MIDI "Chocolate" 🍫 controller with the Mod Dwarf, an introduction

[plutek]

one other thing i just noticed:

again in Custom Mode, i can edit CC assignments for the buttons, using the CubeSuite app on my android phone (chocolate connected by bluetooth), and they save just fine. however, “visual behavior” settings made in that app don’t save… i have to make those changes in the mac version of CubeSuite with the Chocolate connected to my mac mini by USB for them to be permanent.

[funkypou]

@plutek

“visual behavior” settings made in that app don’t save

Hi,

@funkypou

there’s a bug in the CubeSuite app that makes “visual behavior” appear “off” when you start the app, even when it’s actually “on”.

[plutek]

right… when i’ve saved “visual behavior” as “on” in the mac version of CubeSuite, it still shows as “off” in the android app - but the button does function properly as a momentary switch. that’s as you’ve seen, right?

but what i’ve observed is that when i change that setting to “on” in the android app, neither the button function nor the indication in the app saves. so it’s not just the app indication that’s buggy, but also the app’s ability to actually save the button function.

it’s an interesting journey figuring out what works on this device and what doesn’t! …i’m sorry that i didn’t read all the knowledge from all you wonderful folks carefully enough, and ended up duplicating some of what was already stated. oops.

…anyways, i hope this last little observation is helpful in some way…

cheers, all!

LATER: after some more experimenting, i have to say that getting the “visual behavior” state saved is often not reliable even with the mac version of CubeSuite… sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

[funkypou]

Hi @plutek,
Sorry for the late reply. I wanted to make a test before confirming.

@plutek

when i’ve saved “visual behavior” as “on” in the mac version of CubeSuite, it still shows as “off” in the android app - but the button does function properly as a momentary switch. that’s as you’ve seen, right?

First of all, I only use the Android app.
And the result is actually the opposite : when I save “visual behavior” as “on”, the switch is latching. “Off” is for momentary. It works as @SrMouraSilva says in the original post :

@SrMouraSilva

• “Visual behavior” on:
  On/Off - Press to change the CC value to 127, press again to change the CC value to 0, press again to change the value to 127…
• “Visual behavior” off:
  Momentary on (CC value to 127) when the footswitch is pressed and off (CC value to 0) after it is released

You can do a quick test with the MIDI Display plugin as I just did. I confirm what I said before : the app saves the option properly and the pedal works as expected. The only bug happens when I restart the app : “visual behavior” always appears as “off” even though the pedal still works with the previously saved settings.

[plutek]

hi @funkypou … thanks for your testing, and for taking the time to write about it! sorry i was confused about what was going on, during my pre-gig rush to set everything up.

indeed, i can now confirm that all is as you report it:

@funkypou

the app saves the option properly and the pedal works as expected. The only bug happens when I restart the app : “visual behavior” always appears as “off” even though the pedal still works with the previously saved settings.

…it is really excellent to feel secure that the android app can be used to edit button functions!

[Yan]

​I needed to use inversion of values for the expression pedal (0~127 to 127~0), which is only possible in “Advanced Custom mode”, and make Chocolate work in Stompbox mode. For that I configured each button for the “Single step (switch between two banks)” mode and for each bank I entered the values 127 or 0 for that channel, that is, effect on or off.

in the expression pedal settings i assigned the values 127~0:

this way the pedal worked the way I needed it to, that is, when stepped on the heel it goes to zero and when stepped on with the tip of the foot it goes to the maximum value.

Anyway, I’m having trouble getting the chocolate actuator situation back… I reported this in another topic, if you can help me:

Return message MIDI controler / DISPLAY / CHOCOLATE

I will expose my difficulty, if there is already a topic or solution, please guide me. I’m building my setup with MOD-DUO + MODFOOTSWITCH + MVAVE CHOCOLATE + PASSIVE EXPRESSION PEDAL + TABLET (OR CELL PHONE) I’ve already managed to make the connection and control everything, including chocolate, I managed to use the “Advanced custom mode” to work as a stompbox to use the expression pedal with inverted values 0-127 (If you’re curious, I’ll explain this configuration later). My problem is that …

[TheRedOne]

Hello all!

Does anybody know if I can connect more than one m-vave chocolate via a signle BT dongle?
Apologies if this has been asked (and answered) before.

[ignis32]

@TheRedOne

if I can connect more than one m-vave chocolate via a signle BT dongle?

Unfortunately no. At least if are speaking about m-wave dongle which I have.

[TheRedOne]

Thanks. I also have a BT dongle from m-vave (not “wave” for some reason - what’s “vave”?).
Ok, how about a Dwarf with a USB hub, with a couple of BT dongles connected to a HUB, - shall this work? Also, does an m-vave () MIDI controller work as a MIDI controller over USB, or over BT only?

[SrMouraSilva]

@TheRedOne

Also, does an m-vave () MIDI controller work as a MIDI controller over USB, or over BT only?

