As far as I can tell, djay pro’s “Pickup Mode” mode (within the USB MIDI device configuration) isn’t working correctly.
I have two scenarios where I need pickup functionality:
* one physical control affecting two parameters
* two physical controls affecting one parameter.
The first scenario is undoubtedly the most common. Because many controllers have fewer physical controls than there are parameters to affect, a single physical control is sometimes mapped to two parameters using a *software* modifier - such as a MIDI message that the software recognises to change the parameter modified by certain other MIDI messages.
For example, I have a SHIFT button (sending Note D2) that is mapped to the “Controller Shift Key” in djay pro. This changes the effect of CC8 - from “Deck 2: Line Volume” to “Master Level”.
With “Pickup Mode” off (for both “Deck 2: Line Volume” and “Master Level”), the parameter value immediately jumps to the value of the control as soon as I move it. So if I set the “Master Level” to 100, set the “Deck 2: Line Volume” to 0% then decide that I need to turn the “Master Level” down a little, the “Master Level” will jump to 0% as soon as I move the control. That’s as expected. But clearly unusable in this situation.
However, with “Pickup Mode” on (for both “Deck 2: Line Volume” and “Master Level”), I get identical behaviour! Surely it should wait until the control crosses the previous value?
The second scenario is undoubtedly less common. However, again because many controllers have fewer physical controls than there are parameters to affect, a single physical control is sometimes mapped to two parameters using a *hardware* modifier - such as a button that changes the actual MIDI message for certain other controls.
For example, I have an FX button (sending no MIDI message) that changes the CC number used by one of my knobs - from CC10 to CC12. *Both* of these are mapped to “Deck 1: Mid EQ”.
With “Pickup Mode” off (for both CC10 and CC12), the parameter does not change after the CC number has changed until the control has moved by a significant amount. So if I change the “Deck 1: Mid EQ” from -24dB to 0dB and engage the “FX” button (so that the CC number for the control changes) then decide that I need to turn the “Deck 1: Mid EQ” down a little, the parameter does not change until I reach -20dB! Surely, the parameter should respond immediately?
With “Pickup Mode” on (for both CC10 and CC12), the behaviour is unpredictable after the CC number has changed. Sometimes the parameter changes as soon as the control moves, but sometime the parameter doesn’t change until the control has moved through the current level… twice!
So if I change “Deck 1: Mid EQ” from -24dB to 0dB, engage the “FX” button (so that the CC number for the control changes) then decide that I need to turn the “Deck 1: Mid EQ” down a little, I turn the control down and the parameter changes immediately.
But if I change “Deck 1: Mid EQ” from -24dB to 4.3dB, engage the “FX” button (so that the CC number for the control changes) then decide that I need to turn the “Deck 1: Mid EQ” up a little more, turning the control up has no effect! Instead I need to turn the control up a little, then down past its original value, then up past it original value again - at which point the parameter will start to change.
Surely it should always change on the first pass through (or better still, as soon as the the control reaches an adjacent value)?
Am I missing something? Or is “Pickup Mode” broken?
