MIDI VALUES expected by Nord (NE6)

[Olli P]

Dear colleagues,

after searching for respective keywords on my topic I am delighted about the knowledge and cooperation in this forum. Just great! Wonderful community!
I am optimistic that you can help solving my problems. Maybe it also supports others. Many thanks in advance! I am quite new in MIDI but have read a lot of manuals, forums and have viewed a number of tutorials both regarding Nord and MIDI controllers.

I have a Nord Electro 6. Global MIDI channel is 01 as in factory setting. I have an external keyboard wich is connected via MIDI on channel 16 to use the "external keyboard to Low" function. This is working fine. I want to use an external MIDI controller (Behringer FCB 1010) to control a number of settings and effects. The equipment is connected via an external midi merger box. I set all MIDI channels of FCB 1010 to 01 with the intention to access all NE6 settings. SO FAR OK?

The annex of the manual indicates a list of CC numbers. I have some irritations on few wording of this list. And I wonder what values are expected. I donot have a MIDI message "reader" to look it up.

My specific points - please comment if assumptions are right and give answers:
(The CC values I indicate just for info are for NE6, I found they differ between models. However I believe the expected values are the same for all Nord models)

Turn on is done with value 127. Turn off is done with value 0.
Examples: Sustain (CC64), Piano Sustain Pedal (CC49) Effect 1 enable (CC82), Effect 2 enable (CC91), Delay enable (CC97), Reverb enable (CC116), Reverb bright (CC112)

Rotary speed fast/slow (CC108) is same way with 127=fast and 0=slow?
Ctrl pedal (expression) (CC11) - Is it understood as on/off like the switch on the Nord?
Effect 1 Ctrl Ped (CC85) - Is it understood as on/off like the switch on the Nord?

Levels and Effect Rate/Amount are in a continuous range from 0 to 127.
Examples: Volume (CC07), Organ Level (CC13), Piano Level (CC34), Effect 1 Rate (CC86), Effect 2 Rate (CC90), Delay Amount (CC93), Reverb Amount (CC113)

Now the "specialties":
What values are expected in case on/off (127/0) or range 127-0 seem to be not applicable as there is a selection from three or more options on the NE6?
Examples:
Effect 1 Type (CC83), Effect 2 Type (CC87) - here are 6 options on NE6. What values to set each one?
Delay Feedback (CC95), Reverb Type (CC115) - here are 3 options on NE6. What values to set each one?

And what does mean "piano variation" (CC38)?

Extensive questions but again: Hopefully helpful to others and many thanks for your help!

[baekgaard]

In all fairness, the fastest way to find answers to all of these questions is to install a MIDI monitor (or "reader" as I think you referred to it), connect the Nord to your computer, and tweak the knobs/buttons and see what is sent. At least, that would be only way I could find out all the details, and then you may as well do it on your own board to make sure you get all values you need, in the way you want them.

For a mac, you can use this one (free): https://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/ and on windows you may be able to use e.g. http://www.midiox.com (also free). There is also another tool that claims to work on both platforms: https://www.morson.jp/pocketmidi-webpage/ but I haven't tried that.

[Olli P]

Thanks baekgaard,

I looked at midiox and it really seems to be a good approach.
You think I just connect the NE6 via USB, set the Nord MIDI to "send&receive" and see the messages?
If this works I promise to report about results.

[baekgaard]

Thanks baekgaard,

I looked at midiox and it really seems to be a good approach.
You think I just connect the NE6 via USB, set the Nord MIDI to "send&receive" and see the messages?
If this works I promise to report about results.

Yes, just that - or at least, make sure it is set to send - and then look at what happens when you change the controls

[Olli P]

One point in advance: It's rather unlikely that there should be so many undefined values - you will probably find that ON and OFF are related to a range of values, maybe 0..63 and 64..127. The same with 6 values between 0..127. But I haven't tested it with a Nord yet. It's just what I know from my other gear.

[Olli P]

This is a fairly generic midi thing, not specific to Nord at all. For cc's of parameters with two possible values (On/Off) it should be 0-63 for OFF and 64-127 for ON, as you noted. For parameters with three possible values, that would be 0-41, 42-84, 85-127. Where the math doesn't work out perfectly, there will be some interpolation/approximation at the "fringes" of these ranges. For parameters with six possible values (e.g. Piano Type), etc.

Piano Variation -- not 100% sure on this one off the top of my head, but probably used for Clav to select from among the pickup possibilities. Sometimes the best way to learn some of this stuff is to try it out -- feed it midi data on cc#38 and see what happen. Midi-Ox is a great tool for this.

Welcome to this forum!

Bless, Pablo

[Olli P]

Thank you colleagues for giving me support! As promised I am finally giving an answer to my question myself

In summary the best advice is to connect a MIDI tracker and look what the equipment is doing.

Here are some interesting MIDI values my NE6 is using/expecting. Maybe it helps somebody.

6 options (e.g. effect 2 type)
phas1 = 0
phas2=26
flanger=51
chorus1=77
chor2=102
vibe=127

4 options (e.g. delay feedback)
0=0
1=43
2=85
3=127

3 options (e.g. reverb type)
room=0
stage=64
hall=127

2 options (e.g. rotary speed)
fast=127
slow=43

2 options (e.g. delay enable)
on=127
off=0

My experience with combining the Behringer FCB1010 with the NE6 led me to return to the "analog" way as the FCB is not really the ON/OFF device I was searching for.
One foot swell plus 2 foot switches and some quick fingers are not sooo bad.