MIDI Integration
Gigmeister sends MIDI program changes automatically as you navigate through songs. No more fumbling with patch changes mid-song.
Supported Messages
Section titled “Supported Messages”| Message Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Program Change (PC) | Switch patches/presets |
| Bank Select (MSB/LSB) | For devices with multiple banks |
| MIDI Thru | Forward incoming MIDI to another device |
| SysEx | Sent automatically by known devices that need it — e.g. selecting Roland VR-730 synth-part tones |
Device Configuration
Section titled “Device Configuration”Each user configures their own MIDI devices. This means the keyboard player and guitarist can have completely different MIDI setups, and each receives the correct program changes when the band advances to the next song.
Adding a Device
Section titled “Adding a Device”- Open the Devices tab (under Stage)
- Add a device
- Choose a device type (Generic, Known Device, or MIDI Thru)
- Select the MIDI output port
- Configure channel (1-16)
The Devices tab is personal: it lists your own devices, your MIDI Scenes, and your Controls.
Device Types
Section titled “Device Types”Generic
Section titled “Generic”Standard MIDI devices that accept Program Change messages. You specify the PC number (or Bank MSB/LSB + PC) directly.
Known Devices (53 Supported)
Section titled “Known Devices (53 Supported)”Pre-configured devices with human-readable program names. Instead of remembering that your Rhodes patch is Bank MSB 0, LSB 2, PC 23, you just pick “Rhodes Mk1” from a list.
Stage Keyboards
- Nord Stage 4, Stage 3, Electro 6, Piano 5, Grand
- Yamaha CP88, YC Series, Montage
- Korg Kronos
- Roland RD-2000, FA-08, VR-730
- Hammond SKX
- Kurzweil PC4
- Dexibell Vivo S9
Synthesizers
- Moog Subsequent 37, Moog One
- Sequential Prophet Rev2, Prophet 6, OB-6
- Nord Lead A1, Wave 2
- Arturia PolyBrute, MicroFreak
- Novation Peak, Bass Station II
- Oberheim OBX8
- Waldorf Blofeld
- Access Virus TI
- Korg Minilogue XD, MicroKorg, MicroKorg 2, Prologue, Wavestate
- Modal Cobalt8
- ASM Hydrasynth
- Behringer DeepMind 12
- Elektron Digitone, Analog Four
- Roland System-8
Workstations
- Roland Jupiter-X, Fantom
- Yamaha Montage, Montage M, MODX M
Effects Processors
- Line 6 Helix
- Kemper Profiler
- Fractal FM9
- Boss GT-1000
- Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Drums
- Roland SPD-SX
- Nord Drum 3P
Host Software
- Apple MainStage
- Gig Performer
- Camelot Pro
Running software instruments live? See Plugin Hosts for the full setup — including driving a host on your laptop from the iPad you perform with.
MIDI Thru
Section titled “MIDI Thru”Pass-through device that forwards incoming MIDI messages to another device. Useful for chaining multiple keyboards or routing MIDI through an effects chain.
Song MIDI Settings
Section titled “Song MIDI Settings”For each song, configure which program to send to each device:
- Open a song in the editor
- Go to the Song Automations tab
- In the Patches section, set the program for each configured device
- Enable/disable individual devices per song
Patches only show when Show MIDI Controls is on in Settings > Personal > MIDI. If your song uses song steps, you can assign different programs to each step — for example, a piano patch on the verse and a synth pad on the chorus.
MIDI Scenes
Section titled “MIDI Scenes”Save a snapshot of program changes across multiple devices at once, and recall it on any song with a single tap. Useful when you have a signature sound that spans several pieces of gear — for example, a “ballad” scene that loads a Rhodes patch on the Nord, a string pad on the Roland, and a clean tone on the guitar amp.
- In the Devices tab, open MIDI Scenes and tap New Scene — or set up a step’s patches and use Save as Scene in the song editor
- Give it a name (e.g., “Ballad Pad”)
- Apply it to any song step with Apply Scene in the Patches section
Scenes are personal — each band member maintains their own scene library. They live alongside your MIDI device list, which is also per-user (see Device Configuration).
MIDI Clock
Section titled “MIDI Clock”Gigmeister can act as the clock master, generating 24 PPQN MIDI clock at the song’s tempo, or as a clock slave, listening to clock from an external source device.
- Master (default) — Clock is generated internally from the song’s BPM
- Slave — Pick a source device under MIDI Clock Mode in Settings > Personal > MIDI. Gigmeister listens for incoming clock and aligns playback (click track, backing tracks) to the external pulse
Useful when your band already syncs to a drum machine or DAW that owns the tempo.
Controls (Foot Pedal Navigation)
Section titled “Controls (Foot Pedal Navigation)”Map a control to drive Gigmeister hands-free during performance. Open the Devices tab and scroll to the Controls section. The same panel maps MIDI and keyboard input, so a MIDI foot controller, a drum pad, or a Bluetooth page-turner pedal all bind here.
Available Actions
Section titled “Available Actions”| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Next Song | Navigate to the next song in setlist |
| Previous Song | Navigate to the previous song in setlist |
| Next Step | Advance to the next step, or next song if on last step |
| Previous Step | Go back to the previous step, or previous song if on first step |
| Play MIDI Clip | Play the current song’s MIDI clip |
| Stop MIDI Clip | Stop the currently playing MIDI clip |
| Toggle Click Track | Start/stop the click track |
| Tap Tempo | Tap to set the song tempo in real-time |
| Toggle Backing Track | Start/stop the current step’s backing track |
| Next Page | Go to the next page of the lead sheet |
| Previous Page | Go to the previous page of the lead sheet |
- Tap Learn on the action you want to map
- Press a button, footswitch, pad, or key on your controller — MIDI or a Bluetooth pedal
- The input is captured automatically — a MIDI CC number, a specific note, or a keyboard key (what a Bluetooth page-turner sends) all work, so you can map actions to drum pads, keyboard keys, or a foot pedal
A keyboard binding replaces the action’s MIDI binding, and the built-in page-turner keyset already covers arrows, page up/down, space, and enter without any mapping — so use Learn when you want a non-default key.
Trigger Options
Section titled “Trigger Options”- On Press — Trigger when the CC value goes above 64 (or on note-on)
- On Release — Trigger when the CC value goes below 64 (or on note-off)
- Any — Trigger on any value change
Bluetooth MIDI on iOS
Section titled “Bluetooth MIDI on iOS”Wireless MIDI interfaces and hubs (CME WIDI, Yamaha MD-BT01, and similar) work on iPhone and iPad, with two things to get right.
- Connect the interface first. iOS only lists a Bluetooth MIDI port once an app has paired it, and Gigmeister doesn’t pair Bluetooth MIDI itself. Connect through the interface maker’s app (the CME WIDI app for WIDI gear), then open Gigmeister.
- Point the instrument at the interface’s port. The hub or adapter is not a device in Gigmeister—it’s the cable. Add the instrument it’s plugged into (a Kemper, a Nord, a Helix) and set its MIDI Output Port to the interface’s port. Auto-detect looks for a port named like the device, so it won’t find a port called “WIDI THRU6 BT”.
Then check the channel matches the one the instrument listens on.
Platform Support
Section titled “Platform Support”| Platform | MIDI Support |
|---|---|
| iOS | Full native MIDI support |
| Desktop | Full native MIDI support |
| Web (Chrome/Edge/Opera) | Web MIDI API |
| Web (Safari/Firefox) | Not supported |
| Android | Native MIDI in the Android app (beta) |