[ceber1]

Hi,

I connected my Roland FP 90 succesfully to my Samsung Tab. After the download of the Free version of Mobile Sheets for testing I wanted to try to configure the Page Turn with Bluetooth.
The problem is that on the configuration page for touch & pedal I can't get a signal of my pedals.
On my iPad they're working properly.
Is it a pro feature? Do I have to give any access to bluetooth to the app or something like that?

[Zubersoft]

What app are you using to connect the pedals on your iPad and how do you go about configuring them? Does it work like any other bluetooth pedal, which shows up as an HID like a computer keyboard that you have to pair in the bluetooth settings? If your Roland FP 90 pedal sends MIDI messages, then you'll have to configure this differently in MobileSheetsPro. You'll have to go to Settings->MIDI Settings->MIDI Actions to configure MIDI messages to trigger actions such as turning pages. If your Roland FP 90 pedal does act like any other bluetooth pedal, then you should be able to set it up in the pedal actions.

The trial version works exactly the same way as the paid version when it comes to all this. So it would be best if we can get things working in the trial version before you purchase.

Mike

[ceber1]

On the iPad I use the Roland Apps Piano Partner 2 and Piano Designer.
If there ist a bluetooth connection I can use my pedals in piaScore.
On my FP-90 I can choose what sign should be given to turn the page (Cursor Up/Down or Left/Right or Page Up/Down).
I can't see any HID when pressing the pedal, whether on the iPad nor on the Andoid tablet.

Can you say me how I can try it via Midi-actions? I don't know how to configure it when pressing the midi action button.
Or does anybody know where I can look whether the FP-90 sends bluetooth or Midi signals?
Heiko

[Zubersoft]

I haven't found any documentation on the pedal, which is unfortunate.  Please try something for me:

1) Tap "New" on the songs tab to go to the song editor
2) Go to the MIDI tab and tap the bottom most icon on the right side to bring up the dialog that listens for MIDI messages
3) Press your Roland FP-90 pedal and see if any MIDI messages show up on the dialog. If you see some messages show up, then you should be able to configure the pedal to trigger actions through MIDI. If not, then a proprietary or custom interface is used with the pedal, which means MobileSheetsPro won't be able to communicate with it.

The Roland Apps Piano Partner 2 app works with the pedal because they are either listening for the appropriate MIDI messages or they programmed a custom interface and they know exactly what they need to do to communciate with the pedal (but they haven't documented that anywhere for third party developers). You could contact Roland to ask them about this, but I'm betting you won't get much of an answer.

You said if there is a bluetooth connection, you can use your pedals in piaScore. What exactly did you mean by that? Are you just saying if the pedal connects as an HID over bluetooth, you'd be able to use it in that app? Or are you saying you can already use the pedals in piaScore somehow?

Thanks,
Mike

[ceber1]

Hi ,

sorry I didn't answer, I had no time the last days.

I tried your three steps but I didn't get a MIDI-answer.

On the iPad it's like this: I need to connect the iPad via Bluetooth to the Piano Partner 2.
When I did this, I can use my pedals from the output of "Sostenuto" and "soft" for turning pages in piaScore.

Another website also had the idea with PiaScore: https://www.amromusic.com/amro-blog/post...land-piano
I found this on the roland page, perhaps this can help, I don't know: https://www.roland.com/de/support/by_pro...3104c78ef/

I don't know how piaScore works with the messages, but on the iPad there is a way.

Thanks
Heiko

[Zubersoft]

When you say you need to connect the iPad to Piano Partner 2, what exactly do you mean? The Piano Partner 2 app is running on the iPad, is it not? Are you just saying you need to enable bluetooth and the Piano Partner 2 app connects to the pedal over bluetooth? Did you have to pair with the pedal? Does it show up as something you can pair with in the OS bluetooth settings? 

PiaScore probably has a partnership or relationship with Roland so they were able to get the technical specifications for how the pedal works and what messages it sends/receives over bluetooth. I don't have that kind of connection, so Roland wouldn't even bother responding to my email if I requested that kind of information (I've experienced this in the past with other companies like Yamaha when I tried to get additional information). I'm not a big enough business for them to care about working with me. 

Without additional information about how to communicate with the pedal, there is very little I can do. My app doesn't normally communicate directly with any other pedals - it relies on them being paired with the OS as an HID, like a computer keyboard. I then just listen for key commands. If the FP90 pedal sends custom messages over bluetooth, that is very different and requires that I implement code specifically to talk to that pedal. Without having that exact pedal around to test with, the chances of me being able to implement that code is basically zero. In the Windows 10 version, I currently support AirTurn Direct Mode. The reason I can support that is AirTurn provided me with a library they wrote which I was able to use as the basis for my code (although I had to convert it myself to work on Windows as it was designed for iOS and Android). Roland would have to give me something like that if they use a proprietary messaging scheme with their pedal.

Mike

[ceber1]

I think we talk past each other.

The pedals I use are from my FP-90. I tried the AirTurn in the past but I wasn't happy with it. I also didn't want to try other items. At this time, I looked for another Epiano and I bought the FP-90 which came with bluetooth connection.
You can add three pedals, just like on an mechanical piano for soft, sostenuto and for binding the notes. Older versions of Epiano often only got one for the last function, which is the function most often used.
In fact, the FP-90 has all three input possibilities. E.g. for this: https://www.kirstein.de/Pedale-Taster/Ro...lsrc=aw.ds

The FP-90 now allows, that you can use the left two pedals for turning pages. Therefore in the Apple-world, I need to connect my FP-90 (where the pedals are connected) to the Piano Partner 2 app. I think it's the Piano Partner App who "talks" to other programs, but I don't know.

