Device Details

Device Overview

Name/Version: Korg Minilogue Controller 2.1
Author: AndrewNorris  
Description: A device for controlling the Korg Minilogue synth.

Please note that this device was built for a standard Minilogue. It will not work properly with a Minilogue XD.

Enormous thanks goes to halffish (https://maxforlive.com/profile/user/halffish) for providing the Max patch and Javascript to handle the sysex to CC conversion.


Full list of features and demo video: https://andrewnorris.uk/minilogue-controller/

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Other things I’ve made: https://andrewnorris.uk
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/andrewnorris
 

Device Details

Downloads: 3134
Tags hardware
Live Version Used: 11.0.6
Max Version Used: 8.1.10
Date Added: Jun 14 2016 04:32:09
Date Last Updated: Aug 16 2022 08:41:30
Average Rating (1) 5
Rate this device: (must be logged in to rate devices login)
Device Type: midi_device
URL (optional): https://andrewnorris.uk/minilogue-controller/
License (more info): None

Device Files

Device File: Minilogue 2.1.amxd
 


Comments

Great thank you !

Awesome! Many Thanks.

One question: when I drop this device on a track already connected with my minilogue it seems to push all default settings onto the minilogue destroying its current state - would there be a way to not have it do that (potentially read the minilogue's state on initialising)?


Hi joplaete. Yes, it'll do that I'm afraid and I'm not sure how to stop it.

Like you, I'd really like a way of having the 'data send' to go the other way (so from the Minilogue into Live) on launch. However, the only option I can see that the Minilogue has is a 'preset dump'. It won't do this automatically, you have to do it through the settings menus. Also, unfortunately, the way the Minilogue does this is through sysex messages. It won't just send the MIDI CC values of whatever preset you're using. Interpreting the sysex data is proving to be a bit of a nightmare.

If I ever get my head around it, I will definitely include this option in a future update.

Based on your good work I made a controller for the Korg Monologue:

http://www.maxforlive.com/library/device/4008/korg-monologue-controller

Kudos to you!

Will this allow me to edit the parameters of the minilogues audio instead of midi? I can already edit the effects with midi. just sad you cant convert external midi to audio.

The main reason I need this is to record automation for my minilogue in Arrangement view. However, when I turn the physical knobs on my minilogue, it records midi cc into the clip as well as automation into the track lane. Then when I play back the two compete with each other, and the "Re-Enable Automation" button stays lit.

How can I disable midi cc recording in the clip, and only have it record automation of the m4L minilogue params in the Arrangement track lane?

Sorry for the late replies - I don't check this page too often.

bazarbizar - And kudos to you too! Nice work. Now I just need a Monologue! :)

Frequency - I'm sorry, I'm not exactly sure what you mean. I suspect the answer may be no though.

gburks - Good point. I never considered this but can understand the problem it causes when recording automation. I'll need to look into it. I don't think it's possible to disable MIDI CC recording in the clip, by the way.

gburks - You could try this as a workaround:

1. Download the Midi Filter M4L device: http://www.maxforlive.com/library/device/377/midi-filter

2. Set up your Minilogue as an External Instrument in Live and load the Minilogue Controller device.

3. Place the Midi Filter device after the Minilogue Controller device and set it to filter CC only.

4. Record your automation

5. Remember to turn off the Midi Filter device before playback.

nozric! wonderful job on this thing. Huge help.

Couple questions though:

- The "preset" area on the left... I can't seem to figure out how that functions. Can I somehow store presets there? Nothing seems to happen when I select any square except the first one, which just resets to defaults.

- When I save a patch in Live and reload it, it doesn't update my Minilogue accordingly. Is there a way to force-send all CC to the Minilogue?

Hi rettic. Thank you, and sorry for the late reply.

- You can store presets by holding Shift and clicking an empty preset. Delete presets by holding Alt + Shift.

- Only by saving presets first. Clicking a saved preset will send all stored CC MIDI data to your Minilogue.

Hey, great work. Love the ability to control my minilogue via ableton.

Just one thing I cant figure out:
Lets say I have 3 Channel in which i want to use different settings on my minilogue.

I of course know, that I cant play them simultaniously, but I would really like the possibility to come back to each channel to adjust my settings after freezing/unfreezing that channel. The issue here is, that ableton with this m4l-Plugin doesnt remember my setting for each channel but replaces it with the latest setting I made on the Minilogue.

