Unusual feature request for Minitaur firmware

I think it would be cool to have the option to ignore the midi gate so that the notes will follow my little phatty, but use cv for the gate signal. I want to be able to play notes, but have the minitaur gated by a drummer instead of the midi notes.

Don’t they make MIDI filters that could make this possible? :confused:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MIDIevent/

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MIDIeventP/

They do not. Because there is no Midi gate; rather it’s a Note on/Note off command which has embedded in it, the channel/note/velocity (and release velocity though that’s never implemented). These are the most basic midi commands and each is 2 bytes in length;

First byte is composed of midi channel/command (0x90)
Second byte is the note # and velocity

No way of splitting out the fact that the pitch needs to change and that you don’t want a gate; at least not in the original specification.

What you could do is use a Midi to CV converter and then just drive the frequency via CV; gating as you mentioned. The Kenton is relatively cheap and if you have a Multipedal or an Oberheim Midi SEM (the new one), it has a really really good Midi-CV converter onboard with external 1/4" jacks on the back.

I am aware that midi uses note on and off commands, but I’m also fairly certain the microprocessor can be programmed to optionally generate a gate signal with only a few lines of code. If I had midi to cv I would have tried that, but I’d rather not add more devices if I can avoid it (it already takes long enough to set everything up)

Ah. I see what you are getting at.

If you are asking Amos for a special mode (toggled by Midi CC possibly) that when rec’v NOTE ON, it changes the pitch but does not actually actuate a note; that would work. But certainly there is no provision for this in standard Midi.

Something else you might try if you have the equipment is a gated/VCA arrangement. I assume you have drum triggers either something that bolts onto a drum rim or a Roland pad.

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

The only problem with a gated/VCA set up (other than the fact that I don’t have extras) is that it won’t affect the envelopes on the minitaur, just gate the sound.

I have some drum pads, but they use midi, so what I’ve been doing lately is using a piezo buzzer from radio shack on a 1/4 inch cable plugged into my freqbox, then use it’s env out as a gate.