AKAI APC mini - Button-LED

matthe_tp

Hallo, I'm from germany, my english is not so good, sorry.
I have a problem with the Button-LED on AKAI APC MINI. The LEDs turn on but not off. Can anyboby help me?
Maikel Boerebach

I had the exact same issue. See this post for the solution:
http://sourceforge.net/p/qlcplus/discus ... /?limit=25
Maikel Boerebach

Since i compile all the qlc versions for myself i could send my working version. However I have OLA disabled, so if you need this particular function, you will have to compile QLC from GIT on your own.
Alessandro Grechi

Hi Maikel,
I read on the other thread you managed to change led colors to APC buttons. Could you please share your work? I would be pleased to try it also on mine!

Thank you!
Maikel Boerebach

Hi Allesandro, sorry for the very late reply.. I forgot to check the thread for a while.
I used Janos' ideas and adapted them to my needs, since I wanted a bi-color-feedback: Red(Off) Green(On).
I managed to do this by editing the lines in the file "midiprotocol.cpp".
This is the part I have changed in lines 138 to 145:

else if (channel >= CHANNEL_OFFSET_NOTE && channel (channel - CHANNEL_OFFSET_NOTE);
*data2 = DMX2MIDI((value==0) ? 3 : value);
}
In the 6th line "3" represents the midi-value for the On state. When you play with these you can change the colors to green,red,amber(orange). And you can choose to let the LEDs flash. In the other thread i have posted a text-file which describes which values you need to get certain colors.
For your convenience i have also attached the midi protocol.cpp file.
If you replace it in your git directory you will just need to recompile.
As i have mentioned, this also works for the launchpad, however the colors are a bit different.
Cheers,
Maikel
Attachments
midiprotocol.cpp
(5.44 KiB) Downloaded 447 times
msccd
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 10:44 pm
Real Name:

Maikel Boerebach wrote: This is the part I have changed in lines 138 to 145:

else if (channel >= CHANNEL_OFFSET_NOTE && channel (channel - CHANNEL_OFFSET_NOTE);
*data2 = DMX2MIDI((value==0) ? 3 : value);
}
In the 6th line "3" represents the midi-value for the On state. When you play with these you can change the colors to green,red,amber(orange). And you can choose to let the LEDs flash. In the other thread i have posted a text-file which describes which values you need to get certain colors.
For your convenience i have also attached the midi protocol.cpp file.
Hi Maikel,

thank You very much for Your work. I used Your midiprotocol and it worked fine on the mac (to be honest it's a virtual machine I set up for compiling). Now I was up to create the dmg file to install it on my macbook, which will be the machine where I'll work with QLC+.
I followed the HowTo at https://github.com/mcallegari/qlcplus/w ... uild-HOWTO , but I got errors. Some framework-files have been missed. I got em out of the installed QLC+ Version (downloaded the original install-dmg), but there ist still one file missing:

Code: Select all

error: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/install_name_tool: can't open file: /Users/admin/QLC+.app/Contents/Frameworks/QtSerialPort.framework/Versions/5/QtSerialPort (No such file or directory)
make[1]: *** [install_LIBQTSERIALPORT_ID] Error 1
make: *** [sub-macx-install_subtargets-ordered] Error 2
Installation error. Aborting package creation.
Now I wonder where i can get the missing files from, because even in a "normal" installed QLC+.app is no QtSerialPort included. Could someone help me out please?


Just in case You need to know what I've done, here my HowTo:

1. set up new and clean OS X Yosemite VMware just for the compiling

2. installed latest versions of apple Xcode via appstore, command line tools, QT and MacPorts

3. Port-Update

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sudo port selfupdate
sudo port install libftdi0 pkgconfig libmad libsndfile portaudio liblo fftw-3 ola
4. Download latest QLC+ sources

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git clone git://github.com/mcallegari/qlcplus.git
5. replaced the midiprotocol.cpp with Maikel Boerebach's version

6. building

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export PATH=$PATH:/users/admin/Qt/5.5/clang_64/bin
cd qlcplus
qmake -spec macx-g++
make
7. install

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make install
8. make dmg

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./create-dmg.sh
Alessandro Grechi

Thank you Maikel, I'll try it asap with my APC40 and APC20, they should both work in similar way, I hope.

