cogeco NanoMute User manual
XR18 NanoMute midi Foot Controller user’s Manual (v3.2)
The NanoMute is an inexpensive and easy to build midi foot-controller designed to interface with the Behringer XR18
digital mixer (ver1.17) via a standard 5pin DIN midi cable. The 1.3”OLED display provides excellent visibility (even in
sunlight) and provides instant status when any switch is pressed.
The unit allows for 4 to 6 footswitches that can be programmed either as mutes, fader controls (2 settings per channel),
FX tap, or to load XR-18 Snapshots. Each fader/mute switch can simultaneously control up to six XR-18 channels (i.e.
mute all 6 Aux busses at the same time).
When programmed as a “Mute”, each press of the footswitch will toggle between mute on and mute off. When set as a
“Fader”, each press of the footswitch will toggle between the two programmed (low/high) fader levels. When set for
“Snapshot”, each press of the footswitch will toggle between loading of the two programmed snapshots.
The NanoMute also allows for optional connection of a status led for each switch. These will turn on when:
1) a switch is programmed as a “Mute”and the status is mute on.
2) a switch is programmed as “Fader level”and the status is fader high.
3) a switch is programmed as “FX tap”and is capturing the tap rate.
4) a switch is programmed as “Snap”and the “B”snapshot is loaded.
The hardware required for the project is available at many online electronic hobby shops and should cost around $25. The
firmware used retains the Arduino bootloader and can be loaded using any 32/64bit Windows PC with a USB port. The
installation software can be deleted once the Nano is flashed, and no additional software is required (i.e. the Arduino IDE).
User switch programming is done right on the NanoMute unit and does not require connection to a PC.
Here are the specs for the parts and how they’re connected:
OLED display:
Every time a footswitch is pressed in normal operating mode, a user-programmable switch name will be displayed in the
top half of the screen, and a pre-defined status message will be shown on the bottom half of the display.
Status messages will display “Muted”or “Unmuted”in mute mode, “Low”/ “High”in fader mode, “Tap?”while capturing FX
tap time, or “Load: xx”in snapshot mode (where xx is the recalled snapshot number).
Programming switch name and type:
Each switch is programmed by holding down the switch during power-on splash screen. This brings up the menu shown
below, where you can edit the switch name (8 characters) and type (mute, fader control, TAP, or snapshot). This menu
also allows you to save your settings to non-volatile memory and reboot. To exit without saving any changes, simply
power-off the unit.
When programming, the footswitches are used to control your input per the legend on the last line of the display.
When editing the switch name, the following menu will allow you to select between any character in the ascii character
set. If your selected name is very short, you may want to insert leading spaces so it appears centered within the 8
characters.
Mute menu:
When “Mute”is selected as the switch type, the following menu offers up to six slots for channels, busses, mute groups
and DCAs that can be controlled by this switch. When programming mutes, always start with slot #1 at the top, because
any slot programmed as “empty”will automatically disable the slots below it. When done press switch 4 to return to main
menu. DIN X-OSC must be enabled in the XR18 Audio/Midi setup for DCAs and Mute Groups to function.
Fader menu:
When “Fader”is selected as the switch type, the following menu offers up to six slots channels that can be controlled with
this switch. Each channel requires two entries (Low / High) with a fader level from “-oo”(Off) to +9.7db. This feature can
be useful when switching between lead and backup vocals, or providing additional gain for an instrumental solo. When
programming faders, always start with slot #1 at the top, because any slot programmed as “empty”will automatically
disable the slots below it.
v3.2 adds DCA1-4 to the fader menu. DIN X-OSC must be enabled in the XR18 Audio/Midi setup for this to function.
FX tap menu:
When “FX tap”is selected as the switch type, the following menu allows you to select the FX type and FX slot. These
settings must match the FX settings in the XR18 for the switch to function as intended. If a switch LED is equipped, it will
light while the tap rate is being sampled (between two switch presses). If the maximum tap rate allowed by that FX is
surpassed, the tap rate will not be sent to the XR18. This serves as protection from a switch being pressed accidentally.
DIN X-OSC must be enabled in the XR18 Audio/Midi setup for Tap to function.
FX delay time settings vary from 1ms to 3 seconds, but anything below 250ms can’t be set reliably using tap (even in X-
Air Edit) because you simply can’t tap that fast. Similarly, some FX can have tap speeds up to 20s, but anything above 3s
is really not suited to a footswitch application. For this reason, the NanoMute tap feature is limited to a range of
250ms/4.00hz to 3000ms/0.36hz. Any setting beyond this is likely not synchronized to song tempo, and should be
adjusted using the knobs in X-Air Edit to obtain the desired effect, and loaded as a snapshot.
When using the tap function, the pedal must be pressed twice to complete the capture process. The first pedal press will
start the capture and the display status will show “Tap?”. If a switch LED is equipped, it will turn on. The second pedal
press will complete the capture and if equipped, the LED will turn off. The display will then show the captured tap time in
milliseconds (ms) or hertz (hz) depending on the type of FX selected. If the captured tap time is too long (>3000ms or
0.36hz), the display show “Tap:+++”and no data will be transmitted to the XR18. If another switch is pressed during tap
capture, the capture will be aborted and the other switch will be executed. This allows you to escape tap capture before
the full 3 seconds if the switch is pressed accidentally.
