MIDI settings for connecting XW-P1 to iPad synth apps

[Rocket]

I have an iPad (5th Gen) connected to my Casio XW-P1 via Apple's camera connection kit and a USB cable.  Whenever I change a tone on the XW-P1, the tone changes on the iPad app too.  How do I prevent this from happening?  I want to be able to change tones on the XW-P1 without the iPad app being affected.  For some reason, this problem does not occur when I use, say, the Garageband app, but it does happen when using Audiokit Synth One or Sample Tank.  I've tried changing some of the XW-P1's MIDI settings, but it doesn't help.  Any ideas?  Thanks.

[Brad Saucier]

I think you would need a MIDI filter to prevent the program change data from being received by the app.  Some apps may have a program change filter built in.  Check the app settings for something like that.  

[Rocket]

Thanks for your suggestion, Brad.  I was able to resolve the problem, partially at least.  Sample Tank has a setting which allows the MIDI PROGRAM CHANGE CHANNEL to be set to 1 - 16, as well as OMNI and OFF.  Setting it to OFF fixed the problem.  I had it set before to OMNI. Unfortunately, I didn't see such a setting in Audiokit Synth One.  That app apparently allows for MIDI input channels to be changed from 1 - 16 only.  No OFF option.  If I find a solution, I'll post it here.  Thanks again for your help.

[anotherscott]

On 10/26/2019 at 4:05 PM, Rocket said:

For some reason, this problem does not occur when I use, say, the Garageband app, but it does happen when using Audiokit Synth One or Sample Tank.

 

The reason it does not occur with Garageband is that Garageband does not recognize MIDI Program Change at all. (Boo!)

 

On 10/29/2019 at 9:45 AM, Brad Saucier said:

I think you would need a MIDI filter to prevent the program change data from being received by the app.  Some apps may have a program change filter built in. 

 

There are also IOS apps that have MIDI filter functions, which can often take input from a keyboard and filter it on its way to other specified apps. But I don't think we need to go that way for this, just alter some settings...

 

On 10/29/2019 at 1:14 PM, Rocket said:

I was able to resolve the problem, partially at least.  Sample Tank has a setting which allows the MIDI PROGRAM CHANGE CHANNEL to be set to 1 - 16, as well as OMNI and OFF.  Setting it to OFF fixed the problem.  I had it set before to OMNI. Unfortunately, I didn't see such a setting in Audiokit Synth One.  That app apparently allows for MIDI input channels to be changed from 1 - 16 only.  No OFF option.  If I find a solution, I'll post it here. 

 

"MIDI PROGRAM CHANGE CHANNEL" is not the same as "MIDI input channel." Something called "Program Change channel" would be just for Program Changes. The more common MIDI channel parameter will be, not just what an app receives Program Changes on, but also what it receives other things on (like notes). It's always 1-16. If there were an option for Off, it just wouldn't see any MIDI input at all (meaning you couldn't play it).

 

So you really have a two part question:

 

1. How do you stop apps from seeing those front panel tone change Program Changes from the Casio? By default, the Casio sends those Program Changes on MIDI Channel 1. So an answer is, either change the channel the Casio sends them on to some channel which none of your iOS apps are set to receive on (look in the Casio manual for the "Basic Channel" parameter to see how to change it), OR change your apps so that they receive on some channel other than channel 1. (Any of the other 15 channels will do.) That assumes that these apps don't have an option to ignore Program Changes (or receive them on some other specified channel, as SampleTank lets you do). 

 

2. But, now that you have "disconnected" the Casio's MIDI send channel and the app's MIDI receive channel, how do you use the Casio keys to play the sounds in the app? Here you can use the MIDI zoning function of the XW-P1. Set up a Performance on the Casio with (at least) one zone, and set the zone's External Out Channel to the channel that your app is set to receive on. Now the keys will trigger your app (via that Zone in that Performance), while Program Changes from selecting tones (which are now sent on a different channel) will not. Now it should trigger the sound from your app, without sending it those unwanted Program Changes.

 

But there are some other permutations to consider. What if sometimes you DO want calling up a Performance on your Casio  to initiate a Program Change on the app that you have controlling it? Well, the Casio has parameters for that, too. Make sure you're running at least version 1.10 of the Casio firmware, and you can control exactly what Program Change commands do (or don't) get transmitted when you call up an external sound (i.e. a sound that's on your iPad) via a zone in a Performance. The options are shown on the chart at https://support.casio.com/en/support/download.php?cid=008&pid=56

 

Perhaps the main thing to remember about all of this is, if you want to control external MIDI devices, do it via Performances, that's where Casio built in all the MIDI controller functionality. 

 

 

 

 

[Rocket]

Thanks for your lengthy and informative reply, anotherscott.  I will check out the options you've suggested.  Seems pretty straightforward.