Using an iPad, iPhone or MacBook laptop to Control Older Disklaviers
I have been asked several times lately about using Disklavier utilities with Windows 7 or 8. I gave up on anything Windows based almost 2 years ago and switched to whatever I could buy at the iLust store. The sole exception is that I still recommend for owners of Disklaviers from the Mark III and older that they maintain some form of PC that will run Windows XP and preferably older, like Windows 98 to be able to use the DKV utilities. Those utilities are the only source I know of for converting ESEQ to MIDI files or creating playlists for Windows XP (yamplayer), and can be found at www.midiplayertools.com. Some people have had success on their Macs installing a dual boot system and running Windows XP in virtual mode. However that option has never appealed to me because it still requires all those updates and constant virus protection.
Now I have 5 different Apple devices that run on 4 different operating systems, and I would like to control my Mark IIXG Disklavier with an iPhone 5, iPad 2, and a MacBook Pro laptop running Lion. Why? I am finally interested in creating playlists so I don’t need to change the floppy disk every 30 minutes! At least owners of Mark III’s have 16 built-in disks that will each hold 59 to 99 MIDI files. If you own a Mark IV, E3 Disklavier or have the DKC-850 upgrade Control Box, then your system has an IP address and can be controlled wirelessly with the iPhone, iPod or iPad using a free app in the app store. The rest of us need to use the MIDI In port on the control box.
This article assumes you are using MIDI files, either converted from the ESEQ (proprietary format used by Yamaha) using the DKV utilities, or that have the piano parts playing on channels 1 or 2. Even MIDI files that have ensemble tone generated parts will play from a smart phone, and you will be able to hear those parts as long as you have an audio cable connected to a powered speaker from the L output on the DKV control box.
iPhones, iPods and iPads run on a mobile operation system called iOS which is version 6.1 as of this writing for the iPhone 5. Software is purchased thru the App store on a mobile device. Apps purchased for your iPhone will most often run on the iPod or iPad at no extra charge, but not all apps are written for all 3 devices.
MacBook laptops, even though they are portable, run on a desktop operating system, OS X as in the current case OS X 10.7.5 called Lion. You can purchase apps thru the app store or from the developer directly via the internet. If you purchased an app for your iOS device, and want to use the same program on your laptop, you must purchase another version for the OS X device. Thankfully, two programs that are free, communicate with ALL your devices, Mac and Windows, mobile and desktop, that you will need are iTunes and Dropbox.
You will need a hardware item called a MIDI interface. For all Apple devices you need hardware that is Core MIDI compliant. MIDI Out from the interface connects to the MIDI In on the Disklavier. For the mobile devices, there are 3 brands and each costs $69.95. I use the Yamaha i-MX-1. The Apple Store usually carries the iRig MIDI, and the other brand is Line 6 Mobile II. All of these MIDI interfaces come with the older 30-pin connector found on the iPad 2 and iPhone 4, but they all work with Apple’s Lighting Connector adaptor for an additional $28 that you will need for the new iPhone 5 and iPad 3. For the laptop, you need a USB MIDI interface. These are about half the price and the most popular ones should work as long as they are Core MIDI Compliant. Mine is the MAudio Uno I used on my Windows laptop.
Now you need playlist software installed on your device. I suggest Sweet MIDI Player for the iPhone, iPod and iPad. The free version only plays part of the file, but the full version for $14.95 will run on all three devices at no extra charge. If you want to use this player on the laptop, it will cost you $29.95. You can place MIDI files onto your mobile device in 3 ways. The easiest way is to physically connect your mobile device to a desktop or laptop computer running iTunes. Click the Apps tab at the top and drag the midi files into the appropriate box. Another way is to set up a folder in Dropbox and put your midi files there. Dropbox can be used on any computer. Just click on the file in Dropbox, touch the down arrow when it says it cannot open the file, and send it to the Sweet MIDI Player. For single midi files, just email it to your iCloud email and open them in the Sweet MIDI Player.
For my MacBook laptop, I am using Rondo ($25) from fracturedsoftware.com. QMIDI and Sweet MIDI Player also work with Lion.
To get MIDI files to play your Disklavier, you MUST send the data from the software player to the interface. For the mobile device, choose Settings tab. With the iPhone, you need to turn the phone sideways to see the Settings tab! Set Output Type to Core MIDI, and the MIDI Output to iPad Accessory. For the laptop version, the MIDI output must be the name of the MIDI interface.
Make sure your Disklavier is turned on. Press the Function button, then MIDI setup, then Piano Part. Import File settings can be L=PrgAll or whatever channel you want for the piano part.
Enjoy!