"Hacking" my Ms 20 legacy, help!
Hello!
Some years ago i bought an ms-20 legacy midi controller.
Sorry the site is in german, but i think many of you know it anyways, and there isnt a lot of information on that site too.
So i love to use this thing as a midi controller for my max patches. I gave up "hacking" how i could use the patch field with max long time ago, maybe i will try it sometime again, but this controller also has three LEDs which were used by the MS20 software, indicating the LFO for example.
I would love to control them with max.
I already sent a lot of CCs to it(funny thing, it shows up as a midi output device for max),
and spent some time staring at the LEDs.. nothing happened.
Of course i could write an email to korg, but on the one hand i believe it would take a while until they write back and on the other hand i would just be interested in your suggestions, how you would go about this puzzle, or maybe even you have experience?
Thanks a lot
wtg
I have one of these controllers, not sure why you would want to control the LEDs.
I have just discovered that you can change them but only with the MS20 software running. Ok, maybe also with other Legacy software running, I haven't tried that.
But, send midi through the IAC driver bus not to MS20 controller out, so that's going to the software>MS20 not direct, and as the software will complain if you change hardware it is obviously monitoring USB.
I think you would need some kind of USB sniffer or whatever to get at what is really going on
Good ol MS20!!!!
hth
Simon
Thanks. i want to make the LEDs light up when a gate in max opens, to indicate another LFO and so on, i mean LED are really handy, that's why i wanna use them.
i think i don't have the software ms20 and the whole legacy stuff anymore..
Yesterday i tried sending all possible note-ons and ccs on all channels to the hardware.. nothing happened.
I am thinking about going through the whole midi spectrum in Hex messages, but i am a bit worried if i could send something to the hardware that would change or "Break" it...?
Any other ideas?
If you just want LEDs, an Arduino, Miditron or other micro controller would offer better possibilities than the MS20 controller
I don't think you will damage anything by sending whatever midi you like as I believe that it's not listening except via Korg software.
I just looked at the original manual, midi spec etc, no mention of data reception except this:-
'You can use the MS-20 controller with any of the other plug-ins, but since it will be functioning as a Generic mode controller in these cases, the panel LEDs will not be synchronised with the state of the plug-in you are controlling'
"If you just want LEDs, an Arduino, Miditron or other micro controller would offer better possibilities than the MS20 controller"
I have one piece of hardware with LEDs there must be a way to use them. I have an Arduino board, but i don't want to carry it to concerts for some LEDS, hope you understand.
'You can use the MS-20 controller with any of the other plug-ins, but since it will be functioning as a Generic mode controller in these cases, the panel LEDs will not be synchronised with the state of the plug-in you are controlling'
Thanks for looking this up!
Yeah of course, this just means that the Absynth for example won't accidentally send the state of it's LFOs to the MS20.
It surely does not mean that there is a secret Code lying around at Korg, for using the LEDs.
It's just nobody cares about them.
Why wouldn't the Korg software control the LEDs via (USB-)Midi, it even shows up as an output device in max..
Why would they come up with another protocol?
Even the Patch Panel sends strange Midi commands.
Still, thanks for any thoughts!