Question on channel shifting

[JazzCat]

I recently got this question from another fourm. Perhaps a MIDI genius can help with this one! ( Hi John, LOL)
Cat >^..^<

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Hi, I build and modify MIDI controlled instruments. So far I have
built interfaces for an Allen glockenspeil, a Deagan tubular bells set
(or chimes), a home made xylophone and a few other gadgets. I use
MIDI controllers to take the MIDI signals and convert them to
electrical outputs that turn on and off the various parts that strike
the bars, tap the keys or otherwise make acoustic musical instruments
do their thing from MIDI signals.

I have just recently encountered a problem that I need help with.
Each instrument has its MIDI controller assigned to a different
channel. For example the glock is on channel 5, the Deagan is on
channel 3 and so on for each instrument. All works great except when
I want to use my Yamaha keyboard to control an instrument for testing
purposes or some other reason. The Yamaha only outputs on MIDI
channel 1 so my glock on channel 5 does not hear it. What I need is a
box to go between the keyboard and the glock that changes the channel
sent to the glock from channel 1 to 5.

Does anyone know of such a 'box' and how to obtain one?

Actually, a computer program that would do this would also work fine
but it would have to work with some sort of adaptor that would mate
with the standard MIDI connectors.

Many thanks in advance.
Bill

P.S.
If you know of a group that might be more tuned to my interest as an interfacer, builder and one who gets into the internals of MIDI I would greatly appreciate your pointing me in that direction.

[JohnG]

Hi JazzCat,
Yes, I caught this one on the original thread and saw your answer. Thought you might post it here. lol. I'm still thinking about it and can't, off the top of my head, come up with an answer except that maybe he might be able to do something with MIDI OX. I haven't had a chance to have a look at it yet as I'm pretty heavily involved at the moment on another project that's eating up all my time. That's all that comes to mind right now.
Best regards,
JohnG.

[JazzCat]

May 4, 2008 17:04:36 GMT JohnG said:

Hi JazzCat,
Yes, I caught this one on the original thread and saw your answer. Thought you might post it here. lol. I'm still thinking about it and can't, off the top of my head, come up with an answer except that maybe he might be able to do something with MIDI OX. I haven't had a chance to have a look at it yet

Ahhhh, you must mean on the MIDIChat yahoogroup. I never can remember which groups you joined up with. LOL!

What does MIDI OX do exactly?

I finally understand what MIDI Yoke does, and how it works. Finally got that through my think skull at the MusicByComputer meeting this last Friday ( you missed another one. LOL!!) It's basically like having a virtual MIDI interface. MIDIOX is not the same as MIDI yoke, from what Gary said, and I just left it at that.

[weegeo]

wow the genius that is cat lol lol wish i had 1/4 your knowledge


weegeo ------------------------standing in the light of cat lol

[JohnG]

Quite right JazzCat it's not MIDI Yoke although from the same place.
They're both nice little utilities though.
MIDI OX is like a "Swiss Army penknife to MIDI". It's installed logo is just that.
It lets you play around with MIDI in many weird and interesting ways. You can do, for instance, channel and port mappings with filtering of the data, save and load dumps and so on. It's a very powerful general purpose MIDI utility. Here's their own description.
"MIDI-OX is a Windows 9x / Windows NT program. It is a 32 bit program which will not operate under earlier versions of Windows. MIDI-OX 32 is a multi-purpose tool: it is both a diagnostic tool and a System Exclusive librarian. It can perform filtering and mapping of MIDI data streams. It displays incoming MIDI streams, and passes the data to a MIDI output driver or the MIDI Mapper."

Of course it can work in conjunction with MIDI Yoke so you can watch and filter an incoming MIDI stream and output it again, suitably modified, to the port(s) you want. That's why, I think, it may do what this guy wants. i.e. take data in on one MIDI channel and split the output by MIDI program number to different MIDI channels on different MIDI ports if necessary.

It's been yonks since I used this to analyse the MIDI dump from an old Yamaha HS6 organ that a friend had, to work out how we could change sounds, where there were no keys on the instrument to get at certain of the parameters that we knew could be modified.

Dim mists of the past. Crikey Win'95 as I recall. It's a crackin' little utility but you do have to know your MIDI a bit to use it as I recall.
Have fun,
JohnG.

[JazzCat]

Yikes John! You think I have the ability to understand what it does? LOL
I do think I should copy these posts to the MIDIChat list, unless you want to go ahead and reply to the guy there.

MIDIOX is a 32 bit program? Spelled sideways, does that mean it will not operate on a 64 bit system? And, will it work on XP at least?

Say George, I'm not the brainy one here! The brainy ones are the original question asker, and John!

[JohnG]

Well there's a thing! Never considered myself to be brainy. A terrier yes. If I don't understand things, and often I don't, I keep going back over the subject until I do. So perseverance maybe, Bl**dy mindedness certainly. Brainy!? But nice to think that that is seen as braininess by others, thank you.

32 bit. No worries! Says it works from 95/NT through to Vista.

Can you understand it? Yes, I would think so. But come at it with a problem you need to solve. Then try to work out whether and how it can. That's always been my way of learning, not an academic thing, practical experience. I think you're like that too aren't you JazzCat?

All the best,
JohnG.

P.S. If you want to pass on the info that's fine by me.