MIDI CONTROLLERS

MIDI CONTROLLERS / User Manuals

MC6 PRO

To download a PDF copy of this manual, print this page and select Save as PDF .

Foreword
Welcome to your MC6 PRO MIDI Controller. With this, you are able to control any device that
accepts MIDI, regardless of brand or model. Each switch on your Morningstar controller can be
programmed to perform any function you want.
We pride ourselves on making the easiest-to-use programmable MIDI controllers on the
market. If you have any questions that this manual cannot answer, please send us an email at
help@[Link]. We are happy to help.
Power Requirements
You can power your MC6 PRO in any of the following ways.

9V DC (centre negative) Power Supply

Connect a 9VDC centre negative power supply to the power input of the MC6 PRO.

The MC6 PRO requires at least 350mA of power at 9VDC.

More power is required if you are using the USB Host port to power other devices.
If you are NOT using the TRS Relay ports and USB Host port, 250mA is enough.

Phantom Power (9-12v AC or DC)

Connect a 7-pin MIDI cable to the MIDI Out port of the MC6 PRO. Phantom power can be
supplied to the MC6 PRO through pins 6 and 7 of the MIDI OUT port. When receiving DC power
via phantom power, polarity does not matter. Phantom power that is received is chained to pins
6 & 7 of the MIDI IN port as well, allowing you to power other devices connected to it.

USB Power

Connect a USB cable from your computer, mobile device, USB adaptor or power bank to the
MC6 PRO. The MC6 PRO is capable of being powered fully by USB.

Connections
MC6 PRO I/Os
DIN5 MIDI In
Where the MC6 PRO receives MIDI messages from other MIDI devices.

The MC6 PRO can receive MIDI messages via its MIDI IN port and relay them out through its
MIDI outputs (all MIDI message types) and USB port (only PC, CC, Note and MIDI Clock) .

DIN5 MIDI Out

Where MIDI data is sent from the MC6 PRO to other devices. Use a standard 5-pin MIDI cable.
To phantom power your MC6 PRO, you can also use a 7-pin cable if you have a device that
provides phantom power via pins 6 & 7.
3.5mm Type A TRS MIDI Ports
3.5mm TRS MIDI In
Similar to the DIN5 MIDI IN port. MIDI Clock messages are not processed in this port. Only the
DIN5 MIDI IN port is optimised to handle MIDI Clock messages.

3.5mm TRS MIDI Out

Similar to the DIN5 MIDI OUT port.

USB Device
Connect this USB port to your USB host devices, such as your computer or tablet.

This port connects to the computer to access the Editor.

Send and receive MIDI via USB. This allows you to control your DAWs, plugins and other music
software. All Morningstar controllers are USB class compliant devices and compatible with
Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.
 As the USB Device port is a high speed USB port, it will not work with the CME WIDI
uHost which only accepts full speed USB devices. The WIDI uHost can still be used
with the USB Host port on the MC6 PRO.

USB Host
The MC6 PRO comes equipped with a USB Host port to allow you to control other USB MIDI
devices. The Host port is capable of both sending and receiving MIDI. You can use a USB hub
to connect and control up to 4 USB MIDI devices. You can also connect a computer keyboard
to the USB Host port to give you control over the MC6 PRO. If connecting and powering
multiple USB devices via the host port, you will need to use a powered USB hub.

Not all USB Hubs are compatible. It is not possible for us to advise which hub will or
will not work. Generally, hubs with added functions besides USB, like HDMI or SD Card
functionalities, will not work.
 When connecting a USB Device to the USB Host port, the USB Device may be drawing
power from the USB Host port. If so, there will be increased power requirements for
the MC6 PRO. Please ensure that you are supplying your MC6 PRO with adequate
power.

3.5mm Relay Ports

The 2 Relay Ports allows you to do Tip to Ground / Ring to Ground switches for other devices.
This ports can be controlled via the Relay Interface message type.

The default startup position of the Relay Ports can be set in the device menu.

