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Alen,
The "Total Amp" section does not exist in the XW-P1 directly although the XW-G1 does allow for this control from the front panel.

The XW series has independent AMP envelopes for each oscillator and while this is very desirable it is also very complicated. The XW-P1 allows you to control Attack or Release (1) times for all six Oscillators from knobs but you can not control any other part of the envelope.   The XW-G1's front panel does allow you to choose to use the sliders to edit the AMP envelope for any individual oscillator or all of them at once.  The tools provided by MIDI Designer allowed me to set up controls that manipulate all 6 oscillators of the XW simultaneously.   They call it a "SuperControl".  Everything this app does for the XW is super if you ask me.

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Mike,

Although it concerns your new app only tangentially I have questions about the capabilities of MIDI Designer, which I am guessing you know pretty well by now. I downloaded the free version and looked it over. I can see how it is relatively easy to create a control and through an NRPN or CC send data values to control a parameter. But can it read the parameter before controlling it? Can the Pro version? Second question: Can MIDI Designer (free or Pro) input MIDI data (e.g., notes, controller data) and do something (arbitrarily) conditional based on that data (e.g., send data to a parameter)? I have an idea for an app that would require this kind of capability but maybe MIDI Designer isn't what I need to realize it. But I don't have a Mac so developing an iOS app from scratch is not viable.

Also, can MIDI Designer read and write system exclusive data? This would be required to realize a full editor for the Hex Layers mode. There are NRPNs for all of the solo synth parameters but not for all of the Hex Layers parameters.

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 But can it read the parameter before controlling it? Can the Pro version? Second question: Can MIDI Designer (free or Pro) input MIDI data (e.g., notes, controller data) and do something (arbitrarily) conditional based on that data (e.g., send data to a parameter)?

 

The App is not requesting existing parameter info from the XW.  I don't believe this is possible..even in the Pro version.  So when you dial up a sound on the XW the interface on the iPad does not necessarily reflect the parameters of that sound.  The final step of this process is that I'm building a couple presets within the App that when selected will send ALL of the parameters to the XW so these will give you starting points to work with if you need to. 

 

Yes the app can send data based a condition of incoming data.   The app has ways of dealing with Controls and SubControls that can react to each other in different ways with different curves...etc.  This is where the overwhelming flexibility of MIDI Designer blows my mind.

The MIDI Designer team is very response to questions about their app, which influenced my decision to go down this road with them vs some of the other platforms.  You could certainly ask them directly on their website.

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The App is not requesting existing parameter info from the XW.  I don't believe this is possible..even in the Pro version.  So when you dial up a sound on the XW the interface on the iPad does not necessarily reflect the parameters of that sound.  The final step of this process is that I'm building a couple presets within the App that when selected will send ALL of the parameters to the XW so these will give you starting points to work with if you need to.

This would be a welcome feature (I say when I haven't even tried the app yet!). Without a way to set ALL the parameters of the voice to known states from the iPad before you edit there is no way to know what parameters you need to adjust to get close to a given sound you made previously and saved to the XW without looking at the all of the parameter values for that voice either on the XW's display or the computer editor's screen. (I hope that makes sense!)

 

Even better would be if the app could save the voice you made locally in the iPad, not just downloading it to the XW. Then we could call up from the iPad's local voice library a voice previously made using the app as a starting point and modify it. Not to mention the usefulness of _having_ a library of sounds on the iPad, particularly if there is in fact no way to get the data for existing voices not made with the iPad into it.

 

Of course, all of that would be largely unnecessary if the app could read the parameters of the currently selected solo-synth voice. If it could do that we would also be able to call up any voice made on, or loaded into, the XW from any source as a starting point for editing. But as you say the app can't.

 

Yes the app can send data based a condition of incoming data.   The app has ways of dealing with Controls and SubControls that can react to each other in different ways with different curves...etc.  This is where the overwhelming flexibility of MIDI Designer blows my mind.

The MIDI Designer team is very response to questions about their app, which influenced my decision to go down this road with them vs some of the other platforms.  You could certainly ask them directly on their website.

I will likely have to do that. What I would like to do, for example, is play some combination of notes on the XW with local MIDI set to Off and have the app in response send note and/or other parameter data back to the XW that makes it do something it normally wouldn't do. In effect, the app would act as a real-time, on-the-fly MIDI editor of sorts for the purpose of adding playing features that the XW doesn't offer. Apart from the possibility of excessive latency rearing its ugly head I don't see why something like this would not be possible given the right app. I just have to find out if MIDI Designer is that right app and if not, if there is anything out there that is.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The app is out.. There's another thread with the URL, but putting it here as well:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/midi-designer-xw-casio-xw/id723189543?ls=1&mt=8

 

 

David - the full iPad size is probably the best way to go. Anyone with a iPad mini using the app care to weigh in? I am getting a mini in the very near future, so I will let you know if no one chimes in before then. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

O.K......So I'm tablet challenged..... Which I-Pad model/s would be best for use with the XW-P1?

(They say the stupid question's the one that's never asked...)

 

Well the app isn't a resource hog so any model will be fine.. but if you plan on also using the iPad for synths and multitrack recording, you will want the most powerful one you can afford. 

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Can you specify for me please, the cable/adapter you are using from the output on your I-pad to the USB input jack

on the XW-P1's rear panel ? All I'm finding are large camera docking boxes.

What is the smallest configuration, like the one used in the video, and where can I get one? 

Do all generation I-pads have the same in/out connectivity?, or is one better suited for using like this?

(again....tablet challenged).

                                                              Thanks!

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I'm using an iPad4 (cost almost twice as much as my XW-P1 did!) and it has the Lightning connector, so I needed to buy this one: http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MD821ZM/A/lightning-to-usb-camera-adapter
The iPad Mini and the new Air models need the same adapter.

The iPad2, iPad3 (AKA 3rd Generation) and the original model have the older 30-pin connector and AFAIK you do need the "boxy" Camera Connection kit: http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MC531ZM/A/apple-ipad-camera-connection-kit. Sure, it's a bit bigger than the Lightning adapter but you do also get an SD card reader, which is nice.

You will also, of course, need a standard USB cable, the same you would need to connect the XW directly to a computer.

This may be useful for anyone tablet-challenged: http://www.apple.com/ca/ipad/compare/

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  • 3 weeks later...

HIGHLY recommend buying an official Apple CCK (if that is what you need for your model iPad). It's pricey, but the cheap knockoffs on Amazon have a really bad reputation..

 

The knockoffs are bad.  We bought several here. I was initially surprised that they worked.  In the end they work about 20% of the time.  Not worth the time and frustration.

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  • 3 months later...

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