iRig Blueboard with Bias FX
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Trying to use iRig Blueboard with Bias FX. When I assign a button to a stompbox using MIDI learn, it works, but is only momentary, as soon as I release the button the stomp turns off. How do I make a latching type button, i:e one press for on, then one press for off.
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Do you have the blueboard in PC mode or CC mode? MIDI implementation and info in BIAS FX is pretty thin, but I havent had this problem yet. I'd love to show you my MIDI settings, but there is no comprehensive place to see them.
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Quote from our superuser: Alessio Pomaro
"I would like to explain to you, because I've done a lot of testing and behavior is very simple. The BlueBoard, to work with the BIAS FX, must run in "MIDI over Bluetooth mode 2" mode.
These are the specifications for the MIDI over Bluetooth mode 2:
Transmit Channel: 1 / Receive Channel: 1
Transmitting:
Switch A: CC#20, momentary operation
Switch B: CC#21, momentary operation
Switch C: CC#22, momentary operation
Switch D: CC#23, momentary operation
Value 127 is sent when the foot switch is pressed, and value 0 is sent when foot switch is released.What happens practically?
Using BIAS FX "midi learn" function I have set the change patches on the buttons A and B, the change on the counter C button and the tuner on D.
The change is successful, but there is an anomaly: When I press the shift button patch (for example) BIAS FX changes the patch, but when I release the button changes another patch. To change a single patch I should hold down the button. Another example: the tuner. To keep the tuner on (and mute) I hold down the button, because if I leave the button, the tuner goes off. This is the same principle of the previous example (change patch).
After many tests, I found this way to use the system through some "tricks".
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Is there a setting inside Bias FX to pair with the blueboard in this mode or is it something in settings in the OS I need to do?
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Looks like Tonestack can pair this way, with its own menu in settings for it, how do you get Bias FX to pair with the device in Mode 1 or 2?
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How do you set momentary or latch operation?
Running Blueboard in Bluetooth over midi mode 2
If I use midimttr to pair the bluetooth, it acts as momentary, when I let go of the switch it reverts to original state.
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@pipelineaudio Does Bias' MIDI learn not recognize it as a momentary CC? If not, can't you just go into the MIDI settings menu and change it manually? I don't have the iPad in front of me right now but IIRC it works.
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There seem to be no real MIDI settings of that level in Bias FX iPad that i can find, just basic assignments, no polarity, no momentary/latching, no min and max values. If you get a chance and can find that stuff please let me know!
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Pins and needles here, if you have a way to make this work (mostly to just let a switch plugged into the Blueboard's CC input turn on and off the wah), then all I need tonestack for after that is the harmonizer!
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@pipelineaudio Just did this it is pretty trivial.
- Start blueboard in 'Normal' i.e. IK mode.
- Start Blueboard IK app and connect
- In BB app select menu, change mode to Control Change
- Press Home
- Start Bias FX
- Open Menu->MIDI Settings->MIDI Control Assignments->Add NEw Control->Amp/FX Switch->Mod Cry Wah->Learn.
- Press button a couple of times on Blue board.
Done. Works great.
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It works fine for the blueboard's pedals, but not for switches plugged in to the Blueboard's CC inputs. Since Bias FX's wah can't auto engage, I need to stick a switch in the wah's body to toggle it on and off. So I have the wah pedal going into one of the CC jacks and the switch going into the other.
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@pipelineaudio You may just want to buy a wah pedal dude. It has the same foot print as a generic exp pedal. :laughing:
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All my stuff is wireless, besides, Bias FX needs some MIDI upgrades, this hopefully isn't much of one. Its little things like this that make me think a Windows tablet is the way to go though. We shall see after I try and make a battery powered FCB 1010 and test out the wireless MIDI for that
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I'm going to try the old tricks and fool it with a capacitor and/or diode, cross your fingers
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Bah, no luck
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They should implement a threshold for auto-on/off I.e. if the pedal goes to 0 the wah is fully turned off from the preset. The AxeFx works like that. It's really nice... as long as you rock it all the way back the wah/pitch/whatever drops out of the ckt. The AFX can set a bunch of other stuff (like the mapping of the arc of the pedal sweep) that is probably too much to ask but that threshold idea is simple. Also the idea mentioned earlier regarding allowing you to manually set a MIDI button as Toggle or Momentary in MIDI settings menu seems simple/doable in the app.
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Exactly how MIDI is implemented in Yonac's ToneStack app. Incredibly flexible, it's all I use now. I've pretty much given up on PG for ios products.
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After a lot of tinkering, I finally got the iRig Blueboard working fine with Bias FX Pro on OSX. (Must be pro) Now. the setup is surprisingly simple, I just have very little MIDI experience and the Blueboard's documentation is terrible (it's pretty much a confusing picture book).
To use it you must:
- Go to iRig's website and get the iRig Blueboard software.
- Make sure the device is in "Blueboard mode". This can be done by starting it while pushing down the A. (Or if you didn't update the firmware, just leave it be).
- Once you have the iRig Blueboard software installed and the device connected. Make sure you're in control change mode. In the settings it looked like "CTRL CHANGE".
- In iRig Blueboard, in order to get toggling working correctly, make sure to not send to all channels. If it says "ALL" under the bank number, change it to select a MIDI channel. I just use 1, I'm not a fancy man.
- In Bias FX, go to audio settings and make sure you selected "iRig Blueboard" from the "Active MIDI Inputs" section.
Now to use it, just go into Bias, right click on a pedal and select "MIDI/Automation". Select the config you want to change and click "MIDI LEARN", press the button you want to bind, and there you are.
Hope this helps someone, this was a oddly rewarding journey. I got deep into this using MIDI Loupe and MIDI Pipe before I got this working property in the simplest way possible.
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@jl5659 FYI this is what I said above pretty much as well. It is really trivial. My only issue with the blue board is that it cannot switch between Program Change and Control Change on the fly.
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@elric Yep! I just wanted to lay out every step to get it working on a basic level. Just to save some person who knows little about MIDI and Googled "irig blueboard bias fx" and lands on here a lot of time.
