Logic Pro 9 / DDX3216 daw midi controller Tutorial

After being asked a lot on how to do this, here is the tutorial hope it helps!

You will only be able to control Faders, Pans and Mutes.

Step 1 - Make the Connections

For the connection between the mixer and the software you will need two midi cables and an audio interface, at the time i used an Alesis IO26 but now i use a Focusrite Saffire Pro26, you can also use one of those midi to USB converter/cable.

Step 2 - Setting up the Environment

Open a new session in logic, in this case i created a "template" with 17 tracks, the last one is the master volume. once this is done you need to open up the environment window in window>environment, there you should have an image of all the tracks you have just created and what you need to do now is to aply the transformers needed so the mixer can communicate with the software in both directions. When you are done it should look like something like this:

Step 3 - Applying transformers

Here i will explain how to do this for the first track, you will need to repeat this for the other tracks with similar but different values. If you are not familiar with transformers please search the web, this page might help http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/using-logic-pros-transformer-object--audio-1384

So in the environment window you should go to New>Transformer

 

Then you Should rename it to "1" and double click the transformer you just created.

You should now:

Select the Mode: "Apply operation and filter non-matching events".

Set the Conditions: 

Status: All>Thru

Channel: All>Fix>1 (varies from 1to17 depending on what channel you are working on)

DataByte1: All>Use Map*

DataByte2: All>Thru 

*In the Universal Map you should map number 7to1 and number 10to64 (varies depending on what channel you are working on, in channel 2 you should change 7to2 and 10to65). When you are done it should look like this:

What you are doing is that you are telling the transformer to fix the channel to 1, and change databyte1 so that number 7 is now number 1 (this will tell the mixer that this signal is the fader volume), and by changing 10to64 you are assigning the pan of channel 1. You should always hook up a message monitor so that you can experiment what you are doing, all you need to do is go to New>Monitor and then connect it after the transformer that you are working on, sometimes the best thing to do is to have a monitor before the transformer and another monitor after the transformer, so you can see the before/after signal.

(If you were working on channel 2 you should then fix Channel to 2, and use the map to change 7to2 and 10to65, those are the second volume fader and the second pan knob on the mixer)

Check Behringer DDX3216 Manual for the Midi Implementation Chart. It might help you understanding the messages.

After this is done we need to set the mute function, to do this click New>Transformer and name it "Mute On" you should connect it after the first transformer, add a monitor and double click the transformer. You should then do the folowing:

Mode: Apply operation and let non-matching events pass trough.

Status: = > Fader > Fix > Control

Channel: All>Thru

Databyte1: = > 9 > Fix > 104

DataByte2: = > 1 > Fix > 1 (varies from 1to17 depending on what channel you are)

This was only for "Mute ON" now we work on the "Mute Off" 

create a new transformer going to New>Transformer and name it "Mute Off", connect it after the "Mute On" transformer and add a Monitor. 

Select Mode: Apply Operation and let non-matching events pass thru

Status: = > Fader > Fix > Control

Channel: All > Thru

DataByte1: = > 9 > Fix > 105

DataByte2: = > 0 > Fix > 1 (Varies depending on what channel you are working on)

it should look something like this:

Your first track should now look like this:

(There is a small error in this image, the upper transformer should be named "mute off")

And your done, enjoy your new DDX3216 daw midi controller, to make the effect of the flying faders in the video i used simple logic automation of the faders.

Feel free to comment with questions or sugestions, or to email me. Wish you all good. Marco