Am I missing something here? Is there a workaround on this?

Thank a Lot!

rezoneros - You could use the presets storage in the device itself, perhaps? Shift & click to store a preset, Alt & Shift and click to delete and just click the preset to recall it.

Hi nozric, and thanks for this great device.

I have a small problem : the presets I've saved in the device disappear each time I re-open the set, do you know why?

@Mecanique22

Sorry, yes, saving presets appears to be broken. It'll get fixed on the next update. The only workaround for now is to save any important presets to the Minilogue itself.

Saving presets is now fixed :)

Thanks !

Hi nozric. Absolutely love your device.

I notice it only works when the minilogue is connected via USB. Is there a way to make it work through a MIDI interface?

I ask mainly because the USB connection seems to put more noise into my Minilogue's signal than a MIDI cable connection does.

Thanks for all your work.

Thanks jfkiff!

I don't use USB MIDI either (for the same reason as you!) and connect through an ESI M4U XT external device. So it definitely works with a MIDI interface.

Make sure you add an 'External Instrument' device on the same track and set the 'MIDI To' to your interface. Same goes for the 'MIDI From' on your channel.

To prevent MIDI feedback, use a MIDI Filter device (there's one on here if you search for it)

Hi
I have two issues with that pluign:
1. All the text labels (Pitch, Shape, VCO1 ...) are grey, like they are inactive or not avaible. They are not black like on your picture on top. Do you know where the issue could be?

2. Is there a way that all the digital knobs in ableton take the right place when you change a preset on the minilogue? like when you are changing the preset in the controller you made? Everytime i select a new preset on the ML i have to touch the knob so it is show correctly in ableton.

Hope anyone can help!

@pierluigigubello

1. I think this is connected with Ableton skin settings. I could replicate your issue when loading the device and changing skin. Perhaps try selecting your Ableton skin again, then reload the device?

2. It's possible, yes, but not with this version. And to do it will require a LOT of extra work on my part! In order to get the dial settings from Minilogue and get them to show on the device, it requires a sysex dump from the Minilogue. This means processing the sysex data and matching this to the corresponding dials. A great deal more work than just mapping CCs/ dials. I hope to do this once I've got my head around how the Minilogue sends sysex data.

@nozric

1. Thank you! I had the dark skin and it was beacause of that..

2. Ok, I didn't know it was so complex. But i'm looking forward to it ;)

Nonetheless it's a great tool, thank you!

Cheers @pierluigigubello! And thanks for the feedback. :)

I've actually been wanting to do the 'dials updating in Ableton' thing for a long time now. It would be so nice just to have the dials update on screen every time you select a new preset on the Minilogue.

Unless I'm missing something though, there's no way around this other than to decipher the long list of numbers the Minilogue spits out when doing a program dump and assign these to dial positions. As far as I know too, you still wouldn't be able to just turn the preset dial on the Minilogue and the device would update. For whatever preset you currently have selected, you'd need to go into the Minilogue's menu, go to Program Edit and select the "program dump' option. Still fiddly but less hassle than touching each dial, one by one!

I'm going to have another look at it over the next few days. See if I can either find an easier way of doing this or learning a bit more about the sysex.


I really love this device! But i have one question. How can i get the knobs on the device to move as i move them on my minilogue? Do i have to assign them with midi mapping or should they already be assigned? Thanks!

@Pasque11

Thank you, I'm glad you like it! :)

They are already assigned so you don't need to map anything. Just make sure that the track the device is on is set to 'All Ins' or to the MIDI port and channel that you use for the Minilogue. Also make sure record is armed on that track. The dials on the device will then move as you move them on the Minilogue.

@nozric @pierluigigubello I actually implemented the dials updating from a SysEx dump (initiated from the minilogue menu) a while ago on top of this device, and I think it works pretty well! I'm garbage at making nice max patches, but I'm not so bad with Javascript, so I actually have a JS file for interpreting the SysEx and converting it to MIDI CC.

What i did was make a new max patch that sits in the device chain just before the Minilogue patch. It converts the SysEx into MIDI CC which updates the patch. I will maybe just send you the pieces I have (the patch and the JS file) and you could integrate it with your patch and make it look nicer?

@halffish - Oh, yes please! That would be amazing, thank you! :)

I got as far as getting the program dump into Max (and converting from hex to decimal) but just couldn't work out from the long list of numbers which parameters were actually being affected. So yeah, having some Javascript that converts the sysex to MIDI CC would be a massive help to me.

