How to make Mackie Control work with Ardour

MD1 · January 14, 2011, 10:53pm

Thanks Seablade for the quick reply !

It is “~/.ardour2/ardour.rc” by the way !

The line doesn´t exist even after Mixbus (1.4.1) has recreated it !

Here is the content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Ardour>
  <MIDI-port tag="ardour" device="ardour" mode="duplex" type="coremidi"/>
  <MIDI-port tag="control" device="ardour" mode="duplex" type="coremidi"/>
  <MIDI-port tag="mcu" device="ardour" mode="duplex" type="coremidi"/>
  <Config>
    <Option name="trace-midi-input" value="no"/>
    <Option name="trace-midi-output" value="no"/>
    <Option name="send-mtc" value="no"/>
    <Option name="use-tranzport" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="minimum-disk-io-bytes" value="262144"/>
    <Option name="track-buffer-seconds" value="5"/>
    <Option name="disk-choice-space-threshold" value="57600000"/>
    <Option name="xfade-model" value="0"/>
    <Option name="auto-xfade" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="destructive-xfade-msecs" value="20"/>
    <Option name="link-region-and-track-selection" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="mute-affects-pre-fader" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="mute-affects-post-fader" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="mute-affects-control-outs" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="mute-affects-main-outs" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="monitoring-model" value="1"/>
    <Option name="solo-latched" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="tape-machine-mode" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="auto-return" value="no"/>
    <Option name="plugins-stop-with-transport" value="no"/>
    <Option name="stop-recording-on-xrun" value="no"/>
    <Option name="create-xrun-marker" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="stop-at-session-end" value="no"/>
    <Option name="quieten-at-speed" value="no"/>
    <Option name="show-track-meters" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="jack-time-master" value="no"/>
    <Option name="smpte-format" value="6"/>
    <Option name="timecode-source-is-synced" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="no-new-session-dialog" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="use-vst" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="periodic-safety-backups" value="yes"/>
    <Option name="periodic-safety-backup-interval" value="120"/>
    <Option name="default-narrow_ms" value="no"/>
    <Option name="font-scale" value="102400"/>
  </Config>
  <extra>
    <RulerVisibility smpte="yes" bbt="yes" frames="no" minsec="no" tempo="yes" meter="yes" marker="yes" rangemarker="no" transportmarker="yes" cdmarker="no"/>
    <Keyboard edit-button="3" edit-modifier="4" delete-button="3" delete-modifier="1" snap-modifier="32"/>
    <TransportControllables roll="0" stop="1" goto_start="2" goto_end="3" auto_loop="4" play_selection="5" rec="6" shuttle="7"/>
  </extra>
  <ControlProtocols>
    <Protocol name="Generic MIDI" active="no"/>
    <Protocol name="Mackie" active="no"/>
  </ControlProtocols>
</Ardour>

Thanks !

MD

MD1 · January 14, 2011, 10:48pm

I surrounded it with PRE tags but I can only see the first line !
Is that correct and only you can see it Seablade or what´s the problem here ?

seablade · January 14, 2011, 10:52pm

@MD

Ok I am going to have to get back to you after the weekend, I am about to head out for the day and can’t concentrate on it. My initial guess is that you just need to manually add that line into your ardour.rc file, but I need to go back and reread the entire thread to get a better idea of what I told you some months back and make sure I am not getting you to duplicate things that don’t work.

  Seablade

seablade · January 14, 2011, 10:54pm

@MD Yes I see what you are seeing, only the first line. I suspect the problem is the XML in it, can you try pasting it to pastebin.com and giving me the link here(Make sure you set it to a lengthy expiration on pastebin when you do, or never expire, so I can make sure I can see it)

Seablade

seablade · January 14, 2011, 10:59pm

@MD Got Paul to fix the post for me, at least I can see it now, I still will need ot get back to you after the weekend though I suspect.

  Seablade

MD1 · January 14, 2011, 11:03pm

I was about to delete all < and >

So thanks to Paul and to you !

Paul what´s the correct tag I have to implement then ?

I have inserted the line now and will see if that works in studio tomorrow !

MD

MD1 · January 14, 2011, 11:18pm

First success !

The error message “The protocol ´Mackie´ couldn´t be initialized” doesn´t appear anymore !

But I have only tested on my MBP without the interfaces and Mackie hooked up !

So I hope this will work tomorrow ! fingers crossed

MD

seablade · January 17, 2011, 3:25pm

@MD

So did that work for you, or should I really start digging into this now?

 Seablade

MD1 · January 17, 2011, 7:01pm

Hey Seablade !

Unfortunately the message did appear after the 5th time I tried it at home !

But I didn´t had the time to verify, cause I am in the midst of a recording session on another platform !

Tomorrow i have the chance to try it out and I will come back to you !

Thanks for your time !

Very much appreciated !

MD

MD1 · January 18, 2011, 8:37pm

Hey Seablade !

I tried it once again in studio today, but got the same message !

Adding the line did not the job !

So you have any ideas ?

MD

P.S.: I realized that the Mackie Control didn´t appear in the Midi Preferences of Mac OS X !
My Alphatrack shows up, but the Mackie doesn´t !
I think this has something to do with the fact that the Mackie is hooked up by Midi cables and not by USB !
My MCU is the one without the USB port !

seablade · January 19, 2011, 2:15pm

@MD Yep, the Mackie Control won’t show up in Audio/Media Preferences if it isn’t a USB device. This won’t affect Ardour’s ability to work with it however, you would just route from Ardour to whatever MIDI port it is connected to. Ardour doesn’t care if it is a USB Mackie, or a regular MIDI plug as Ardour acts the exact same in both situations(And it was tested originally going into my RME via MIDI so we know it works:)

I will look at this deeper once I get to my full time work, getting ready to teach a class at the moment.

