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What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
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Korg MicroKey Air 49 not connecting via bluetooth to 2016 12.9 iPad pro
Hi. I've just bought a Korg MicroKey Air 49 midi keyboard. It is connecting via USB cable to my desktop PC, but failing to connect via Bluetooth to my 2016 first generation iPad pro 12.9 running iPadOS 13.5. I am new to the world of Bluetooth music and was wondering whether there is anything obvious I am missing or what my next move should be. Cheers.
Comments
Make sure that your microkey has the latest firmware.
I have the MicroKey Air 49.
Korg came out with a fix for the MicroKey firmware to work with iOS 13.x.x
Go to Korg.com> Support and find the microKEY Air/System Updater (for microKEY Air 37/49/61) v1.04
You'll also need to use Korg's "Bluetooth MIDI Connect" (available free on the Apple App store) for connecting the microKEY to the iPad.
(I've never been able to connect using the iOS Settings/Bluetooth section.)
Another issue I had.... was after something like iOS 13.4.... I could (temporarily) no longer connect via the "Bluetooth MIDI Connect" App after my iPad "forgot" the MicroKey.
The solution I stumbled upon was to use a Korg App (I think I may have used Mono/Poly), and I set up the Bluetooth connection from within settings in Mono/Poly. That got the iPad to connect and remember the MicroKey. Once the iPad remembered the MicroKey, I could once again connect using Korg's "Bluetooth MIDI Connect" App.
I love the MicroKey, but it can take some serious voodoo magic to get it to connect.
Thanks for the very helpful information! Looking forward to trying it out when I get home.
The Bluetooth Midi connect app is only needed if the host or app you're first trying to connect to doesn't have a Bluetooth Midi connect dialog.
Ok, everything working beautifully now thanks to the advice of horsetrainer! My God, the hoops they make you jump through! Korg's documentation and general support for this keyboard (which is very nice to play btw) is laughably 1995.
And fwiw, yes, the keyboard never seems to connect in the iPad's Settings' Bluetooth page, but just go to a compatible app and the bluetooth connection can be made there.
Thanks again horsetrainer, not sure what would have happened without the info you gave me. It was almost like Korg wanted to keep it a secret.
fwiw, all BlueTooth midi devices follow the same connection process. It's not up to Korg, but Apple how this works.
Oh, good to know, thanks for sparing me any future consternation.
Glad to be of help.
In the end... I think the connection effort is worth it because I think the MicroKey has a very playable key-bed for mini-key controller. It's also a nice controller for using in comfortable relaxing places. You can just fire up the iPad with headphones, turn on the Microkey (with no USB cable), and jam or compose wherever you feel like it.
I keep it next to my bed at night. I often think about sound design while trying to fall asleep. If an idea comes up that I have to have an answer to. I can have iPad and MicroKey up and running in a minute, test my theory, save the result, and go back to sleep.