Synido TempoPAD MIDI Pad Beat Maker Machine User Manual

Synido TempoPAD MIDI Pad Beat Maker Machine

WELCOME

Thank you for choosing Synido TempoPAD. Tempo PAD is an input control device based on MIDI protocol. You can quickly input notes or issue control commands in the DAW with it to improve work efficiency. It is very suitable for music production, DJ and live performance. With the devotion and efforts of our team, it is now a cool product with excellent design and a smooth feel. It is worth mentioning that this device only outputs MIDI commands without generating sound signals, so it requires some knowledge of music to use it properly.

Features

• 16 velocity-sensing pads with RGB backlit, 2 working modes;
• 6 transport control buttons: fast forward, fast backward, stop, record, play/pause and loop;
• 4 endless rotary encoders which work in 3 groups as 12 controllers. They can generate CC, channel after touch or pitch bend events;
• Multiple ports make it easy to connect computers, mobile phones, tablets and other devices;
• With traditional MIDI output [3.5mm MIDI output);
• The self-contained desktop control software can visually adjust the function distribution on the hardware.

PACKING LIST

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PANEL DESCRIPTION

Front Panel:

1. Pad: 16 velocity-sensitive pads. Tap the pad[s] to send MIDI commands; The pads work in two modes.
2. Knob: 4 encoders capable of 360 ° free rotation. Rotate the knob[s] to send MIDI commands; The knobs work in three user-defined groups sending 12 kinds of commands.
3. Function Control Button:
   • Press the KNOB BANK button to switch the three knob groups in turn;
   • Press the PAD BANK to switch three pad groups in turn;
   • Press the MODE button to switch the Pads into Key Mode or User-Defined Mode;
   • Press the TAP TEMPO button to determine the tempo by tapping;
   • Press the NOTE REPEAT button to activate/deactivate the note repeating function. Press the VELOCITY TYPE button to switch the velocity curve of PAD in turn.
4. Transport Control Button:
   Six transport control buttons can send transport commands. The command is sent in the CC event or MMC event. You can edit this event through the supporting control software provided with the device.

Back Panel:

1. USB-C Port: Use USB-TYPE-C cable to connect this USB port to your computer or mobile device. The USB port of the computer will provide power for Tempo PAD and exchange data with your computer.
2. Power Switch: Turn on and off the device.
3. DC-5V: Power supply port, which provides power only; When TempoPAD connects mobile devices (mobile phones/tablets] through USB-C port, this port can provide additional power through this port to prevent excessive power consumption of mobile devices.
4. MIDI OUT: The 3.5mm socket outputs signal with standard MIDI protocol, and a TS to 5 PIN DIN converter cable is required.
5. Lock Hole: You can use this lock hole to fix TempoPAD on the table or other surfaces.

OPERATING GUIDE

Connection to computer:

1. Use the USB-A to USB-C cable to connect the interface with the “USB-C” logo of the MIDI Drum Pad and computer.

Connection to mobile or tablet:

1. Use the USB-C to USB-C / Apple Cable to connect the interface with the “USB-C’ logo of the MIDI Drum Pad and the mobile or tablet.
2. The ‘DC-5V” interface can only supply power, not transmit data, and can be connected to power supply devices such as rechargeable batteries for power supply.

Note:

1. When connected to an Apple mobile device, an additional power supply is required for use.
2. The USB-C to USB-C/Apple cable needs to be purchased by the user.

PADS:

The pads of Synido TempoPAD work in two modes: keyboard mode and user-defined mode. Press the MODE key to switch modes. The color of the backlight under the MODE key indicates the current mode: red represents the key mode; Green represents user-defined mode.

Keyboard Mode (MODE key light is red): In the keyboard mode, pads work by imitating the piano keys, and by tapping the pads, the device generates NOTE events. By default, tapping PAD1-PAD13 to send 12 semitones from C1-C2 (as shown in the figure). Press PAD15/PAD16 to move up or down octaves. In this mode, the BANK function is disabled.

User-Defined Mode (MODE key light is green): In this mode, the pads generate the NOTE/CC/PC event according to your settings, and the color of the pads can also be customized to your preference. You can edit 3 user-defined groups and quickly switch groups by pressing the PAD BANK button. You need to use the supporting software to set the product. Please read further in this manual to see how.
In user-defined mode, press and hold the MODE key (the key backlit turns yellow) to light up all pads’ backlight.

