Behringer X-Touch and Extenders

[jeff_sloan]

Hi Guys,
I am new to Mixbus 32c v6 from Pro Tools.
I really like it, it feels so much more like analog board I cut my teeth on.
And it starts up SO MUCH FASTER THAN PRO TOOLS!!!! THANK YOU HARRISON AND ARDOUR!!!!
I am also a Behringer guy, and went with the X-Touch when I saw some of the videos of how to use it with Mixbus.
Then I got an extender and had a little more trouble connecting it in Mixbus, and I want to share what I found while researching how to get it to work.
1. After connecting the X-Touch to your computer, you have to reboot the computer before trying to connect it to Mixbus. This forum told me that.
2. Same goes for the Extender
3. You have to turn on the X-Touch 1st, let it boot, then the Extender! If you have them both power on at the same time, the extender may not initialize in Mixbus even if it worked previously.
4. I believe you should also have the extender connected via USB to the X-Touch, and not the computer, but this may not be necessary, but it just makes more “analog thinking” sense to me.
Finding the profiles to use was not clear, as no Extender is listed in the stock Mixbus install. As I am waiting on a second Extender to arrive, I finally (through Google search) found where the .device files are. For me, and Windows 10, they are at “C:\Program Files\Mixbus32C-6\share\ardour6\mcp”
I don’t know why a search for *.device takes so long or even fails on a fast computer with blazing raid0 SSDs, but it took the online search to find them. Thanks again Mixbus Forum.
The only thing listed with an X-Touch is “+ X-Touch Compact”, but that is a completely different piece of hardware.
But, it works with the Extender.
I took the liberty of creating some other .device files, to make it easier for the even more novice than me to add the Extender, and the correct configuration.
I also took it on myself to “clean up” the Mackie Control device files that were already there, so that all the Mackie Control options show up together in the drop down list.
If you take the .device files in my provided zip file, and place and or overwrite the ones in the mcp folder, it may make some of your lives easier.
I would love for Harrison to add these changes to any official updates to take some of the headache out of the new user experience.
As I am a consummate consumer of how-to’s, I thought I would try and contribute for once.
Thanks guys!

I have added a pic of the control surfaces choices in the attached document.

[urta]

I have already used it. Thank you very much!

[jeff_sloan]

I have already used it. Thank you very much!

YAY!
Thank you! Glad it worked for you!

[Pi_K]

this is interesting!
Today I posted on Windows forum because Im having issues with my X-Touch Compact.
I used ok just 1 time to do automation.
After that, today I plugged in but the only controls that are working are the master fader and the transport.
If I move a facer up, on the channels it pushed down to infinity automatically, nothing else is detected by Mixbus (solo, track select, record arm, mute, etc etc etc)

Support didn't answered yet but this thing that you say
"you have to reboot your computer with X-Touch connected before lauch Mixbus" is funny... but I will try it..

Any other advice?
I've already tried to map manually the "record arm track 1" with the EQ encoder and it works so apparently all the mapping is lost?

Im lost...
Thanks in advance for any tips!

[jeff_sloan]

this is interesting!
Today I posted on Windows forum because Im having issues with my X-Touch Compact.
I used ok just 1 time to do automation.
After that, today I plugged in but the only controls that are working are the master fader and the transport.
If I move a facer up, on the channels it pushed down to infinity automatically, nothing else is detected by Mixbus (solo, track select, record arm, mute, etc etc etc)

Support didn't answered yet but this thing that you say
"you have to reboot your computer with X-Touch connected before lauch Mixbus" is funny... but I will try it..

Any other advice?
I've already tried to map manually the "record arm track 1" with the EQ encoder and it works so apparently all the mapping is lost?

Im lost...
Thanks in advance for any tips!

Hi,
I had a little bit of an issue too once I updated to 6.1.1.
Switching banks of faders worked some, but the man XTouch was not getting all the channels.

I ended up having to click "Discover Mackie Devices" to get it to work.
Even then, some of the channels randomly leave part of the info on unused faders...

I am about to update to 6.1.22...
Hopefully that helps.

By the way, I ended up going the all network connectivity (Midi-Ox) for my 3 units taking USB out of the equation. That cleaned up a lot for me in the USB devices space.

[Pi_K]

thanks for the reply man!
ok this is still interesting, I mean, Im kinda frustrated because this is the first "issue" that Mixbus gives me so far. I purchased 32c V6 and made a lot of things there, once at the end of one mix I plugged the X-Touch Compact (that's it, I don't have an extender) and as far as I remember I had the session opened, pluged the USB and power, fire the unit up, went to Preferences, activated the protocol and that was it! made the whole automation work like a charm.

