Universal Midi Controller Mapping for Pads

I'd love if NS2 had the option to Midi Map pads specifically for Slate. Something similar to Beatmaker 3 how you can map 16 or 64 pads universally to the software. I'm using a Novation Launchkey Mini and the midi notes coming in from the pads cannot be changed. If I was able to map them to something like Slate universally, it would dramatically improve my workflow.

Comments

  • edited August 2020

    I know this is an old thread, so apologies for bumping it out of the grave.

    You actually can do this, the pads use notes as you said, not MIDI messages. You can't change them on the hardware side, but you can in the software. I've mapped them all out and written it down, so I may as well share :) Works fine on my LaunchKey Mini.

    Open up slate, select the pad you want to assign, on the left window group tap pad, then tap Setup and manually change the MIDI Note value for pads 1-16 to the following:

    1 - 40 - E1
    2 - 41 - F1
    3 - 42 - F#1
    4 - 43 - G1
    5 - 48 - C2
    6 - 49 - C#2
    7 - 50 - D2
    8 - 51 - D#2

    That takes care of the top set of pads. Now for the bottom.

    9 - 36 - C1
    10 - 37 - C#1
    11 - 38 - D1
    12 - 39 - D#1
    13 - 44 - G#1
    14 - 45 - A1
    15 - 46 - A#1
    16 - 47 - B1

    Once you finish that, you can play pads and use Slate. Unfortunately you can only use 16 pads, but that's a Novation thing. Make sure to save it as a drumkit so you don't have to go and assign the MIDI Notes all over again, and you should be set.

  • Nice, thanks for sharing @BearBazooka. Another solution: use a MIDI mapper. I don't think these will work within NS* but you can host one in something like AudioBus or AUM. Point your controller at the hosted AU within AB/AUM and then point AB/AUM at NS.

    There's some overhead with loading another app or whatever but the benefit is that the mapping will work for any instance of slate—no need to manually remap the notes when loading a kit.

    Once you get used to this sort of workflow, AB/AUM offer additional enhancements to NS. In particular, for me anyway, you can also host AU MIDI sequencers in those apps and record their output to the NS timeline (which you can't do from within NS without additional AU routing via something like MIDIRoute). Both AB and AUM have state saving so it's pretty quick/easy to pull up a set of MIDI AUs and point them at NS2.

  • That said, +1 to the original request. Especially if could be set per MIDI input port. I imagine lots of folks have a few different pad controllers. Loopy and AB3 kindly work this way—the MIDI mappings are saved per port.

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