1. Press D+F to enter the menu, navigate to Edit Global Config .

2. Scroll all the way down and you’ll see a RelayA T/R and RelayB T/R setting. NO/NO
means tip and ring defaults to Normally Open on start up. NO/NC means that Tip is
Normally Open while Ring is Normally Closed.

9VDC
Where the MC6 PRO receives DC center negative power.

Omniports 1-4
Omniports are multi-function ports found on our MIDI controllers. Each port can be conûgured
to work as any of the following:

TRS MIDI Output (conûgurable to send via the tip or ring to suit most pedals) or

TRS Expression Pedal Input or

TRS Aux Switch Input (up to 3 switches per port)

You should only use stereo cables. Using Mono cables will cause the device not to work as
intended.

Please note that these ports cannot be used to control functions like amp switching, sending
analog tap tempo or for Control Voltage. You should only be connecting expression pedals, aux
switches and MIDI devices to these ports.

Some Chase Bliss models are not compatible with the Omniports, as they require the
Tip to be completely left üoating. The solution for this is to
 1. Make a custom cable with the Tip disconnected, and then use the Ring Active
Omniport MIDI Out setting.

2. Use the Stereo to Mono adaptor. Connect the Stereo TRS side to the Chase Bliss
MIDI Input, and the Mono Ring side to the Omniport, and then send MIDI on Tip
Active.

The Omniport MIDI OUT setting may not work with some MIDI devices due to the over-
voltage protection we had to use to protect the processor. So far, these devices have
been reported to not work with the Omniports:

Jackson Audio Golden Boy

Jackson Audio Bloom

Jet Pedals Lamb

Boss ES-5

Boss RC-5

We recommend that you use the DIN5 or 3.5MM TRS MIDI OUT, or use a MIDI Box, for
these devices.
 Applying power to the Omniports may damage your Morningstar controller.

Navigation

Front Panel
The MC6 PRO has 6 foot switches A to F. Each switch corresponds with the text closest to it on
the LCD display. Each switch on your Morningstar controller can send any combination of up to
32 different MIDI messages of your choice. By default all switches are EMPTY and not
programmed to send any MIDI messages. It’s up to you to decide what you want!

Preset Short Names – The <EMPTY= text you see are the default short names given to unused
switches. You can give each switch any name you want, so you always know what it does
before you press it.

Banks, Pages and Presets

Banks
The MC6 PRO has 128 banks, each containing 24 switch presets and 4 expression pedal
presets.

To bank up, press switches [B+C]. And to bank down, press [A+B]. Holding down either of these
switch combinations will continuously scroll up/down through the banks.

Pages
The presets in each Bank are split into 4 pages:

Page 1: A-F

Page 2: G-L

Page 3: M-R

Page 4: S-X

You can scroll up and down the pages with switches [D+E] and [E+F]. The page toggle message
types and page toggle function in the editor will allow you to toggle between Page 1 and 2 only.

Presets
Each preset can be programmed to send 32 different messages of your choice. With 16
different MIDI channels, each preset is capable of controlling up to 16 different MIDI devices at
once.

The üow chart below shows you an overview of the MC6 bank and preset architecture.
Profiles
On top of the Banks, are Proûles. The MC6 PRO has 8 proûles. Each proûle gives you access to
a different set of 128 Banks. These proûles are completely independent and it is not possible to
interact between proûles (i.e. you cannot engage a preset in Proûle 2 from Proûle 1, or program
a preset to jump from Proûle 1 Bank 1 to Proûle 2 Bank 2).

You can only change the Proûle via the Menu in the controller.

1. Press switch D+F to access the menu.

2. Navigate to Select Profile and select the new proûle you want to use
Banks

Overview
Banks consists of 24 Presets. The presets are organised into 4 pages, giving you access to 6
Presets on each. Each switch on the MC6 PRO is mapped to one Preset, depending on the
page it is in.

Aside from Presets, Banks are capable of executing up to 32 messages on a Bank event such
as On Bank Enter or On Bank Exit .

