Issue with MIDI not being recognised by fixtures

[ShadowFlights]

Hi, I have a fairly urgent issue relating to MIDI being received in QLC+ for Raspbery Pi.

I have recently inherited my band's lighting setup from the person who set it up (and has now left), so my knowledge is pretty limited, as I haven't had the time to learn DMX/Rasberry Pi from scratch (although I have learn some aspects of DMX through testing process). I'll explain what I think the issue is, and underneath will explain the whole setup.

After many hours of extensive testing, I'm pretty sure the issue is somehow related to fixtures in QLC+ on the Pi - whenever I add a new fixture, it doesn't receive any input via MIDI past the current 40 channels that are being used by 4 Showtech Sunstrip Active fixtures. If I add any of the same Sunstrip fixtures, it doesn't receive data, and if I replace those original 4 fixtures, the first 40 channels no longer receive data. I can't see any settings that are any different with the original fixtures compared to the new ones added, so I'm at a loss as to why nothing seems to work past those 40 channels.

I have also checked on the Profile tab on the Input/Output section of the software, and for the 'General MIDI' profile, it seems that using the wizard there does pick up MIDI notes above D#2, where the Sunstrip channels end.

To explain the setup fully, we have a Cymatic uTrack24 sending MIDI via a MIDI-USB cable to a Raspberry Pi 4 model B, which is running QLC+. This then runs out to an Enntec Open DMX USB, which has a MIDI-XLR converter, and is then sent out to a series of 4 Showtech Suntrip Actives. We are adding in a set of 4 Abstract XLite Pros, controlled by an XDrive Lite 4.

If anyone has heard about an issue like this before and can offer some advice, it would be massively appreciated, as we're trying to get this sorted before next Saturday if at all possible

Thanks very much in advance!

[janosvitok]

Hi,

for start, please attach your qxw file here so we can have a look. Also, if you use custom fixture definitions (.qxf) attach them as well.
Then, tell us how you program the lights: Do you use any scenes/functions in QLC+ and trigger them using MIDI, or do you use QLC+ just as translator from MIDI to DMX and create all the scenes in the uTrack?

Jano

[kproth]

A couple of guesses in case it helps you track down your problem.

First, I typically associate MIDI inputs as external input to control Virtual Console widgets (buttons, cuelists, faders, etc), which are then associated with a function (scene, sequence, collection, etc). Maybe look to see if your existing fixtures are actually being controlled through the Virtual Console?

Second, you might look deeper into the MIDI Input profile settings as documented here: https://docs.qlcplus.org/v4/plugins/midi

[MichelSliepenbeek]

my knowledge is pretty limited, as I haven't had the time to learn DMX.

You should at least try to understand the basic workflow within QLC.
To keep is as simple as possible:
- on the Fixtures Tab you Add Fixtures (you select a Fixture Definition and you assign a unique DMX address to each Fixture).
- on the Functions tab you create Scenes for those Fixtures (with your type of Fixture this could be something like "All On", "All Off", "Left On", "Right On" ....).
- On the Virtual Console you add a Few Buttons to turn those Functions On and Off.
- For each Button you select a specific Midi Signal as External Control.

If you now send a MIDI signal to QLC, it will turn a Button On, that will activate a Scene, that sets the DMX channel(s) of a Fixture to a specific DMX value(s).


If you only add new Fixtures but you do not add them to your existing Scenes (or create new Scenes for them), nothing will happen.

If you Replace your fixtures, what happens is that at first your existing Fixtures will be deleted (meaning they will also be deleted from the existing Scenes) and then your new Fixtures will be added.
If you do not add those New Fixtures again to your Existing Scenes (even though they are of the same type and use the same addresses as the Old Fixtures ), nothing will happen.