Heiko

[Zubersoft]

I have contacted Roland to get support on this and they told me to contact their service center which is currently closed due to COVID-19. When it reopens, I can try contacting them again and see if they can provide me the proper information (I'm not getting my hopes up).

If the Piano Partner 2 app is notifying other programs about pedal presses, then there needs to be an interface defined somewhere so the apps know what to listen to. I can't start communicating with any application on a device without having some kind of predefined interface between the two applications. Roland hasn't documented anything like that to my knowledge.

Mike

[Zubersoft]

From this website https://rolandus.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/ar...TNER-2-APP, they've provided these instructions:

Here are the steps to connect your Roland F-140R digital piano to an Android device:

1. Turn your piano on by pressing the power button.
   
   
2. Press the [Metronome] button and the [Split] button at the same time to enter function mode.
   
   
3. Use the [-] and [+] buttons to select the function setting called "F15", which is "Bluetooth Function". 
   
   
4. Press the [play/stop] button to enter the F15 setting.
   
   
5. Use the [-] and [+] buttons to select "On".
   
   
6. Press the [play/stop] button to return to the function menu.
   
   
7. Use the [-] and [+] buttons to scroll up to function setting "F16", which is "Bluetooth Page Turn/MIDI switching".
   
   
8. Press the [play/stop] button to enter the F16 setting.
   
   
9. Use the [-] and [+] buttons to select "n", which stands for MIDI switching.
   
   
10. Press the [play/stop] button to return to the function menu, and then the [Metronome] and [Split] buttons at the same time to exit out of the function menu fully. 
    
    
11. On your Android device, open up the "bluetooth settings" and turn the bluetooth to "On". 
    
    
12. Open up the Piano Partner 2 app. When the device asks if you can "access the USB device", select "ok". The app should automatically open to its home screen.
    
    
13. Click on the little gear in the upper right hand corner of the app.
    
    
14. Next, click on "Bluetooth MIDI devices"
    
    
15. You should see your "F-140R" device listed here. Click on the device, and proceed to "pair the device".
    
    
16. You should see the app load up with an orange bar, and then say "connected with the F-140R" in the lower left hand screen of the app.
    
    
17. Your F-140R piano is now wirelessly connected to the Piano Partner 2 app via bluetooth, and you can enjoy the touchscreen interface that now controls your piano!*
    

*With android devices, you cannot access the "rhythms feature" of the app when connected via Bluetooth MIDI. To use the rhythm feature of Piano Partner 2 with an Android device, you must connect with a MIDI cable via the "hard-wired" method (see details below). This is a limitation of the Android system.


That seems to imply that it's just MIDI over bluetooth, and I imagine the pedal would send MIDI messages in the same fashion. It looks like you can also just connect MIDI over USB. Have you tried connecting with MIDI over USB to see if the pedal is sending any messages? Have you monitored the outgoing MIDI messages in any other way (such as a MIDI monitor application on your PC with the keyboard connected) to see if messages are generated when the pedal is pressed? If it really does come down to MIDI, then MobileSheetsPro can support it.

Mike

[ceber1]

Hi,

hm. I didn't use MIDI Messages right now, I don't know how to check this.
I'm only using Magix Samplitude Music Studio for recording, but in this way I only record via MIDI and a virtual piano.
I never used the other pedals, only the sustain pedal.
I don't know lot about MIDI.
Do you know how I can check the messages?

Just to be sure: I can connect via MIDI to USB on my PC. But I don't know how to "read" the messages the Piano sends via Midi.

[Zubersoft]

In MobileSheets, connect to your keyboard over MIDI (Settings->MIDI Settings->Select MIDI Devices->Select the input/output ports), go to the library screen, tap "New" at the top, go to the MIDI tab, tap the bottom most icon on the right to go to the listen dialog, then press your pedal and see if any MIDI messages show up. To verify it's working, also press keys on the keyboard to ensure those MIDI messages show up.

Mike

[ceber1]

Hi ,

I connected my FP-90 via Bluetooth to the tablet which is working. I can send commands from the Piano Partner 2 App to the piano.
In MobileSheets when I go to the MIDI Settings I only see the following options:
- MIDI CHannel (current setting: 1)
- MIDI Echo (no)
- Allow Multiple Channels (No)
- MIDI Device (I only can select between Generic (which is set now), KORG and Genos
- Configure MIDI Connections
- MIDI Actions

I don't know what you mean by "Select MIDI Devices->Select the input/output ports" . When I go to the dialog which should listen to MIDI commands I can see nothing. No pedal and no keys from the piano.

[Zubersoft]

I thought you were using a Windows 10 device, In MobileSheetsPro, you should go to Configure MIDI Connections, switch it to Google, then to bluetooth, then connect to your keyboard. You probably don't want to try to connect both MobilesheetsPro and Piano Partner 2 at the same time. I thought you said you could connect the keyboard to your PC over USB though? That's what I wanted to test to see if MIDI messages were sent from the pedal over USB. Does that mean you aren't running MobileSheets on your PC?

Mike

[ceber1]

Oh my dear, all the time i only used the Android Tablet.
Now I downloaded it on Win 10 from the Microsoft Store and it went well.

The Note-Off are from the Piano, the Control-Changes are from a pedal.
On the tablet I did it the same way as described in your last post and I got MIDI signals.

I now tried the last step: Can it turn my pages? Unfortunately no. But I think this is the last step you could help me?

[Zubersoft]

Well you can certainly set up MIDI actions to trigger page turns if you receive a control change command with 66, 127 followed by 66, 0. I can provide instructions for that, but first I need to know why the same MIDI commands were sent twice in a row. Did you press each pedal? If both pedals are sending the exact same commands when pressed, there will be no way to distinguish one from the other. That means you could only utilize one of the pedals.

Thanks,
Mike