ACT: M-Audio Axiom Keyboards

I thought I'd start a thread for the folks with Axioms who haven't a clue about how to work all the twist-y and slide-y things on this instrument. I've figured out a few things that had to be adjusted on the Axiom to get the transport controls cooking so I can help there. My problem is I can't figure out for the life of me how to get this midi shift modifier thing going so that I can get to the shift modified commands.

This wouldn't be a bad place to just discuss ACT strategies for the Axiom in general either.

ORIGINAL: madratter

I would guess based on my experience just setting this up for project 5 (I have the Axiom 61) that you need to use controller type 146 to set the buttons to give a on and off value.

At any rate, my copy of Sonar 6 is supposed to get here Monday so I will be going through the ACT thing shortly. I'll be very interested in working with you and others on getting this setup in a sensible way.

Thanks. Setting the controller type was what was hanging me up. That and setting the value for Data 2 to 127 and Data 3 to 0 did the trick. When you get your copy of S6 let me know what kind of layout you set up. I'm wondering what to do with the pressure pads. There's not really enough to layout a good drum set up and I tend to like playing drums on the keys anyway.

Also, I almost never use the drum pads and found that the faders are two short of a throw and resolution to really mix with. Plus not being motorized doesn't help anything either... and no scribble strip. It would help if SONAR numbered the WAI in the console view like they do in the track view so I don't have to count the tracks to figure out which rotary to twist.

I have the transport setup using MMC. The sliders and buttons using ACT.

That's great. That opens up more of the cells for buttons. Can you explain how you set up the Axiom to transmit MMC. (If it's not too much trouble) I've got the PDF file if it's easier to give me a hint where to find it.

Coming at this from a guitar and bass background, my eyes cross everytime I read the manual.

EDIT: I found this section in the manual. I'll have a go at it on my own and save you some typing.

Hiya, I'm using an axiom 61 myself and haven't got very far in setting up an ACT preset that works nicely with it, so if any of you get a nice convenient setup saved, I'd be very grateful if you could share it. Can ACT settings saved on one Sonar 6 user's computer be exported and imported by other users (presumably this would be easy to do?)?

Regards
Kozanstatue

ORIGINAL: Mod Bod

I have the transport setup using MMC. The sliders and buttons using ACT.

That's great. That opens up more of the cells for buttons.

Hmm. I hadn't thought of that aspect. That right there is an excellent reason to have separate setups for Project 5 and Sonar. Oh well. It isn't exactly difficult to recall a separate setup.

ORIGINAL: Mod Bod

I know it's probably the values for Ctrl-assign, Data 2 and Data 3 that I've got fouled up. Would you be so kind as to give me the values you have for those assignments in buttons 1-4 and A-B? I've got something bassackwards.

All the buttons are set up for different CCs. The Data 2 and Data 3 are both 127. So the min and max are the same. To make it easier, I started with the Use for MIDI Learn template in Enigma and edited the Data 3 values to 127.

I got an Axiom 25 in August, and set up the transport buttons to work with both Sonar 5 and Project 5v2. , I posted some quick'n'dirty directions here: http://forum.cakewalk.com/fb.asp?m=841115. - maybe they'll be helpful

More recently, I got an Axiom 61 (and am installing Sonar 6 later today). Hopefully I'll have something to post abut the Axiom and ACT over the next week or so (life's gotten crazy again, and my 'music time' is in short supply...). Meanwhile, I'm reading what everyone else has to say with great interest

FWIW, I decided to check out the Remote SL 37 -- web-ordered one in mid-September, A'B'd it against my Axiom 61 for an evening, and then returned the Remote SL (AMS was very cool about returning the Remote SL --- they're currently my favorite etailer for music hardware).

The nickel summary is -- I loved the mechanical action of the Remote SL (clearly better than either Axiom, the Roland A-37 I sold mid-summer, or most other semi-weighted keyboards I've tried). But -- I hated the velocity response of the Remote SL -- to me, it was almost unplayable -- so I returned it. See http://forum.cakewalk.com/fb.asp?m=869869 for details if you're curious (or if you want to tell me I'm an idiot for not liking the 'SL ). (This thread should stay focused on getting the Axiom to ACT nice.)

