PreSonus Faderport as external controller
Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 5:21 pm
Hi,
I've bought a second-hand PreSonus Faderport with the hope that I can use it to trigger QLC+. However, it's proving very difficult to get it going.
I use QLC+ in a theatre environment, mostly with a cuelist running a single chaser. We need something to ensure accurate and reliable triggering of cue steps; the mouse doesn't quite cut it, as you can slide off the onscreen button and fail to trigger the next cue. I have tried pad controllers like Novation LaunchControl, but found them to be a bit lacking in tactile feedback; they don't click, so you have no confidence that the cue has been run.
PreSonus Faderport has better buttons. Additionally, it has a fader, which might be handy to run manual fades in the future.
So, my questions are as follows:
a) Has anyone managed to create a working input profile for this controller in QLC+?
b) If not, can anyone suggest why it might not be working?
The problem I am having is in getting the fader and the buttons to be recognised together. The Faderport seems to offer two modes: Mackie HUI Emulation and Native (Mackie Control protocol, I think.) In HUI emulation mode, the buttons work fine, but the fader sends no control data; I suspect the fader is not supported in this mode. In native mode, the fader works fine, but the buttons trigger only once, after which they do nothing.
Native mode seems the one to continue with, as the fader might be an option. However, QLC+ won't accept more than a single command in this mode. Using MIDI-OX (I'm on Windows) and LoopBe30 I can see that the Faderport generates key aftertouch messages, one for each button down and another on button up (release.)
For example, here's the two MIDI messages when pressing (and releasing) the 'Play' button:
TIMESTAMP IN PORT STATUS DATA1 DATA2 CHAN NOTE EVENT
001D6ECF 1 -- A0 06 01 1 F#-1 Key Aftertouch
001D6F74 1 -- A0 06 00 1 F#-1 Key Aftertouch
This correctly triggers QLC+ on first click, but after the first press, it does nothing. On the Input/Output tab, each and every button press is recognised - a little joystick symbol is shown every time the button is pressed. However, the cue list refuses to advance more than once. Each button works once, after which it is ignored by the Virtual Console until QLC+ is closed and reopened.
Any help gratefully received.
I've bought a second-hand PreSonus Faderport with the hope that I can use it to trigger QLC+. However, it's proving very difficult to get it going.
I use QLC+ in a theatre environment, mostly with a cuelist running a single chaser. We need something to ensure accurate and reliable triggering of cue steps; the mouse doesn't quite cut it, as you can slide off the onscreen button and fail to trigger the next cue. I have tried pad controllers like Novation LaunchControl, but found them to be a bit lacking in tactile feedback; they don't click, so you have no confidence that the cue has been run.
PreSonus Faderport has better buttons. Additionally, it has a fader, which might be handy to run manual fades in the future.
So, my questions are as follows:
a) Has anyone managed to create a working input profile for this controller in QLC+?
b) If not, can anyone suggest why it might not be working?
The problem I am having is in getting the fader and the buttons to be recognised together. The Faderport seems to offer two modes: Mackie HUI Emulation and Native (Mackie Control protocol, I think.) In HUI emulation mode, the buttons work fine, but the fader sends no control data; I suspect the fader is not supported in this mode. In native mode, the fader works fine, but the buttons trigger only once, after which they do nothing.
Native mode seems the one to continue with, as the fader might be an option. However, QLC+ won't accept more than a single command in this mode. Using MIDI-OX (I'm on Windows) and LoopBe30 I can see that the Faderport generates key aftertouch messages, one for each button down and another on button up (release.)
For example, here's the two MIDI messages when pressing (and releasing) the 'Play' button:
TIMESTAMP IN PORT STATUS DATA1 DATA2 CHAN NOTE EVENT
001D6ECF 1 -- A0 06 01 1 F#-1 Key Aftertouch
001D6F74 1 -- A0 06 00 1 F#-1 Key Aftertouch
This correctly triggers QLC+ on first click, but after the first press, it does nothing. On the Input/Output tab, each and every button press is recognised - a little joystick symbol is shown every time the button is pressed. However, the cue list refuses to advance more than once. Each button works once, after which it is ignored by the Virtual Console until QLC+ is closed and reopened.
Any help gratefully received.