Help with ES-5 and Bitwig pretty please

[Willelm]

Hello, first time poster. Sorry if this has been beaten to death, but I still can't figure this out. I think I'm missing something. Don't usually have this much trouble.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the es-5 gate expander, using it with the es-9 and Bitwig. I've read the threads and manuals, and I got gates coming out of it, but it's not quite functioning in a way I like. This might end up being more of a Bitwig question.

I do have silent way set up right with the configurator and a Bitwig channel with the es-5 controller. I was able to set up a test sequence where c2 sends a gate to the first channel of the es-5 and each successive rising note sends a gate on the next channel and the next channel, as per the tutorial in this thread: https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewt ... 4#p3416624

(edit: I can't post links yet, but if you have an es-5 you probably know the thread if you had any confusion at first)

My goal in practice is to have a note cv coming out of the first output on the es-9 and have its corresponding gate come out of the first output of the es-5, freeing up es-9 outputs for various cv. I would do this for the other channels also, so my next voice would have cv on the 2nd or 3rd es-9 output and it's gate would be on the 2nd or 3rd output.

How do I accomplish this in Bitwig, do I need to read up on combinators? I know Bitwig has all kinds of crazy routing capabilities. I'm brand new to bitwig, so go easy, I'm trying, I'm just not suyre where to begin.

Any and all related discussion is appreciated, thank you!

[os]

You'll need to use the Voice Controller plug-in to generate a pitch CV and a gate. The pitch CV can be routed straight out to the ES-9. The gate will need to be routed into the ES-5 Controller, and you'll use its Input To Gates section to turn that signal into an ES-5 gate.

Quite how you do that in Bitwig I'm afraid I don't know.

[Willelm]

Is the only thing I can do with the ES-5 without buying Silent Way to play it purely as a gate sequencer, where C2 gives me a gate on output one, c#2 gives me a gate on output 2, etc.?

[os]

No, you can use it to convert any gate CV within Bitwig to an ES-5 output.

[Phil B]

What if I want to have this?
- gate from one voice controller on track 1 to ES5 out1
- gate from another voice controller on track 2 to ES5 out2
- clock and run from sync plug in on track 3 to ES5 out3/4
- midi output from track 4 via ES5 out5 (midi dongle)

How do I route multiple things to a single ES5 unit like this? For example, how many ES5 encoder plug in instances so I need - one for each of these tasks, each on a separate track? All on one track using “thru”? One on one track with things merged somehow?

I’m in bitwig usually, but ableton fine to explain too

Bonus question: can I just use a TRS cable to get midi from ES5 to a TRS midi input, or have to use the DIN dongle (which I have, but obviously a bit less streamlined)?

Thanks

[os]

You need one ES-5 Controller (for the two gates and the one MIDI output) and one SW Sync. Both need to be on the same track. The downstream one needs to have its 'Thru' set appropriately. The SW Sync instance needs to be in ES-5 mode.

The ES-5 sockets are TS so you can't use a TRS cable, or a TRS to DIN adaptor. The appropriate cable is the DJ-1000:
https://expert-sleepers.co.uk/accessories.html

[Phil B]

Clear!! Thanks a lot!

[Phil B]

Actually, sorry … how do you route the gates from multiple tracks of SW voice controller into a single instance of SW ES-5 controller?

[os]

In Live, it would likely involve making some extra audio tracks which take input from the VC outputs and route them into the various inputs of the ES-5 Controller.

I don't know about Bitwig, sorry.

[Phil B]

Thanks. Ableton is fine

If even you are talking about “likely” I’m not sure I’ll ever figure this out! Is this not a common use case?

Does the Input setting in the ES-5 Controller have a role here when you refer to routing them into the various inputs? Or do these other tracks with the VC gate outputs have to be merged first somehow?

[os]

Sorry, I said "likely" to cover myself in case I was talking nonsense. I was speaking from memory rather than actually going off and checking it.

It's a common enough case. It's certainly possible.

It's the "Input To Gates" settings that are relevant.

[Phil B]

Got it. Ok. Thanks for help

[Phil B]

OK - I got it it to work with VCV Rack Pro in Bitwig!

Here's how I did it for anyone else trying to do it this way ...

I set up a bunch of tracks to produce MIDI info. In my case:
- Three tracks with a HW CV Instrument (Pitch to ES9 outputs 1/3/5) and a HW CV Output with an ADSR modulator (to ES9 outputs 2/4/6). The gate for each to be routed to ES-5 per the below
- One track with Beat Scholar to produce notes triggered by C2, Db2, D2 and Db2. Again the gate for each to be routed to ES-5 per the below

Then I set up a new track for the ES5 control, using VCV Rack VST plugin, with a Note FX Layer with four layers, one for each MIDI source. Each layer includes a Note Receiver and a Channel Map, which I use to remap MIDI channel 1 of the source to a unique MIDI channel for each MIDI source (e.g., I have my first HW CV Instrument track remapped to MIDI Channel 2 here). Here's what it looks like:

https://ibb.co/sCTNjXn

Here's what the patch looks like in VCV Rack Pro. I send a DAW clock to the first output of the ES5 which works to clock Pam's, then one gate for each HW CV Instrument track via a MIDI CV module's gate output with the right MIDI channel selected, then four gates from Beat Scholar using a MIDI Gate module with the right MIDI notes selected:

https://ibb.co/qYr9B50

Hope this helps.

ES-5 is a mine field of gotchas ... e.g., I just happened to watch a video to see that you only patch the left output of the ES5 module (even though there are two outputs)!!! I was pulling my hair out again when all 8 outputs would fire!!!

Assuming there's no unique latency hiccups, this is what I'm going with. It works and it's easy to see what's going on. I'm done (I hope!!!)

[Phil B]

One question for Andrew … if I want to send midi out from an ES-5 output via a DJ-1000 cable, can I patch midi directly into the ES5 encoder module in VCV Rack, or do I need to put your CV to MIDI module in the middle (so, go from midi to cv to midi, in my use case)?

Alternatively I guess I could throw an ES5 VST on the same track after VCV rack, and do it that way. Maybe that’s easier. I did get that to work in the VST before

[os]

can I patch midi directly into the ES5 encoder module in VCV Rack

No.