NRPN issue with odd/even numbers

[ooze]

So I’ve found out how to control my Rozzbox with Ctrlr-elements and am working on a new Rozzbox panel.

Sliders with the "full NRPN-range" (0-16383) work just fine, for example controlling the level or tune of an oscillator or the filter cutoff. But I’m having trouble with those elements that "jump" between only a few fixed values (for example a waveform selector, clock divide selector, modulation source/destination selector…). The Cubase device panel editor somehow managed to do this, but with Ctrlr or the BCR2000 there’s an issue.

I think the problem comes from how the Rozzbox handles these "few values". It splits up the full range from 0-16383 into "zones" of 128 each. Within one "zone" you can only map two values, one is adressed by every odd number, one by every even.

Example: I want to control the waveform of oscillator 1.
There are 4 waveforms (saw, triangle, square, wavetable), so there are 4 values I want to map.
Between 0 and 127 every even number will select "square" and every odd number will select "wavetable".
Between 128 and 255 every even number will select "triangle" and every odd number will select "saw".
Every number above 255 ("unused area") will do strange stuff, so better not map any of those numbers (probably unhealthy for the Rozzbox).

So I set up a button/combo/fixedslider, set it to "multi", select "NRPN" as predefined multi message and insert the number that the Rozzbox manual gives me as "NRPN LSB #98" for "OSC 1 Wave" as "MIDI controller number".

Now I put in the "slider/combo/button contents":

Square=126
Wavetable=127
Triangle=128
Saw=129

I can also pick any other combination of numbers as long as it fits into the "zones-odd/even-system", for example:

Square=20
Wavetable=99
Triangle=180
Saw=251

This setup (with any kind of control element) works only as long as I select an odd number after an even or vice versa. If I have a "combo" I can’t select "square" and then select "triangle" (even to even), the Rozzbox will always spit out the "wavetable" first (even though "triangle" is selected!). I have to go back to "wavetable" (Rozzbox stays on "wavetable") and only from there it works when I select "triangle" (odd to even). I can’t take the direct way.

Ok I thought, then I’ll just make it a "button/fixedslider", this way I always have to step through the numbers "in the right order" and can prevent this unaesthetic flaw from happening. But it’s not that easy, I found out that it’s not something that happens only "within" that one "slider/button", but between all control elements.
Let’s say with my "button/fixedslider" I select "square" and after that I move a different slider (one that goes from 0-16383, for example "pulsewidth"), AND I end up on an odd number. When I then select "wavetable" it’ll stay on "square" and I have to go back and forth again to get my "wavetable". So there’s an issue with "odd to odd" and "even to even" value changes that is quite an annoyance when building controls for any "few value" parameter.

I just tested it again with the Cubase device panel, and this one somehow "enforces" the right value on the fly. So my humble question to Atom would be if it’s possible to fix this somehow? Or can someone suggest/explain a different method to me how I could control these "few value" parameters without having to go back and forth each time the wrong odd/even combination occurs?

cheers & have a nice sunday

[Author]

Posts