- Jim

Ok guys, we've got these 8 pressure pads sitting on the right hand side. I don't want to use them for drums so I'd like to program them for additional tasks. But there are a limited number of cells in the ACT Controller GUI. I set up a second ACT and was able to program these pads for additional options. But saving the setups as presets got very confusing and I've accidently hosed up the second instance of the ACT Controller twice now. Anyone else trying to get away with this?

Ok. I'm having two problems here. I'm hoping someone else has figured these out:

1. I'm using Enigma on a PC to configure the Axiom 61. When I try to assign my buttons to type 146, they are wiped out. Nothing appears. I need to control z to get the button back to normal. Note: This does not happen with the transport buttons. Just buttons 1-4, A-D, and the unmarked button. This is greatly restricting the usefulness of these buttons. I suppose I could use a note on/off but that is pretty gross.

2. Rotary knobs - The Axiom has these beautiful little rotary knobs that can increment and decrement in any number of ways rather than just sending out a fixed value like the sliders do. Unfortunately, I have found no way in ACT to use the increment/decrement methods. Anyone worked this out.

Thanks!

ORIGINAL: madratter

Hmm. I'm hoping the lack of response was due to the time I posted this. Or has everybody else hit the wall on these issues too?

I don't see Axiom as being supported by the Enigma editor on the M-Audio website. Maybe that's the problem?

I've been programming my buttons via the Axiom keys below the LCD readout.

ORIGINAL: Jim Wright

I have Enigma v1.2, and it definitely supports the Axiom (25 and 61).

- Jim

Yep. And my version of it is definitely broken in the way indicated. I suppose I'm going to have to break down and enter what I want from the keyboard instead of with enigma. Hopefully, enigma will still let me store and send back the sysex for my templates without messing it up.

Well, I downloaded Enigma. First of all it installed itself on my C: drive without asking me if I wanted it there and then within three minutes it crashed and had to be shut down. Got my money's worth on that one.

ORIGINAL: Midimanz

Two questions for you folks:

1. Have any of you figured out how the "Bank 1" through "Bank 4" functions within the Options tab of the properties window for ACT work? If so, I'd be grateful for some enlightenment.

2. What is the logic which determines which rotary/slider on your controller works which control within a plug-in?

Cheers

1: Banks allow you to set up different parameters to be controlled by your rotaries, sliders and buttons. So instead of 8 rotaries on the Axiom you actually have access to 32 cells of parameters controlled by the rotaries. This along the same line concerning the sliders and buttons.

Of course you can access the different banks via the ACT Controller interface (or one of the provided interfaces) but it might be better for you to set up a couple of buttons that will toggle the next bank or the previous bank. To do this you set aside two to six button cells in each bank. You set these cells up to select the previous bank and to select the next bank of rotaries, sliders or buttons. You might not need to allocate as many button cells as there are commands that link rotaries and sliders together and they will move in parallel. Also remember you have the "Shift" button available to use too. Now as you hit these buttons you will move through rotary banks, slider banks, rotary AND slider banks or button banks.

At this point you'll probably wonder as I did how will you know which Bank you are on. If you have the ACT Controller toolbar window showing it shows you which ACT controller set up you are using (ACT Controller 1, 2, 3 etc.) Next to that you'll see what looks like a number ("111"). Each one of these numbers tell you what bank you are accessing. IOW, Rotary Bank 1, Slider Bank 1 and Button Bank 1. The number will change as you change banks. (112, 113, 211, 311, 123 etc.)

ORIGINAL: madratter
Now if they can just get soft takeover working and hopefully do something so that infinite rotaries actually have an advantage over sliders.

I feel your pain... makes me want motorized faders and rotaries.

BTW, I have the same problem with Enigma and 146 values blanking out.

And Mod Bod, Enigma crashes on me constantly... although so is SONAR 6 now.