Meris Enzo Midi problem

Hi there,

I’m trying to control my Enzo with midi, but I just can’t get it to work. My setup is FCB1010 → Mod Duo (which should act as a “translator” for the midi messages) → Enzo.

I use a Midi to TRS cable with a simple 3,5mm to 6,3mm adabter to go from the Duo into the Meris Enzo

Example of what I’m trying to do:

The exp Pedal of the FCB1010 sends CC#1, the Duo should translate from CC#1 to CC#17 (as taken from the midi cc table of the manual) to control the Filter. What the Enzo does is a very weird behaviour that is mostly switching to bypass, but in some cases changing the synth mode - very glitchy.

I would be very happy if you could point me in the right direction to get this working.

Thanks and best wishes,

roughael

Edit:
…so I wrote Meris Support nearly the same explanation and now got this reply (very fast!):

In order to use MIDI with our pedal, you will need to use a MIDI I/O.

We recommend using a MIDI to TRS conversion box, like our MIDI I/O, to connect our pedals to a MIDI source. MIDI Standard requires the active opto-isolator electronics that are built into these conversion boxes for a reliable, guaranteed MIDI connection. There are lots of conversion boxes available on the market at different price points. Chase Bliss, Empress and Disaster Area all make conversion boxes that will work with our pedals.

Our MIDI I/O offers MIDI Out which isn’t possible with these other MIDI boxes or a MIDI to TRS cable. MIDI Out is crucial if you want to use an online editor or save presets off the pedal as SysEx messages. If you only need to send MIDI to the pedal for preset and parameter changes, then those other options will work!

So could the Duo somehow act as this midi i/o converter?

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Do you know how the MIDI connection is implemented on the Meris Enzo?
6.3 connectors are quite odd to use for MIDI. If not the old DIN 5pins connectors, nowadays you see a lot TRS but 3.5mm (as we use in the MOD Dwarf and as the adaptor that you sent is meant for).
So starting from that point, the implementation may be also different.
The fact that the connector is both for the expression pedal and MIDI is one more thing to add on top of this possibility.

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Please check if your TRS midi connection has the appropriate plug:

https://minimidi.world/

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Thanks for your answeres.

I can’t find any documentation on what plug to use. It seems like there’s no entry in minimidi.world either, tried enzo and meris in the search bar…
It’s really a pitty that I can’t use this great pedal without getting another pedal :face_exhaling:

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@roughael,

Look at Meris’ manual, it’s probably written there somewhere. Most use type A which is the standard.

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After reading the whole manual for the xth time, it’s impossible to be more disappointed that it doesn’t :stuck_out_tongue:
I guess it’s type A but it still needs this darn converter box, which I’m not willing to spent at least 80€ on… If I buy it it’ll the box from disaster area and not meris, that’s for sure…

Just out of curiosity… Would it be technicaly possible for the Duo to convert the signal in a way to get a type B via a type A trs cable? Like sending signal that should go to the tip to the ring or wherever?

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This intrigues me also: I was thinking about getting a Meris Hedra to combine with the Dwarf, but might not of midi won’t sync well…

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https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/meris-enzo-midi.2053491/

Might help - didn’t read it fully but they mention using ts not trs

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TRS, TS, ring active, tip active,… Why can’t they just use one standard :sob:
So from this postit seems like I’d need a TS plug but still would need a converter box… But maybe I’m missing something…

It’s really a shame, that meris makes it so hard to use their gear with other gear, without additional gear. Despite this (imho major) flaw their pedals are awesome…

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Not necessarily for the Duo or any other device, but as far as I’m aware the difference between both is the cable position. So if you cut the cable on a type A adapter and swap a couple of cables, you get a type B

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I am almost sure Strymon EXP will solve the problem. It does not cost so much and as I know it works with Meris effects too (but please confirm that before buing).

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If it was me I would cut in the middle and strip an old trs cable and a 3.5mm stereo cable and just keep swapping till something happens.

Run a basic sequencer in the mod outputting via hardware.

Select midi on the expression on merris and then see if it will talk to it.

Then if you find a selection that works make a cable yourself or buy one accordingly.

