Korg Forums

Hi everybody,

I have recently bought a Korg M50 and it's a great workstation. However I have just detected a problem that it's driving me crazy.

This bug is associated with the M50 Editor. When I'm sequencing throught an external DAW (Cubase) and using the M50 Editor Plugin, if I configure several programs/tracks on the same MIDI channel (because I want to play several programs at the same time like a combi) everything works fine until I change the program associated to any of the track configured on the same MIDI channel; then every track (on the same MIDI channel) changes to the program previosly selected.

Example:

Track____Program____MIDI CH

1_________Piano________1
2_________Organ_______2
3_________Drums_______3
4_________Brass________4
5_________Strings_______4
6_________Synth________4
...

If I change Track 4 program from Brass to Saxo the happens the following:

Track____Program____MIDI CH

1_________Piano________1
2_________Organ_______2
3_________Drums_______3
4_________Saxo________4
5_________Saxo________4
6_________Saxo________4
...

It's very annoying. Any suggestion will be really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Well, some updates.

If I utilize Cubase as a simple MIDI sequencer (not using M50 Editor as a VST Plugin) but using the standalone M50 Editor, then the issue dissapear, but when I assign several tracks to one MIDI channel, everytime I change the program associated to one of this tracks, then when I play only the last program can be listened. I have to execute "Transmit SEQ" in order to
listen to all the programs in the same MIDI channel. It's really annonying.

I'm pretty sure this behavior is the origin of the problem whe M50 Editor is used as a VST Plugin.

I've tried with other DAW (Cakewalk) and I haven't been able to configure M50 as an VST instrument properly (why is this so difficult??).

Which is your M50 with external sequencer workflow? With or without M50 Editor? M50 Editor as a plugin or standalone? What DAW: Cubase, Cakewalk,..?

Thank you very much

If your tracks are all set to the same MIDI channel, then they are all going to receive the same MIDI patch change and all change to the same patch bank/number.
As you said, transmitting SEQ data from the editor fixes this because that works based on System Exclusive (SYSEX) data which is not channel specific but configures the synth's parameters directly.

Moreover, the problem is probably that you have a MIDI track selected in cubase, which normally means it is receiving and passing through MIDI. If your patch is being changed by SYSEX anyway by the editor, that may be causing the M50 to generate a patch change on that channel, which goes into cubase, and is looped back out again to the M50 at which point all timbres on the same MIDI channel will recieve that change.

I'm not sure if the editor would work on SYSEX or standard MIDI messages for such changes in the short term. But you can easily test for this 2nd scenario by turning Local Off on your M50.

Wow! Thank you very much for your explanation

All you have written makes very sense. Following your instructions I have turned off Local on my M50 but it hasn't worked.

However I have tried to uncheck "Enable Program Change" on my M50 and it has worked perfectly!!!

The parameter can be found here:

GLOBAL P1:MIDI (Midi Routing Tab). Midi Filter Options. Unselect checkbox "Enable Program Change"

Now I can change the program associated to a track from the M50 Editor Plugin and the other tracks with the same MIDI channel remain unchanged.

Thank you again!