01-12-2023, 10:27 PM
Hi, I wanted to turn pages in MobileSheets for android using the pedals of my Roland FP-30X (the official pedal unit is called KPD-70), which allows the soft and sostenuto pedals to act as left/down/pgdown and right/up/pgup keys via bluetooth.
Unfortunately, this took me a few hours to finally figure it out, so I wanted to write here the steps I found in case someone else is looking for a solution. ;-)
First of all: they are not recognized by MobileSheets as Bluetooth page turning pedals, so it's not possible to use the "Touch & Pedal Settings" section of MobileSheets settings. You have to use the "MIDI Settings" section instead, and configure them as Bluetooth MIDI pedals.
1) Make sure your FP-30X is updated with the latest firmware (check on the Roland website on how to do so, it's trivial)
2) Make sure you turn off Bluetooth or un-pair any other device you may have paired with your FP-30X, to avoid any confusion (sometimes the keyboard connects to other devices first, and can connect only to 1 device at the time).
3) Turn on Bluetooth on the keyboard (hold down Function and hit the A0 key, just before C1). See the attached PDF for more info from Roland if needed.
4) Select the MIDI+Turn Pagers mode (hold down Function and hit E1). See the attached PDF for more info from Roland if needed.
5) Pair the keyboard with your android tablet (keep the Bluetooth button pressed until it blinks, then pair it in your android Bluetooth settings).
6) Configure MobileSheets "MIDI Settings" section as:
- MIDI Receive Channel: 1
- MIDI Send Channel: 1
- MIDI Echo: OFF
- Allow Multiple MIDI Channels: ON
- MIDI Device: Generic
- Prevent Looping Between Songs: ON
7) Click on MIDI Actions and add 1 action (use the plus icon):
- Action: Go To Previous Page
- MIDI Commands (click on the other + icon) as:
- Label: "Soft pedal"
- Command Type: Control Change
- Channel: 1
- Input Port: Any
- Command Number: 67
- Command Value: 127
8) Save, then add a 2nd action (use the plus icon):
- Action: Go To Next Page
- MIDI Commands (click on the other + icon) as:
- Label: "Sostenuto pedal"
- Command Type: Control Change
- Channel: 1
- Input Port: Any
- Command Number: 66
- Command Value: 127
9) Go back to the "MIDI Settings" section and click on "Configure MIDI Connections" (this is the part that I was missing and took me the most to figure out....but was simple). Configure it like the attached screenshot:
- MIDI Library: Google
- Connection Type: Bluetooth
As soon as you click "Bluetooth", a scan will start, and 2 MIDI ports will appear for input and output. CLICK on those two to connect!
10) That's it! Next time you want to use this, you just have to remember to start the app and only then turn on the piano, otherwise you'll miss the automatic Bluetooth connection part. If that happens, you can always go back to "Configure MIDI Connections" and just repeat step 9.
Hope this helps!
(Mobilesheets team, you could make this simpler, for example preparing preconfigured MIDI actions for this kind of pedals, or improving the automated bluetooth connection of the midi device, which sometimes is faulty).
Unfortunately, this took me a few hours to finally figure it out, so I wanted to write here the steps I found in case someone else is looking for a solution. ;-)
First of all: they are not recognized by MobileSheets as Bluetooth page turning pedals, so it's not possible to use the "Touch & Pedal Settings" section of MobileSheets settings. You have to use the "MIDI Settings" section instead, and configure them as Bluetooth MIDI pedals.
1) Make sure your FP-30X is updated with the latest firmware (check on the Roland website on how to do so, it's trivial)
2) Make sure you turn off Bluetooth or un-pair any other device you may have paired with your FP-30X, to avoid any confusion (sometimes the keyboard connects to other devices first, and can connect only to 1 device at the time).
3) Turn on Bluetooth on the keyboard (hold down Function and hit the A0 key, just before C1). See the attached PDF for more info from Roland if needed.
4) Select the MIDI+Turn Pagers mode (hold down Function and hit E1). See the attached PDF for more info from Roland if needed.
5) Pair the keyboard with your android tablet (keep the Bluetooth button pressed until it blinks, then pair it in your android Bluetooth settings).
6) Configure MobileSheets "MIDI Settings" section as:
- MIDI Receive Channel: 1
- MIDI Send Channel: 1
- MIDI Echo: OFF
- Allow Multiple MIDI Channels: ON
- MIDI Device: Generic
- Prevent Looping Between Songs: ON
7) Click on MIDI Actions and add 1 action (use the plus icon):
- Action: Go To Previous Page
- MIDI Commands (click on the other + icon) as:
- Label: "Soft pedal"
- Command Type: Control Change
- Channel: 1
- Input Port: Any
- Command Number: 67
- Command Value: 127
8) Save, then add a 2nd action (use the plus icon):
- Action: Go To Next Page
- MIDI Commands (click on the other + icon) as:
- Label: "Sostenuto pedal"
- Command Type: Control Change
- Channel: 1
- Input Port: Any
- Command Number: 66
- Command Value: 127
9) Go back to the "MIDI Settings" section and click on "Configure MIDI Connections" (this is the part that I was missing and took me the most to figure out....but was simple). Configure it like the attached screenshot:
- MIDI Library: Google
- Connection Type: Bluetooth
As soon as you click "Bluetooth", a scan will start, and 2 MIDI ports will appear for input and output. CLICK on those two to connect!
10) That's it! Next time you want to use this, you just have to remember to start the app and only then turn on the piano, otherwise you'll miss the automatic Bluetooth connection part. If that happens, you can always go back to "Configure MIDI Connections" and just repeat step 9.
Hope this helps!
(Mobilesheets team, you could make this simpler, for example preparing preconfigured MIDI actions for this kind of pedals, or improving the automated bluetooth connection of the midi device, which sometimes is faulty).