Concepts

Bank Attributes

Bank Name
Displayed on LCD2

To display longer text, use the newline character \n to break the name into 2 lines.
Description
Displayed on LCD1 . When the Display description is enabled, the Bank Description will
be shown instead of the Preset Short Name.

Clear Preset Toggles

If enabled, the bank will clear the toggle state (reset to Position 1) of all Presets in the bank
except the last engaged Preset. This is useful if you only want one Preset to be in Toggle
Position 2 at any one time, to indicate which Preset is active.

Bank Presets
You can execute messages on a Bank Event. For example, you can send a PC message when
you enter a speciûc Bank, and send a different PC message when you exit that Bank. You can
do this with multiple messages as well, sending different sets of messages when you enter or
exit a bank.
Presets

Overview
Preset can be engaged using a switch on the MC6 PRO. Each Preset sends up to 32 messages,

Concepts

Preset Attributes

Long Name
Displayed on LCD1 when a Preset is engaged.

To display longer text, use the newline character \n to break the name into 2 lines.

Short Name
Display on each LCD to the closest switch that engages the Preset.

Background Color
The color for the background of the Short Name. Available for each state (Position 1, Position
2, Shift).

Text Color
The Short Name text color. Available for each state (Position 1, Position 2, Shift).

Strip Color
Color label for each Preset. Available for each state (Position 1, Position 2, Shift).

Preset States
Overview
A Preset has 3 states. It can send speciûc messages based on the state it is in. The states are:

1. Toggle Position 1

2. Toggle Position 2

3. Shift Position

By default, a Preset is always in Position 1.

 On the MC6 PRO, you can program a short name, long name, text color, background
color and strip color for each state.

Toggling Presets
A Preset can be toggled between Toggle Position 1 and Position 2 by turning on the Preset
Toggle setting for that Preset. When that setting is on, the Preset will toggle between Position 1
and Position 2 whenever it is engaged.

Shifting Presets
The Shift position is a temporary state that you can put the Preset in. When a Preset is shifted,
only messages set to Shift will be sent. After a Shifted Preset is engaged, the Preset will
return to its prior Toggle Position.

A Preset can be shifted by using the Set Toggle message type.

Icons
Icons can be used in Preset names by using placeholders in the name. Icons can only be
printed once on the left, center or right of the text area. If you repeat the icon placeholder twice,
only the ûrst will be printed.

\s Square

\r Right Arrow

\l Left Arrow

\u Up Arrow

\d Down Arrow

\c Circle

\h Home Icon

\x Star Icon

\t Heart Icon

Controller Settings

Global Configuration
Dual Switch Lock
If turned on, dual switch presses are disabled. This means that pressing, for example, Switch
A+B to bank down will have no effect is this setting is enabled.

MIDI Clock Persist

If turned on, MIDI Clock will continue being sent until a STOP command is given.

If turned off, MIDI Clock will stop when an event, such as a switch press, takes place.

Remember Toggle States

If turned on, the MC6 PRO remembers the toggle states of all your presets and loads them
when you change banks.

If turned off, the Preset toggle states always defaults to Position 1.

Load last used bank on power up

Loads the last used bank before power off.

Ignore MIDI Clock

If turned on, incoming MIDI clock messages are ignored.
Show Preset Labels
If turned on, the Preset alphabet will be indicated on each switch.

MIDI Channel
MIDI channel for the MC6 PRO.

Switch Sensitivity
Sets the switch sensitivity for the controller. A higher sensitivity will give a faster response
when a switch is pressed, but executing dual switch presses might get harder to execute.

Bank Change Delay Time

The amount of delay between bank changes. Adjust this value if you need a longer delay when
scrolling through banks.

Long Press Time

The amount of time (in milliseconds) a switch has to be held down for a Long Press action to
execute.
USB Virtual MIDI Ports
The MC6 PRO has 4 virtual MIDI ports when connected via USB. This setting determines how
many ports it will send messages to. For example, if set to 1, only port 1 will be used, while
everything else is ignored. If set to 2, port 1 and port 2 will be used, while port 3 and 4 will be
ignored.

