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
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
TRS, TS, ring active, tip active,… Why can’t they just use one standard
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…
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
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).
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
See the last post in this thread: was-the-midi-cable-included-on-your-dwarf-also-how-to-shutdown-the-device
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:
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?
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);
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;
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;
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!
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
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.
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;
If you acquire a cable with the opto coupler and all works fine, then it’s the MOD that wasn’t built to standards
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.
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.
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.
I didn’t quite understand this part…
But yeah…this seems to be the source of the issue here.
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”
Just out of interest why are you midi mapping with duo? Can you not just program exp pedal to send cc17?
Also if you have a din to trs cable maybe you can try straight from FCB to Enzo.
One last idea if you have TOUCHOSC maybe create a couple of pages of faders or switches and see if any control the Enzo. I do something similar with synths and drum machines that I want to try and see what they respond to.
Where are you based? Maybe one of us is nearby and could physically help you
What you shared makes me feel still that the issue is after the Duo, which may get a bit harder for us here to help you out. To totally take a possible issue from the Duo out of the equation, please send the Duo sending some message that you clearly can see what it is (I suggest using a sequencer or mindi) and connect the MIDI out to a MIDI in of a MIDI interface connected to your computer. Then check with a MIDI monitor. You kind of did all of this already, I’m trying to fragment the issue and go one step at a time.
Then do exactly the other way around, connect the Enzo to the computer, send messages from the computer that you clearly know what they are, and check if the Enzo reacts as it should (the manual should help you here). If that doesn’t work, either the issue is on the cable/connection or on the Enzo itself.
Please note that if it receives messages, but not what is supposed, consider it as “not working”.
For the description of the issue that you have been sharing, I feel that something is going wrong on the cable/connection side of things.
Because programming the fcb to do that is way harder then translating the signal with the duo (it would seem )
Austria
I still think it’s more of an Enzo problem and I still think that it needs this conversation box to work. All tutorials and videos have one of those boxes in front of the enzo, also the support stated that I’ll need one.
Next thing I’ll try is going from my Computer-Audio Interface directly into the Enzo and generate some clean midi message.
Btw I found out why it says controller general purpose slider 2.
Thanks for all your help, but I’ll stop cluttering this forum with a problem, that’s not a mod audio problem but a meris problem.
Surely the android shield isnt required as the Duo does that side for you.
Found this and thought it might be handy
Sorry Im UK so not that handy.
Thanks, this is awesome! I think this’ll be my christmes holiday project
I genuiny hope you crack it soon. Experiment with cables though first.
How do you find the meris - it’s on my list but not sure if the boss sy200 is better for me