Using USB MIDI controllers with the Dirtywave M8 (RK-006)

No video

Using USB MIDI controllers with the Dirtywave M8 (RK-006)

Рет қаралды 19,863

2 жыл бұрын

The ability to control different parameters on the M8 using MIDI is incredibly useful, and particularly good for live performance, but it might not be immediately obvious how to connect up some of the most common USB MIDI controllers available - like the MIDI Fighter Twister - to the M8. I bought a RetroKits RK-006 MIDI host from SignalSounds.com and give a demo of it working here. They seem like a perfect pair.
--
I post all of the music I make, including WAV stems; sample packs; Dirtywave M8 song bundles; collections of video textures; early access to videos; and a whole pile of other stuff on Patreon. I know I know, I hate doing this as well, but if you like what I do and want to get more of it, while also helping me offset some of my ludicrous gear purchases, this is the best place to do it:
/ allmyfriendsaresynths
If you just want to hang out and chat with me or other (nice) folks, drop by the Discord: / discord
If you just want individual sample packs or downloads of video footage to use in your own projects, get them on Gumroad here: gumroad.com/al...
If you're in the market for new gear, my favourite place to find new and interesting synthesizers and other electronic music gear is Signal Sounds. They are based in Glasgow, but ship all over the place and often have stuff nobody else does. Find them at www.signalsoun...
If you're in the US and shop at Perfect Circuit, you can click through to see what they have in stock just now through my custom link. I get a small commission for any purchases made, which keeps me stocked up with whisky and beard oil. link.perfectci...
and a whole pile of other stuff...
Instagram: / allmyfriendsaresynths
My main photo and video art blog: allmyfriendsare...
The band I play guitar and sing in: closetorgan.ban...
The band I play bass and sing in: hogwyld.bandcam...
My DIY tape label, Cow Tongue Taco Records: cowtonguetacor...
My occasional music blog: unexpectedbowti...
Get in touch for possible collabs/offers of large sums of money, etc: allmyfas at gmail

Пікірлер: 124

@dave09453 2 жыл бұрын

Just ordered my M8 today, and this is really awesome to know! Knowing this, its possible to build songs in a much more flexible way... I'll have to look into those retro kits!

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

They are great!!

@solmare_ 2 жыл бұрын

Bought the RK-006 thanks to this video, what incredible products those folks make!

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Aw nice. It really is a cool wee device. Impressive in its size. Where did you pick one up from?

@LaChona420k Жыл бұрын

Got lucky ordering a RK006 from a supplier in SF....... Thanks for this bro. You have been an amazing wealth of knowledge

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

I'm glad it's been useful!!

@LaChona420k Жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod super stoked to get a small little dawless setup for when i dont wanna boot up the box. You been a ton of help bro.

@LaChona420k Жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod Hey bro question for ya. Mine came in today. I have gotten my midi keys to send midi info to the M8, in other words playing it. But when I try to set modulation to the twister I am not getting it to work. Any preliminary settings that I might be missing in the settings? I tried everything kinda stumped.

@LaChona420k Жыл бұрын

it works now woooo

@XyNoST 2 жыл бұрын

Just got my M8 and I thought the midi mapping was only editable in the project screen ! That hold Option button to midi learn is really cool to know ! Totally a time saver ! I totally love the M8 I feel right at home with my solid experience of LSDJ and Piggy Tracker !

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Nicolas! Sorry for the delayed reply. I 100% agree. The M8 feels like the natural evolution of LSDJ for me and I feel right at home using it. It's amazing.

@sendalunar2974 2 жыл бұрын

Mine is on the way! I'm excited to try this new style of music composition.

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Hell yeah. It's my favourite way to compose. Hope you love it too!

@sendalunar2974 2 жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod totally cool ! I'm a huge gamer! I just never got into LSDJ but know friends that still use it!. Thank you for the useful tips!

