Korg - Switching Between Program & Combination Play

[Byron Dickens]

Anyone here know if and how I can switch my Korg X3 from program to combination play mode from within CbB?  Even better would be Program/ Combination/ Sequencer.

I imagine any other Korg workstation would be pretty much the same.

It's not like I can't reach out and press the button but more than once, I have spent an embarrassing number of minutes trying to figure out why something sounded all wrong  before realizing the keyboard was in the wrong mode.

I haven't found any information in the manual about this other than "push the button" unless maybe it is buried in the MIDI implementation chart and looking at that stuff makes my eyes bleed.

[David Baay]

I don't have any Korg gear, but, yes, I would guess it will require sending a SysEx message.

[user 905133]

If I have the right manual (see PM), take a look at Section 2-6 - System Exclusive Messages    >    Function Code List  >     Function 4E  >   MODE CHANGE.  It seems to be receivable in all modes (G C P A) but not when the Sequencer is playing, recording, or on the Data Filer page.

PS: The sysex command is shown 2 pages later. (22) MODE CHANGE  (R, T) . Looks like an 8-byte command.  Best of all--no checksum needed!!!  ?   

See numbered pages 208 and 210 [pdf pages 214 and 216]. See also NOTE 11 (numbered page 212, pdf page 218) which lists the values for the MODE CHANGE sysex command).

Edited February 10, 2022 by User 905133
(4) to add a reference to NOTE 11; (3) to clarify the page numbers in the X2/X3 reference guide pdf; (2) to reference the actual sysex command 2 pages after the function table; (1) to add "but not when the Sequencer is playing"

[abacab]

I had a Korg X2 workstation 25 years ago. Loved that little floppy drive! Before I had a DAW, I used to download MIDI files from the net, and used that floppy to load them into the sequencer.

SysEx sounds like the correct answer here, although I never tried to change modes that way. I'm a button pusher! I did wrangle some SysEx eventually but it was usually simple stuff like loading and saving banks.  But that was many years ago for me!

[user 905133]

6 minutes ago, abacab said:

I did wrangle some SysEx eventually but it was usually simple stuff like loading and saving banks.  But that was many years ago for me! 

If I have the right manual, it is a simple 8-byte sysex command.  I could be wrong, but unlike other sysex implementations I have used, the sysex format doesn't require a checksum or an all broadcast/no checksum needed value.  

Edited February 10, 2022 by User 905133
to add some waffle wording ("I could be wrong").

[John Vere]

I’d be also interested as I have  a Korg 05R/w and if I use it as a hardware device that Mode thing always needs to be changed and sometimes I forget what mode I was using when calling up projects from 10 years ago. 

[msmcleod]

Ok, tested the following on my X5D  - this should also work on the X5, X5DR and 05/RW:

Combi Mode:

F0 42 30 36 4E 00 00 F7

Program Mode:

F0 42 30 36 4E 00 02 F7

Multi Mode:

F0 42 30 36 4E 00 04 F7

As far as I can tell, changing the fourth byte (36)  to 35  should work on the X2, X3 and X3R, e.g:

Combi Mode:

F0 42 30 35 4E 00 00 F7

Program Mode:

F0 42 30 35 4E 00 02 F7

( no Multi mode on the X2/X3/X3R ... not that you really need it... IMO combi mode is far easier to work with on all X series devices )
 

[user 905133]

8 hours ago, msmcleod said:

As far as I can tell, changing the fourth byte (36)  to 35  should work on the X2, X3 and X3R . . . . .

That's consistent with my reading of the X2 / X3 manual I found on line at KORG (assuming the global channel is set to midi channel 1 [hex/value 0]).

F0 42 3g 35 4E 0n 00 F7 where 0n is as follows:

•  00 = combination
• 01 = edit combination
• 02 = program
• 03 = edit program
• 04 = sequencer
• 05 = edit sequencer
• 06 = global
• 07 = disk

 

[Byron Dickens]

11 hours ago, msmcleod said:

Ok, tested the following on my X5D  - this should also work on the X5, X5DR and 05/RW:

Combi Mode:

F0 42 30 36 4E 00 00 F7

Program Mode:

F0 42 30 36 4E 00 02 F7

Multi Mode:

F0 42 30 36 4E 00 04 F7

As far as I can tell, changing the fourth byte (36)  to 35  should work on the X2, X3 and X3R, e.g:

Combi Mode:

F0 42 30 35 4E 00 00 F7

Program Mode:

F0 42 30 35 4E 00 02 F7

( no Multi mode on the X2/X3/X3R ... not that you really need it... IMO combi mode is far easier to work with on all X series devices )
 

Error in the program mode message: 02 and 00 are transposed. It should read F0 42 30 35 4E 02 00 F7

 

To get Sequencer mode, replace 02 with 04.

F0 42 30 35 4E 04 00 F7

Sequencer mode is what you pick if you want to use the synth as a multitimbral sound module.

 

So far this seems to work. I created the 3 different sysex messages and can send them to change modes.

Now I suppose I need to create test projects to check how it works with setting the synth to the correct mode automatically when I open one up

[Byron Dickens]

Dropping back in to report that this is working as desired.