In my opinion the best result would be to have the button colored in red only if there is a function attached to it, and leave it off otherwise... (this is the behaviour I saw in other software)
Ronnie Roselli

Thank you for your answer, but I can not figure out where to find the file "midiprotocol.cpp" in my computer (windows7 64 bit).
I downloaded your file already modified and thought I replace it with the present in my computer, but I realized that you can not do.
Can you explain exactly how and where I have to replace or edit this file "midiprotocol.cpp"?
Excuse me, but are not as experienced in programming ...
Jano Svitok

Hi,

you need to follow https://github.com/mcallegari/qlcplus/w ... uild-HOWTO and when it tells you to download sources, do that, and replace file plugins/midi/common/midiprotocol.cpp with the one provided above. Then follow the guide again.

In other words, you need to create your very own installation file from the (modified) sources, which is a bit complicated process.
Ronnie Roselli

Thank you but it's really too complicated to solve my problem!

Per Massimo Callegari:
è possibile risolvere il problema ormai noto e a quanto pare risolto con una patch o un aggiornamento? Mi sto pentendo di aver preso l'unico controller che non funziona come dovrebbe!
Massimo Callegari

Translation: "To Massimo Callegari: is it possible to solve the issue that is now known and solved with a patch or an update ? I am repenting I bought the only controller that doesn't work as it should !"

Ronnie, I am not gonna have a private conversation with you about the APC (which I don't even own btw), so please stop bugging me with private emails, private messages on Sourceforge and messages in italian here.
This is not your personal answering machine. This is a public and international forum where everyone write in english - even if they are italians.

Moreover you didn't get the point of this whole thread (and the original one). The Akai APC has a specific functionality that most of the other MIDI controllers don't have, so including this change would make few users happy and a lot more users unhappy as it breaks feedbacks on other devices (like BCF2000)
Massimo Callegari

To Maikel, Joep, Alessandro and Jano: the only way to bring this upstream is to bind this behaviour to the input profiles. So basically users can specify a (global?) setting and define the feedback MIDI values to be sent.

I am a bit confused though regarding the 'off' state. I understand LEDs can have 3 or 4 colors, but what about if I want to completely turn off a button ?
I found weird that MIDI value 0 doesn't do it, especially because 0 is supposed to be the "factory default" value when you turn the device on.

So, anyone can please explain and come up with a constructive proposal of how we can implement this without breaking other devices ?
Ronnie Roselli

Dear Massimo, usually when I receive a private message, i always answer, receiving no reply, I thought you did not read or received.
I took the liberty to write you privately just because I had an urge to work and I'm sorry that with my two private messages I disturbed ...
However I have solved my problem, now it works perfectly!
Maikel Boerebach

I can't really tell you why a velocity value greater than 0 needs to be sent. I guess it is something hardware-related. I agree with your proposal to attach the output to the midi-input profile. I would suggest making different classes inside the midiprotocol.cpp which are then called by choosing the appropriate profile in the dropdown menu.
Maikel Boerebach

I don't really know what you mean by a function being attached. Only buttons mapped to a function in Virtual Desk are lit in colors and the ones not mapped are simply blank.
Alessandro Grechi

Yes, that is what I meant, sorry!.
I've just tried your mods with my APC20 and I can confirm that WORKS as expected! :)
Buttons mapped to a function which is not running are lit in red, the others are off.
Just wow! Thanks!

I noticed that this is working well only in the main "clip launch" section. With the others (clip stop, navigation...) the lit is always green.
Adrian Kapka

Hi
Sorry for my English, I use google translate.

* data2 = DMX2MIDI ((value == 0)? 3: value);

The solution with the change to "3" is ok, but only for 8x8 buttons. Other buttons have only one color for the ON value of 1-127. I suggest change to "0"

* data2 = DMX2MIDI ((value == 0)? 0: value);

The buttons then lit on green or red when they are ON, and go out when they are turned off.

Sincerely
Adrian
Joep Admiraal

Hi Massimo,

The APC communications protocol document states we should use note on/off messages to control the LED's. A note on message with a velocity of 0 can be used to turn the LED off, but a note off message is preferred. See page 8 of the attached document.
Attachments
APC40_Communications_Protocol_rev_1.pdf
(194.67 KiB) Downloaded 200 times
Joep Admiraal

Please ignore this post, the APC mini seems to work a bit different than the APC20/40. Which seems weird because the documentation of the APC40 mk2 also states we could use velocity 0. I think the mk2 is the same generation as the mini so I would expect them to behave the same.
Attachments
APC40Mk2_Communications_Protocol_v1.2.pdf
(775.65 KiB) Downloaded 205 times
waggod
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue May 05, 2015 9:16 am
Real Name: Jonas

Hello there,

can please someone upload a 4.9.1 Windows Version where the "Midi-Patch" is included?
It would be great. :-)
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