Ebonivor

Mau Van's contribution to the Downloads is truly remarkable and greatly appreciated.

Unfortunely, yes, that seems to be the case. It's a pity the settings aren't also supplied in a Package file...that way you can just copy the individual stage settings to the PX-5S via the Data Editor. As it stands, you need to install the .ZAL file via the USB drive, but save your exiting settings to an ALLDATA file before doing it. Then you can save the Way It Is to the USB drive, reload your saved ALLDATA file to restore your original stage settings and then load the Way It Is into whichever slot you prefer. Sounds cumbersome? Yes it is :-( Of course, the benefit of using the .ZAL files is that it can contain all the stage settings, tones, etc. and places them in their correct location when loaded. My practice is, after I load the .ZAL file into the PX-5S, I then create a new folder on the computer and give it a name similar to rhe .ZAL file ( perhaps with a version number or date ). I then set that as the files location for the Data Editor using the Preferences. Then I drag all the files across from the PX-5S so that I can access them and load them back in individually as needed.

I've been using Avatron's apps for years, and they are very good. But the best way to use the editor is the way it was intended; with a computer. I don't understand why so many people are obsessed with trying to do these things with an iPad when the Data Editor works perfectly well, and so much better, from a computer. Plus, I am yet to find anyone with an iPad who doesn't also have a computer. Please tell me if I am wrong!

I think Mau Van is referring to the PX-5S Data Editor which can convert a selection from a MIDI file into a phrase.

I just saw some good news from Dan Rosenstark, the developer of MIDI Designer. Apparently, the current version of MIDI Designer (1.6.5) is compatible with the first generation iPad, but the next major release will require iOS8. That means that you will be able to continue using the app on iPad1 and I think it is safe to say that Dan will continue to provide support for version 1.6.5 for as long as it is practical to do so.

Hi Leoaprilla2001, I've been unable to do any work on the MIDI Designer layout for a while due to an RSI problem. This is starting to subside and I'm hoping to resume work on my version soon. However, I believe MIDI Designer is dropping support for the first generation iPad. This is not surprising, because the latest version iOS won't run on the original iPad either, and because Apple have also introduced a new programming language for iOS (Swift), MIDI Designer needs to move with the times. You might want to clarify this situation with the developer. On the matter of progress, I am finding it difficult to determine exactly what is expected from a MIDI Designer layout for the PX-5S. I think the general expectation is that it will be an iPad version of the Data Editor, but I don't believe this will be possible. The PX-5S is a very complex instrument and I am finding that many of the functions that are accessible via the Data Editor are difficult to address from MIDI Designer. I am still hopeful that there is someone out there who might be able to translate the information in the PX-5S Midi Implementation Manual into a format that a simpleton like me can understand! In the meantime, I would welcome any suggestions of essential features that you would like to see included....I just don't see my version having the same functionality as the XW version. I will, however, be uploading a layout based on my own needs to the Facebook group ( and probably also to the MIDI Designer site) in the next few days and would welcome comment on it.

Choppin, I've been away from the forum for a while and thought it was about time I checked up on Hugh's diatribe. I have to say that I totally agree with your sentiments, but hope that Hugh was making a lighthearted observation that there were not a lot of acclaimed female keyboardists. I took it that way, but unfortunately, when we post online, it is hard to tell whether a comment is made in jest or in a derogatory manner. It is too easy to forget that a post in a thread is not a one-to-one conversation. I believe that Hugh has a great Irish sense of humour and would be unlikely to intentionally denigrate women. I, for one, have the utmost respect for women and was interested in the fact that there were so few in the list that Hugh posted. It makes me wonder why, especially when there are so many incredibly gifted female classical pianists....and, of course, a great percentage of us had women teach us. It does make one wonder though...why are none of the great composers women? Hopefully, our descendants will see a better balance.

Hi Mau Van, I'm sorry that it has been so long since I said that I could send you the text file for Set List Maker import...I'm suffering from RSI, so I'm limiting my online activity while I recover. Are you a member of the Facebook group? I have uploaded a couple of the Excel files there. that you need to convert to tab- delimited text for import into SLM. I'm not sure whether I can upload them here. If you are not a member, why not come over and join us; otherwise, message me and I'll send them to you directly.

