Troubles sending Midi beat clock wirelessly to Helix floor, can I use usb?

[Reggo]

Hey everyone,

So I'm using Bandhelper on an ipad to send midi commands wirelessly to a Roland WM-1. The only commands I send are to select a certain preset for the song, and to send the tempo.
However, I'm finding the tempo to be irradic in the helix...I'm not sure if that's just because it's being sent wirelessly?

I tried hooking up a USB C to the ipad and the other end to the usb port on the helix, and I changed the settings on the helix to receive midi clock through usb, but it isn't working.

My questions are, do I need to change some settings in Bandhelper so it sends the tempo through usb? Or is there some way to simply send the tempo value to my helix rather than beat by beat? And is there something I could change to make the wireless beat work properly?

Thanks!

[arlo]

"Do I need to change some settings in Bandhelper so it sends the tempo through usb?"

If you changed Settings > Tempo & Pitch > Send Beat Clock To Port, you would need to update that. If you left it at the default (all ports) then you shouldn't have to change anything.

"Or is there some way to simply send the tempo value to my helix rather than beat by beat?"

Maybe, but that would depend on what functionality the Helix has. The standard is to send the tempo continuously, 24 times per beat.

"And is there something I could change to make the wireless beat work properly?"

I don't know how much variation you're seeing, but in my experience a wired connection is more reliable than a wireless connection for the large amounts of data that a MIDI tempo requires.

[Reggo]

Thanks Arlo,
I've tried adjusting the setting in Bandhleper you mentioned with the ports and it still isn't sending the beat clock through usb. A real head scratcher for me, I assumed it would be as easy as hooking it up with a cord...lol
Cheers

[arlo]

Does the MIDI activity log show that BandHelper is sending the tempo (F8) messages to all ports?

[Reggo]

Hey Arlo, Yes it does

[arlo]

Does the Helix respond to program changes through USB as it did when connected through the Bluetooth adapter?

[Reggo]

No it doesn't appear to. Actually I'm wondering if the Helix may not be able to communicate through the usb-C at the iPad end....maybe an adapter from C to A might work?

[arlo]

You could try it, but I would guess that simply changing from one kind of USB to another wouldn't make a difference. It's more likely you need to change a setting in the Helix to enable USB MIDI, or add a USB MIDI interface if the Helix's MIDI port isn't class-compliant. Line 6, the maker of the Helix, should be able to answer both of those questions.