Dropped Notes on OB-6 and PRO-6 in Ableton

[peteypeteypete]

Hey fellow sequential heads 

I'm using an OB-6 and a Prophet-6 for my live show and having a very strange problem with both in Ableton Live.

Since my show relies on a lot of sequencing (piano roll + CC data and patch changes), dropped notes are bad and I can't have em. By "dropped notes" I mean a note is sent from Ableton but there is no sound from the synth. For instance, I send MIDI for a 3 note chord and only hear one or two notes. Or I have a 4-note melody -- 3 notes play, one is silent.

I've checked in MIDI monitor and the note-on and note-off messages are getting sent even when the notes don't play from the synth.

I'm also using a Moog Subsequent 37, VP550 and TR8-S, each getting tons of MIDI data. None of them drop a note ever. But unfortunately, both of my DSI synths drop around 10-15% of the notes they get from Ableton. It's significant.

This behavior doesn't seem to happen in Logic, which is where I normally produce. Just in Ableton. BUT also (again) only on my DSI synths and not other hardware.

I've updated the firmware on my PRO-6 and OB-6. All the preferences seem ok. Checked this on 2 MIDI interfaces! Same issue.

This isn't from sending too much MIDI data at the same time. It isn't from exceeding the polyphony.

Please help!

[peteypeteypete]

Also, I've tried this using USB instead of MIDI and have the same buggy behavior

I'm sure many of you sequence their synths on Ableton. Any suggestions?

[kpatz]

What happens if you set the Key Mode to one that has envelope retrigger, like LA-R?  Does that solve the problem?

If it does, Ableton is either not sending note-offs when it should or it’s sending a sustain pedal CC.  Do you have sustain pedal in your tracks?

[peteypeteypete]

that's a great idea to try (changing the key mode) but unfortunately it doesn't seem to help

other things i've tried: turning off midi clock and only using CC's instead of NRPNs.

weirdly it's most likely to skip the first note or chord in a sequence. so like in this example it rarely triggers on the first chord but gets the 2nd and 3rd.

also the sustain pedal CC messages don't affect it. I have a couple songs with sustain automated but most don't and it doesn't affect the behavior.
 

What happens if you set the Key Mode to one that has envelope retrigger, like LA-R?  Does that solve the problem?

If it does, Ableton is either not sending note-offs when it should or it’s sending a sustain pedal CC.  Do you have sustain pedal in your tracks?

[peteypeteypete]

Anyone have any ideas here?

Having trouble believing that the company that invented MIDI drops 15-25% of notes on the most popular DAW with electronic musicians.

I could make this same post on the Prophet-6 forum since my Prophet and OB6 are having the exact same issues (while my Moog is handling things just fine) but I don't want to get scolded as a new poster for making a redundant thread.

[Manbird]

Sequential support are known for their helpfulness. Drop them a line and hopefully they can get you sorted...

[peteypeteypete]

Sorry to say I've been having a tough time getting responses from DSI phone support lately, maybe 1 for every 3 calls / voicemails and haven't gotten a satisfactory answer yet on this

[Manbird]

Sorry to say I've been having a tough time getting responses from DSI phone support lately, maybe 1 for every 3 calls / voicemails and haven't gotten a satisfactory answer yet on this

Try emailing. I've never used phone support, but have always had prompt and helpful responses via email...

[BT]

Hi there! I recommend dropping us an email via support@sequential.com. We'll get you sorted out quickly.

Without knowing full details, I'd surmise this could be a MIDI feedback issue - where notes sent to the synth echo through the DAW and back to the synth in a loop, effectively doubling note triggers and eating up polyphony. You can always test this by using only a single MIDI DIN cable, to effectively break the loop, or to make sure your DAW has MIDI soft thru turned off, or by muting the MIDI track, etc.

We can help better with a support ticket!