can for example use the AUX inputs in the rear of your Astrolab.

Or you can use a knob for a macro and drop using the modwheel. But again - macro parameters are set per preset.

I don’t know what you mean by you can apply midi CC 33. But if you for example have applied both midi CC1 and midi CC33 to control the same thing and both represent the modwheel, then i can imagine it can give issues. I’m not sure limit settings can do anything about it.

I hope this helps to find a solution that work for you.

Perhaps someone else have other ideas.

#3

Thanks, but most of that isn’t really applicable here. Astrolab has dedicated knobs for the macros, but they’re on the wrong side of the keyboard and too slow for this. I’m not really looking for a solution that involves more hardware or using multiple controls, that’s kinda the whole point. None of the issue stems from it being set per preset. I feel like assigning the modwheel to control a macro should be fairly common use case - I don’t understand why it’s such an issue on the AstroLab.

To clarify, I am able to assign the macro to CC1, but Analog Lab then doesn’t move the macro in response to the modwheel (even though it registers the correct position for the modwheel). The modwheel is sending both CC1 and CC33 (CC33 is for fine control, so it cycles 0-127 for every tick of CC1). If I use the Learn MIDI function, moving the modwheel chooses CC33 and does move the macro. However, it does not treat CC33 as an LSB (so it cycles the macro from 0 to 127 127 times). But it also seems to be responding to CC1 at the same time, even though it’s not assigned, because it moves the macro to the correct position once the modwheel stops moving.

#4

That’s because assigning the Modwheel to a Macro is not an option in Analog Lab/AstroLab. (Analog Lab overrides any mapping of CC1, and anyway, AstroLab uses a fixed MIDI mapping, changing the MIDI configuration in Analog Lab doesn’t affect AstroLab)

That’s a good idea, and a Macro works well for that.
But the CCs received for the Macros are fixed in AstroLab:
Brightness: CC 74
Timbre: CC 71
Time: CC 76
Movement: CC 77

In Keyboard Settings, the Modwheel can be assigned to either its function inside the instrument on Part1, or Part2 for Multis (in most B3V presets, the internal rotary speaker’s slow/fast control) or to a function of Analog Lab/AstroLab’s FX, (which for B3V, could be slow/fast of Rotary Speaker on FX A or FX B).
It is important to know whether you are using the internal effect of an instrument, or Analog Lab/AstroLab’s FX A/FX B.
On AstroLab, you can use one of the 2 Aux pedals to control the slow/fast switch of the Rotary Speaker on FXA or FXB, not the internal Rotary Speaker inside B3V.

So, one option for you would be using the Rotary Speaker on FXA/FXB instead of the B3V’s internal “leslie”, with a footswitch on Aux 1 or 2 to control the slow/fast switch of FXA/B, and assigning the modwheel to the brake switch of FXA/B…

#5

Indeed. As I mentioned above, Analog Lab overrides any mapping of CC1 in its MIDI Config.
CC1 is always the modwheel, and it’s function in Analog Lab is defined in Keyboard Settings.
(Part1/2 or Assign to an Edit Preset parameter: volumes or effects).

#6

So this just isn’t possible then? That’s…frustrating. I don’t have room on my pedalboard for an expression pedal and no one makes a decent addon modwheel (which would be an eyesore on the AstroLab anyway).

I’m migrating from a computer/midi controller live rig to computer/AstroLab - the modwheel is sort of my main verse/chorus/bridge patch adjustment control. I can work around it by rerouting the midi through the computer, but that kinda kills the redundancy I was looking for by switching to the AstroLab in the first place.

Thanks for the clarification. Modwheel->Macro would be an awesome option to add in a future update.

#7

yes, I agree!

#8

For the slow/fast switch of the Rotary Speaker on FXA/FXB, you’d only need a non-latched footswitch (or button): one press to toggle between slow and fast.
And the brake could be on AstroLab’s modwheel.

#9

I also had a half assed plan to wire up a 3 position blade switch and mount it in the neighborhood of a real rotary switch. I just haven’t figured out a way to do it that’s both portable and sturdy.