SongBook+ can also respond to other freely configurable MIDI commands and trigger freely configurable actions.

You can set how SongBook+ should respond to which MIDI commands in the function for MIDI foot pedals.

You can find more information on this on the page MIDI Foot Pedals.

SongBook+ can very flexibly control other devices via MIDI and can also be controlled by other devices via MIDI.

On the following pages, you will find descriptions of all MIDI features of SongBook+.

SongBook+ can play standard MIDI files, but it does not have a built-in synthesizer to produce sound from them.

To produce sound from MIDI data, you need either an external hardware connected via MIDI (such as a keyboard or a sound module) or a synthesizer app from another developer that runs in the background and receives signals from SongBook via “Virtual MIDI.”

One possible app that can be used to produce sounds directly on the iPad is, for example, “bismark bs-16i.” If this app is running in the background with “Virtual MIDI” enabled, you will hear the music directly on the iPad without external hardware.

Send MIDI Stop when a song is stopped

In the SongBook+ settings, you can configure whether MIDI Stop should be sent when stopping a song.

Send additional configurable MIDI commands

With the "Actions on Stop" button in the song's edit window, you can define any MIDI commands that should be sent when the song is stopped.

For a description, please refer to .

Send the same MIDI commands for all songs

In the MIDI settings under "MIDI" -> "MIDI Macros" -> "Macros When Handling Songs," you can select a predefined MIDI macro that will be sent when any song is stopped. It can also be determined if it should be sent even if the song already has its own "Actions on Stop."

For a description, please refer to .

Send the contents of a MIDI file when a song is stopped

SongBook sends the contents of a MIDI file as soon as a song is stopped, if a .mid file with the same name as the .pdf file extended with "_stop.mid" exists.

(e.g., MySong.pdf -> MySong_stop.mid)

Only MIDI files of type 0 (single track) are allowed. All commands are sent at once without considering the timing. This cannot send music, but only commands to configure the environment.

With the special annotation "Action Button," you can also send freely configurable MIDI commands at the push of a button from the lyrics or sheet music.

How to insert and configure such an action button annotation can be found on the page Function Button Annotations.

You can also let SongBook+ send MIDI commands when a song is opened.

A typical application for this is to set external devices, like a keyboard, to match the selected song.

There are several ways to send MIDI commands:

Send the Configured BankSelect/ProgramChange Commands

SongBook+ sends the BankSelect and ProgramChange commands set in the "Edit Song Details" window when the "Send MIDI Command on Opening" switch is turned on.

The MIDI channel on which SongBook+ sends these commands is the same as the one set for MIDI reception.

With these settings, a BankSelect High 1, a BankSelect Low 5, and a ProgramChange 16 command are sent on Channel 1 to the MIDI output.

Send Additional Configurable MIDI Commands

With the "Actions on Opening" button in the song's edit window, you can define any MIDI commands that should be sent when opening the song.

Send the Same MIDI Commands for All Songs

In the MIDI settings under "MIDI" -> "MIDI Macros" -> "Macros When Operating Songs," you can select a predefined MIDI macro, which will then be sent upon opening every song. It can also be specified below if it should be sent even when the song already contains its own "Actions on Opening."

Send the Content of a MIDI File When a Song is Opened

SongBook+ sends the content of a MIDI file as soon as a song is opened if a .mid file exists with the exact same name as the .pdf file, extended with "_open.mid".

(e.g. MySong.pdf -> MySong_open.mid)

Only MIDI files of type 0 (single track) are allowed. All commands are sent at once without considering timing. Thus, music cannot be sent, but only commands to configure the environment.

Send MIDI Start when a Song is Started

In the SongBook+ settings, you can configure whether MIDI Start should be sent when a song is started.

Send More Configurable MIDI Commands

With the "Actions on Start" button in the song's edit window, you can define any MIDI commands to be sent when the song is started.

With the special annotation "Function Button," you can adjust the value of a specific MIDI controller on a specific MIDI channel using a slider, triggered by pressing a button in the song lyrics or music notes.

How to insert and configure such a function button annotation can be found on the page .

Send Configurable MIDI Commands

With the "Actions when Playing" button in the song's edit window, you can define any MIDI commands to be sent at specific times while playing the song.

The window that opens is very similar to "Actions on Opening," but for each inserted MIDI event, you can additionally set the time it will be sent.

In the upper right, there is also a button that allows you to set the time for the next event to be used before inserting an event.

This time is automatically increased by 0.01 second after each event is inserted, so that consecutively added events automatically acquire advancing timestamps and the sequence is clearly determined by the timestamps.

If there are no MIDI events in the list when the popup window is opened, the button still shows 00:00:00. The first inserted MIDI event will, therefore, have the time 00:00:00.