I was really struggling with this and I'd love to incorporate your work into the device if you're happy for me to use it. If you'd like to send me the patch and JS file, my email address is maurice.norris@gmail.com


Hey, great work on the device, planning on using it in a big live set for my minilogue.
Im running into one problem though. When i use the standard program change implemented in my ableton midi track it changes the program in the plugin but not on my minilogue.
There are some workarounds with multiple tracks(which would be a bit clunky) but maybe im doing something wrong in the first place? Or is it a bug you are aware of?

@aaarco Ah, I hadn't noticed that. Thank you. Yes, this is a bug I can replicate and I think I know what the problem is. I'll hopefully get this fixed and uploaded in the next day or two.

@aaarco Hmm? Not sure I can actually fix this, I?m afraid. The problem comes with dealing with two program / bank change messages at the same time. One from the Minilogue and one from the Clip. I can?t get the two to play nicely together. ??

All I can suggest is to turn the device off if you really need to use Program & Bank change messages from the clip. The other alternative is to automate the ?Bank? and ?Program? parameters on the device through the clip's automation lanes and make program changes from the clip that way.

??If anyone else knows how to fix this, I?d very much appreciate it!

Oh, thanks for the quick reply!

Yea i figured that that would be difficult to fix.

The workaround with Automation should work fine for me, but i run into different problems there.
Cant quite put my finger on it, but sometimes when i automate the program change the wheel will jump to the correct position in the plugin but the minilogue will (i think) be one program down from that. (So wheel at 17 and minilogue at 16 for example).
When i then click through the programs via the arrows in the plugin it behaves really strangely and jumps say 3 programs ahead or something like that.

I will experiment a bit more and write again, but maybe you can find a problem with that description already?

A slightly annoying workaround for me right now is to create a different track that sends midi to the ext instrument track and handle program change on that. You have to send directly to the ext Instrument instance though, not just Track In.

Yes, I'm getting this too. Thanks for letting me know. :)

Also when alternating between the preset select dial and the forward/backward preset select buttons, the Minilogue will not necessarily switch to the preset number reported on the device.

I remember at the time having to botch things a little by having to use +1 and -1 to get the preset number sent from the Minilogue to display correctly on the device so it's definitely something to do with this.

I'll look at redoing this whole section because it's all a bit shonky as it stands!

Alright, i couldnt figure out an exact pattern as of now.

Probably gonna work with my workaround for now.
Your plugin is nevertheless a gamechanger for me, totally awesome!

So thanks for that ;)

No worries. Glad you like it! :)

Just been working on it now and it's starting to behave itself. I'll probably have to lose the arrow buttons as it's mainly these that are causing the problem. The Bank / Program change problem via Ableton's clip parameters will likely remain the same but you should at least be able to use automation properly once I've fixed everything.

If you'd like to test the version I'm working on, please feel free to email me at mail@andrewnorris.uk and I'll send you a version you can use before I upload it.

This has now been fixed and v2.0.1 is now available to download. :)

Changing Bank / Program through clip parameters should also be working properly now.

Sweet, works perfectly!

Thanks so much! :)

I love this plugin. However, I have a problem with it which makes it unusable at the moment:

When I try to map these parameters to automation inside of Live (Either through a macro or directly through the device) the sequence I am playing through the Minilogue starts jumping around like crazy, speeding up and slowing down almost as if I am editing the tempo of a sequencer. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks again for your work-

@saul2121

In the sequence you have running on the Minilogue, is this just notes or are some parameters being sequenced through Motion Control too?

I can't replicate this problem myself but I'm just wondering whether the Motion Control sequence and the stuff you're automating in Ableton is 'clashing' somehow?

If this isn't the problem, could you maybe send me a short video showing the strange behaviour? If you'd like to email it to me: mail@andrewnorris.uk, I'll see what I can suggest. :)

Hey, man. I am so grateful for your response! I did not expect that!

I'm sending a MIDI note pattern from my DAW (Ableton Live Suite 10) and that's causing the issue. I will shoot you an email after I have recorded it :)

Just sent you over a short video. It may be that my setup is poorly configured, or I have the routing all mixed up so I apologise if I'm asking for info that everyone should already know. Anyway thanks again-

Got it. I'll have a look now and email you back :)

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