How do I send NRPN MIDI messages to the microKorg?

[brakix]

Basically I want to send a message to my microkorg that says "stop the arpeggiator". In the manual, the following informattion is listed on page 54:

For example, if you want to switch the arpeggiator on/off form an external MIDI sequencer, make the following settings:

Off: CC#99: 0, CC#98: 2, CC#6: 0..63
On: CC#99: 0, CC#98: 2, CC#6: 64...127

I understand the concept of CC messages and whatnot, but do you send all three of those values at the same time? In succession? How do you make setting on the MicroKorg to accept those messages? And what's with the CC#6 having a spectrum of numbers instead of just one?

Here's the set up I have going on. Basically I'm a one man band, and I use the microKorg to provide me with arpeggiated bass lines while I play guitar and do other things. The flow is such:

-A Behringer FCB 1010 MIDI foot controller, with MIDI going in to...
-an M-Audio 2x2 MIDI interface, which goes to...
-a one to many MIDI program on my iBook called controlAid. It's super simple- tell it what the midi source is, then tell it what notes/cc's you want to send out from any single note coming in.
-that then goes in to Ableton Live, which routes the midi out to the Korg and a Roland SP-404 sampler, along with MIDI clock info to keep things in time

I have the arpeggiator set on latch, so when I change chords in the song all I have to do is hit a different pedal and it will play a bass part to match. Programming all of this has worked out fine, no problems. But I want to figure out a way to just get the damn arpeggiator to start and stop when my foot tells it to on the FCB 1010 so I don't have to stop playing guitar and hit the on/off button on the unit itself. I know this can be done! But I don't know a single thing about NRPN commands.

Help!!

[kpatz]

I understand the concept of CC messages and whatnot, but do you send all three of those values at the same time? In succession? How do you make setting on the MicroKorg to accept those messages? And what's with the CC#6 having a spectrum of numbers instead of just one?

You'd send the three messages in succession (one right after the other). The MK should accept them as long as you don't turn them off in the MIDI filtering options, and you send them on the MIDI channel that the MK is set to. The "spectrum of numbers" on CC #6 just means that any value sent between 0 and 63 is interpreted as "arpeggiator off", and any value between 64 and 127 is "arpeggiator on". Just send 0 for off and 127 for on, for the sake of simplicity.

If your setup can "learn" controller data from the MK, you can use the arp on/off button to send the controller data the way the MK expects it, and then your setup should send it back to the MK when you want it to.