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US-428 Four Control Banks Specification
These two control protocols are intended to provide better control of software synthesizers and
samlpers by allowing the US-428 to generate scores of MIDI controller messages, not just a
dozen or so. It does this in several ways, most importantly by supporting four independent
“banks” of control surfaces.
The two protocols, which are listed in the US-428 control panel as “Four Control Banks (Pots)”
and “Four Control Banks (Encoders)”, are almost identical. They only differ in how the rotary
encoders are interpreted. Each protocol is described in detail below. There is also a .GIF file
included which summarizes controller and note numbers, and gives a graphical representation of
the control banks.
The purpose of this protocol is to provide an operational mode in which users can program the
US-428 to work with software synths and other applications requiring the mapping of a large
number of messages. The ability of the US-428 to work in this mode will enable users to create
their own templates for use with virtual synths and other applications.
Banks
There are four banks, or sets, of controls. Think of each bank as a “layer”….the US -428’s control
surface sends out a different set of messages for each bank. The active bank is indicated by its
associated AUX LED (e.g., AUX1 is lit for Bank1; AUX2 is lit for Bank2, etc.). Banks can be
selected directly by pressing one of the AUX buttons; they can also be selected sequentially with
the BANK button. (When you first selec t the Banks protocol, it opens with Bank1 active.)
MIDI Notes and Controllers - Nomenclature used in this document
Some button presses result in the US-428 sending a MIDI Note On message to the application
via the US-428 Control Port, while other actions may send a MIDI Controller message. The note
or controller number sent depends, in most cases, on the currently active bank. For example,
Fader 1 is listed as:
Fader 1 MIDI Controller (0 + 32*B)
The “B” here means the Bank number minus 1. When Bank 1 is active, B = 0; when Bank 4 is
active, B = 3. This means that moving Fader 1 sends the current fader position as a MIDI
controller message (a value of 0…..127), with the MIDI controller number being 0 in Bank1, 32 in
Bank2, 64 in Bank3, and 96 in Bank4. This allows the single physical Fader 1 to act as four
different controllers, one in each bank.
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MIDI messages are always sent and received on channel 1 of the US -428 Control Port, except for
“Global Controls” (described below), which are sent and received on channel 2.
MUTE Buttons
Pressing a MUTE button sends a MIDI Note On message with a velocity of 127. Releasing the
button sends a Note On message with a velocity of 0. The SOLO button acts like a shift/modifier
key for the MUTE buttons. Pressing the SOLO button (SOLO LED is lit) causes the MUTE
buttons to transmit a different note than when the SOLO LED is not lit.
When SOLO LED is off:
MUTE 1 button sends MIDI note (0 + 32*B)
MUTE 2 button sends MIDI note (1 + 32*B)
MUTE 3 button sends MIDI note (2 + 32*B)
MUTE 4 button sends MIDI note (3 + 32*B)
MUTE 5 button sends MIDI note (4 + 32*B)
MUTE 6 button sends MIDI note (5 + 32*B)
MUTE 7 button sends MIDI note (6 + 32*B)
MUTE 8 button sends MIDI note (7 + 32*B)
When SOLO LED is on:
MUTE 1 button sends MIDI note (8 + 32*B)
MUTE 2 button sends MIDI note (9 + 32*B)
MUTE 3 button sends MIDI note (10 + 32*B)
MUTE 4 button sends MIDI note (11 + 32*B)
MUTE 5 button sends MIDI note (12 + 32*B)
MUTE 6 button sends MIDI note (13 + 32*B)
MUTE 7 button sends MIDI note (14 + 32*B)
MUTE 8 button sends MIDI note (15 + 32*B)
SELECT Buttons
In much the same manner as with the MUTE and SOLO buttons, the SELECT buttons can also
send one of two possible MIDI note messages. The REC button acts like a shift/modifier key for
the SELECT buttons. The note sent depends on whether the REC button is lit or not.
