suppress active sensing

[TiUser]

Hi folks.

I am a bit puzzled - while reactivating my old DX 7 IID via an Emu XMidi 2x2 interface I get ton's of active sense realtime messages from the DX...

Cantabile shows this with a green midi in indicator, but I would prefer to filter that. Unfortunately I have just found channel message filters... probably I've some tomatoes on my eyes and can't see the proper filter dialoge...

Does anyone know if there are realtime message filters in cantabile?... sigh...

[pinkcanaru]

I don't think there are filters for real time in Cantabile.

I have always used the software on my motu midi interfaces to kill those messages but most interfaces don't offer such a level of control, if any.

One good thing is that the AS messages are shown in green and all other messages are in red, so it's easy to determine what's coming in.

Do you think there is a problem with the AS messages coming in?

[TiUser]

I don't think there are filters for real time in Cantabile.
<snip>
Do you think there is a problem with the AS messages coming in?

Ok, then I didn't miss anything.

Basically AS seem not to be a problem - it's just needless traffic.

It's maybe a bit confusing because the EMU website says the XMidi filters AS messages. I guess this is when you use it plug&play with the windows driver. But when there is a dedicated driver - and there is an official one for the xmidi 2x2 (supporting XP, Vista, Win7 both 32/64bit) explicitly promising better speed, less latency and jitter - I use it.

Probably it's a good thing that AS is transmitted as maybe other messages like sys ex dumps may work better too.

Just it's annoying to watch the control leds on the XMidi - flashing all the time with far too bright blue leds... ...but that's not an issue, I guess I will put a sticker over it... LOL

[murnau]

i have the same problem with cakewalk a800pro within cubase. always this "midi active sensing" and theres nothing i can really do about but i simply closed the little midi indicator on the transport field of cubase because of the idle flickering.

[TiUser]

Originally active sensing was intended to monitor traditional midi cabling. Midi modules could create an all notes off when the active sensing can't be received any longer. But I don't know how many modules really supported active sensing that way.

Modern keyboards will most likely not send active sensing any more, but I have not the budget to get everything new and why not using old stuff laying around unused for long...

I think the Emu XMidi interface does a good job and it is actually a bargain, sold for 39€ and providing 2 in / 2 out midi ports.

However a active sensing filter would be indeed a useful addon to avoid that annoying flicker.

[pinkcanaru]

I remember a lot of 80s keyboards and modules from Yamaha and Roland which all used active sensing and would issue all note off when a cable disconnected.
I think the main manufacturers really tried to adhere to the protocol.
That's probably one of the reasons midi has stuck around so long. Those guys didn't wanna break the standard they worked so hard to agree on!
Sheeeesh - wiah some VST plugins were written with such adherence to the standard!

[Axis1~SL61]

Active Sensing can usually be disabled in the keyboard that is sending it -- I used to have a problem with that when using my Roland Axis-1 connected to a Yamaha MIDI-merger box -- the constant active sensing would cause MIDI buffer overflows at the MIDI merger box and for a couple of seconds, MIDI notes would stop reaching the module I was playing, which could be very embarrassing, if not totally disastrous during a live performance ! -- the only way to circumvent the problem was to disable the Roland Axis-1 Active sensing. -- After all, it was not really needed and was just causing problems.
You'll probably have to consult your keyboard's manual to find out how to disable Active Sensing, because it generally used to be one of those hidden functions requiring you to press a combination of multiple function keys or something like that...

[TiUser]

Interesting... luckily we have "old midi", it sdeems to be a much better glue than all PC/VST "standards"...

Anyways, yes I've been digging to disable active sensing within the related devices.

While my old Oberheim Matrix 6R offered this option (among some others) I could not find something similar with my Yamaha DX7 IID. Besides, I need to exchange the buffer battery in my DX as well, a task I hate and delay all the time...