@dillipphunbar7924 2 жыл бұрын

what an excellent setup.....all sounds and samples and sequencing in 3 small devices. brilliant. i know this can be achieved on an mpc, or even a laptop or phone, but you make this look and sound really cool. now attach the polyend tracker for more drums and maybe radio samples...goon want that jam!

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot! M8 + Tracker = combo of doom.

@andrewlb 11 ай бұрын

Big thanks for this video. Picked one up direct from retrokit, and hopefully will help solve a bit of a blocker for me in writing with the M8.

@StephenMcLeod 11 ай бұрын

Glad it was useful. Good luck!!

@LordoftheBadgers 10 ай бұрын

How did it go @andrewlb?

@newnameauto Жыл бұрын

That intro was reason enough to sub 🔥🔥🔥

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

Haha thanks!!

@LabRatWarfare 2 жыл бұрын

I don't think I've seen anyone do a video like this on the M8, I may be wrong but I've watched quite a few! Great demo, just when I thought I wouldn't want the M8 more than I already do! I'll be on the lookout for one in July, haha! This is totally how I would like to get things set up, I am gonna check out that RK-006 too, seems very useful! 🙌 BTW... I would love to see and hear a "chiptune gear family gathering mega jam" from you... a jam where you use the M8, C64, DMG, that Atari ST chip you have all together! Or something like that! 🤘🐀

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

The RK-006 is great! A mega chip jam you say huh... hmmm

@OIP_1 2 жыл бұрын

this looks like a blast, i need to build or buy a MIDI controller to try it

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

You can pick up some dead cheap ones!

@lemonlemon396 2 жыл бұрын

I've got a Michigan synth works 16 fader bank, it's got a standard midi out, in addition to USB. Works great with the M8 and no hosting needed. Both use type a midi so don't even need a midi cable just a regular stereo aux. The fader bank does require power though. Midi cc really opens up fun to wiggle the m8

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

That looks awesome! How do the faders work in relation to... values if they are different? e.g. between projects - are they absolute/relative/catch up? Looks like a great solution.

@lemonlemon396 2 жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod I believe if you switched projects or reloaded the same project from the save... Upon opening the project, the value of whatever you mapped your cc messaging to would be set at whatever the project was saved at. Then the moment you touch the fader it jumps to the fader's value. Absolute but catches up to the absolute the moment you fader wiggle.

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome. I will have to check them out!

@OllieLoops Жыл бұрын

Great tip!

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@Garethduffy707 11 ай бұрын

Cool ! Gonna try controlling my M8 with the Polyend Play

@StephenMcLeod 11 ай бұрын

Nice! Let us know how it turns out.

@Garethduffy707 11 ай бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod will do !

@floozyspeak 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant goodness as always!

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@NightCabbage 2 жыл бұрын

Nice, thanks for the video! I can't wait to get my M8 :D

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was useful! You'll love it.

@foryou2728 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for doing this! Patiently awaiting my m8 and trying to learn as much as possible. Do midi assignments persist across instruments or do you assign knobs per instrument? For example, if knob 1 controls reverb on a instrument track 1 will it also control reverb on a second instrument track depending on the instrument I’m currently on in the m8? Or, would knob 1 control reverb for one instrument and you’d need to assign knob 2 for reverb for instrument 2? Trying to determine how many knobs are needed. Thanks!

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

MIDI controls if assigned to instruments should be the same across all tracks. As in, if you assign knob 1 to Reverb on Instrument 00, then it will be the same, irrespective of what track that instrument is used on - if that makes sense. They aren't shared across instruments unless you specifically map them that way.

@cloneroom 2 жыл бұрын

Must be reading my mind, My Midi Fighter 3d arrived 4 days ago......... I also found and have a Midi Fighter Pro on its way........had not even begun to see how they could work together so cheers for the information. now once the M8 arrives ........

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Nice one! The midi capabilities are pretty cool. Mostly a matter of figuring out what'll work for your setup

@Peter28148 2 жыл бұрын

thanks recommended, also I love your accent!