Sometimes these super expensive cables can be made for pence - if you don’t solder ask a friend or even ask if anybody on here is near to you to do it for you

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See the last post in this thread: was-the-midi-cable-included-on-your-dwarf-also-how-to-shutdown-the-device

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@roughael,

Lots to go through here.

As @Simon and @jon point above, the type of cable is something that can be altered if need be, if you’re technically inclined.

If you’re using the Duo, the cable @Lukasz has shown above probably has an opto-coupler in that encasing in the middle of it. It should be more than enough for your needs – provided the wiring on the TRS is right.

(O-Cs are employed in midi devices so as to avoid ground loops, when the cable runs through more than one equipment connected to the power mains. You can however live without it if there’s no ground loop, obviously.)

Now, looking at that manual from your link, Meris’ midi implementation is quite rudimentar and non-standard. The implementation chart, albeit simple, is not in the standard format either. Manual is quite terse, by the way.

From reading it, a few things stand out:

  1. The same TRS jack is used for Midi and Expression, whose i/o is completely different. So it seems like you need to “tell” the Meris what exactly you are inputting. See page 8 section 5d. Did you set it to get Midi and not expression?

  2. If the Meris receives but also sends Midi data, it’s highly likely that the cable is TRS. I don’t think it possible to have that with TS only (though TSs are usually wired without the shield for midi purposes);

  3. The FCB 1010 is a much praised workhorse and all, but their expression pedals use an optical reading process. The value is given by a plastic strip that gradually grows from translucid to opaque. That strip gets worn over time ad the pedal starts misbehaving. So test your FCB with a computer and/or another midi device to check if it’s operating properly. You can do that for instance with a plugin inside your Mod;

  4. If the Mod Duo was built to Midi Standards, it will have the opto-coupler between midi in and out. So there’s no reason you’d need another one. I don’t work for Mod so I can’t tell;

  5. Next, you can test connecting the midi output of the Duo to your computer and see what’s being output when you move the pedal before it. With MidiOx (win) or Midi Monitor (Mac, both free) you can tell if the messages are right.

HTH!

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Thanks for your answeres/suggestions!

Enzo is set to midi and the fcb works very well for controlling the duo, so that shouldn’t be the problem.
Connecting to the computer for testing what really comes out of the Duo is something I can do without buying or soldering something, so I’ll do that next.
If this doesn’t clear up anything, I’ll try soldering some converter and try different trs or ts combinations. If I have the time, that is. I’m close to abandoning project enzo and put it back in the shelf, as I did for the last four years :pensive:

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If you’re good with soldering, half of your problems are solved.

Plug the FCB into the Meris and see what’s happening. If it misbehaves, change the cable configuration. If it still misbehaves, the Meris is faulty (because you already said FCB works fine with MOD.)

If the Meris behaves as intended, within MOD lies your problem.

  1. Make sure the Midi Out of the Meris is not looping back to it via the MOD. Duplicate midi messages can trigger panic and that might be making the Meris switch to bypass;

  2. If you acquire a cable with the opto coupler and all works fine, then it’s the MOD that wasn’t built to standards

  3. If FBC to Meris works fine, try reading the midi messages as they come out of the MOD to detect if the plugin is messing things. If so, remove the plugin and analyse the midi messages again. If they look right, that message conversion is faulty.

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As far as I can say, the implementation of MIDI in any of the MOD devices is pretty standard - just to clear up this point.

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If that’s the case with hardware, then the cable will not make a difference. If it does, then relaying of midi messages is faulty, either due to the plugin he’s using or due to hardware issues.

I wouldn’t expect that to be a hardware issue, though. I mentioned this possibility to be scientific about it. If this were caused by some hardware malfunction or ill-design, it would have happened to others at this point.

Meris’ implementation, however, is quite questionable.

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I didn’t quite understand this part…

But yeah…this seems to be the source of the issue here.

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I didn’t want to clutter the pedalboard feed with this, so I’m sharing just the screenshot…
Just to rule out I didn’t do anything wrong with my “midi translator”. Just to explain again: fcb → Mod Duo, Midi CCMap translates from #1 to #17 (which is the value for the filter within enzo) → Midi Out. In this case to see if theres something odd with the Midi signal into my UR22 Interface and analysed by MidiView. I don’t know why MidiView says “controller general purpose slider 2”. If I change for example to #20 it says “Controller 20”

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