Assigning KeyLab 88 SNAP Buttons

[podzoid]

I bought a KeyLab 88 after studying many such controllers. My primary intention is to use it as a controller center for 4 hardware synthesizers. I have set 3 of these up in KeyLab 88 keyboard memories 10 (synth 1), 9 (synth 2) and keyboard memory 8 (synth 3). While manually dialed up i can get it to go to each synth, and in addition have also been able to program the KeyLab 88 pads to change patch sounds inside each synth while up in working memory. However, there has to be a way to using the SNAP Buttons to assign each keyboard memory the way Midi Control Center allows for SNAP Buttons. But no matter how i sent it to KeyLab -to working memory or another unused memory, but when i press the SNAP button it will not recall the seperate synths on them as assigned. If anybody can help me get it to work this way it would be greatly appreciated. I have tried everythig over weeks. It will not recall the keyboard memories with the seperate synths - any ideas why? Thx ahead of time. BTW this is a totally awesome controller, i just wish i could get it to work the way i want it to work. To be precise, I am trying to have SNAP Button 1 call up keyboard memory 10, Button 2 dial up keyboard memory 9, and Button 3 Memory 8 and so on. Thank you.

[aemiolia]

Hi,
I have the same problem, I can't set any snap button for recall of the memory N in the Keylab88.
My purpose is controlling of an external expander with performances, ready for live use, triggering different sounds when the transmitted channel is changed.
I saved the proper config in every keyboard memory (mem number 1 transmits on channel 1, mem number 2 on channel 2... and so on, 10 channels are enough for me).
Recalling each memory via Keylab dial button (edit -> recall -> choose mem.number -> confirm) it's ok, it works, but it's not useful for live control.
Instead, I'm not able to recall any memory via the snap buttons, although the Midi Control Center seems to allow to set those buttons in the "Keyboard Memory" mode.
Every time I send this configuration into the KeyLab - into the working memory or into another memory - the "Keyboard Memory" mode seems get lost (while Other modes - Control, Dur. Control, Midi Note - maintain their functionality after storing them in a Memory).
I also tried different values of the "Channel" parameter (channel N, part1, panel...) but this seems has no effect.
I noticed that this behaviour happens also for the Transport buttons (MCC allows to set also those buttons in "Keyboard Memory" mode).
In conclusion, i ask if anybody knows in which way it's possible to recall a specific keyboard memory simply pressing a button on the Keylab...
Thanks & best regards,
Aemiolia

[podzoid]

Hello again,
Thanks for in the last post for putting into words much better than i did about what the problem is. I was starting to think Hey Arturia do i have a defective unit here, but now that someone else has the exact same problem, I am thinking there must be an answer? Maybe an issue a firmware update could address? I'm running firmware 1.0.17 - I also tried the Transport buttons too for a memory change and it is just the same and as better decribed above. So there is an issue here that perhaps needs Arturia's attention. I understand the KeyLab 88 is the newest addition to the KeyLab series which has been around a bit longer. So is this something particular to the KeyLab 88 and not the rest of the series? If not a firmware update maybe the problem is with the Midi Control Center software not working correctly with the 88? Perhaps this does require Arturia's atttention? Has anybody else had this problem while trying to use and assign SNAP buttons? Please somehow lets fix this...

[podzoid]

Well another 3 weeks has gone by and dozens of reads of this posting. I have learned to understand that most people these days probably are not trying to use KeyLab88 the way the other poster and me are: to control external Midi devices. While i would venture to say this is probably true, but however there are still going to be a certain percentage who are going to try to, for instance, hook up external synthesizers like i am, --for after all it is still considered a Midi Keyboard Controller, and thereby should be able to handle what we are trying to make it do, that it appears to be able to be programmed this these ways to do. So is nobody commenting on the posts because there really are nobody using it other than as a hybrid software only synth, still though a controller? It might be old school now to hook things up this way I am; but still, as a controller, the KeyLab88 should work this way. I'd like to challenge Arturia to assign someone to try to hook up a variety of external Midi synths this way the posts mention to see if there is an issue here they need to look seriously at or not.....