Then I created a new channel and started pressing encoders and moving the pan ones to identify what were all the functions (eq, filtering, compressor) that was it, everything looked great!
then of course ended that session and saved and close everything (can't remember the order but Im sure I left the protocol activated)

AND also I navigated in the mapping options to see if I can assign that "flip" button on the X-Touch to the Save function (I did that in Adobe Audition for a faster CTRL+S) but I didn't went to that and let it untouched and thats it.

Then I used Mixbus without the Controller and maybe some messages were displayed in the log I can't remember well, but I always try to open the log when I see a red dot.
Now the only thing that Mixbus detects is the master fader and the transport controls when I plug the x-touch. I still have totry the booting sequence that you mention of course to make it work BUT is there also any "shut down" sequence too??

Do we have any place to "reset" the mapping to factory defaults? maybe that fix the issue, I don't mind not having a patch or official fix right away I just wanted to understand the logic in this and try to at least use it as a workaround

[pabloquintana]

thanks for the reply man!
ok this is still interesting, I mean, Im kinda frustrated because this is the first "issue" that Mixbus gives me so far. I purchased 32c V6 and made a lot of things there, once at the end of one mix I plugged the X-Touch Compact (that's it, I don't have an extender) and as far as I remember I had the session opened, pluged the USB and power, fire the unit up, went to Preferences, activated the protocol and that was it! made the whole automation work like a charm.

Then I created a new channel and started pressing encoders and moving the pan ones to identify what were all the functions (eq, filtering, compressor) that was it, everything looked great!
then of course ended that session and saved and close everything (can't remember the order but Im sure I left the protocol activated)

AND also I navigated in the mapping options to see if I can assign that "flip" button on the X-Touch to the Save function (I did that in Adobe Audition for a faster CTRL+S) but I didn't went to that and let it untouched and thats it.

Then I used Mixbus without the Controller and maybe some messages were displayed in the log I can't remember well, but I always try to open the log when I see a red dot.
Now the only thing that Mixbus detects is the master fader and the transport controls when I plug the x-touch. I still have totry the booting sequence that you mention of course to make it work BUT is there also any "shut down" sequence too??

Do we have any place to "reset" the mapping to factory defaults? maybe that fix the issue, I don't mind not having a patch or official fix right away I just wanted to understand the logic in this and try to at least use it as a workaround

Hey man. I have three instances of Mixbus 6 running on Windows and Mac. I have X-Touch, X-Touch Compact and X-Touch Extender. I have one particular iMac which is acting just like you mention, where it worked with the X-Touch Compact and suddenly only detects the Master fader.

How did you solve this issue?

If I connect the same X-Touch Compact with my other MacBook Pro with Mixbus, it works just fine.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

P

[Pi_K]

Hey Pablo! glad that someone else had this issue too (not "glad" in the whole sense of the word, you know what I mean) because I had an exchange of emails with the Support and of course, they didn't reproduced the error on their lab so that's pretty much it. But I gave them the details and what's going on with their program just to be able to help users if any contact them.
Now, the forum, it's our land... so here is what I found out.
First of all, don't get crazy blaming the controller or the OS or even the computers, the issue here is Mixbus. That's it. No other explanation = only Harrison guys can fix it, not us. I was happy to gave them the detailed things that I found out but again, they are the masters of their domain (pun intended)

Liste, first of all, try to open the problematic session and double check that the Mackie protocol is turned off, then save and close.
Open a new session and turn the mackie protocol on, then edit the config of the protocol with the 2 dropdown menus for in/out communication. Luckily that's pretty much it to make this thing work again. BUT, if it works, BEFORE YOU CLOSE THIS NEW SESSION (THAT YOU MAY ERASE OF COURSE) BE SURE THAT YOU TURN OFF THE MACKIE PROTOCOL BEFORE QUITING MIXBUS.

I don't have the controller plugged in always and powered on in my computer so I think that having this kind of setup where Mixbus fails to connect to the controller if its not plugged in starts all this madness and you can't just reset the status of the session and continue working. You have to do these steps in order to "reset the last status" correctly I believe.

Anyway, after found out this thing, I was able to not have this problem anymore, but relays just on ME remembering to turn off the Protocol before quitting, if I forget that I know that next time I plug the X-Touch is gonna be a pain in the ass.

