How to Control SuperRack with MIDI or Hot Keys

Oct 09, 2023

Learn how to control Waves SuperRack features and functions, recall snapshots with MIDI and map MIDI controllers and keyboard hot keys.

Controlling SuperRack via MIDI

The following SuperRack functions can be controlled via MIDI:

  1. Navigation between Racks and between plugins
  2. Global controls such as Rack or Plugin On/Off, Mute, etc. 30
  3. Selected plugin parameter controls
  4. Snapshot recall
  5. Tap Tempo

Some parameters are assigned to respond only to MIDI CC’s (not Note On/Off commands), such as:

  1. On/Off
  2. Edit
  3. In/Out
  4. Mute
  5. Continuous/Discrete Plugin Controls
    • On/Off or 2 state parameters respond to MIDI CC as follows:
      • 0 - 63 = Off / 64 – 127 = On
    • Toggle parameters with three states will be divided evenly between the values
      • 0 - 31 = Choice A / 32 - 63 = Choice B, etc…

Snapshot Recall via MIDI

Assigning External IDs to Snapshots

The snapshot external ID indicates the bank and program change combination needed to recall the snapshot via MIDI. This allows a more flexible approach, separating the snapshots listing order from the ‘remote-control’ snapshot ordering. There are two ways to assign a remote ID to a snapshot:

  1. When you initially name a snapshot, you can assign an ID using the External ID drop-down menu.
    Name a snapshot
  2. A new snapshot will indicate the external ID as “none.” To assign an external ID to a snapshot that’s already in the Snapshots List, click on the arrow to open the assignment drop-menu.
    Assign an external ID to a snapshot

Method #1:

SuperRack responds to a combination of Bank LSB + Program Change 0-127 messages from MIDI Devices, in order to recall snapshots via MIDI beyond 128 snapshots.

This means that we can control up to 8 banks of 128 snapshots (up to 1000 snapshots are supported):

Bank LSB = 1 (2nd bank) + Program Change (0-127) = 2rd bank – snapshots (129-256)

  • Snapshot 129 = Bank LSB 1 / Program Change 0
  • Snapshot 149 = Bank LSB 1 / Program 19

Bank LSB = 2 (3rd bank) + Program Change (0-127) = 3rd bank – snapshots (257 – 384)

  • Snapshot 257 = Bank LSB 2 / Program Change 0
  • Snapshot 277 = Bank LSB 2 / Program Change 19

And so on…

Different MIDI software may enumerate MIDI note values either from 0 to 127 or from 1 to 128. This will affect bank and program change numbering. In Ableton Live, for instance, snapshot 129 is recalled with MIDI message: Bank: 2, Sub Bank: 1, Program Change: 2.

Method #2:

Instead of Bank LSB Program Change messages, you can configure SuperRack to respond to MIDI CC messages, in order to recall snapshots from 129 and upwards:

  1. Access SuperRack’s MIDI Controller panel from the Controller racks.
  2. Check the box next to ‘Use Control Change (not Bank Change) Messages…’
  3. Next to 129-256, choose to receive CC #31 (or whatever you choose).
  4. Set a knob/fader/control on your MIDI controller to send messages through the same MIDI CC: 31.

You can now use MIDI CC #31 in order to recall snapshots 129 to 256, while using Program Change to recall snapshots 1 to 128.

How to configure your MIDI Controller for SuperRack:

  1. Launch SuperRack and assign the MIDI Controller module in the Controllers section.
  2. Click the gear wheel icon to open the MIDI Controller panel.
  3. In the MIDI IN section, tick the box next to your MIDI controller.
    When chaining multiple MIDI Devices, make sure to select the controller in the MIDI THRU section.
  4. Select the SuperRack control you wish to map and move the controller on your MIDI device.
  5. Repeat for all the controls you wish to have assigned.

How to configure your Keyboard keys for SuperRack:

  1. Launch SuperRack and assign the MIDI Controller module in the Controllers section.
  2. Click the gear wheel icon to open the MIDI Controller panel.
  3. Select the SuperRack control you wish to map and press a key on your keyboard.
  4. Repeat for all the controls you wish to have assigned.
  5. Keyboard Hotkeys cannot be mapped to continuous controls.
  6. The delete key on your keyboard is used to remove assignments and cannot be mapped.