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

[msccd]

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

Code: Select all

sudo port selfupdate
sudo port install libftdi0 pkgconfig libmad libsndfile portaudio liblo fftw-3 ola

4. Download latest QLC+ sources

Code: Select all

git clone git://github.com/mcallegari/qlcplus.git

5. replaced the midiprotocol.cpp with Maikel Boerebach's version

6. building

Code: Select all

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

7. install

Code: Select all

make install

8. make dmg

Code: Select all

./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.

[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.

[waggod]

Hello there,

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