QED: Question Entirely Destroyed! When I was a young kid, I had a mate who used to end all of his explanations with QED. He was also a pretty good at eight ball, so we used to call him "Cue Eddie". Not sure how long it will take before there is a gender balance amongst famous keyboardists, probably not in my lifetime. It's surprising that there aren't more, because when I was at school, there were many more girls learning piano than there were boys. A lot of those ended up as teachers, choir accompanists, church organists or housewives. Hope you had a good time in Cyprus...a slightly different climate to Eire I would imagine. ;-)

No need to give up Norm...basically just hope that the next model supports an expression pedal. :-)

But if you took one knob and targetted CC 11 and turned that on for all four zones you would have basically the same thing. By the way, just to clarify, the master volume control basically sets the range of the Volume Control knob.

Nick, that would be amazing if you can get it done. Good luck with it!

Page 52 of the Midi Implementation Manual indicates that this is possible, so perhaps someone with a comprehensive understanding of MIDI can guide you through the process...unfortunately it's way beyond me.

I reckon that's a brilliant idea. Dave Curtis over on the FB group posted photos of the interior and circuit boards when he was disassembling his PX-5S for his custom spray job. They might give an idea of what the opportunities are without pulling it apart.

Mau Van, I've had a look back through my stuff and found where I made the preset list. I made it as an Excel spreadsheet, but then it has to be saved as a tab delimited text file with the name import.txt. Then I remembered that there was a problem where the midi preset takes on the name of the song, which was confusing when I wanted to use that preset with a different stage setting (or song). So, for example, when I import the list with the names of the factory stage settings, the song name shows "GrandPnoConcert", and the midi preset gets the same name. Say I put a different Stage Setting in slot 0-0 and then want to add that to Set List Maker, I need to create a new song with the name of that stage setting and select the midi preset that is called "GrandPnoConcert". If that sounds counfusing, it is! I emailed the developer six months ago about adding the option to include the midi preset name field in the import file format and they indicated that they would look into including it in a future release. There has been a lot of updates since then but I am still waiting! In the meantime, I imported a file that used the names "0-0", "0-1" etc. and then went through and typed in the actual Stage Setting names. The annoying part is that you can't export the list...you can only sync it with another device on the same wireless network that is running a separately registered copy of the app. All this is to say that there is no easy way at the moment to share a set list. And by the way, you also have to pay extra for the option to be able to import the text file. About the best I can do is to email you the text file, but you'll need to lookup the online instructions on how to use it. Let me know if you want it.

Roger, thanks for clarifying the situation. How about coming over and joining us on the Facebook group? You'll find a lot of great friends there, lots of lighthearted banter and heaps of help from the members. We currently have over 1100 members and growing fast, plus there a quite a few of us who are "getting on in years"...although I think I might be the only septagenarian! I had little interest in Facebook before joining the group, but the friends I have found there brighten every day!

Ah, Choppin, I forgot to explain that MIDI Designer strips out the beginning F0 and ending F7 but sends them universally. I was initially just typing in the basic real-time messages as described in the Midi implementation Manual, but got nowhere with trying to understand the more complex messages that included Block, Size and Array details. Then Mike Martin told me that he had found a simple way to pass the message to MIDI Designer from the Data Editor by setting the PX-5S USB Out to MIDI and having MD learn the string. The result is the type of string the I posted. In MIDI Designer, for a variable control, you replace the value with V and specify the number of bytes in the value. You can also replace the channel byte with L to be able to also vary that. I can't find any relationship between the "learnt" string and the details given in the manual. I was actually hoping that you might be able to decipher it! Interestingly, I can have MIDI Designer control the master volume with the standard message 7F 7F 04 01 00 V (V=value), but if I get ti to learn the sysex sent by the Data Editor, the string is 44 17 02 7F 01 02 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 V which also works. I can't see the relationship between the two, particularly, like you, the significance of the 03. This is probably getting a bit far away from Normski's topic, but I would love to explore the mysteries of the PX-5S MIDI implementation further...perhaps directly via PM any time if you like. BTW I now understand that 7F in the channel area of the message doesn't mean channel 127, but rather :disregard channel"