[keston]

I'm having the same problem a wrote about it in this post:
http://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=84915.msg121793#msg121793

I have also filed an issue with technical support. The manual says that you should be able to change the "Keyboard Memory" with "Switches", but after setting this up as best as I can tell it doesn't work.

The OP in this message claimed to find a workaround, but I cannot get it to work and the post is from 2013:
http://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=14127.msg121767#msg121767

Please PM if you find a solution and I will do the same.

Good luck!

[keston]

FYI: Got word from Victor at Arturia technical support that this is a bug:

There is indeed a bug in the firmware that makes it not possible to store the recalling of a keyboard memory on a particular button...
I often push the development team for this as it is a big inconvenience as you mention, yet I do not know when this will be fixed. I will have a word about this now to push it further! Meanwhile the only workaround is to set it by hand on the keyboard.. Sorry about the inconvenience.

[podzoid]

Thanks for the other posts that helped solve this. I also then contacted Victor at Arturia technical support. He writes back this very good news I quote him from his email:

" But I have good news about this ! I was actually able to push it, and good progress has been made ! The new firmware version / updated MCC will be shortly available.

Best regards,

Victor

[ben arturia]

Thanks to you this bug will be fixed with the next version of the MidiControlCenter coming very very soon !
Please upgrade your firmware to the 1.1.0.4.
http://www.arturia.com/products/keylab88/resources
Thanks again for your time guys.

[podzoid]

Today I discovered the new updated Midi Control Center unified is out as of 23 Sept. 2015, version 1.2.1 - It is not found on the Keylab link above; rather it is found on the MCC direct downloads link in support and downloads. I have installed it and tinkered with it only about 2 hours so far I am not getting the desired results. Thanks to Arturia's attention of this, hopefully all we have to do now is figure out how to use the tools they have given us. Should anybody be able to get it to change Midi synthesizers in Keylab 88 keyboard memories with different snap buttons, please let the rest of us know how you do it...
Thanks. Peace...

[podzoid]

I've been tinkering with this for long hours for a week. I wonder if anybody else is going to have similiar problems... I am tryinig to hook up 4 synths on snap buttons 1 to 4 using the keyboard memory recall.  I can get synths 2 and 3 to freely go back and forth between their 2nd and 3rd snap buttons. But no matter how i set it up, synth 1 on snap 1 and synth 4 on snap 4 (or any other combination of button assignments) is non responsive. I can manually set them up and they work and the patches set up on Keylab Pads changes patches, so these other keyboards work. Yet will not respond via snap keyboard memory recall while synthes 2 and 3 working fine ...I just don't understand it. Is this something i am doing wrong or is this a problem others are having trying to do this?  If you're having trouble trying to set up external Midi devices, could you document that here?  Conversely, if you are having successes at setting up such a config could you document that here as well? There are many settings to set doing this and i have played with them all combinations and still only can get synths 2 and 3 to change. Weird! It acts like it's fixed, but then again it doesn't all the way - So is it fixed or not?

[podzoid]

Really I wonder if anybody has gotten this feature to work. Life diverted me for a while but back at it now, I cannot get it to fully change on SNAP buttons from one external Midi connected synth to another. It will change initially from one where it is set from MCC to another, but then what it is doing when I change from there to another synth, the Keylab 88 Pads I have programmed that work on each synth for patch changes, what it is doing is when I change synths on SNAP the right channel shows up for the synth, but the Pads channel number stays the same as where I first changed it and will not change as I continue to try to use the other synths on other SNAP buttons. The Pads don't follow the SNAP button synth channel number for patch changes. So it gets locked onto the one Pads channel synth and will not change from there, after initially changing from one to a second it stays on the second's programmed Pads. Has anyone else had this problem? I really wonder if anybody's ever gotten this to work with switching between external Midi synths, or is it still an issue..?

[ben arturia]

Hi All,

Snapshot buttons of the KL88 are not global parameters.
If you want to switch memories from those buttons you need to create a template were all 10 buttons are assigned on each memory and all memories should be mapped the same.

In attachment you'll find a template with all snapshots buttons mapped on all 10 memories. You should import this template in the MCC and drag and drop it on each memories in the device memory area, or select MEM1 then the memory you want to copy this template to then click "STORE TO".

I hope this helps !