When REC LED is off:
SELECT 1 button sends MIDI note (16 + 32*B)
SELECT 2 button sends MIDI note (17 + 32*B)
SELECT 3 button sends MIDI note (18 + 32*B)
SELECT 4 button sends MIDI note (19 + 32*B)
SELECT 5 button sends MIDI note (20 + 32*B)
SELECT 6 button sends MIDI note (21 + 32*B)
SELECT 7 button sends MIDI note (22 + 32*B)
SELECT 8 button sends MIDI note (23 + 32*B)
When REC LED is on:
SELECT 1 button sends MIDI note (24 + 32*B)
SELECT 2 button sends MIDI note (25 + 32*B)
SELECT 3 button sends MIDI note (26 + 32*B)
SELECT 4 button sends MIDI note (27 + 32*B)
SELECT 5 button sends MIDI note (28 + 32*B)
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SELECT 6 button sends MIDI note (29 + 32*B)
SELECT 7 button sends MIDI note (30 + 32*B)
SELECT 8 button sends MIDI note (31 + 32*B)
In any given bank, the last active SELECT button will be remembered. If you last used SELECT 3
in Bank 1, and then changed to Bank 4, when you return to Bank 1 SELECT 3 will be active.
Channel Faders
Moving any of the 8 channel faders sends the current fader position as a MIDI controller
message:
FADER 1 sends MIDI controller (0 + 32*B)
FADER 2 sends MIDI controller (1 + 32*B)
FADER 3 sends MIDI controller (2 + 32*B)
FADER 4 sends MIDI controller (3 + 32*B)
FADER 5 sends MIDI controller (4 + 32*B)
FADER 6 sends MIDI controller (5 + 32*B)
FADER 7 sends MIDI controller (6 + 32*B)
FADER 8 sends MIDI controller (7 + 32*B)
In any given bank, the last known fader positions for all 8 channel faders will be remembered.
When switching between banks, the FADER NULL function may be used to align the fader
positions just as it is in Native Mode.
The Pan Knob
Turning the PAN knob sends a controller message. The MIDI controller number used depends on
the selected bank, but also on the currently lit SELECT LED. If “S” represents the currently lit
SELECT LED number, then the PAN knob sends:
MIDI controller (7 + S + 32*B)
Again, the “B” here means the Bank number minus 1. This means that moving the PAN with
SELECT LED 1 lit sends a MIDI controller message (a value of 0…..127), with the MIDI controller
number being 8 in Bank1, 40 in Bank2, etc.
PAN / SELECT 1 sends MIDI controller (8 + 32*B)
PAN / SELECT 2 sends MIDI controller (9 + 32*B)
PAN / SELECT 3 sends MIDI controller (10 + 32*B)
PAN / SELECT 4 sends MIDI controller (11 + 32*B)
PAN / SELECT 5 sends MIDI controller (12 + 32*B)
PAN / SELECT 6 sends MIDI controller (13 + 32*B)
PAN / SELECT 7 sends MIDI controller (14 + 32*B)
PAN / SELECT 8 sends MIDI controller (15 + 32*B)
Each bank simulates 8 fixed-position pan pots intially centered at MIDI value 64. Turning the PAN
knob one click left decreases the value by 8, down to 0; turning it to the right increases the value
by 8, up to 127.
Holding the SET button places the PAN knob in fine mode, and the increments increase and
decrease in values of 1. (Note that once SET is released and PAN returns to coarse mode, the
values will re-align to multples of 8. For example, if the current value is 60 when SET is released,
the next two clicks will be 64 and 72.)
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EQ Knobs
Much like the PAN knob, the EQ knobs simulate fixed-position pan pots. In each of the four
banks, each of the three EQ knobs sends a different MIDI controller message depending on
which EQ band LED is lit. (Three EQ knobs times four EQ bands times four banks.) Pressing an
EQ bank button lights the associated LED, and the last selected EQ band for each of the four
banks is remembered.
