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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Joined: Dec 2017
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Hi all, I was looking at the documentation for my YDP-163, and see that it can respond to MIDI control. Is there a way of using a program on the (windows) PC to change voices, reverb settings & turn the Keyboard on/off etc?? This would be handy as the keyboard doesn't remember some of it's settings on startup so I have to do a combination of keys to make it sound how I want. Also, If I use MIDI to play the keyboard (say from a sequencer), I don't see how I access the internal voices in the piano. So it always plays a midi file in the default voice, and echo preset is too much. Hope the above makes sense, as you can tell I don't know my way around MIDI (and how to use it) too well...  Thanks, ShaunHH
Last edited by ShaunHH; 10/30/18 07:25 AM.
ShaunHH Yamaha Arias YDP-163 Piano, Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 mk2, PC: i7-3770, 8GB Ram Software: Band-in-a-Box Pro 2018(v508), Transcribe 8.6 , Reaper 5.7
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Hi ShaunHH, The Yamaha YDP-163 is a fine midi piano. Yamaha offers two pdf files about midi and connecting your keyboard to a computer and a YDP-163 specific midi reference manual +++ HERE +++ . One pdf file, MIDI Basics, is a four page MIDI overview that will help you better understand the terminology people use when speaking about midi. A second pdf file, Computer Related Operations, provides more specific information about how to connect your keyboard and computer together to pass both midi data and audio between the two. The third pdf file, YDP163_143_EN_MR_A0, provides a listing of what midi commands the YDP-163 can and can not understand. You can send program changes (change instrument sounds) from the computer. However, you will have to first program the sound module to receive commands from the computer and ignore the keyboard (local control). Look up forum user Mike Head. Mike is a big fan of midi and Yamaha keyboards. His signature has a link to his website which has a lot of information about using BiaB with a Yamaha midi keyboard.
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Joined: Dec 2017
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Hi ShaunHH,
The Yamaha YDP-163 is a fine midi piano. It sure is! Thanks for searching out the links for the documents - but I do already have these (and have read them through) so have got the necessary program change codes etc... but I'm not sure how implement them! :-) I thought there might be a (windows) program that I could send the necessary commands to the YDP-163.
Look up forum user Mike Head. Mike is a big fan of midi and Yamaha keyboards.
Thanks, I'll send Mike a DM and see if he might help.
ShaunHH Yamaha Arias YDP-163 Piano, Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 mk2, PC: i7-3770, 8GB Ram Software: Band-in-a-Box Pro 2018(v508), Transcribe 8.6 , Reaper 5.7
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Joined: Dec 2013
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Hey Jim/Shaun,
Can't you just send CC/Sysex messages via the BIAB MIDI Event List Editor? The Yamaha manual should have the list of instrument sounds by number and you can choose the instrument by MIDI command.
Shaun, check out Chapter 10 in the user manual for BIAB on MIDI. You can find it at your install location, C:\BB\Documentation\Band-in-a-Box 2018 Manual.pdf.
 Steve BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Joined: Dec 2017
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Hi Steve, Apologies for the late reply - many thanks for your advice.
Can't you just send CC/Sysex messages via the BIAB MIDI Event List Editor? The Yamaha manual should have the list of instrument sounds by number and you can choose the instrument by MIDI command.
I sort of feel that BIAB is not the right thing to do this (unless it's possible to do some automatic way), but it might be good to try out - so that I can understand how the codes are issued...
Shaun, check out Chapter 10 in the user manual for BIAB on MIDI. You can find it at your install location, C:\BB\Documentation\Band-in-a-Box 2018 Manual.pdf.
So, for example I've looked at the MIDI Manual and it has a table for the voices. Here is an example for the Harpsichord voice:
voice Name: Harpsichord
MSB (0-127):10
LSB (0-127):0
Program Change:7
I'm assuming that MSB & LSB stand for Most/Least significant byte?? So how do I now issue a MIDI command to the YDP-163 that changes the voice without me doing so from the piano keyboard. I did look at chapter 10 in the manual but I've still not grasped it... I must be missing something obvious I guess 
ShaunHH Yamaha Arias YDP-163 Piano, Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 mk2, PC: i7-3770, 8GB Ram Software: Band-in-a-Box Pro 2018(v508), Transcribe 8.6 , Reaper 5.7
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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To access the various sounds, you're going to have to create a patch map for your keyboard.
If you look in the user manual at around page 515, you'll find information about creating a patch map.
The easiest route may be to look to see if someone has already created a Cakewalk Patch Map for your keyboard, as BIAB has a utility to convert that .INS file to the BIAB .PAT (patch map) file format.
Or you can just enter the values yourself as described in the user manual either using the interface there or manually editing and existing patch map file to use as a basis for your keyboard patch map file.
Not really for the faint of heart, but definitely doable.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Joined: Dec 2015
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Hi Shaun
Sorry I must have missed this one. Thanks for your message.
There is no way of changing the default power on settings in the piano by sending midi to it from externally.
However you could load a registration of your favourite settings. saved in the keyboard previously, and load this at power up. Most things get saved to a regi if you tick all the boxes and is a snapshot of your keyboards current state
This may help .
As for the second part of your question.
You can make a midi file use your piano panel voices as selected when you press the buttons on the keyboard, by sending the correct Bank patch change MSB & LSB and Voice / Patch no. in the midi file for that track/channel.
EG.for a Yamaha CVP 405
MSB000 LSB000 voice 001 = XG/GM Piano
MSB000 LSB040 voice 001 = XG/ Piano-Strings
MSB000 LSB112 voice 001 = Keyboard Panel Piano voice.
This info can be found in your manual or data sheet downloadable from Yamaha.
To make life easier a Cakewalk .ins file will let you choose the voice by name and bank in the track view, and insert them for you in the midi file if using Cakewalk as your Daw
BIAB use .pat files these can be converted by BIAB from Cakewalk .ins file
Providing you install this in BIAB you can then choose these better voices, in the mixer tracks by, select midi instrument (patch) / select higher bank patch (from patch file)
This way if you have your keyboard selected as an external synth you can use the say panel keyboard voices to play your BIAB midi tracks through you keyboard.
The above assumes you have installed the midi driver for your keyboard on the pc and it shows up as a midi input and output device in BIAB or Cakewalk etc.
Late edit,
I notice that the YDP-163 only has 10 instrument voices, no xg etc. therefore you can’t use this as a GM external synth unless you only want the ten voices included so not suitable for the BIAB mid style parts
Hope this is not too daunting,
Have fun.
Mike
Last edited by Mike Head; 11/06/18 11:02 AM.
BIAB2021 UltraPlus,AsusN55S1Tbssd, W10/64,Akai EIEpro Yamaha CVP405,SquireStrat, CoolsoftVMidSynth Novatation Impulse61 Ctr kbd, Cwalk blab Kontakt http://mikesmusic.byethost16.com/
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Nevermind, just caught Mike Head's edit on not being GM compatible ..
Last edited by rharv; 11/06/18 03:04 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Hi All,
Many thanks for the help with the (very detailed) MIDI info. I'm going to have do a bit more background as it looks like I do need to get some more understanding with all the above, before having a second look.
Once again - many thanks for your help!
ShaunHH Yamaha Arias YDP-163 Piano, Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 mk2, PC: i7-3770, 8GB Ram Software: Band-in-a-Box Pro 2018(v508), Transcribe 8.6 , Reaper 5.7
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