Omnisphere 3 Hardware Guide

Setting Up the MPK261

When using the Akai MPK261 to control Omnisphere, the knobs and buttons on the MPK261 are assigned to the following Omnisphere parameters:

  • Knob 1 (CC#83) – Global Controls Cutoff
  • Knob 2 (CC#85) – Global Controls Resonance
  • Knob 3 (CC#86) – Global Controls Filter Envelope Amount
  • Knob 4 (CC#87) – Global Controls Vibrato Depth
  • Knob 5 (CC#88) – Global Controls Ambience Amount
  • Knob 6 (CC#89) – Global Controls Ambience Length
  • Knob 7 (CC#90) – Global Controls Unison
  • Knob 8 (CC#91) – Global Controls Glide
  • Button 1 (CC#106) – Browser Down / Next Patch
  • Button 2 (CC#107) – Browser Up / Previous Patch

Setup

To control Omnisphere using the MPK26, you’ll need to do the following:

  1. Connect the MPK249 to your computer via USB.
  2. Setup the MPK249 to control Omnisphere.
  3. Enable the MPK249 as a MIDI input device in the host software you’re using (DAW, Standalone, etc.).
  4. Activate the MPK261 Hardware Profile in Omnisphere 3 or later.

MPK261 SETUP

Omnisphere relies on the default settings of the preset called “30 Generic” on the MPK261.

  • To load this preset, press the [PRESET] button and then use the [Value Dial] knob to scroll through the available preset until preset #30 is displayed.
  • Lastly, press down on the [Value Dial] to activate the preset.

NOTE: Omnisphere will only respond to the “C Bank” of knobs on the MPK261. Press the © button under “Control Bank” to activate the “C Bank” on the MPK261.

HOST CONNECTION

  • Open your host (DAW, Standalone, etc.) and make sure the MPK261 is enabled as a MIDI input device.

OMNISPHERE SETUP

  • Open Omnisphere and from the header, select the HW menu button.
  • From the drop-down menu, select “Akai > Akai MPK261” to activate the MPK261 Hardware Profile.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Not working? Here are some things to try:

  • Is your DAW receiving MIDI from the MPK261?
  • Make sure your DAW is configured to correctly route the MIDI output of the MPK261 to the MIDI channel assigned to the desired part in Omnisphere.
  • If you are using the Omnisphere standalone host, make sure the MIDI output channel of the MPK261 matches the MIDI channel of the Omnisphere Part you want to control.
  • Are the knobs on the MPK249 sending the correct MIDI CC#’s used to control Omnisphere? A quick way to check is by entering “Edit” mode on the MPK261. Press the [EDIT] button and then use the [Up] and [Down] cursors to check each knob / button and make sure it’s assigned MIDI CC#.
  • The MIDI CC#s for each knob and button while in Bank C are listed at the top of the page.

SUPPORT

Still not working? More questions?

Feel free to contact us directly and we can work with you:

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email: info@spectrasonics.net