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!! I had some chump recently tell me to speak properly as they couldn't understand. Pfff.

@nicjab 11 ай бұрын

Great video, thanks so much for showing this

@StephenMcLeod 11 ай бұрын

Glad it was useful!

@amcsdmi Жыл бұрын

I've never seen a more majestic beast than that horse shark

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

It's shony!

@GonUkeCrazy Жыл бұрын

I just want to keep hitting the like button! This is exciting!

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

Make a whole bunch of fake accounts to like it more than once!!

@DavidDeLuge 2 жыл бұрын

More M8 content please, please, pretty please 😃

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

on it

@DavidDeLuge 2 жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod awesome! 😜

@deyoungstar Жыл бұрын

Love your channel! I purchased the M8 after watching your videos and I love it. Thank you! Can the M8 real-time record the midi automation sent from your controller?

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

Oh nice one, you won't be disappointed! I'm actually not 100% sure if that's possible or not. I want to say yes, but... I also don't want to just make things up. So D:

@michaelcstachiw 2 жыл бұрын

This is a sweet setup! Does the M8 allow you to record these parameter changes to your track or is this more for live performance / recording an audio file?

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

That is a good question. I don't believe you can record MIDI input automation in this way, but I might be wrong on that so don't quote me. You can do that through the use of tables and FX commands pretty easily and with more control though.

@LostStylus 2 жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod can you record midi notes played live with a midi keyboard?

@kabood777 2 жыл бұрын

Hey brother hope you're doing well, thank you for the great video...it seems that the M8 is really some sort of a mighty monster...oh I wanted to ask if it is possible for you to do a video pairing TE products with any behringer mono synth through RK006? ... thank you again for all the great content and your honest approach 👍😊✌

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

I will have a look and see what is possible!

@RaverOperatorGeeza Жыл бұрын

Order from: Signal sounds, timestamp 3:17 RK-006 (from Retro Kits) - 150 Euro

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

Did you end up ordering one?!

@RaverOperatorGeeza Жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod I have the page open, just wondering if I can justify the expense this month or whether I wait until after Xmas... ...I think I will have to wait on this, but glad to know I can get keyboard working with it! Thanks very much for your help!

@gumbercules6801 8 ай бұрын

Do you have any recommendations for connection methods/devices for this aside from the rk-006? Looks awesome but might be more than I would need, (also hard to find and $$$) I only intend to use 1-3 midi controllers with m8. Love your vids. This convinced me to get a midi fighter twister on Black Friday sale for my M8!

@StephenMcLeod 8 ай бұрын

Nice! Sorry for the slow reply. If you want to use multiple controllers, then RK-006 is pretty good. There's the MidiHub from Blokas which might work as well, but it's also pretty pricey. You could get a simple Kenton device, though it would only provide a single USB connection (though a hub may work).

@gumbercules6801 8 ай бұрын

Now worries dude, and thanks for the reply on such an old vid! Thanks for the advice too. Been eyeing the knot (from one of your other vids) but for now got it going using a Mac and midi pipe 👍 …But now I cant get relative controls to work. changing values on the m8 doesn’t change values on the twister, so I get the jump if I move the value on the m8, then move the mf knobs) I tried using ENC 3FH/41H in the mf utility but it just sends 1 of 2 values in the center Also detent won’t center on correctly (it’s off by 2) So yay! It’s working, but now I’m stuck on the details🫠

@RaverOperatorGeeza Жыл бұрын

So I've got a Korg Nano key2 which I use with my MPC. It is USB mini b, and thought I'd be able to connect it with a cable to the M8 USB micro b connection. I've got a cable coming, but after watching this I have a sneaky suspicion it ain't gonna work! What's that device for midi called again and do you think it will work with a keyboard?

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

The RK-006! and it should work yeah. You would basically plug in your keyboard into the USB end of the RK-006 with its included cable, then go out from there.