If there are already MIDI events in the list when the window opens, the time from the last MIDI event + 0.01 seconds is automatically used. The next inserted MIDI event will then by default be inserted 0.01s after the last existing MIDI event.

You can also insert MIDI events using the learning function with the "Learn MIDI Events" button. When you press this button, you'll first be asked whether the events should be recorded time-controlled or continuously. "Time-controlled" means the timestamps will be set as the MIDI events are received and learned in real-time. "Continuous" means the received events will get consecutive timestamps, each event 0.01 seconds higher than the previous one. In this case, it doesn’t matter how quickly and when the events are received and learned. For both variants, the starting time taken is the one currently set on the time button.

MIDI macros are a very powerful MIDI feature of SongBook+.

They allow you to define a sequence of MIDI commands, which can then be used in many different places within SongBook+:

• As an action with foot pedal settings

• As an action with gesture control

• As an action in function buttons

• As an action in a MIDI macro (nesting macros)

• As an action in songs upon opening/starting/stopping/closing

• As a global action when opening/starting/stopping/closing songs

• Macros marked as favorites appear in the MIDI button in the toolbar

This allows you to define often-used MIDI sequences, for example, to turn certain effects on or off once, and then use them across many songs instead of entering the same sequence everywhere. This also has the advantage that you can later adjust this sequence centrally in one place.

SongBook+ can listen for BankSelect and ProgramChange commands on the MIDI interface and then open a song. These commands are typically used to select an instrument.

A typical application for this is when ProgramChange commands are sent from a MIDI style, from a MIDI file being played, or from the keyboard when selecting a registration. SongBook+ then opens the matching text. (A MIDI style may repeatedly send the same ProgramChange command without issues).

SongBook+ opens a song when it receives BankSelect and ProgramChange commands as configured in the "Edit Song Details" window.

Please note that SongBook+ uses values from 0 to 127. If your keyboard instead uses values from 1 to 128, you need to subtract 1 to get the value to set in SongBook+.

With these settings, the song will be opened when a MIDI device sends the command to select instrument 16 on bank 1 / 5.

Press this button if you want to use a MIDI sequence to learn instead of setting with the dials.

For Yamaha keyboards and Korg keyboards of the PA series, SongBook+ has a built-in function "Simple Keyboard Control", which allows you to easily connect the keyboard with SongBook+ with minimal configuration.

Depending on the model, you can then select a song in SongBook+, and the keyboard will automatically set the registration that matches the song, or conversely, when selecting a registration on the keyboard, the corresponding song will open automatically.

In the MIDI settings of SongBook+, you will find a section "Simple Keyboard Control" with various control options to choose from.

KORG SongBook Entries (Code)

With this control method, the entries from the internal SongBook of the keyboard are linked with the entries in SongBook+.

Many other keyboards can also be connected to SongBook+. However, you will need to find out from the manuals of the respective keyboards how they can be controlled via MIDI or what MIDI commands they can send to control other devices.

You can then configure SongBook+ so that it opens songs remotely via MIDI and/or sends MIDI commands when opening a song to control the keyboard remotely.

You can find more about this here:

For some keyboards, there are also separate manuals, some of which have been provided by customers:

There are different ways to connect the iPad with MIDI.

Older iPads to devices with USB-MIDI connection

Many iPad models do not yet have a USB-C connection, but a Lightning or even a 32-pin connection.

Many MIDI adapters and some devices (keyboards, etc.) have a USB connection for MIDI.

Because the older iPad models do not have a USB connection by default, an adapter is needed to extend the iPad with a USB connection. Apple calls this adapter the "iPad Camera Connection Kit."

USB-MIDI adapters and USB-MIDI devices can then be connected to it, provided they are compatible with Apple.

Send MIDI Start When a Song is Stopped

In the SongBook+ settings, you can configure whether MIDI Start should be sent when a song is stopped.

Send Other Configurable MIDI Commands

With the "Actions When Stopping" button in the song's edit window, you can define any MIDI commands to be sent when the song starts.

For a description, please refer to .

Send the Same MIDI Commands for All Songs

In the MIDI settings under "MIDI" -> "MIDI Macros" -> "Macros When Operating Songs," you can select a previously defined MIDI macro that will be sent when every song is started. You can also specify whether it will be sent even if the song already contains its own "Actions When Starting."

For a description, please refer to .

Send the Contents of a MIDI File When a Song is Stopped

SongBook sends the content of a MIDI file as soon as a song is stopped if a .mid file with the same name as the .pdf file, extended with "_stop.mid," exists.

(e.g., MySong.pdf -> MySong_stop.mid)

Only MIDI files of type 0 (single track) are allowed. All commands are sent at once without considering the timing. Thus, this cannot be used to send music, only commands to configure the environment.