MIDI Send Delay (ms)

The amount of delay in milliseconds between each MIDI message sent. Ideally, this should be
set to 0. Some MIDI devices cannot process incoming MIDI messages so quickly and might
skip some messages. If this happens, a longer delay should be used, if required.

Preset Max Font Size

Sets the maximum font size for the Preset names.

MIDI Thru Matrix

Sets how MIDI Thru is handled.
TRS MIDI Outputs - 1/4 Inch
Switchable TRS MIDI Configuration

There are 3 TRS MIDI conûgurations available:

MIDI Out - Standard : Send MIDI via the Tip and the Ring is powered

MIDI Out - Tip Active : Send MIDI via the Tip and Ring is unpowered (üoating)

MIDI Out - Ring Active: Send MIDI via the Ring and Tip is unpowered (üoating)

MIDI Out - Type B: Send MIDI via the Ring and Tip is powered
 The Omniports do not send System Exclusive messages

Important features to note

Safe Mode
It is possible to hang the controller if you program it wrongly. For example, if you program a
Bank Preset in Bank 2 to execute an Engage Preset message that triggers Preset A, and Preset
A has an Engage Preset message that triggers Preset C, and Preset C has an Engage Preset
message that triggers Preset A… you get the idea. There will be an inûnite loop whenever you
enter Bank 2, making it impossible to edit.

To get around this, you can boot the controller in Safe Mode by holding down Switch B while
booting up. While in Safe Mode, the controller does not execute any messages and you will
then be able to edit the problematic Presets
MIDI Message Types
Morningstar controllers can send virtually any type of MIDI messages you need.

From standard PC (Program Change) and CC (Control Change) messages to Note, SysEx,
Realtime, Keystroke commands and many more – your Morningstar controller has you covered.

For all the available MIDI message types and descriptions of what they do, please refer to our
Message Type List. It gets continually updated as we add more features.

Action Types
You have the ability to send different MIDI messages by performing different actions on a
switch. Such as Press, Double Tap, Release or Long Press (and more). This allows you to group
MIDI messages by actions so a single switch can perform multiple functions.
For example, you can map a CC#1 message to a Press action, and a CC#2 message to a
Release action. When the switch is pressed, a CC#1 message will be sent, and when the
switch is released, a CC#2 messages will be sent.

For all the available Action types and their descriptions, please refer to the Action Type List.

Programming Switches
All switches on your Morningstar controller come empty by default. It’s up to you to decide
what you want each switch to do. Each switch can send up to 32 different MIDI messages
simultaneously.

The combination of MIDI messages a switch sends makes up a preset.

There are 2 ways you can program your switches, either by using the Morningstar Device Editor
or programming on the controller itself. As the number of options is very extensive in the MC6
Pro, programming directly on the device has limited functionalities, while using the software
editor will give you access to all the available parameters.
Accessing the menu
Pressing switch D+F together will open the menu. You can then use the switches to navigate
around the menu system.

Expression Pedals

 Watch [Link] for a demo and tutorial on how to use an

expression pedal with MIDI.

Expression Presets
Each Omniport is mapped to an Expression Preset. For example, Omniport 1 is mapped to
Expression Preset 1, Omniport 2 is mapped to Expression Preset 2 and so on… Hence, if you
have an expression pedal connected to Omniport 1, you should use Expression Preset 1.
Connecting an Expression Pedal
Before using an expression pedal, check to make sure that the Ommiport you are using is set
to accept an expression pedal. You can set this in the Controller Settings.

The MC6 PRO works only with TRS expression pedals. Expression pedals ûtted with 10k ohm
linear potentiometers give the most accurate and smoothest response, though 10k - 25k ohm
linear potentiometers will work as sell. The potentiometer wiper should be connected to the Tip
of the stereo cable, while the Ring and Sleeve should be connected to the outer lugs on the
potentiometer.

