M-Audio MidAir 25, MidAir 37 User Guide

DE SI GN� G RO U P

25/37

Wireless USB MIDI Controller

User Guide

Wireless Technology by

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1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 What’s in the Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3 MidAir Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4 About MidAir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

5 Installation for Advanced Windows XP Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

6 Minimum System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

7 Controls and Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Keyboard Receiver

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8 Hardware Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Scenario 1: MidAir as a Wireless, Host-Based Controller

Scenario 2: MidAir as a Wireless, Standalone Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Scenario 3: MidAir as a Wired, Standalone Controller

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9 Using the MidAir Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Shifting the Octave Range of the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Using the Program Change Up/Down buttons About Program Mode Program Mode Overview

Loading and Saving MidAir Keyboard Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Programming the MIDI Controller Knobs Programming the MIDI Controller Sliders (MidAir 37 Only)

Setting the Sustain Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Setting the Data Entry Slider

Sending Program Change Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Other Functions in Program Mode

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10 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

11 Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Appendix A: Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Appendix B: MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART

Appendix C: Useful MIDI Data Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Appendix D: General MIDI Controller Numbers (MIDI CC's)

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12 Speciﬁcations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

13 Technical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

14 Contact Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

15 Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Thank you for purchasing the M-Audio MidAir 25/37. Please register your product today to ensure full warranty coverage and receive free product updates. Register online at www.m-audio.com/register.

1 Introduction

Thank you for choosing the MidAir 25 or MidAir 37 wireless MIDI controller. MidAir 25/37 combines a powerful MIDI controller keyboard with a high-performance wireless linking system. This allows you to control your MIDI hardware or software without cumbersome cables and gives you the freedom to place the lightweight, ultra-portable keyboard anywhere that best suits your needs—you no longer have to worry about cable lengths, wiring clutter, or accidents caused by cables on your stage or studio ﬂoor.

The MidAir keyboard is an extremely versatile MIDI controller. Its 25 or 37 full-sized keys can be easily transposed to play any octave range you desire, and its pitch wheel, modulation wheel, and assignable knobs and sliders* give you limitless control possibilities over your virtual instruments and hardware. Furthermore, the MidAir keyboard’s compact footprint and batterypowered operation make it the ideal travel companion for when you’re on the road.

Setting up wireless operation is simple. Just connect the MidAir receiver to your computer’s USB port, power up the keyboard, and you’re ready to go. There are no complicated setup procedures or software applications—your audio software treats the MidAir keyboard just like any other wired controller you may have in your studio. Furthermore, your MidAir keyboard has a 5-pin MIDI output and can be used as a standard wired controller at any time, should the need arise.

Whether you’re looking for untethered live performance, or the ﬂexibility to set up and record MIDI tracks anywhere in the studio, MidAir is your wireless MIDI solution.

* Only available on MidAir 37

2 What’s in the Box

< MidAir 25 or 37 wireless MIDI controller

< MidAir receiver

< MidAir Series CD-ROM containing documentation

< CD-ROM containing Ableton Live Lite 5 M-Audio Enhanced Edition

< Printed quick start guide

< Power adapter

< USB cable

3 MidAir Features

< 25 or 37 full-sized, velocity sensitive keys

< Pitch Bend wheel

< Modulation wheel

< Octave and Preset up/down buttons

< Three-digit LED display

< Assignable Data Entry slider

< Eight assignable controller knobs

< Nine assignable controller sliders*

< Program change up/down buttons

< Sustain button

< Sustain pedal input

< Standalone operation—no computer required

< 10 memory presets

* Only available on the MidAir 37

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4 About MidAir

Wireless devices have become increasingly commonplace over the last few years. For example, many people now use wireless keyboards and mice with their computers. Lots of college campuses and coffee shops offer wireless Internet access and some concert venues have switched to wireless microphones and in-ear monitoring systems. All of these developments have improved the lives of end-users by reducing cabling clutter, allowing people to move about freely and work more comfortably. And now, MidAir technology extends this level of convenience to musicians working in the studio as well as performing onstage.

MidAir establishes a one-way 2.4GHz wireless link and delivers a dependable MIDI connection at distances of up to 10 meters (30 feet). This proprietary linking technology constantly monitors the wireless signal and automatically changes frequencies when interference is detected, thereby ensuring a robust connection between the transmitter (keyboard) and the receiver. In cases where extreme interference or battery failure cause the keyboard and receiver units to lose contact, a full MIDI reset (including an all-notes-off “panic” message) is issued to prevent stuck MIDI notes. In short, MidAir frees you from your MIDI cabling, allowing you to work from anywhere in your studio or on stage.

