7-bit control-room dispatcher
MIDI CC Simulator
Move standard Control Change messages from 0–127, inspect their bytes, hear eight common synth routes, and compose an automation chase packet by packet.
Mouse/touch: select a controller strip, move its 0–127 fader, then press or hold the note keys. Tap an automation packet to cycle its value; transmit the tape to hear the selected CC move over eight beats. Controller-room assignments test whether you can find a route by its musical result.
Keyboard: A S D F G H J sound C4 through B4. Keys 1–8 select CC1, 7, 10, 11, 64, 71, 74, and 91. T transmits the packet chase; X cuts sounding notes; M issues a MIDI learn mission. Sliders use arrow keys.
Convention: messages are Control Change on the chosen MIDI channel. CC64 is off at 0–63 and on at 64–127. The first data-bit tile is the unused MSB of a 7-bit value.
Ask for a musical task, then find the correct CC strip and value without a routing diagram.
Choose a controller strip, then hold a synth key to hear its route.
If you’d like to explore sending regular MIDI data messages (such as a MIDI Control Change), then this is the tool for you. Not only will it play what you’re sending but you’ll be able to see raw bytes of that message too. To get you started quickly, use your computer keyboard; alternatively, just click and drag around with mouse on widget.
The synth monitor has eight keys that sit at the far right of the interface. Press one key and slide controller strips to see how each parameter change the sound; holding down any note from C4 to B4 will work. These are also mapped to keyboard letter keys (A to J), which means you could play a melody without having to take your hand off home row.
How to Use the Tool
Eight strips provides easy controls over familiar MIDI controllers including: modulation, volume, pan, expression, sustain, resonance, brightness and reverb. Simply choose a strip by clicking on its name, this will highlight all the relevant information in terminal display and you can use slider to vary parameter from 0-127.
Here is an example of what actualy gets sent as a MIDI packet from the left-hand terminal. In this case it shows the Hex value for that packet, the status byte, followed by the controller number and then the value. Below this, the data bits are also shown in binary form. This helps you understand how those data bits converts into control message that your synthesizer hears.
The perforated tape section at the bottom allows you to set changes that will be automated over a period of time. Cycle through preset values by tapping on one of eight steps in packets. The tempo slider adjusts how fast or slow the automation works with clock. Hit the transmit button, and it plays sequence through while you hear your chosen controller change over eight beats.
To that end there is a new learning mode that gives you tasks to work on. Hit the issue button and it will throw out an exercise like pan something left, set reverb to a certain level, etc. You have to adjust right controller strip within some tolerance of target. It tracks your score and your current streak. This shows how well you’re doing.
With the channel selector, you can select which midi channel to send to. That will update status byte in terminal.
If you need to turn the sound down because it’s getting too loud, the monitor trim lets you do so for entire output of synth. And of course if you are looking at really small changes, turning it down allows you to notice them better.
Cut cuts off all currently sounding notes right now. Sometimes we like to play keys while adjusting expression controls or holding sustain pedal down. So this button just lets go of the audio envelope but doesn’t reset anything about what you have going on with those automation or controller settings. You should of used it more often.
Restore Defaults is where you set everything back to its normal default General Midi starting positions. Erases any automation patterns and returns synth to its neutral state. It is a handy thing for when you are done tinkering with things a lot.
Slowly move brightness slider back and forth and you’ll hear that filter cutoff changing. Set sustain pedal to high value and then let go of note. Try using the keyboard shortcuts to create some chords. You can also automate modulation wheel for vibrato effects.
A manual is available that goes into more detail about all the controls, which you can expand from help button. Toggle fullscreen for a bigger view of the interface. First, choose a controller and play a note, then move slider to hear what happens immediately.