Uneven HX3 drawbar response with Midi CC sets

[alquinn]

I received my HX3 Expander Module a week ago and am disappointed that the drawbar interaction with my Nord Electro 4D is uneven. Am I to understand that I need to update the firmware already? After a rather unfriendly (and time-consuming) experience mapping my Nord Electro 4D drawbars and buttons (percussion, chorus/vibrato, Leslie fast/slow, Leslie stop) I can't bring myself to do the firmware upgrade. I want to play music, not fiddle with technology an unreasonable amount of time. I don't struggle with technology, nor do I dislike it, it's just that my focus is on playing music. I suppose I'll just use is as it until I find the motivation to dive into the firmware upgrade process (i.e., I'm too busy to do it anytime soon). I guess it's the price I pay for being an early adopter of new technology. All that aside, I very much like how it sounds.

[bovist]

Al,

the change in drawbar display was made a few days ago as it turned out that most MIDI controllers send linear controller position data. This is more or less a cosmetic/convenience issue. Sorry for the hassles.

I confess the custom CC assigning for keyboards not supported in the standard CC sets (NI B4, Voce, Hamichord etc) is a time-consumpting process. Anyway, people are glad that it is possible so one may adapt every keyboard that sends standard CC controllers. HX3 cannot support every controller assignment on the market as CC assignments differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Sometimes they even differ significantly in the product range of one manufacturer, too (like Hammond or Nord).

If you found your correct Nord CC assigment, make sure to save it ("Export MIDI CC data") so it can be re-imported after update if something fails. Otherwise, it is sufficient to check the "MIDI Custom" box in section HX3 Firmware and FPGA update so your custom CCs are re-installed after update.

You won't have problems if you use a versatile masterkeyboard with its own assignment ability and use the standard NI B4 set on HX3. The NI B4 assignment in HX3 can be found in this document:

https://github.com/keyboardpartner/HX3/ ... 4_voce.pdf

[alquinn]

Thanks Carsten. It's good to know that I should save my CC settings before updating. I probably would have missed that and not enjoyed going through the mapping process a second time. I have to say through that I think it's more than a cosmetic issue as I currently can't select drawbar settings 2 and perhaps 3 with the drawbars on my Nord Electro 4D, which to me is a functional issue. I can get around this in the short-term with the presets I've saved. I don't doubt that it's time consuming for you to keep up with all that's out there but, on the other hand, I think that's the nature of selling a MIDI module and the Nord Electro is a popular keyboard.

All in all, you've done a great job. To me, the main event is the sound and the HX3 does sounds great. You're innovative approach to the Hammond Clone is most welcome. I'm just wondering if I should have waited a little longer before purchasing the HX3 Expander Module to avoid some of the inevitable growing pains. I plan on using it tomorrow with a band for the first time. It should be fun!

[alquinn]

I recently updated the FW and FPGA in my HX3 Expander Module. Last night I did my first gig, which was a jazz trio (i.e., organ, guitar, and drums), with the updated HX3 Expander and Nord Electro 4D. My rig sounded great and the drawbars worked in a linear fashion. For amplification I used a Spacestation V3 and Behringer B1200D subwoofer. I've decided there's no need to buy a Ventilator as the HX3 internal Leslie sim sounds great.

Thank you Carsten for developing a great sounding product!

- Al