@RaverOperatorGeeza Жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod legend! Thank you - added to Christmas list (to myself if no good soul food the necessary already - although I'm not sure I can wait that long!!! Might be a present to myself? Thanks again dude ☮️☮️☮️

@RaverOperatorGeeza Жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod (did I miss that in the title when I first watched it have you added that after)?!?! Sorry if that was a dumb question!!!

@RaverOperatorGeeza Жыл бұрын

Ordered from: Signal sounds, timestamp 3:17 RK-006 (from Retro Kits)

@els1f 2 жыл бұрын

I love those fucking keycaps!🙌♥️

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I dyed them myself

@allgonewrongful Жыл бұрын

Im hunting around for a midi device that combines midi merge/thru and usb host, and the rk-006 seems to be the best option that I've found. Googling around, who has a vid on it, but you. Imagine my suprise! I'm a subscriber and enjoy your vids. On another note. I'm really 'gassing' for a behringer neutron, but also like the wasp. Is the wasp still your favourite of the desktops? Appreciate any input.

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

Oh nice! I'm glad this is useful. :) Thanks for the kind words. In terms of the Behringer modules... I think the Wasp is my favourite, but that's largely because of how unique and fun it is. It is probably more limited than some of the others, so it depends what you want - but it is one I particularly enjoy. :) I have an ooold video talking through the different Behringer remakes (though not the Neutron as that's not a classic remake).

@de_krocky 2 жыл бұрын

Lsdj was/is not free right? I paid for it back in the day ;) I share your love for the m8! I’m getting the rk-006 soon

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it was a minimum donation of like a few Dollars or something, but it is free now.

@dubbynelson Жыл бұрын

every time i see the M8 i regret choosing the Polyend Tracker just a little bit more. the latest firmware on the PT hitches a bunch and the jogwheel is starting to behave slightly funny (not too bad thankfully) but more importantly, as someone who loves sound design, the primarily sample-oriented workflow is beginning to bore me. the M8 on the other hand appears incredibly solid and so much more fun. nonetheless, both have their strengths.

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

Ah I'm sorry to hear that! The PE Tracker is still pretty great. I used to be pretty anti samples, but I've really come around. You can do some crazy stuff with them. The M8 definitely is more powerful in that regard mind you.

@AV-fh7rp 2 жыл бұрын

Where did you get those cool buttons?

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

I dyed some white caps!

@lewisd-rm8yv 7 ай бұрын

how do you set up the m8 to receive note information from a midi keyboard?

@StephenMcLeod 7 ай бұрын

Page 37 of the manual explains this. You assign an instrument to the appropriate MIDI channel that you want to send notes on each track. There are 8 maximum voices at once, given the 8 tracks, though there are also some clever options you can modify.

@lewisd-rm8yv 7 ай бұрын

thanks! i figured this after on my own after a couple days of troubleshooting. initially, i had a bad midi cable lol. then i had to learn the hard way, just why the default note-in channel is set to 9@@StephenMcLeod

@stevefearon9337 2 жыл бұрын

Will this process work in reverse… midi send From M8 using the RK 006 and a selection of mini jack to 5 pin din adapters to control let’s say midi guitar effects pedals . My m8 isn’t coming until September but one of the things I am hoping I can get it to do is to operate as a song brain in effect and control my guitar pedal board. The RK 006 seems like the missing link to my problem. Be great to se3 someone else prove the concept while I wait… really loving your channel.. new convert but everything I have seen has been great. Bestest

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Yes! That should 100% work, though will require you to make the relevant MIDI output changes on the tracks etc. :)

@stevefearon9337 2 жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod that’s great. Bit of confirmation. Can’t wait for September. I already figured the m8 could do sone crazy things with cc and pc changes. Thanks for the reply👍👍

@ayalavalva 2 жыл бұрын

Hey, great info! Do you think the Roland UM-ONE USB MIDI interface would work too? Product page doesn't mention it acts as a MIDI host, though. Reason I'm asking is because it is considerably cheaper (around 50 bucks).