  Seablade

MD1 · January 30, 2011, 10:53pm

Any update and idea would be again very much appreciated !
I cannot use the MCU at all and this is very odd, because it is working
with Logic and ProTools without any problems !

MD

seablade · January 31, 2011, 12:06am

@MD Heh thanks, I forgot to look through this entire thread again, gimme a few minutes and I will post back…

Seablade

seablade · January 31, 2011, 12:15am

Ok lets try something here…

http://pastebin.com/ym9F47bN

That is my ardour.rc file. Save yours in a different location, and copy and paste the contents of that pastebin into your ardour.rc replacing EVERYTHING that is in it. Then follow these steps…

Open Mixbus
Create a New Session
Add 4-8 tracks(Just so you can see that something happens when you activate the Mackie)
Open Pete Yandell’s MIDI Patchbay
In MIDI Patchbay route from mcu_out to your MIDI port with your MCU plugged in
Also in MIDI Patchbay, route from your MIDI port with your MCU to mcu_in
In Mixbus, activate the Mackie Protocol

See if your faders jump, if they do success! If not copy and paste the crashlog(If applicable, but doubtful you will get a crash) and the console output as well as the error log to pastebin.com and copy the link to it to a post here so I can take a look at it. Make sure you set the expiration time to at least a long value if not never.

  Seablade

MD1 · February 1, 2011, 10:49pm

I can announce success

But the ardour.rc-file wasn´t the clue !

In the Mixbus/Ardour Midi-preferences I clicked on “MMC”+“MTC”+“Midi device …”
and that caused the error “Mackie protocol couldn´t be initialized”
The error log showed up in addition “The mackie is used by MMC (Midi device …) already”
“MMC” isn´t a problem if checked, but the other options !

So I unchecked “MTC” + “Midi device …” and the faders flied !

Thanks Seablade for the patience !

Will the mackie protocol for Mixbus/Ardour be upgraded ?
For example the transport display and more profound functions ?

Thanks !

MD

seablade · February 2, 2011, 1:48pm

"The mackie is used by MMC (Midi device ...) already"

Yep that is a fairly important detail that wasn’t reported;) Yes this indicates that you had the port configuration wrong. On the flip side if you had replaced the ardour.rc file with mine above I believe it would have cleared out your configuration, part of why I wanted you to try it:)

Will the mackie protocol for Mixbus/Ardour be upgraded ? For example the transport display and more profound functions ?

This is a fairly loaded question. First let me ask, what you you mean by ‘transport display’?

The original code was written by John Anderson some time ago for Ardour. I have helped with bugfix patches on occasion with it and did the original testing on the Mackie, but Ardour itself is very difficult to implement the Mackie protocol in more usefulness on due to there being no built in EQ, etc.

Mixbus on the other hand could be done in more detail, however I have not had time to do any coding whatsoever in some time, and as a result it hasn’t been done as of yet. That isn’t to say it won’t be, in fact I am still hoping to rewrite the Mackie code for Ardour 3 which a future version of Mixbus is likely to be based off of(Currently it is based off Ardour 2) but not for some time. In the meantime if I ever get time it is not out of the question for me to update it for Mackie, but even more useful would be if others wanted to step up and take on the task, I can help them with this should they decide to and all the Logic Protocol code in Ardour and Mixbus both is open source. The mapping of functions in Mixbus is much easier due to the built in features of Mixbus(It makes sense what oyu expect to happenw hen you hit the ‘EQ’ button for instance in Mixbus, whereas in Ardour it could mean any of 3+ EQs you have inserted, and in Mixbus v2 will be even better in this regards.

   Seablade

cagedmelody · February 16, 2011, 6:59am

I’m having trouble with connecting my MCU Pro with Mixbus 1.5.1
I’m using USB v.s midi
I have follow the same instructions below.
When on step 5&6 I have four other options MCU Pro USB v3.1 port 1-4
Please advise?

1. Open Mixbus 2. Create a New Session 3. Add 4-8 tracks(Just so you can see that something happens when you activate the Mackie) 4. Open Pete Yandell's MIDI Patchbay 5. In MIDI Patchbay route from mcu_out to your MIDI port with your MCU plugged in 6. Also in MIDI Patchbay, route from your MIDI port with your MCU to mcu_in 7. In Mixbus, activate the Mackie Protocol See if your faders jump

cagedmelody · February 16, 2011, 6:59am

I’m having trouble with connecting my MCU Pro with Mixbus 1.5.1
I’m using USB v.s midi
I have follow the same instructions below.
When on step 5&6 I have four other options MCU Pro USB v3.1 port 1-4
Please advise?

1. Open Mixbus 2. Create a New Session 3. Add 4-8 tracks(Just so you can see that something happens when you activate the Mackie) 4. Open Pete Yandell's MIDI Patchbay 5. In MIDI Patchbay route from mcu_out to your MIDI port with your MCU plugged in 6. Also in MIDI Patchbay, route from your MIDI port with your MCU to mcu_in 7. In Mixbus, activate the Mackie Protocol See if your faders jump