Another point that I mentioned on the post you quoted is that I was able to map the FLIP button on the controller to the SAVE function. And also made some DYI tags on the controller for the EQ, SENDS, FILTERs encoders. Sadly if you look at the 32c EQ and then look at the X-Touch you see the logic if you can use the right encoders to simulate the 32c EQs because they are at the same positions... but well thats not gonna happen, if you press the 2nd encoder of the left from bottom to up you're gonna activate the EQ settings on that channel but you control the 32c EQ with the "pan pots" of the X-Touch and that was just "WHYYYYY!??!?!?"

Anyway, let me know if you need anything else man!
Take care.

[pabloquintana]

Hey Pablo! glad that someone else had this issue too (not "glad" in the whole sense of the word, you know what I mean) because I had an exchange of emails with the Support and of course, they didn't reproduced the error on their lab so that's pretty much it. But I gave them the details and what's going on with their program just to be able to help users if any contact them.
Now, the forum, it's our land... so here is what I found out.
First of all, don't get crazy blaming the controller or the OS or even the computers, the issue here is Mixbus. That's it. No other explanation = only Harrison guys can fix it, not us. I was happy to gave them the detailed things that I found out but again, they are the masters of their domain (pun intended)

Liste, first of all, try to open the problematic session and double check that the Mackie protocol is turned off, then save and close.
Open a new session and turn the mackie protocol on, then edit the config of the protocol with the 2 dropdown menus for in/out communication. Luckily that's pretty much it to make this thing work again. BUT, if it works, BEFORE YOU CLOSE THIS NEW SESSION (THAT YOU MAY ERASE OF COURSE) BE SURE THAT YOU TURN OFF THE MACKIE PROTOCOL BEFORE QUITING MIXBUS.

I don't have the controller plugged in always and powered on in my computer so I think that having this kind of setup where Mixbus fails to connect to the controller if its not plugged in starts all this madness and you can't just reset the status of the session and continue working. You have to do these steps in order to "reset the last status" correctly I believe.

Anyway, after found out this thing, I was able to not have this problem anymore, but relays just on ME remembering to turn off the Protocol before quitting, if I forget that I know that next time I plug the X-Touch is gonna be a pain in the ass.

Another point that I mentioned on the post you quoted is that I was able to map the FLIP button on the controller to the SAVE function. And also made some DYI tags on the controller for the EQ, SENDS, FILTERs encoders. Sadly if you look at the 32c EQ and then look at the X-Touch you see the logic if you can use the right encoders to simulate the 32c EQs because they are at the same positions... but well thats not gonna happen, if you press the 2nd encoder of the left from bottom to up you're gonna activate the EQ settings on that channel but you control the 32c EQ with the "pan pots" of the X-Touch and that was just "WHYYYYY!??!?!?"

Anyway, let me know if you need anything else man!
Take care.

Thanks for the detailed reply and I am sorry I didn't come back sooner. I have to turn on my notifications  .

Now, I was so desperate that wiped out my mac and started all over again. So, I hope this helps some other mixbussers out there. I got it working as follows:

1. After re-installing the complete macOS and of course mixbus, etc. I opened my old session and my X-Touch didn't work! 
2. So, I decided to start afresh and created a new session, just like you suggested. No tracks on this one. Selected Control Surfaces>Mackie>Mackie Control>X-TOUCH INT for both, then, I pressed BUSES on my X-Touch and suddenly the faders moved to show that the 8 buses were up and ready.
3. I didn't save the session neither unchecked Mackie on the Control Surfaces screen. Went directly to open the old session and now everything works.

Definitely a Mixbus issue here. Hopefully the guys at Mixbus can have a look at this.

All the best!

P

[jeff_sloan]

Hi again guys!
MB32C, 6.2.270
X-Touch Firmware 1.21 Fader 1.04
2 X-Touch Extenders, same firmware and fader version.
All connected via IP with rtpMIDI 1.1.14 (247) (So much better than USB!)

But, seems that since 6.2 came out, when switching between fader banks, channel strips will leave data on faders that should be blank, and now even when going to an occupied channel, it may fail to put the channel name in, or even not move the fader to the correct position (or move it at all).
All completely random, but pretty constant as well...(randomly constant )

Any ideas what I can try?
Something other than the standard bitrates in the rtpMidi?
I'm not saying this is a Mixbus problem, but it did seem to start at 6.2, and firmware updates on the surfaces hasn't helped.
I feel like it is a settings issue...