The MidAir receiver is class-compliant—no drivers are required. Simply connect it to your Windows XP or Mac computer and it’s ready to go. Its simple USB connectivity eliminates the need to open your computer to install hardware. Furthermore, your MidAir 25 or 37 keyboard can be powered by six AA batteries for use as a portable MIDI controller—no “strings” attached.

Finally, the MidAir keyboard’s assignable knobs and controls allow you to output all types of MIDI messages on any channel. This lets you manipulate all kinds of hardware and software with ease. The keyboard’s lightweight, compact, and durable design let you travel and work from anywhere.

5 Installation for Advanced Windows XP Users

The MidAir receiver is class compliant. This means that on Windows XP and Mac OS X computers, you can simply connect the receiver to the computer with a USB cable and you’re ready to go. The operating system already has the drivers required to communicate with the receiver.

However, advanced Windows XP users who intend to (1) use MidAir 25/37 with more than one application at the same time, (2) use long SysEx (system exclusive) commands, or (3) simultaneously use other class-compliant USB devices with audio capabilities, should install the special M-Audio drivers for optimum performance.

Installation instructions can be found in the printed Quick Start Guide.

6 Minimum System Requirements

When used with a host computer, a USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 port is required.

Windows*

Pentium 3 600 MHz

256 MB RAM OS X 10.3.9 with 256 MB RAM,

DirectX 9.0c or higher OS X 10.4.5 or greater with 512 MB RAM

Windows XP (SP2) or higher (Mac OS 9 or earlier not supported)

(Windows 98, Me, NT or 2000 not supported)

* Please check the minimum system requirements of your DAW software as they may be higher.

** Native USB port required; G3/G4 accelerator cards are not supported.

Mac OS*

Macintosh G3** 600/G4** 667 MHz

MidAir 25/37 User Guide » 4

7 Controls and Connectors

Keyboard

The MidAir 25 and 37 keyboards are identical except that the MidAir 37 contains an addition octave of keys and 9 MIDI control sliders. For identiﬁcation purposes, the MidAir 37 keyboard is shown below:

1. Pitch Bend Wheel (Pitch) – This wheel lets you create expressive changes in your performances by raising and lowering pitch. Rolling the Pitch Bend wheel upward will raise an instrument’s pitch whereas rolling it downward will lower the pitch. The upper and lower pitch bend limit is determined by settings on your hardware or software synthesizer, not by the Pitch Bend wheel on the MidAir keyboard. Typically, this can be either a half note or an octave up/down. This wheel is spring-mounted and will return to the center detent position when released.

2. Modulation Wheel (Modulation) – This wheel is used to add expressivity to your performance by changing the intensity of certain effects. By default, most synthesizers assign this wheel to control vibrato (change in intonation) or tremolo (change in volume) although it is usually possible to reassign the function of this wheel through the instrument’s control panel.

The MIDI data range of the Modulation wheel is 0 to 127, with 0 being the note-unchanged position. Like the Pitch Bend

wheel, the amount of actual modulation that takes place depends on your instrument’s settings.

3. Sustain Button (Sustain) – Performers who move around with the wireless keyboard may ﬁnd it impractical to attach a sustain pedal. Therefore, this button toggles the sustain parameter (MIDI controller #64) on and off, emulating a sustain pedal.

The button is illuminated when the switch is engaged.

Note that this button can be reassigned to toggle any MIDI controllable parameter in Program mode. To learn how to do this, see the section titled “Setting the Sustain Button” in chapter 9.

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4. Wireless Connection Status LED (Connect) – This green LED displays the current state of the wireless link:

< On – Connected

< Off – Not connected

< Blinking – Connection in progress

5. Octave Up/Down, Preset Select Buttons (Down, Up) – The Octave up/down buttons select the octave range of the keyboard. Press both buttons simultaneously to center the keyboard.

The MidAir keyboard can store 10 presets in memory. These presets can be accessed by pressing the MIDI Select button

(8) and using the Octave up/down buttons to step through the memory banks. Once a preset is located, press the MIDI Select button again to load the preset and to return the up/down buttons to their regular function.