Calibrating your Expression Pedal

After connecting a new expression pedal, be sure to calibrate it before use. This is to set the
correct heel and toe positions relative to CC values 0-127 and allow you to use the full sweep of
your expression pedal. Enter calibration mode by pressing [D+F] to access the Main Menu >
Edit Expression > Calibrate . You can also access this mode from the Editor under
Omniport Settings.

First, put your expression pedal into heel down position, then into toe down position. Then
press Save to save your settings. Once calibration is complete, MC6 PRO will automatically
optimize settings to best suit your expression pedal.

Expression Pedal Sensitivity

Expression pedals not using 10k ohm potentiometers can cause jitters in the expression pedal
readings. If you are experiencing this, you can lower the sensitivity of your expression pedal to
eliminate the jitters.

External Aux Switches

  Watch [Link] for a demo and tutorial on how to add aux
switches to your controller.

Connect external aux switches for more control. Under your Omniport settings, you can
conûgure to the aux switch to behave as fully programmable switches to engage presets and
controlling other functions like banking up/down

Your Aux switches will function as fully programmable switches, just like the built-in switches
(sans the LCD display)

Omniport Settings
Aux Switch

If the Aux Switch setting is chosen for the Omniport, the Presets that the Aux Switch will
control are ûxed, depending on what Omniport it is connected to. For more üexibility, please
use the Fixed Switch Custom option.

Fixed Switch Custom

Using the Fixed Switch Custom setting, you can set each switch to execute a speciûc function.
For example, triggering a selected Preset, or banking up or down.
Switch schematic
The MC6 PRO requires aux switches that are wired like in the schematic below. It has to be
connected to the device with a stereo cable, where the Tip is connected to the ground via a
SPST Footswitch, and similar to the Ring as well. Another switch can be added to connect both
Tip and Ring to ground to engage an additional preset/setting. Please refer to the schematic
below.

Below are a few builders that offer such switches.

Click for link to products. We are not aýliated with them.
Analog Endeavors
American Loopers
PdLs
Pedalnetics

The footswitches need to be Momentary (non latching) and Normally Open

If you would like to build one yourself, you can refer to the following schematic:
LCD Indicator Icons
The MC6 PRO üashes coloured icons on LCD3 when certain events take place.
MIDI IN ports
The MC6 Pro features multiple MIDI IN ports:

DIN5 MIDI In

3.5mm TRS MIDI In

USB Device MIDI

USB Host MIDI

With the wide array of options, certain ports are optimised for timing-critical tasks such as
handling MIDI clock messages.

Handling MIDI Thru

The MIDI Thru settings is available in the Controller Settings, under General Conûguration. You
can set the MIDI Thru output for each MIDI Input. In the image above, incoming MIDI messages
from the USB Device port will be routed to the Omniports, and DIN5 MIDI Input routed to the
DIN5 MIDI Output.
MIDI Message Converter
Each incoming MIDI message can be processed by the MIDI Message Converter function,
under the Controller Settings. This feature allows you to process incoming MIDI messages and
convert them to different MIDI messages.

Receiving MIDI Clock messages

If you need to pass MIDI Clock through from an external MIDI clock source, use the DIN5 MIDI
IN port.

The 3.5mm TRS MIDI IN port will not handle MIDI Clock messages. The DIN5 MIDI IN port is
optimised to handle MIDI Clock messages to ensure low jitter.

Connecting to the Editor via MIDI Bluetooth dongle

A MIDI Bluetooth dongle like the CME WIDI Jack can be connected to the DIN5 or 3.5mm TRS
MIDI ports to communicate with the editor.

If you are using the CME WIDI Jack, please note that there is a <Type A/B= switch on
the dongle. It is set to Type B by default, as the DIN to TRS converter cables provided
 by CME are Type B cables.
If you are connecting the WIDI Jack to the 3.5mm TRS MIDI ports, it needs to be set to
Type A.