Velocity Curve:
TempoPAD features four velocity curves to adapt to different playing habits, namely, fixed velocity, soft, medium and hard. The velocity curve affects the feedback of the output note velocity to the tapping intensity on the PAD (applicable to both PAD modes).
Press the VELOCITY TYPE button to switch between different velocity curves. The backlight of the key indicates the current velocity curve type: Fixed Velocity – White: in this mode, the device always output a fixed velocity no matter how hard or soft you tap the pads. The default output velocity is 127. You can also change this velocity value through the supporting software (see the Software section for details); Soft – Blue: It is suitable for players who are used to tapping with less intensity. Tap the pads softly to get higher velocity notes; Medium – Green: The velocity is linearly related to MIDI value, which is applicable to most music and perform­ers; Hard – Red: It is suitable for players who are used to tapping the pads with greater strength. It needs to tap harder to get greater velocity notes.

Knobs:

TempoPAD features four endless rotary encoders, which work in three groups, and can control 12 parameters in total. Each knob can send CC events, channel aftertouch events or pitch bend events.
Press KNOB BANK button to cycle red, green and blue (corresponding to A, Band C) groups in turn. The color of the LED below the button and knob indicates the current group.
You can use the supporting software to define the parameters sent by each knob. Please refer to the description of supporting software for details.

By default, the events sent by the rotary knob are as follows:

Transport Buttons:
TempoPAD has six transport control buttons with backlit: fast forward, fast backward, stop, record, play/pause, and loop buttons. Press the buttons to send CC or MMC events. When sending CC message, the backlight is green; When sending MMC message, the backlight is red. You can change the message through the supporting software. See the description of the supporting software for details. If the device sends MMC messages, you need to turn on the MMC slave function in your DAW; If the device sends CC messages,you should set up a controller mapping which means the relationship between the DAW and controller to achieve the corresponding functions. Without assigning functions in the DAW, the buttons do not control anything.
Note: There is no corresponding function of LOOP in the MMC command, so the LOOP button sends CC message only.

By default, press the button to send CC events, see the following table:

NOTE REPEAT & TAP TEMPO:
TempoPAD has the functions of note repeat and tap tempo. Turn on the note repeat function, and the device will repeatedly send note events according to the setting: Tempo, note type and SWING; The tempo can be set by repeatedly pressing the TAP TEMPO button.

TAP TEMPO Button: This button is used to set the tempo. If the note repeat function is turned on, the LED light under the button will flash, and the flashing speed represents the tempo. If pressing multiple times, the device will measure the speed, and the light will flash along with the tempo that the user presses the button, that completes the setting.
Press The NOTE REPEAT Button to Turn The Note Repeat Function On or Off: After the function is enabled, press and hold the pad, and the device will repeatedly send note events according to the note type and tempo set by the user until the pad is released;

Press And Hold The NOTE REPEAT Button (The button backlight is red) while Pressing The Pad (The pad backlight is green) to Set The Note Type And SWING Amount:
NOTE REPEAT+ pad 1 – 8 to select the note type: quarter (1/4), eighth (1/8), sixteenth (1/ 16) or 32th (1/32]; On Pads 5- 8, T represents triplet; NOTE REPEAT+ pad 9-14 to select swing amount: 50%(off], 55%, 57%, 59%, 61% or 64%.

Note The NOTE REPEAT function only takes effect for note events. When the PAD is set to send CC or PC events, the NOTE REPEAT function does not take effect.

DESCRIPTION OF SUPPORTING SOFTWARE

Software Download And Installation:
There is a supporting software to edit, write, or read the configuration of the TempoPAD and thus the TempoPAD could generate various MIDI commands.

The download address of the supporting software is:
https://www.synido.com/support/downloads/

After downloading, please run the program to install.

Software Interface:

1. Menu
2. Knob setting area
3. Transport setting area
4. Pad setting area
5. Connection status area
6. Send/get the settings on the hardware

Device Occupation [WINDOWS system only):
The connection status of the device is displayed at the lower right corner (5) of the software. Only when ·connected” is displayed, the software can write or read the configuration on the TempoPAD;
If “Connected” is displayed here, it means the software and TempoPAD is connected, and the software can transfer the configuration with the device;
If ‘Not Connected’ is displayed here, it may be because the device is not normally connected to the computer, or DAW is occupying the device at this time; You need to exit the DAW or other programs that are occupying the TempoPAD, and sometimes you need to reconnect the device.

Menu:
The functions of the menu are: open, save, save as, send to hardware, get from hardware, restore to default, and exit.