6. Data Entry Slider (Data Entry) - The Data Entry slider sends out MIDI controller data and is used to control MIDI devices and DAW components in real-time. By default, this slider controls volume (MIDI controller #7) although it can be reassigned in Program mode to affect one of ﬁve available MIDI controllers (Velocity Offset, Reverb Depth, Aftertouch, Pan and Volume) or to send out program change messages. To learn how to reprogram this slider, see the section titled “Setting the Data Entry Slider” in Chapter 9.

7. LED Screen - The LED screen displays MIDI functions and data selections. It also displays a warning message when the batteries are low.

8. MIDI Select (MIDI/Select) – This button lets you alternate between MIDI Performance and Program modes on the MidAir keyboard. MIDI Performance mode is where you’ll spend most of your time as you play the keyboard. Program mode allows you to select and change settings such as Data Entry slider (6) and MIDI Controller knob (10) assignments. See chapter 9 of this manual to learn more about Program Mode.

9. Program Change Up/Down (Down, Up) – The Program Change up/down buttons can be used to cycle through your MIDI instrument’s preset sounds. These buttons step through the instrument’s presets one at a time.

Note that this is one of the three ways that you can send program change messages from the MidAir keyboard. All three methods are discussed in detail in chapter 9.

10. MIDI Controller Knobs (1-8) – These eight MIDI Controller knobs give you real time control over your MIDI hardware and software through MIDI Continuous Controller (CC) messages. Each knob is assignable and can be conﬁgured to send out many kinds of control data. See the section entitled “Programming the MIDI Controller Knobs” in chapter 9 to learn how to set these knobs.

11. MIDI Controller Sliders* (9-17) – The MidAir 37 keyboard has nine fully assignable sliders that can send out MIDI control data, just like the MIDI Controller knobs (see above). See the section entitled “Programming the MIDI Controller Sliders” in chapter 9 to learn how to program these sliders.

12. Keyboard – MidAir 25 and 37 have two- and three-octave keyboards, respectively. Both units feature velocity-sensitive keys that can also be used to enter program numbers and other information when the controller is in Program mode. See chapter 9 of this manual for more about the function of these keys during programming.

13. Sustain Input (Sustain Switch) – Connect your sustain pedal’s 1⁄4” connector to this jack. The MidAir keyboard supports all sustain pedal polarities by auto-sensing the pedal’s orientation during startup.

14. MIDI Output (MIDI Out) – If you wish to use the MidAir keyboard as a wired controller, simply connect this output to a MIDI device using a standard 5-pin MIDI cable. This output remains active regardless of whether a wireless link is available or not.

15. Wireless Connect Button (Connect) – The MidAir keyboard and receiver will usually establish a wireless connection automatically. Under some circumstances, excessive interference, distance, or other factors may cause the controller and receiver units to lose contact. If the wireless connection fails and the keyboard and receiver are within a range of 30 feet, press the wireless connect buttons on the transmitter (keyboard) and receiver units to re-establish connection.

If you’re using more than one MidAir wireless setup, you might ﬁnd yourself in a situation where you’ve inadvertently linked

a keyboard to the wrong receiver unit. This will result in your MIDI data being routed to the wrong destination. If this happens, you can simply press the wireless connect buttons on both devices to “re-introduce” them to each other.

This button is recessed to avoid accidental activation. Use a bent paperclip, pen, or other small object to press

the button.

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16. Power Switch – This switch powers the unit on and off. If both AC and battery power are available, the keyboard will opt for AC power in order to preserve battery life. When not in use, be sure to turn off the unit to preserve battery life.

17. Power Jack (DC in 9V) – Connect the optional 9V DC, 500mA external power supply to this jack.

18. Battery Compartment (on bottom) – Accommodates six AA batteries. To avoid damage to the keyboard, observe proper polarity when inserting batteries.

* Only available on MidAir 37

Receiver

1. Power Jack – If you plan to use the MidAir receiver as a standalone device (without a computer), connect the optional 9V DC, 500mA power supply here.

2. USB Connector – Connect a USB cable from this output to the host computer’s USB port. When using the USB connection, the receiver unit is powered via the host computer and a power adapter is not required.

