Korg Forums

[patpsc]

Hi,

Does anyone know how to send midi sysex message to the PA4X using the iPad?

Thanks

[pa4x_user]

This not something I have done, but I think I can assist you in finding a solution.

It would help though if you provide a little more detail:
- is the Sysex targeting the Pa4X itself, or you want to route the midi sysex to another device/keyboard which is connected to the Pa4x (if the latter, is it connected to the midi out port, thru port, or USB port)?

- from your brief note, I am assuming that you already recorded the sysex stream to an external device (eg sequencer) that you want to send to the Pa4X. If so, you will already know which channel the device send/receives sysex on. Probably this will be be the channel assigned to Global , but not sure about that.

————————-

So, (apologies if you already know this) the sysex stream can be incorporated into a standard midi file, assigned to the channel number that the target device uses for sending/receiving sysex.

Ensure that the Pa4X is NOT filtering system exclusive midi messages.and the channel for sysex is active.

All you need now is a way of connecting an iPad via midi to the Pa4x and ‘playing’ the SMF.

There are many apps that will do this - I use Songbook+ by Baum Software. While this is primarily for displaying sheet music, it can do much more, including recording and sending midi. Depending on your needs, you can even set it to automatically play a particular midi file when a song is selected from your sheet music library (NB ‘sheet music’ is actually just any .pdf - it might be lyrics, or just your performance notes).

The iPad can be connected either using the rear USB port and the Apple camera connection kit, OR a Bluetooth wireless midi adaptor such as the Yamaha MD-BT01 (the Yamaha device is great but it uses both of the rear midi in/out ports).

Hope this helps- please note that my Pa4X is currently in storage whilst I move house, so I am got going to be able to test specific setups)
_________________
Korg Pa4X (OS NEXT 3.1.0)
Bose L1M2 speaker system
Yamaha BT midi interface
Songbook+ app for iPad
Cubase12 Pro DAW software
Dorico Elements 4.2 scoring software
Band-in-a-Box 2022
Yamaha CVP-309GP

[pa4x_user]

Correction: Songbook+ will play midi files, but it does not record midi.

If you have already captured a sysex stream though, then you will know how to create an SMF, and this can be copied into Songbook+ using normal Apple document management.
_________________
Korg Pa4X (OS NEXT 3.1.0)
Bose L1M2 speaker system
Yamaha BT midi interface
Songbook+ app for iPad
Cubase12 Pro DAW software
Dorico Elements 4.2 scoring software
Band-in-a-Box 2022
Yamaha CVP-309GP

[Korghelper]

I think the OP needs to provide a lot more info before anything we say is useful.

It’s possible they might want to control PA4X operation live from an iPad program, or a variety of possibilities, syncing and controlling the arranger from a loop app, all kinds of things.

Just embedding sysex in SMF’s is the tip of the iceberg..!

[pa4x_user]

+1
_________________
Korg Pa4X (OS NEXT 3.1.0)
Bose L1M2 speaker system
Yamaha BT midi interface
Songbook+ app for iPad
Cubase12 Pro DAW software
Dorico Elements 4.2 scoring software
Band-in-a-Box 2022
Yamaha CVP-309GP

[patpsc]

Sorry for the unclear question. I’m using 3 to 4 keyboards as my gig setup, I’d like to use the iPad to send the sound patch messages or EFX just in one click to all keyboards at the beginning of the song. Doing this will save me a lot of time instead of manually do it on each keyboard in the dark.

[pa4x_user]

I believe you could send patch changes to the other keyboards (probably EFX also, but I am not sufficiently familiar with the format of those).

You would have to experiment to see if this works for you.

So you could assign each instrument its own midi channel for incoming patch changes. Use channels which are different to other channels used in your Pa4X midi setup. Create a SMF midi which has the channel/patch change instructions and attach the SMF to the relevant Songbook+ song (edit Song). The midi file can be on auto play, from the moment you open the song entry, and if you also assign the Korg Song Code to the Songbook+ entry then this will happen:

1) You select song (eg .PDF) from Songbook+
2) This will then use the Korg Song Code to select the song entry from the Pa4X Songbook and setup the Pa4X how you preset it
3) Songbook+ will play the SMF when you open the song, and transmit the program changes on each channel to the connected instruments

I think you would need to connect your other instruments using the Midi Thru on the Pa4X and chain them. That leaves the Midi In/Out ports free if you want to use a Bluetooth midi adaptor for the iPad, or you can connect the iPad using the USB Host port with an Apple Camera Connection kit.

BUT if you want the notes you play on the Pa4X to be also sent to the connected keyboards, it gets tricky as the Thru won’t do that. Maybe you could use a merge box from both the Midi Thru and Out ports - need to experiment.

NOTE that there is a free version of Songbook+ . Search in App Store with a blank between Songbook and +, like this Songbook +. This is fully functional, except for a limit on the number of songs you can put in your library, so you could play around with that.

Good luck, if you test this out, let us know how it goes.
_________________
Korg Pa4X (OS NEXT 3.1.0)
Bose L1M2 speaker system
Yamaha BT midi interface
Songbook+ app for iPad
Cubase12 Pro DAW software
Dorico Elements 4.2 scoring software
Band-in-a-Box 2022
Yamaha CVP-309GP

[patpsc]

Thank you. I’ll try it to see if it works.