Two VCI-100s/1 Computer. Whats the best mapping?

Hey everybody,

So after introducing a buddy of mine to the VCI-100, he decided to nab one once his X-Session broke (eeeew M-audio). While we're both semi-well versed in mapping in Traktor Pro, neither of us are anywhere near the abilities to create a Four deck version of Ean's mapping. While I'm aware some changes will need to be made, I really wanted to duplicate Ean's effects set up on a 4 deck environment, and maybe have the Deck C/D toggle switch effects controls from one vci to the other. It would also be awesome to transfer the cue point modifier, but I have no idea what the implications would be trying to map the modifiers on a 4 deck environment. I had a feeling this would be way easier said than done, and was wondering if anybody with more mapping experience had already done this (PHIL/Ean I HOPE YOU READ THIS lol), or had any suggestions on how to do it. This would be a really interesting idea, which would allow for some insane DJ sets, and would love to know if its feasible/if anyone in the DJTT community had already done it.

-Alex

P.S. If anyone wants to check out my new mix, go here
http://nopotat0es.com/2009/08/25/get-dumb

On a more fundamental level, I thought traktor couldn't work with 2 of the same controllers ? Although I guess you could fudge it with midi-ox...

i guess the easiest thing to get started is using traktor pro beta 1.2.
there you can load up the 2 vci's with two separate logical controllers and Ean's mapping for each. plus delete the 2 deck layout and map everything to the 4 deck layout. then you would put the one in deck c/d mode.

voila you should be able to control the deck a/b with one vci and deck c/d with the other. or so goes my theory. from there on you can start to mess with things to potentially remove some duplicate functionality.

yeah, i dont really wanna mess with the beta yet though, and supposedly in 1.2 the midi controllers won't be able to interact with eachother once you plug them in. like one vci would have one sphere, the second vci would have another, i don't think they can interact with eachother unless you map them both together. i know theres a way to route one vci to a seperate midi channel, and then duplicate all the functions though it just seems like that would require a lot of fine tuning to get it to work right.

hey

yeah the thing about MIDI is that there are 128 available 'channels' that you can use.

In the past before USB midi, using the normal midi connection you were able to daisy chain up lots of different controllers one after another and then the final one would link into your computer or whatever your end device was. While they were all putting out the same basic midi messages (f3 on bflat2 off etc etc) the idea would be that each device would be set to broadcast on a different 'channel', i suppose you could kind of think of it like a layer, and then that would be how the end device being controlled would know what messages came from what controllers and what to do with them.

So the basic reason that you cant connect two of the same controllers to the lappy is that they are both set to the same midi channel (1) and unless the controller has a way of changing itself so that it broadcasts on another channel, all the laptop sees coming in when a button is pushed is say, c5 on channel 1 and it reacts accordingly, it has no way of knowing what device within the system that came from. With midi keyboards and more complicated midi devices this channel setting is pretty much a standard feature, and you can often have one device broadcasting different commands on multiple channels at the same time to do different things, but i'm not so sure about the VCI.

Now though it has became a little more complicated because with midi over USB extra information is able to be sent that wasn't in the original MIDI spec, for example the lappy is able to recognise what the device actually is and stuff and know which one is connected to which USB port etc.

In original MIDI if two VCI's were connected they would both be sending out the same messages and would therefore just be mirrors of each other. You could just use the twist control top right (in Ean's mappung) to set the second one to decks C&D and it'd be fine. Or if you wanted finer control over things, and if it has the ability to broadcast on a different channel, you could set the second one to channel 2 and then modify the traktor midi map so that all the controls relaiting to decks C and D were received on channel 2, and that'd also work.

But over USB, because the lappy can actually see that it is a VCI, it may work differently (I dont have two to test). the lappy may just treat it like a mirror like in original midi or it may ignore it even if you can change the channel.


LOL but then we get on to Traktor version 1.2 and this may all change again with the new features :D


k

I hooked up 2 vci's on a macbook with http://notahat.com/midi_patchbay

I had a post on it somewhere on this forum.

thanks a lot dude, i was aware of the windows "version" of this software. didn't know it was out for mac. thats all i needed homie.