3. MIDI In (In) – You can connect a MIDI device (such as a keyboard or electronic drum kit) to this input. Note that this input varies in function depending on whether your MidAir setup is in standalone mode or connected to a computer:

< When used in standalone mode, either the wireless signal from the MidAir keyboard or from the MIDI input is

routed to the MIDI output port of the receiver. The Standalone Mode switch (8) determines which source is routed.

< When the receiver is used with a computer, the computer sees this port as a separate USB MIDI device that is

unrelated to the MidAir keyboard. Data received at this port is treated as an independent MIDI input, and is not merged with incoming MIDI data from the MidAir keyboard.

4. MIDI Out (Out) – Connect this output to other MIDI devices using a standard 5-pin MIDI cable. The function of this port varies depending on whether you are using the MidAir receiver in standalone mode or with a computer:

< Standalone mode – When operating in Standalone mode, the Standalone Mode switch (8) determines the

source of this output.

< Host Based – When the MidAir receiver is connected to a computer, this port appears as an independent MIDI

out, available for sending MIDI messages from your software to an external MIDI device. In host mode, this MIDI output port has no relation to the MidAir keyboard. In this setup, the Standalone Mode switch is ignored and does not affect operation in any way.

5. Wireless Connect Button – This button operates in exactly the same way as the Wireless Connect button found on the MidAir keyboard. See the description in the previous section for more information about this button.

6. Wireless Connection Status LED – This green LED functions in the same way as the Wireless Connection Status LED found on the MidAir keyboard. Refer to the description in the previous section for more about this LED.

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7. Activity LEDs – The MidAir receiver’s three LEDs indicate the operational status of the unit:

MidAir 25/37

MIDI In

MIDI Out

Wireless Bridge

MIDI Keyboard / Synthesiser

sound

module

Wireless In

MIDI In

MIDI Out

< Yellow – The yellow LED illuminates whenever incoming wireless MIDI data is detected by the receiver unit.

< Red – The red LED illuminates whenever data is received at the wired, 5-pin MIDI input port on the receiver.

Note: When you are in Standalone mode, only the active input source’s LED will illuminate. In other words, only the yellow or red LED can be on at any given time. If your Standalone Mode switch is set to “Wireless” then the yellow LED will light when there is wireless MIDI activity and the red LED will remain off. If the Standalone Mode switch is set to “MIDI” then the red LED will illuminate when there is activity at the wired MIDI port and the yellow LED will remain off. If the Standalone Mode switch is set to “Auto” then the LED for whichever source that is currently being routed to the MIDI out port will illuminate.

When the MidAir receiver is connected to a computer through USB, two separate streams of MIDI data can be sent to the computer. Therefore, both yellow and red LEDs can illuminate at the same time.

8. Standalone Mode Switch – This switch only affects the signal routing when using MidAir as a standalone (non-USB) device. It selects the source of the receiver’s MIDI output port.

The Standalone Mode switch can be set in the following three ways:

< MIDI In – Data from the receiver’s 5-pin MIDI In port is sent to its MIDI Out port. Any data received from

the wireless input is ignored.

< Wireless – Data from the receiver’s wireless input is sent to its MIDI Out port. Any data received from the

wired MIDI In port is ignored.

< Auto – The receiver monitors both the MIDI In port and wireless input and selects whichever input is currently

active. On this setting, the following rules are observed:

< The wireless and 5-pin MIDI In port data streams are never merged—when MIDI data is being received from the

receiver’s MIDI In port, any data received at its wireless input is ignored.

< If no MIDI data is received from the receiver’s wired MIDI In port for 250 milliseconds and incoming MIDI data

is detected at the wireless input, the receiver unit will automatically switch to output the incoming wireless MIDI data stream.

< If the receiver switches from one stream to another, a set of “Note Off” and other MIDI reset commands will be

sent to the MIDI Out port. This prevents any notes that are currently playing from becoming “stuck.”

IMPORTANT: If the Standalone Mode switch is set to “Auto,” it is important to plan your MIDI input sources carefully. For example, if you attempt to drive a synth or other MIDI device by sending an ongoing stream of MIDI data to the receiver’s wired MIDI In port (e.g. MIDI Time Code (MTC) from a sequencer), any MIDI data received at the wireless MIDI input will be ignored.

Additionally, use caution when switching between the wireless input and the MIDI In port as this can sometimes cause notes to stop abruptly.

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