Changing sounds with iPad and OnSong

[cassie]

I'm completely stuck.  I have the Casio px-s3100.  I'm using an iPad with onsong 2020.  Onsong is connected to my Casio via the included bluetooth adapter.  I've configured onsong to send a program change 0 on channel with with bank usb set to 3 and bank lsb set to 0. In theory this should change the tone to the default acoustic grand piano sound when the song is loaded but nothing happens.  I've use the midi recorder to verify this is indeed the midi command that happens when I change the tone on the keyboard, but no matter what sound I try I cannot get the keyboard tone to change via midi using onsong.  what am I missing here? 

[Brad Saucier]

I'm pasting the following reply I wrote yesterday for another model, but it's the same for this model.

 

It's difficult to explain what Casio has done without using fancy charts and long winded explanations. Hopefully I can help clear it up with the following. I'll try to be a concise as possible. 

 

MIDI input is routed to its own sound engine (I call the MIDI sound engine). The keyboard itself is routed to it's own (I call the local sound engine). 

 

Most people assume (including myself at one time) that the tones you hear when playing the keys can be directly controlled by MIDI. With that assumption, one would think you can simply send MIDI program changes into the keyboard to change tones. Not exactly. Why? MIDI input does not communicate with the local sound engine.  This is so standard MIDI files can play as backing tracks while the keyboard can be used to play along, without interference.  

 

A workaround would be using a virtual MIDI loop back into the CT-S1, and merge program change data into the loop. I'm not familiar with iPad apps for this. I know of at least one Android app that can do it, but it's not very intuitive. Turn off local control on the keyboard. The MIDI sound engine is capable of generating all of the tones heard by the local sound engine, so it will perform as if local control is still on, except it's not. You're now controlling the MIDI sound engine by way of the keyboard itself as a MIDI controller. 🤯

 

In that scenario, it might be easier to think of MIDI input as a separate rack mount module, and the keyboard itself as the MIDI controller. I hope this helps lessen some of the confusion.

[cassie]

I think I sorta kinda understand this but now I'm confused about how the Casio music space program works.  I assumed it was sending midi changes.  Going to hook it up to midi wrench and see if there's some magic going on I can duplicate to get the tones to change.  

[cassie]

Why would the midi implementation manual specifically say it supports receiving bank select messages (Section 7.1) if this doesn't actually work?  This is incredibly frustrating.  

[Brad Saucier]

It supports bank select messages for the MIDI sound engine, Port C.  Check out the chart in section 1 of the manual for a detailed layout of sound engine architecture.  You'll notice the PX-S3100 has a 48 part sound engine, broken down into 3 main sections labeled ports A, B and C.  Each port is 16 parts. Port C is the MIDI sound engine as I mentioned in the previous post.  Ports A and B do not receive MIDI.  

[cassie]

Ok but this still does not make sense.  For example when I send program change 55  followed by bank select 33, the keyboard actually plays the tone that was currently selected AND the orchestra hit that was send via midi command.  According to the midi implementation chart this should only affect the midi/autoplay. 

[cassie]

Clearly there is a way to change part A and B otherwise the Casio music space app remote controller would not work.  If these can be controlled via sysex messages then I don't understand why the sysex messages that would affect the sound engine are not documented in the user manual.