Hi mau Van, answer to question 1 is, Yes, you will have to buy the MIDI package (in-app purchase). Question 2 - I have a blank Set List Maker template that has the MIDI codes for all stage settings, but you would need to create you own lists (I think I also still have something set up with both the original factory stage setting names and the alternative settings). I'll see what I can find in the next few days and either upload it here if I can, or send it directly to you. Question 3 - I'm not sure, but I think so. I don't have a second keyboard to test it with, so maybe someone else can confirm.

Everybody, why is it so important to be able to control the master volume with a MIDI foot controller? I agree that there would be many benefits from having the abilty to control individual zones or parameters with an expression pedal, but not the master volume. I use a Boss FV-50L between the PX-5S and my amp and it works just fine. It has stereo in and out, plus adjustable minimum volume. I can understand Normski's disappointment that the Behringer 1010 doesn't support sysex on the expression pedal. It seems almost as much of an oversight as Casio's omission of an expression pedal input .... but then, look at everything else you DO get on the PX-5S ... there's no denying that it's incredible value for money!

That is exactly as I understand it Choppin, except I didn't realise there was a MIDI channel 7F (127). The MIDI Designer captured sysex string for the Master Volume indicates channel 1 (00) I think, but I might be interpreting it incorrectly. In fact, I'm not sure that I can interpret it at all! :-) In this case, 7E is the value. 44 17 02 7F 01 02 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 7E

HI Rogerft, it is unfortunate that the free version of MIDI Designer is no longer available, however, it was at the time the initial announcement was made. The developer of the MIDI Designer app is probably one of the most supportive that I have ever come across and those of us who use the app extensively have no qualms about paying for it. That said, it does put Casio in an awkward position, but you can rest assured that Mike Martin (who is incidentally not just a salesman, but the designer of most of the best PX-5S sounds and a dedicated provider of support), will be doing his utmost to deliver on the promise. In fact, it is Mike who is doing the programming and he also produced the XW version. How he has the time to do all that he does is astounding. I am also working on a similar MIDI Designer layout, in fact with many more features than that which was announced, but there are some issues with the app that are preventing me from releasing it for general use. I imagine that Mike may have also been affected by some of those, but the developer is working hard to resolve them for us. In the meantime, most of us have so much to thank Mike Martin for that the delay with the MIDI Designer app pales into insignificance. One last thing...don't expect any version of a MIDI Designer interface to perform all the functions of the Data Editor. There are aspects that simply cannot be addressed. One more last thing :-) ...my eyesight also is not what it used to be and it doesn't help that monitors are getting bigger but the pixel pitch is getting smaller! My 24" monitor has a native resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. My wife is always complaining that the text is too small when I get her to do some work for me, so I switch it to 1600x1200 for her. She needs to do bit more scrolling, but not as much as on the iPad Air!

Normski, I'm pretty much a MIDI novice and too old to learn (unlike Choppin, whose knowledge and ability to communicate it is admirable), but I'm fairly sure that System level parameter are sent and received on channel 1. I only know this from setting up MIDI Designer layouts and using MD to 'learn' the sysex.

Gee, I need at least five stars just for reading the list! I don't remember QED...was gender was he/she? BTW there was a Len McCann, passed on now, who was a member of the family that established and still own the store that I bought my PX-5S through...McCann Bros in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. He also had a dance band, surprisingly called The Len McCann Dance Band, but he was a saxophonist.

Thanks for asking that question dc2K...I had wondered whether that was purely an offset adjustment. It's nice to have it clarified and confirmed.

Master volume is easily controllable with sysex...I use it with the MIDI Designer iPad app, so I guess it should also be able to be accomplished via hardware, as Mike Martin has suggested.