The time/ms based FX are: Stereo Delay, 3-Tap Delay, Rhythm Delay, Delay + Chamber, Delay + Chorus, Delay +
Flanger and Modulation Delay.
The speed/hz based FX are: Stereo Chorus, Stereo Flanger, Stereo Phaser, Tremolo / Panner, Chorus + Chamber,
Flanger + Chambr, Mood Filter and Rotary Speaker.
Snapshot menu:
When “Snap”is selected as switch type, you get to choose the two (A/B) snapshot numbers (1-64) that will alternatively
be loaded by the XR18 when the switch is pressed. This is one of the most powerful features for the XR18 and allows for
complex scene changes at the touch of a button. DIN X-OSC must be enabled in the XR18 Audio/Midi setup for
Snapshots to function.
There are a few things you may want to consider when creating your snapshots on theXR18. When using the X-Air Edit
software to save the snapshot, only include the features you want altered by the snapshot in the “Recall scope”. If your
snapshot will be used to alter a specific effect, only select that FX parameter when saving the snapshot. This way your
snapshot will not impact other FX slots or settings such as channel / LR levels, aux mixes, or mutes when it loads. A
smaller snapshot will also load faster than reloading the whole mixer.
Display blanking:
The NanoMute can be programmed with one of three screen blanking options by holding down the following switches
during the power-on splash screen:
•Switch 1 and 4: This is the default power-saving mode and will blank the display 5 seconds after a switch is pressed.
•Switch 2 and 4: In this mode the display will always show the data from the last switch pressed.
•Switch 3 and 4: In this mode the display will revert to the splash screen 5 seconds after a switch is pressed.
Loading the NanoMute firmware:
The Arduino Nano v3 comes from the factory without any programming, but contains a bootloader that allows you to
upload your firmware (program). The NanoMute firmware is written in AVR 328p assembler and can be uploaded using a
Windows PC equipped with a USB port as follows:
1) Unzip the “NanoMute.zip” file to a new folder on your computer.
2) Connect the NanoMute to your laptop and run the Windows Device Manager to confirm the COM port assigned.
3) Double-click on the “- Firmware.bat” file in your new folder, to begin the upload process…
- You will be prompted to enter the COM port number (digits only, then press ‘enter’)
- If this fails, retry using the “- Firmware56k.bat” file instead. The correct baud rate for the upload
depends on the bootloader version installed in the Nano (which you likely won’t know).
The version 3.2 install/upgrade uses the same installer package as version 2, but requires copying an updated
“NanoMute2_0.hex”file over the existing one before running the “- Firmware.bat” installer.
- The above error message confirms that an incorrect COM value was used (circled in yellow above).
- The above picture shows the tail end of the message from a successful firmware flash. You should check the
message to confirm the flash was successfully verified (circled in yellow). The number of bytes may vary
based on the firmware version.
Note:
If Windows doesn’t recognize your Nano as a “CH340”COM port device, you’ll need to install the driver included
with the install files. Just open the Windows Device Manager and connect your Nano. Your Nano should appear
under Ports (COM & LPT). If it doesn’t show up as “USB-SERIAL CH340”right-click on the entry and click update
driver. Select the “Browse my computer”option and browse to the “Windows-CH340-Driver”folder in your install
files, then click next to install the driver.
XR18 Midi settings:
In order to communicate with the NanoMute, the XR18 must be configured for midi communication via the DIN
connectors. DIN X-OSC must be enabled for FX tap, Snapshot and DCA fader functionality to work.
Saving your NanoMute settings:
Settings programmed into the NanoMute can easily be saved to your Windows PC via USB, as a backup of a particular
configuration. The process is similar to loading the firmware and the steps are as follows:
1) Connect the NanoMute to your PC’s USB port.
2) Double-click on the “- Save Settings.bat” file (previously unzipped from “NanoMute.zip”).
3) Enter the COM port number (digits only, then press ‘enter’).
4) Enter the name of the file to save (in quotes) and press enter.
Your settings file will be saved in the same folder as your “.bat”file
Note: Some versions of the Nano bootloader do not support this option.
(Optiboot 8 with Bigboot and Eeprom support is recommended)
Loading your NanoMute settings:
Settings previously saved to your Windows PC can be easily uploaded to your NanoMute via USB. Again, the process is
similar to loading the firmware and the steps are as follows:
1) Connect the NanoMute to your PC’s USB port.
2) Double-click on the “- Load Settings.bat” file (previously unzipped from “NanoMute.zip”).
3) Enter the COM port number (digits only, then press ‘enter’).
4) Enter the name of the settings file to load (in quotes) and press enter.
Your settings file must be located in the same folder as your Load Settings.bat file
Note: Some versions of the Nano bootloader do not support this option.
(Optiboot 8 with Bigboot and Eeprom support is recommended)
Power considerations:
You can easily find cell phone Li-ion battery packs at your local dollar store that are perfect for powering your NanoMute.
These inexpensive units provide enough power to run the NanoMute for days between charges.
Other considerations:
Like any single cable midi controller, the NanoMute only sends midi commands to the XR18, so you should “sync”the
status of any switches programmed as “Mute”by pressing them twice after connecting to the XR18. Any changes made to
the XR18 by other devices (PC, tablet, or phone) will not be received by the NanoMute, so any “Mute”switches affected
by these may require a re-sync.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments…
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