It’s possible to use m-vave to send MIDI messages over USB. So hypothetically you can use a Bluetooth dongle for one and the USB for the other. But it’s possible that the USB dongle connects with the USB plugged chocolate instead of the unplugged one. Then I think that the most secure is to connect both using USB.

Note: I don’t know what happens if you use two Bluetooth dongle for two chocolates. Maybe it works.

[ignis32]

@TheRedOne

, with a couple of BT dongles connected to a HUB

I cannot tell for sure, but have some guesses, based on my two m-vave dongles (5din, usb) and Chocolate.

What I actually see:

There is no interface to control which devices connects to which. It is determined by a sequence of powering devices.

Looks like they connect to the first other m-vave non-connected device they see around after power on. After connection is established, both connected devices become “busy” and do not connect to anything else, even no configuration is possible by the android app. That’s what I see from my 3 devices.

Also, my 5din dongle connects to my usb dongle. ( so it is probable that if you wake up two usb dongle first - they would connect to each other.)

My expectations:

With two m-vave dongles and two chocolates, I would expect that it should work, but you would have to power on all the devices in a correct sequence ( to evade both usb dongles connecting to each other, for example)

Like, power-on first dongle and first chocolate, and after they are connected - then power-on remaining dongle-chocolate pair.

However, I do not have a second Chocolate to prove my theory, Tell us if you would try that.

---

Regarding USB:
Chocolate works via USB for me just fine. Actually I do prefer this connection method now, as bluetooth connection seems unreliable to me, interrupting from time to time while distance is less than 1.5 meters.

Therefore I would double SrMouraSilva on this one:

@SrMouraSilva

Then I think that the most secure is to connect both using USB.

P.S
Basically, I’ve ended up using usb connected (more expensive, unfortunately) Sofstep2 instead (10 buttons) and (optionally) usb connected Chocolate to provide additional 4 buttons to control drum machine when required.

[Feel_Contrast]

Hi, i have a problem with saving settings to chocolate via CubeSuite:

I use chocolate footCtrl, i connect it with CubeSuite, i change settings, chocolate display acts like changes have been accepted.

But when i power off/on the device — changes are not saved…

• But I am having a strange problem where the settings revert back to the first mapping i had set up in Advanced Custom Mode every time the device powers off and back on.

is there any solution for this issue?

I have 2 pedals, and my other chocolate pedal works fine… so i have problen only with one…

tried to reinstall cubesuite, tried to use PC app — no luck

[ignis32]

Have not seen it behaving like that, can only suggest trying force firmware update

[Feel_Contrast]

So how the update can be forced? Or how can i reinstall the firmware?

Cuz i see that CubeSuite tells me that my device is up to date and i can’t do anytging with firmware…

I found 1-2 cases with same issue from march 2023 on a web… but no suggestions…

[ignis32]

Sorry, looks like it was a false memory or they had changed something and it does not work anymore - I could not force firmware upgrade, it just says it’s already the latest.

Anyway, firmware is updated by OTA Upgrade on the top right of the Mobile CubeSuite app.
If you have an outdated firmware that might still work.

[plutek]

@ignis32

I could not force firmware upgrade, it just says it’s already the latest.

yes, this is what i see as well. i think we used to be able to force firmware re-install, but not anymore.

[Yan]

Today I use CHOCOLATE, my cell phone and my tablet to send MIDI messages. I tried using two MIDI dongles + the MIDI 5di0 Bluetooth, it works, but it crashes a lot. To connect everything without problems, replace a Dongle with a connection via USB (CHOCOLATE-USB), it crashes less. What you said is true, it is necessary to connect the devices in the right order so that the MOD understands the connections as previously connected… this is perhaps because the connections appear with the same name (I don’t know how to rename the root of the devices). dongles).
I’m using CHOCOLATE in an interesting way: -Advanced custom mode - Short Step/Long Step.

• Short step - I send Midi Notes and turn them into CC within the MOD to turn effects on and off.
• Long Step - I send Program Changes to change banks.

This way I get two uses for each button.
I use the tablet and cell phone to visualize the effects (on and off), as if it were an additional display to Chocolate… and I also map the effects parameters.

[plutek]

@Yan

I use the tablet and cell phone to visualize the effects (on and off)

interesting! yes, the lack of visual feedback on the Chocolate is one of its faults, so this is a valuable workaround!

[Yan]

I use my cell phone for this, as it is smaller and fits perfectly on the pedalboard. I use the Tablet on the pedestal with song lyrics, repertoire and I leave the MIDICOMMANDER program open to adjust some parameter if necessary. I tried a version of the TUCH OSC program (cheaper) but I couldn’t get it to work (the new version doesn’t show up for my TABLET as it is old). So I used Midi Commander, which works on cell and tablet. the only thing that doesn’t work right in this program is that the buttons don’t change the state (on-off) if the command is given from outside the device, but the Drawbars are responsive to MIDI THRU, so I see if the al is on or off by seeing the Drawbar up or down

The photo doesn’t show the cell phone because it’s in my hand. LOL