Rane MPE MIDI Programmable Equalizer - Manual (Page 16)

16 Rane MPE Users Guide
To slave two or more MPE’s together, it is gener-
ally recommended you program one MPE (the
master) with all the desired parameters. Once this
master MPE is completely programmed, dump these
settings to the slaves (as explained later). Enable
MIDI Program Change Output on the master, and
turn off Key Scan Echo and Parameter Echo. When
you recall Stored Memories from the master, MIDI
program change commands instruct the slaves to
recall their internal Stored Memories (which you
pre-programmed with the desired contents above).
If you need to send new parameters to the slaves,
turn MIDI Program Change Output off, Parameter
Echo on, and then enter the changes on the master.
They will echo to the slaves. Try to adopt the habit
of disabling the MIDI output options you don’t need.
Further details on the MPE SYSEX implementa-
tion are covered in Rane documents:
MPE 14 MIDI System Exclusive Implementation
MPE 28 MIDI System Exclusive Implementation
You may obtain these documents by contacting
the factory.
Enabling Key Scan Echo and Parameter Echo is
straightforward. Details are covered below.
Enabling Key Scan Echo
1. Make sure you’re in Normal Operating mode,
then enter the Set Key Scan Echo function by
pressing F-KEY. The FUNCTION LED illumi-
nates, and the KEY LED flashes to verify that
you are in this function (see the figure below).
The current Key Scan Echo status appears in the
SYSTEM display (
on on or off off).
Key Scan Messages
Key scan messages carry the status of the MPE
front panel. If the Key Scan Echo option is enabled,
any time you press or release a key on the MPE, it
sends a number corresponding to that key out the
MIDI OUT port. Any MPE of the same model, as
long as the MIDI channel and device ID match
properly, accepts these messages and processes them
as if those keys are pressed its own front panel. In
this way, one MPE can be configured as the master
controller over any number of slaves. When an MPE
is in lockout, received key scan messages are subject
to the same restrictions as keys pushed on its own
front panel.
To avoid the possibility that a key press is trans-
mitted to another MPE, and the release of that key is
not (if you unplugged the MIDI cable before the key
was released, for example), MPE’s receiving key
scan messages assume the key presses are valid for
ten seconds only, before automatically releasing
them. If you are holding the UP or DOWN keys to
scroll through Stored Memories for more than ten
seconds, the receiving MPE(s) only recognize this
“phantom key press” for ten seconds before releasing.
Parameter Echo messages
Parameter Echo messages inform the outside
world of MPE parameter changes. If the Parameter
Echo option is enabled, any change to an equalizer,
expression or system parameter is transmitted to the
MIDI world and processed by other devices tuned to
the same MIDI channel and device ID.
Obviously, program change commands, Key Scan
Echo, and Parameter Echo can carry redundant
information. For example, if you recall a new Stored
Memory with all three of these options turned on,
the MPE sends a MIDI program change command,
the key presses to perform this operation, and the
parameters resulting from this program change
command. Any one of these messages, alone, could
suffice. Use these options with discretion.
If MIDI devices other than MPE’s are to change
programs, then you need to send them program
change commands. If you want remote MPE’s to
indicate the same key presses (i.e., you want a light
show), then you need to send them key scan mes-
sages. If you want to send the explicit parameters
then you need to send parameter messages.
2. Use the UP or DOWN key to toggle the status of
Key Scan Echo on or off.
3. Press F-KEY to return to Normal Operating
mode when you are finished. The FUNCTION
and KEY LEDs turn off.