MIDI commands to change channels - FYI

Not sure if it's related but I have an issue when firing up the GM40 and during the send of the first PC message from my MorningstarFX midi controller, the GM40 changes the attentunation and things don't work properly - I posted this issue in another thread on this forum, anyways, H&K have confirmed the issue and offered a firmware upgrade and also supplied a work around - after the above, manually change to the watt on the back of the amp and then use the midi controller as intended. Since that solved the problem I'm fine with it since it's not a big deal and I'm not to keen on sending the unit back to H&K.

If you are tinkering in the house it's not a problem but it's suicide (not quite) if you're on stage and the amp goes quiet. Surely the firmware can be updated via a USB to midi cable and the files made available online?

Perhaps that'll come down the line because if the amp is to be used seriously it needs to work flawlessly.

Noticed my response was somewhat unclear - here's an extract from the thread I referred to - it solved my midi inconsistencies. Sorry, no firmware update support via usb/midi on these amps. Needs to be taken or shipped to a certified shop or H&K - also in the thread I'm referring to:

I sent an email to H&K Support and they answered quickly suggesting I manually press any Power Soak button after getting the problem I described and voila it works. A bit strange but a viable work around. Here's the answer I received

"When you power up the amp just select a setting for the power soak manually with the buttons on the back (0,1,5,20 or 40 watts), does the amp works fine then? Otherwise we can offer to update the amp."

Good service by H&K and glad that I can run the amp without the GM40REmote app!

Here's the thread:
https://handkusers.forumotion.com/t349-behavior-of-amp-when-not-connected-to-the-ipad-app

That MIDI switching problem is annoying...meant ti be a safety feature? I'd rather have the control. Have to send the amp all the way back to Getmany for that firmware upgrade huh? Gonna see if I can work something out with Sweetwater where I purchased the amp...

Hello everybody. I have that mute-at-first-pc-send-problem as well. At the moment I most of the time use the app or a control change number via my fcb1010 to not to have get up and push that button on the back.. I'm currently using global power soak mode. Does this also occur on preset-based power soak settings?

If your Midi Controller supports it, you can make a preset, that also sends a control number setting to the amp to get it into the power soak state you want or you have to get used to pick your power soak state at the amp's back panel after you have chosen the first preset.

I will get the upgrade eventually, if I decide to stay with the amp. I haven't yet tested it at live-levels, so that's gonna be decided this week.

Yeh I'm getting this as issue. I can't nail it down to any one midi command. I thought perhaps my boss es-8 was perhaps programmed incorrectly was there was a spurious cc command in the PC or cc calls. Recently however Roland have updated the es/8 to v2 and provided a gui to modify and set up the es-8 patches.

Sounds like a trip back to Germany for the amp.

I play on a live band if I switch patches and all of a sudden the power soak mute is selected I'll be toast.

I'll raise a ticket tomorrow with h&k.

If there's a fix I'd love to hear it.

George, but have you ever had this after the first preset change? As far as I've read it's only happening after you send the first midi command. I'm sure its not caused by any CC calls, a PC command is enough. I only have encountered it after the first PC has been send. It won't happen between a gig. You may try if it happens if you unplug and plug in again your midi floorboard though.

Tomorrow I'm gonna try to make 4 startup patches, each with it's own power soak setting being send at the amp. At the moment I'm using global power soak setting. I dont know where I'll end up after using the amp in a band setup etc.. But I dont like grabbin behind the amp after hitting the midi floor board. Btw I think if an app is connected it doesnt occur at all.

Difficult to say when it happens really but let's try and identify it. I'm only sending a pc command for the amp to switch to a factory preset. I'll try to isolate that preset number, not sure if I'm calling a particular preset which uses a particular channel.

All presets I'm using however have global soak enabled, all at 40watt. Presets I commonly call up are 1,2, 24, 32, 55, 58.

I'll try to isolate if it's the first pc or if it happens multiple times, but when you say first time do you mean after an amp power up? Or first pc after the wmi-1 connects or what?

In fact does it happen if the iPad is connected or not? I think and again I need to isolate the issue it doesn't matter when the iPad is connected or not.

Once the power soak mute bug is active however only a manual press of the button at the rear of the amp restores it to normal operation. Any further midi pcs just get ignored.

Using the boss es-8 I select a h&k preset via the patch midi function. At the same time of the same patch I will also call (on a different midi channel) an eventide h9 preset. My h&k gm40 is midi channel 3, my h9 midi channel 1.

The Boss es-8 is only connected at the start of the cable chain as midi out -> h9 -> wmi-1 interface-> midi
in. I haven't tried this with the wmi1 out of circuit altogether. I.e. Boss es-8 -> h9 -> gm40.

We'll need to try and isolate the issue a bit further, apart from the amp preset call to gm40, I occasionally have a cc set to switch on the amps boost so that would be via an assign command on the es-8. For this I use cc064 and toggle it on and off as required. The bug doesn't appear when this command is sent only when calling up or changing to another preset.

I'm out Saturday but can maybe do a little further investigation over the weekend.

what I've found out so far: it happens as soon as the amp gets the first pc or cc message (not all cc messages seem to trigger it though). there's no way to get the amp into another wattage than "0" via midi. the good message: after you've set the power soak setting to your desire on the back of the amp, the problem will not occur again.

"after you have set the power soak to what you desire it wont happen again?"

So when i am doing a set and playing say White Room and all is well, then i select another preset for the spooky run down bit and the amp goes into mute soak, i need to rush round the back of the amp and press the power soak button i want?

It only happens once though and we don't know when it is likely to occur...

Sorry but without a fix this wont half screw up the performance rendering the amplifier useless for live performance.

When i have time i will try and isolate the problem further, but in the meantime i will raise a ticket with H&K in general terms to get the ball rolling at least.

-TICKET raised.

Ah ok so if this is the way I now see it it's not as bad as I first feared. So in theory before a set I can simply send a pc command and if the above is true then manually select the soak rating and it won't happen again? Wasn't quite clear on what "first time" meant really but now I see it in practice. It's ok for now.

ok to totally clearify it's exactly and only the first midi command sent after you have powered up the amp. yes. Users in other forums have made the same experience and I dont know of anyone who has written about this happening at any other time.