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How do I get Frontier AlphaTrack & ********* BCF2000 to work with Studio One 3?

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asked Feb 10, 2016 in Studio One 3 by kevintribitt (510 points)
Would like to control basic mixer/fader, pan, mute, solo, transport & other basic functions?

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answered May 16, 2017 by TechSupport77 (195,970 points)
 
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If you need to set up MIDI mapping controls in Studio One, please take a look at the following instructions.

NOTE: It is important to make sure you have first properly added your device to the External Devices window in Studio One before Midi learn or Midi mapping is possible. If you need instructions on setting up your device, please refer to your Studio One manual.
http://support.presonus.com/entries/106757573--8-Where-Can-I-Find-the-Studio-One-3-Manual-

Map Your Keyboard

For the Control Link system to work with your Keyboard, a software map must be made of the hardware controls you wish to use. This simple process works as follows:
1.Open the Mix view by pressing [F3] on the computer keyboard, and open the External panel by clicking on External in the Console navigation column to the far left of the Console.
2.Double-click on the desired device in the External panel to open the Device Control Map.
3.In the upper left corner of the Device Control Map window, click on the [MIDI Learn] button to enter MIDI Learn mode.
4.With MIDI Learn enabled, simply move any hardware control to map it. As controls are mapped, the default Knob object created for that control is displayed, and it moves in correspondence with its related hardware control.
5.When editing the control map for a Keyboard device (MIDI Learn enabled), you can select Transmit Value from the contextual menu for each control. This option sends parameter updates for a given hardware control out of the Keyboard device's MIDI Out port when the software parameter to which the control is linked changes. This makes it possible for user-created Keyboard devices that have soft controls (endless rotary encoders with LED indicators, motorized faders, etc.) to reflect the correct current state of any parameter that is being controlled. (This option is also available for Control Surfaces.)
6.When you have mapped all of the desired controls, click on the [MIDI Learn] button to exit MIDI Learn mode.

Now that the hardware controls for your Keyboard have been mapped, they can be used to control almost any software parameter, as discussed in the Control Linking section.

Keyboard control maps are global in Studio One and are used across every Song, so you only need to map your Keyboard once.

When using predefined keyboard devices, it is not possible to map new controls for the device. You must follow the instructions in the Add Device window (for example, select a certain preset).

Controller Map Object Types

The default Knob object is used when hardware controls are mapped for the first time. This object can be changed for each control to better reflect the actual hardware control type, making your mapped controls much easier to recognize. To change the object for any mapped control, do the following:
1.Click on MIDI Learn to enter MIDI Learn mode.
2.In MIDI Learn mode, you can see a description box beneath each control, with an arrow in the upper left corner.
3.Click on the arrow to expose the Object Selection list, where you can choose a Knob, Fader, Button (On/Off), or Button (Press/Release).
4.Choose one of the object types and notice the graphic change for that control.
5.When you are finished changing the control objects, click on the [MIDI Learn] button to exit MIDI Learn mode.

Note that there is a functional difference between the two button object types. Some hardware controllers send MIDI messages to Studio One when a button is pressed or released, and some send messages when the button state is toggled between on and off. You must know how the buttons on your controller behave in order to select the correct button-object type. Use the MIDI Monitor to view this behavior directly.

To use the MIDI Monitor, choose MIDI Monitor from the View menu. The MIDI Monitor is displayed and lists all incoming MIDI messages sent to Studio One. Press the buttons in question to view their behavior so you can choose the correct map-object type.

It is highly recommended that the control objects be made to look similar to the controls they represent, using the map-object types, as this helps make the relationship of the software object to the related hardware control easier to recognize.

Control Linking

With a Keyboard set up, and its control map created, you are one click away from controlling almost any software parameter using Control Link. The following describes the various ways to use Control Link.

Parameter Windows

To the far left of the Arrange view toolbar in the Song window, you can see two windows separated by a button. The windows are empty by default. The left window displays the name, value, and other related information regarding the last-changed software parameter; the right window displays the MIDI name and value of the last-changed, mapped hardware control.

You also can open Parameter windows in each plug-in window. To do this, click on the Edit Mapping button at the top of the plug-in window.

Link a Hardware Control to a Software Control

The fastest way to link a hardware and software control is:
1.Manipulate the desired software control with the mouse.
2.Manipulate the desired hardware control; for instance, turn a knob. That control should appear in the right parameter window.
3.Click on the Assign button in the middle of the two parameter windows, or press [Alt]/[Option]+[M] on the keyboard, and the button should light up.
4.Your hardware control is now linked to the software control; manipulating the hardware control manipulates the linked software control.

