Controlling Show Buddy Active using MIDI
This page explains how to use MIDI to control Show Buddy Active – either the Show Buddy Active standalone, or the Show Buddy Active plug-in running inside a host program (e.g. Logic, Cubase, Ableton Live….)
Note – you can freely mix MIDI control with manual control (via mouse/touchscreen), and host automation (if using the Show Buddy Active plug-in). For example, you could use a standard footswitch to advance through your presets, while using a MIDI controller to manually fire your smoke machine and audience blinders.
Show Buddy Active Remote Control
Click the Remote control button on the main screen to access the remote control window. This is where you assign MIDI and keyboard commands to remotely trigger various Show Buddy Active features.
Most buttons and sliders in Show Buddy Active can be remotely adjusted from a MIDI controller or keyboard. Buttons can also be controlled from the computer keyboard (or a standard USB foot switch)
When this window is open, it listens to all MIDI devices for Notes or CC controller messages, and all connected keyboards for key presses. (See the Preferences window for how to enable connected MIDI controllers)
First, select one or more items in the list. (Use shift-click or ctrl-click / cmd-click).
Then activate a knob/slider/button on your MIDI controller or press any key on a connected keyboard. Those items are now associated with that MIDI controller or key press.
MIDI Learn associations in the current show will be remembered when you quit Show Buddy Active. The same associations are also shared between the standalone program and the Show Buddy Active plug-ins.
To clear associations, first select the controls in the list, then click the “Clear…” button.
Note on “Fade Time” : CC values from 0-100 adjusts the crossfade time between 0.0s and 1.0s in 10ms increments (e.g. CC value 55 = 550ms crossfade). Higher values increase the crossfade in full seconds. (e.g. CC value 114 = 14s crossfade).
In addition to allowing hands-on modification of crossfade time from a MIDI control surface, this is also extremely useful when programming show from a DAW such as Logic Pro or Cubase. You can control the crossfade time directly from the DAW timeline by dropping in Fade Time CC commands just before a preset change.
A note on MIDI resolution
MIDI CC and Note messages have a resolution of 7 bits, (0-127). The resolution of a single DMX channel is 8 bits (0-255). Therefore, if you control Show Buddy Active using MIDI CCs or Notes, you will not get the full resolution available. This could manifest itself as jerky movements of scanners & moving heads, for example. The solution (if available on your MIDI controller) is to use high resolution 14-bit MIDI NRPN messages to control Show Buddy Active.
Bank/Preset control
By default, Show Buddy Active listens for “Note ON” messages on MIDI channels 15/16, and uses these to switch banks & presets. For example, sending MIDI Note 1 (i.e. the lowest MIDI note possible) on Channel 15 would load the 1st bank, and sending MIDI Note 6 on Channel 16 would load the 6th preset in the current bank.
Note : you can change the MIDI 15/16 channel assignments from the Preferences window.
Alternatively, you can switch banks/presets with CC #32 (Bank Change LSB) and Program Change MIDI messages (on any MIDI channel). Note that CC #0 (Bank Change MSB) messages are ignored.