MIDI Sustain CC64 not working with GX-80?

GX-80 is Cherry Audio's visionary flagship synthesizer that combines the unparalleled sound and features of the fabled GX-1 "Dream Machine"and its renowned descendant the CS-80 to create a powerhouse hybrid.
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timg11
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2022 5:39 pm

MIDI Sustain CC64 not working with GX-80?

Post by timg11 »

I have discovered that the Sustain pedal does not affect any of the presets of the GX-80.

The "sust pedal" switch (left bottom of the UI) is on.

I have confirmed that MIDI CC64 sustain is being delivered from the controller to the computer.

I'm looking for the "typical" sustain operation, where notes that are sounding when the key is released while sustain is pressed continue to sound at the ADSR sustain level. When the sustain pedal is released (CC64=0) the notes complete their release cycle.

What else could prevent sustain from working?

PS - I checked and sustain works correctly with other soft synths like CS-80V3 and Elka-X.
These are all run stand-alone under Windows, not in a VST host.
Steve W
Posts: 768
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:55 pm

Re: MIDI Sustain CC64 not working with GX-80?

Post by Steve W »

timg11 wrote: Sun Jan 28, 2024 10:58 pm I have discovered that the Sustain pedal does not affect any of the presets of the GX-80.

The "sust pedal" switch (left bottom of the UI) is on.

I have confirmed that MIDI CC64 sustain is being delivered from the controller to the computer.

I'm looking for the "typical" sustain operation, where notes that are sounding when the key is released while sustain is pressed continue to sound at the ADSR sustain level. When the sustain pedal is released (CC64=0) the notes complete their release cycle.

What else could prevent sustain from working?

PS - I checked and sustain works correctly with other soft synths like CS-80V3 and Elka-X.
These are all run stand-alone under Windows, not in a VST host.
If you haven't done so already, you might want to read the User Guide. I suggest looking at the pdf (as opposed to the html version) and searching for sustain. Evidently a lot of effort was taken to make the sustain faithful to the original. The manual has details to explain how sustain works. They even anticipated people thinking it work like the sustain of other instruments:
Note: There is no way to get an infinite sustain when keys are released as may be possible on other synthesizers. Released notes always decay, similar to on a piano with the sustain pedal down. To keep a note sustaining indefinitely, its key must be held down.
Perhaps the developers would be willing to create an anachronistic mode. GIven the detailed explanation in the manual, I think they designed the GX-80's sustain with authenticity taking a priority, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Note: In talking about the QWERTY Keyboard, they do mention it has a Sustain button:
The Sustain button mimics the functionality of a standard sustain pedal. Click the [TAB] key to engage sustain, or [SHIFT]+[TAB] to lock it. The Sustain button can also be engaged by mouse clicking it.
I have a knob on my controller assigned to CC64. So I used midi learn to assign both the sustain pedal and the sustain long slider to CC64. It does not produce an infinite sustain, but it does make notes sustain for as long as the ADSR settings allow. Please note: to make it work for both Upper and Lower layers, for some presets, I switched the preset to Dual Mode and used midi learn on both both layers.

You might want to contact support for an official solution to what you want to do.

Not saying this is the only way to elongate sustain (or even the best way), but here's the way I did what I described:
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GX-80 SUSTAIN-Dual.png
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