• Open: Read a configuration file.
• Save: Save the current parameter configuration in the current preset file. If there is no preset file, a dialog box will be opened to save it as a new file, which will be saved with the extension of .stm.
• Save As: Saves the current configuration as a new preset file.
• Send to Hardware: Send the current configuration to TempoPAD.
• Get from Hardware: Get configuration from TempoPAD.
• Restore Default Value: Restore to the factory default.
• Exit: Exit the control panel.

Knob Area:

• Click the Save tab to switch to the group to be edited;
• Click the tag to select the event type. The optional types are: CC, channel aftertouch or pitch bend event;
• Enter the minimum value and maximum value to determine the control range of the knob; Select the channel of the event.

Transport Area:

• Click the tag selection button to send CC events or MMC events;
• Enter the event number;
• Click the button to switch the function instant or switch [it cannot be adjusted when sending the MMC command];
• Select the channel of the event.

PAD Area:

• Click the Save tab to switch among group A, Band C;
• Click the small color block to open the RGB color editor to adjust the backlit color of the PAD; Click Channel to select the channel to send the event;
• Click the PAD tab to select the event type: the optional types are: note, CC, and PC;
• If you select a note event, enter a number in the key bar, or click the note name to adjust the pitch of the note; The momentary/latch function cannot be selected in note events;
• If selecting CC events, enter the event number in the key bar;
• If selecting PC events, enter the event number in the key bar; In PC event mode, the momentary/latch function is unavailable, and each time you press PAD, a PC event is sent.

Note: in momentary mode: when pressing a key, an event with a value of 127 will be sent, and when releasing the key, an event with a value of D will be sent; In latch mode: events with values of 127 and D will be sent alternately, every time you finish a press+ release operation.

Auto Populate:
Auto Populate allows you to quickly lay out certain functions on the panel with a certain regularity. Click Auto Populate in the menu to open the window. Fill in the corresponding parameters in the window, check them, and click the application on the right to quickly layout the parameters to the panel.

Knob: Quickly set CC value, range and channel, Aftertouch range, aftertouch channel, Pitch bend coarse tuning, fine-tuning range and pitch bend channel.
Launchpad: Quickly set CC, NOTE, PC values and RGB light effects.
Pressure threshold: Quickly set the velocity value and velocity curve.

Firmware Upgrade:
Connect the device, until the software displays ·connected”;
Click Help Menu-About, and click firmware update in the dialog box opened.
If the software cannot be opened/connection prompts appear,please contact us I Amazon Seller Buyer Message or cs@synido.com ).

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

• Product Model: TempoPAD P16
• Color: Black+ Purple
• Material: Plastic + Silica Gel
• Power Consumption: 25DmA
• Product Weight: 500g
• Product Size: 2141573Dmm

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

For more FAQ, visit Support Center: Synido.com/support or scan the QR code .or email us through cs@synido.com

WORKING TIME: 9:00 – 18:00 ( MONDAY TO FRIDAY, GMT+B}

APPENDIX

MIDI Event Interpretation:

• Event: A MIDI command.

• Channel: There are 16 channels in MIDI protocol, and most MIDI events contain channel information. Users can set on the receiving device to hear only the events from a certain channel. For example, device A only receives events from channel 1, and device B only receives events from channel 2. Then on the sending device, the user can send channel 1 events to control device A, and send channel 2 events to control device B.

• CC Event: Controller Change event. A CC event contains the following information: channel number, CC number, and event value. MIDI protocol defines some specific CC numbering functions, for example, CC#7 event is the main volume event, and CC# 64 is the piano pedal event; Some CC commands are not defined functions, so users can define them as wish. See the appendix for the definition of CC events;
  CC event can be a single command: for example, press a PAD and send a command of CC# 64 at value 127, and the receiving device will execute the action of opening the piano pedal after receiving the command; It can also be continual commands, such as rotating a knob to send events of CC # 7 with a value from O to 127. After receiving the command, the system will adjust the volume from the minimum to the maximum.

• PC Event: Program Change event. It is also a kind of control command containing channel information and event numbers. It usually used for voice change.

• Momentary: When a key [button) is pressed, an ON event is sent, and when a key [button) is released, an OFF event is sent; For example, when a pad is used to imitate the function of the piano keys, the “Note ON” command is sent when the pad is pressed, and the “Note OFF” command is sent when the pad is released.

• Latch: When the full operation of pressing+ releasing is completed, the ON and OFF events will be sent alternately; For example, it can be used as a switch. Each time you tap a pad, it alternately sends commands with values of 127 and 0. Set 127 as ON and O as OFF at the receiving end, the control effect can be achieved.

CC Default Event List:

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