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. That wouldn't work for this kind of set up as far as I understand it. The connectors are wrong on the USB side, and even if you got a converter and it worked data wise, there would be issues with power draw as the MIDI controller would be drawing power from the M8. Sorry!

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

You can get cheaper USB host boxes btw - Kenton does one that's about £70-100 quid :)

@RealMusicHype Ай бұрын

Good stuff, keep it up! We'd love to add you on our music blog!

@StephenMcLeod Ай бұрын

drop me an email! allmyfas at gmail dot com

@joshk2181 Жыл бұрын

How are you doing this with just 2 cables plugged into the RK? does it not need power?

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

There's a usb splitter cable thing which lets you plug it into power and also transfer data!

@joshk2181 Жыл бұрын

Can you record midi input as values into the sequencer in any way?

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

You can definitely record MIDI Note values (along with velocity etc) from an external controller/sequencer - but I'm not sure about recording CC values.

@andreaskafer2474 Жыл бұрын

Thx for this video. It showed me that i must have a rk006. Is there something special i did miss ? My Midi Controller (Akai MidiMix) is not recognized by the M8. I did set it up like you showed in the video. The rk006 lights up when i turn knobs, but the M8 does nothing when i hold the option button down and turn a knob on my controller. I did the same setup, but used the deluge, that worked fine. Any settings i need to check on the rk006 or the m8 ?

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad it was helpful. It's tricky to diagnose what might be wrong in your setup as there are are a bunch of variables. I would make sure that you are using the power/data splitter usb cable; that you're on the latest M8 firmware; that the RK006 is taking input and sending it out over either USB or the MIDI DIN port that you are using....

@andreaskafer2474 Жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod Thx, looks like the midi cable was the problem. Took a stereo cable like you, now it's fine.

@StephenMcLeod Жыл бұрын

@@andreaskafer2474 Ah brilliant! Glad you got it figured out!!

@primalfunction6315 2 жыл бұрын

Have you tried plugging the midi out from the m8 back into the RK to see if midi feedback is sent to update the rings on the twister when you change projects?

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

I haven't, though I suspect that wouldn't work - which is a shame for the Twister.

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

One solution actually would be to send midi data out at the start of a song. Create a chain that resets all the controller values. That would work on theory for each new project

@primalfunction6315 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds promising for songs. Was kind of hoping midi feedback had been added on a recent update to the M8, not checked discord for a while. I know it was talked about a while back but not sure if it is planned.

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

I'll have to try it out and see if it is in there!

@nightmaretronica 2 жыл бұрын

How did you amass all those stickers?

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

I end up getting stickers in all sorts of places but don't have anywhere to put them - they used to go on my guitar case but the new case I have doesn't like stickers soooo

@McSpyda 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Any chance you can do a comparison between the Dirtywave M8 and Elektron Syntakt? Thanks in advance!💯💪🏾🕺🏿

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately I doubt Elektron will send me one! They are pretty different instruments though. The M8 is portable and tracker based, whereas the Syntakt is more a desktop device/synth from what I gather! So it depends what you are looking for.

@McSpyda 2 жыл бұрын

@@StephenMcLeod I like the Dirtywave M8 because of its portability and the rest… I’m still waiting for my pre order to arrive!🙏🏾 But I thought I would ask as you have done several comparisons with other devices… Thanks!💯👊🏾🕺🏿

@Zen_Mox 2 жыл бұрын

Flat. Eric. Sticker.

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

Mon the Oizo!

@apostatatheprovost3041 2 жыл бұрын

❤️✌️

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

@anonymoushuman8344 2 жыл бұрын

Lab Rat Warfare!

@StephenMcLeod 2 жыл бұрын

LRW FTW!

@anonymoushuman8344 2 жыл бұрын

Besides being a good name for a good electronic music project, Lab Rat Warfare seems an apt metaphor for American politics. It's election day (primaries) where I live.