Using StageCaller with MIDI cable+interface instead of WiFi?

1

Hi there,

Is it possible to use StageCaller with a MIDI cable + MIDI interface instead of WiFi?

I want to use StageCaller as a vibrating metronome receiving MIDI from my MPC1000, which of course doesn’t have a WiFi transmitter :slight_smile: I’ve tried using Yamaha’s metronome app, which accepts wired MIDI clock, but it was extremely unstable, so I hope StageCaller could solve my problem.

Cheers,
Nikolaj de Haan

2

Hey, Nikolaj -

I’m not sure I’m clear on your ideal utilization - check me on this…

You’d like your MPC1000 to spit out a single go, that triggeres a pre-recorded click? Or do you want to send a variable tempo click from the MPC? You could do either, but we currently don’t have a tool for bringing MIDI into Stagecaller via any sort of cabled interface.

The thing to remember is that the audio files live inside the iOS device, and the vibration is the phone’s own vibration. All of which is designed to be accessible wirelessly (since, with stage actions, if it can be wired, we always suggest the simple option of a tiny speaker…)

Here’s what I can imagine doing, using QLab as a tool, connected to your MPC1000

  1. Create the audio click of the metronome you want & put it in the dropbox
  2. In Stagecaller, create 2 actions - one that is a vibrate, one that is a click. Assign them both the same MIDI note on, and set them, under options, to play 1 time. (You could do this just as easily in OSC as well)
  3. In QLab, create a MIDI or OSC cue that sends that StageCaller Trigger message.
  4. Still in that QLab cue, turn on “Trigger” in the cue’s tab, and set it to trigger based on the MIDI note/data your MPC is kicking out.

This SHOULD work - though, if the tempo is too fast, the cue might not be able to re-fire that rapidly. But it’s a way to make StageCaller work way outside it’s designed box, and a really clever idea - one could send a wireless click track to a musician!

-Rob