Best MIDI System Controller for Live Performance

[workplay]

What do you use in Live Performance to quickly change presets on all your keyboards, and call up your Chord/Lyrics sheet for the next song, all with the push of a single button?

 

I'm trying to combine 4 separate operations into just one button push, :

1) set song preset on board 1

2) set song preset on board 2

3) set song preset on board 3

4) open Chord/Lyrics sheet on my computer/tablet.

 

The ideal MIDI System controller should allow you to find a song by title, or the next one in the set list, and then it initiates all the MIDI steps (Program Commands to boards, open file on PC/tablet).

[U.Honey]

I'm using iPad with forScore app. When I tap the screen it opens the next chart and sends program change messages to the boards.

[workplay]

Thanks [u.Honey] Are the Program Changes from your iPad carried by MIDI cable to the boards? I assume MIDI is chained thru your boards, or coming out of a MIDI-merge device.

Also, The forscore.co website says you need the Apple Camera Connection Kit or iRig Midi. Do you use either of those?

[cassdad]

Wow - I"m using ForScore (love it!), but did not know it did that! I"m using it on a new iPad Pro - I also would like to know how to get the MIDI message to my Yamaha MOXF8. What cables go where?

[bfields]

I do this with MobileSheets on an Android tablet. The tablet's connected to my main keyboard (Kurzweil PC4) by USB. I have the app set to send MIDI commands over USB that select a multi on the PC4 for each song. The PC4 multis are configured in turn with patch changes to send to my second board. The two boards are connected with MIDI cables.

[U.Honey]

I'm using the Camera connection kit in the iPad and then USB cable to the keyboard. I actually use it to control just one keyboard but I don't see why it would not work with multiple keyboards. You could use a USB-MIDI to DIN-MIDI coverter cable and then just chain the keyboards using MIDI through if your keyboards have MIDI through. In other case you would need a MIDI splitter.

 

In forScore it works so that you tell forScore to "learn" the program change messages.With multiple boards you would just assign different midi channel to each board. However, I would start by checking whether forScore works for you as chord/lyrics tool. If it doesn't work then there's no point to think about the midi routing stuff.

 

I'm pretty sure there are many other ways to achieve what you're looking to do in case forScore doesn't work for you.

[MathOfInsects]

I'm using iPad with forScore app. When I tap the screen it opens the next chart and sends program change messages to the boards.

 

I'd love to talk with you about this sometime. Maybe after the holidays?

[DovJ]

I also use ForScore, but mostly for classical music and learning rock songs.

 

I"ve settled on Camelot Pro on my iPad to manage songs and scenes in my keyboard rig. It"s very effective at choosing and setting presets on my keyboards, effects and drum pedal. Camelot will display your score and allow you page next and previous commands from most midi controllers with reasonable setup effort.

 

My gear is all networked using an iConnectivity MioXM, which has 4 pairs of DIN ports and 4 USB"s.

 

I use a KMI Softstep 2 pedal as the controller.

 

If you"re technically-inclined, you may want to look into Bome Midi Translator Pro and their companion BomeBox. I"ve used this pair of software and 'micro-controller' box to program and then execute (without the computer) highly customized midi sequences. The BomeBox makes it possible, for example, to control the Leslie speed on my Strymon Mobius pedal from one of my keyboards and also the Softstep pedal. Similarly, I"ve used the BomeBox to completely customize control over my BeatBuddy drum pedal (start, stop, pause, next part, etc.) from the Softstep.

 

The Bome 'kit' is pretty technical 'programming' but Camelot Pro isn"t, especially if you have boards that they already support. You can see if your gear is supported by Camelot Pro Smartmaps, and if so, you will have a fairly sophisticated degree of control over keyboard settings in songs and scenes with relatively minor effort.

[U.Honey]

I'm using iPad with forScore app. When I tap the screen it opens the next chart and sends program change messages to the boards.

 

I'd love to talk with you about this sometime. Maybe after the holidays?

 

Absolutely! Whenever it works for you.