To describe the MIDI controller numbers used for the EQ knobs, we will number the EQ bands
from bottom to top; LO=0, LO MID=1, HI MID=2, HI=3. “E” represents the currently-active EQ
band/LED:
GAIN knob sends MIDI controller (18 + 3*E + 32*B)
FREQ knob sends MIDI controller (17 + 3*E + 32*B)
Q knob sends MIDI controller (16 + 3*E + 32*B)
The values sent follow the same rules as described for the PAN knob, including coarse and fine
control with the SET button.
Data Wheel
The DATA wheel will also send 4 different MIDI controller number messages in each of the four
banks. The controller number sent depends on whether the ASN, F1, F2 or F3 LED is lit.
If we label the currently-lit LED as"F", and number the buttons as ASN=0; F1=1; F2=2; and F3=3,
then the DATA wheel sends MIDI controller number:
DATA Wheel sends MIDI controller (28 + F + 32*B)
Again, the same rules apply as with the PAN and EQ knobs, including the coarse and fine
increment modes as modified by the SET button.
Global Controls
Some of the US-428 controls have the same behavior in all four banks. These include the
MASTER fader, LOCATE buttons, and transport buttons. All of these global controls are
transmitted on MIDI channel 2 of the US-428 control port (as opposed to all the bank-related
controls, which transmit on channel 1 of the control port).
MASTER fader sends MIDI controller 7
REW button sends MIDI note 0
FFWD button sends MIDI note 1
STOP button sends MIDI note 2
PLAY button sends MIDI note 3
RECORD button sends MIDI note 4
<LOCATE button sends MIDI note 5
LOCATE> button sends MIDI note 6
Controlling LED’s
Some LED's may be controlledby the application. LED's are turned on with a Note On message
with a velocity of 127, and turned off with a Note On message with a velocity of 0. Four banks of
MUTE and REC LED's can be controlled by sending messages to channel 1 of the Control port.
Transport LED's can be controlled by sending messages to channel 2.
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MUTE 1 LED MIDI note (0 + 32*B)
MUTE 2 LED MIDI note (1 + 32*B)
MUTE 3 LED MIDI note (2 + 32*B)
MUTE 4 LED MIDI note (3 + 32*B)
MUTE 5 LED MIDI note (4 + 32*B)
MUTE 6 LED MIDI note (5 + 32*B)
MUTE 7 LED MIDI note (6 + 32*B)
MUTE 8 LED MIDI note (7 + 32*B)
REC 1 LED MIDI note (8 + 32*B)
REC 2 LED MIDI note (9 + 32*B)
REC 3 LED MIDI note (10 + 32*B)
REC 4 LED MIDI note (11 + 32*B)
REC 5 LED MIDI note (12 + 32*B)
REC 6 LED MIDI note (13 + 32*B)
REC 7 LED MIDI note (14 + 32*B)
REC 8 LED MIDI note (15 + 32*B)
REW LED MIDI note 0
FFWD LED MIDI note 1
PLAY LED MIDI note 3
RECORD LED MIDI note 4
Four Controller Banks (Encoders)
This protocol is nearly identical to the "Four Controller Banks (Pots)" protocol. The only difference
is the treatment of the rotary encoders (GAIN, FREQ, Q, PAN and DATA Wheel).
Instead of emulating potentiometers, a turn one click to the right would send a MIDI value of 68
(or 65 if SET is held down). A turn one click to the left would send a MIDI valule of 60 (or 63 is
SET is held down). The result makes changing banks "seamless" to the user.
Initialization
When one of these protocols is first selected, SEL 1, LO and ASN are selected in all four banks,
and BANK1 (AUX1) is selected. In "Four Controller Banks (Pots)" mode, all rotary controls in all
four banks are set to the physical fader positions. The channel faders in the other three banks are
set to 0 value.
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