Vintage Synth Explorer Forums

I recently got a Sequential Cirquits Six-Track. I can't for the life of me sequence or control it at all via MIDI. I was able to control my TR-707 via the Six-Trak's MIDI Out, but I can't seem to get anything to work via MIDI In. Anybody have any experience with this? Ideally I would like to sequence via Ableton or something like that.

thanks

sounds like it is set to receive midi on a channel you are not sending on.. Check the manual and set the midi receive to "omni"

Altitude wrote:sounds like it is set to receive midi on a channel you are not sending on.. Check the manual and set the midi receive to "omni"

I consulted the MIDI section of the manually pretty thoroughly. I tried both differnt "omni" modes as well as the mono mode that makes the 6 voices six different midi channels. I also tried changing between channels 1-16. Tried midi from ableton live, xoxbox, TR707, and a midi keyboard (m audio axiom, I think). I was able to control TR707 drum voices from the keyboard of the six-trak, but that was my only success with midi. I know there's some sort of ROM that updates the midi for the six-trak, could this be my problem?

thanks

It sounds like something is up with your midi in if you cant get it to respond to anything (especially notes). Fortunately, there are only a couple of points of failure for a midi circuit and a tech should be able to diagnose it fairly easily. If your comfortable getting your hands dirty, start with the optocoupler and check that you are getting 5V at pin 8 and you see the same thing between pins 2 and 3 (midi in) on a scope as you do on pin 6 and gnd (opto out) when sending it data.

thanks for the advice, but i don't even own an ociliscope...i do have a volt meter though. is a scope necessary? i don't know which pin is which either (i.e which is pin 8 and which is ground)...that reminds me do you happen to know a tech in or near chicago? or at least how to find one. the best i've found is like guitar amp and stereo repair shops.

just in case you haven't tried swapping out the cable, i've had far more midi cables go bad on me than audio cables...def. worth doing before investigating further, if you haven't already. and apologies if his was the first thing you tried.