Dual Switch Press Functions

Dual switch press combinations allow you to control certain utility functions and access
hidden presets beyond the ûrst 16 presets.

Switches Utility Function

A+B Bank Down

B+C Bank Up

D+E PageDown
 Switches Utility Function

E+F Page Up

A+D Engage Preset I

B+E Engage Preset J

C+F Engage Preset K

MIDI Implementation
The MC6 PRO can be controlled by external MIDI controllers.

MIDI Implementation Charts

PC Messages

PC messages will change the banks on the MC6 PRO, where a PC#0 message will engage
Bank 1 , and PC#1 message will engage Bank 2 , and so on.

MIDI PC Implementation Chart

PC# Bank

0 1

1 2

2 3

. .

. .

. .

127 128
 CC Messages

CC messages allow you to navigate through the MC6 PRO’s banks, engage presets and clear
toggle states.

MIDI CC Implementation Chart

Function CC# Value

Bank Up 0 any

Bank Down 1 any

Set Toggle (All) 2 127

Set Toggle (Individual) 2 0 = Preset A

1 = Preset B
2 = Preset C
.

.
Function CC# Value

.
11 = Preset L

Clear Toggle (All) 3 127

Clear Toggle (Individual) 3 0 = Preset A

1 = Preset B
2 = Preset C

.
11 = Preset L

Toggle Page 4 0 = Toggle Page

1 = Page Up
2 = Page Down
3 = Page 1
4 = Page 2
Function CC# Value

5 = Page 3
6 = Page 4

Engage Preset 10 = Preset A 0 = Do Nothing

11 = Preset B 1 = Press
12 = Preset C 2 = Release
. 3 = Long Press
4 = Long Press Release
.
5 = Double Tap
. 6 = Double Tap Release
33 = Preset X 7 = Long Double Tap
8 = Long Double Tap Release
9 = Release All
10 = Long Press Scroll

Set MIDI BPM (MSB 2 bits) 5 0-127

Set MIDI BPM (LSB 7 bits) 6 0-127

Looper Mode 7 0-127

Function CC# Value

MIDI Clock Tap 8 0-127

Jump to last used bank/page 9 127 = Last used Bank. Execute

bank presets
126 = Last used Bank/Page.
Execute bank presets

1 = Last used Bank/Page.

Ignore bank presets
0 = Last used Bank. Ignore
bank presets
Function CC# Value

Control Relay A Tip 40 1 = Tap, Normally Open

2 = Tap, Normally Closed
3 = Activate (Close relay)
4 = Deactivate (Open relay)
5 = Toggle between open and
close
6 = Sync to BPM 8x
7 = Sync to BPM 4x

Control Relay A Ring 41 <

Control Relay B Tip 42 <

Control Relay B Ring 43 <

Engage Expression 1 51 0-127

Function CC# Value

Engage Expression 2 52 0-127

Engage Expression 3 53 0-127

Engage Expression 4 54 0-127

Using a Keyboard connected to the USB Host

A Keyboard can be connected to the USB Host port to give you enhanced control over your
MC6 PRO.

Pressing the LEFT , RIGHT , UP and DOWN arrow keys allows you to bank up/down or page
up/down.
Each alphabet key directly engages the corresponding Preset. For example, double tapping the
A key will execute a double tap on Preset A.

Updating the Firmware

We regularly update our controllers' ûrmware to introduce new features, improve performance
and ûx bugs. Firmware .hex ûles are made available in our Downloads page. These ûles
contain the data that needs to be uploaded into the MC6 PRO. There are 2 ways to do this.

Using the Firmware Updater Software

The Firmware Updater Software allows you to transfer the .hex ûle directly into the MC6 PRO.
It is available on our Downloads page.

Using the Editor

With the MC6 PRO, it is possible to transfer the .hex ûle using the editor. In the Editor, there is
a Firmware Update tab. In that section, you’ll need to select the .hex ûle and then follow the
 steps shown in the Editor.

Copyright © 2024 Morningstar Engineering