A second way to link hardware and software controls is:
1.Open the control map for the desired controller by double-clicking on it in the External panel of the Console.
2.Manipulate the desired software control with the mouse.
3.Click on the Hand icon in the left parameter window and drag it over the desired hardware control in the control map, then release the mouse button.
4.Your hardware control is now linked to the software control; manipulating the hardware control manipulates the linked software control.

Finally, you can [Right]/[Ctrl]-click on any knob or fader in the Console, or in a plug-in editor, to link a hardware control to a software control. To accomplish this, do the following:
1.Manipulate the desired hardware control; for instance, turn a knob. That control should appear in the right parameter window.
2.[Right]/[Ctrl]-click on the desired software parameter and choose “Assign X to Y,” where X is the software parameter and Y is the hardware control you just manipulated.
3.Your hardware control is now linked to the software control; manipulating the hardware control manipulates the linked software control.

Global and Focus Mapping

There are two modes for mapping hardware and software controls: Global and Focus mode.

Global Mapping

With Global mapping, hardware and software controls maintain a one-to-one relationship, where a single hardware control is linked directly to a single software control. Some controls, such as Track fader, pan, and mute, can only be mapped globally. To map a plug-in control globally, be sure Focus is disengaged in the plug-in window by clicking on the Focus button for the Keyboard you are using, so that it is no longer highlighted.

Focus Mapping

While only one software control can be manipulated at a time by a single hardware control, a hardware control can be linked to any number of software controls, based on context, using Focus mapping. For instance, a single hardware knob could control the release of a Gate plug-in, or the Gain of a distortion plug-in, or any number of other parameters, depending on which plug-in is in Focus.

The process of Focus mapping is identical to Global mapping, with one critical difference. To see this difference, open the interface for any virtual instrument or effect. By default, all virtual instruments and effects open in Focus mode, and the Focus button in the plug-in window’s toolbar is highlighted. The Focus button displays the name of the related Keyboard.

Only one plug-in window can be in Focus at any time. Click on the Focus button to enable Focus in any open plug-in window.

When a parameter has been mapped in Focus, the link icon used in the parameter window is different from the icon used when a parameter is mapped globally.

Control maps only apply to the plug-in window that is in Focus. For instance, a hardware knob might be linked to a software knob in an EQ plug-in that is in Focus. When another plug-in is brought into Focus, the hardware knob no longer affects the software knob in the EQ, and it is possible to link this hardware knob to a different control for the plug-in that is in Focus.

In this way, Focus mapping allows different control maps to be made for each plug-in, using the same hardware controls for each. Each Focus map is stored with the plug-in, making it usable in any Song. Thus, you can make Focus maps for each of your favorite plug-ins and never worry about them again. In practice, this means that your external hardware always controls the plug-in that is currently in Focus.

Certain parameters cannot be Focus-mapped, including Track controls such as fader, pan, and mute.

Control Link with External Instruments

Using the Control Link system, it is possible to control your MIDI-capable external hardware instrument just like a software instrument. The first step in this process is to add your hardware instrument as an external device, as discussed in the Set Up Your MIDI Devices section of the Setup chapter. Once you have the device set up, create a new Song and open the External panel of the Console.

Double-click on your external instrument in the External panel to open the control map for the instrument. If you created a new instrument (that is, you are not using a predefined device), all possible Continuous Controller commands (MIDI CCs) are active and are represented by knobs in the control map. If you are using a predefined map, only relevant controls appear. Also, notice the MIDI channel selector above the control map. Only MIDI channels you enabled for the instrument are selectable.

When working with a new instrument, you will want to customize its control map to include only the relevant controls with the appropriate parameter names. To customize the control map, click on the Wrench icon, which opens the control list. As mentioned, all Continuous Controllers are enabled by default, and they are labeled by their common uses. To add or remove any CC from the list, click its corresponding check box. To edit the title of the CC, click on the title and enter a new one.

Related controls can be grouped together in the control map by placing them in the same folder in the control-map list. Click in the Folder field of any control in the control list and type a folder name to group that control with other controls that have the same folder name.

Once you have finished editing the control map for the instrument, using the mouse to move any knob in the control map should adjust the linked parameter on the hardware instrument. The parameter shows up in the left Parameter window, just like any virtual software instrument parameter. This means the same Control Link functions described previously in this chapter for virtual software instruments are now available for controlling (and even automating) your hardware instrument.

Using Multiple External Devices

Any number of External Devices can be used simultaneously. As long as the device has a control map with some learned controls, it can be used with the Control Link system. In each plug-in window, you can see mapping controls to the right of the preset and automation controls. Only the External Device displayed in the Focus button can be used to Focus-map controls. If the External Device you are using is not displayed there, the mapping is Global.

To choose a different device with which to Focus-map a plug-in’s controls, click on the down-arrow menu button and choose the External Device you wish to use.
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