"button" versus "no edge button"

What’s the difference? How do I know which kind of button I have on my midi controller?

“button” reacts to MIDI controller messages alternating between “pressed” and “released”. For consecutive presses of a “button”, there need to be controller values like “127 - 0 - 127 - 0”; it will not react to “127 - 127 - 127 - 127”. A “no-edge-button” will react to any non-zero MIDI value.

This may be quite helpful if you have a continuous controller that you need to switch something. Imagine using your modulation wheel to trigger some event: using “button”, the event will only be triggered once the mod wheel crosses the value 64, then Cantabile will ignore all further values > 64 until the mod wheel has come back down below 64. Using “no-edge-button” would trigger the event on any movement of your mod wheel.

TL;DR: Essentially use “button” for triggering something with continuous controllers or for buttons that send 127 (or something else > 64) when pressed and 0 when released. Use “no-edge-button” for buttons that ONLY send a controller value when pressed and nothing when released.

Cheers,

Torsten

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Hi @LeesKeys,

@Torsten 's answer is spot on. Just to add though… if you’re in doubt and it’s an actual hardware button then try No Edge first - it will generally work with any button.

Brad

so for example, a slider on my keyboard, assigned to modulate Gain for the plug in would be assigned as a “no edge” button.

Nope - buttons are mainly for switching things on or off, or triggering something, like “Next Song State” or “Program Change #12”.

If you want to modulate gain for a plugin, you bind your slider as a straightforward “Controller” - no buttons involved.

See here: Controller 16 controls gain for a plugin, whilst CC 17 is a button that advances song state.

Cheers,

Torsten

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So, to turn something ‘on’, you would configure a button, as a no-edge, let’s say ‘Pad A’ on a controller. Then to turn that ‘off’ you would need to configure another no-edge button like ‘Pad B’?

Brion

Or you could configure your “Pad A” on your controller to “Toggle” your target instead of turning it on. Then you could use the same button to turn it off or on.

Cheers,

Torsten

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Hi, Torsten! and Thanks! My lil’ ol’ QX49 does not support any ‘toggle’ function, but I do have the option of adding a MIDI foot controller to my rig. I’m getting a new controller, a ‘Nektar Impact’ 88-key controller. I haven’t read the whole manual yet, but it might have a ‘toggle’ function for the pads. I’m not sure which is busier being a guitarist AND keyboard player in my band, , my feet or my hands…(yes, there are actually moments when I’m playing both simultaneously!)
(Was that a snicker?)
:\

Thanks!

Hi Brion, your keyboard does not need a toggle fuction - Cantabile will do that for you. All you need to do is set this in a binding:

now your pad will toggle whatever it is - in my example, it will de-activate or activate a plugin. I selected “Controller (Button)” in my example, but of course no-edge button will work just as well

Cheers,

Torsten

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