Dependencies
Android device above 4.0
Midi Maestro Firmware 1.1.4 or above
Katana Librarian 8.0 or above
Boss Katana Mk1 v4.0 or Mk 2
OTG USB connector and cable
Introduction
With the enabling of BLE Midi on the Midi Maestro (MM) and Katana Librarian (KL), it seemed like an appropriate time to see if the two would work well together.
Why would you want to do this, if you already have a GAFC foot pedal?
Well, the Katana Librarian app will work with all Katanas, not just the ones with MIDI, so you can use the MM with say, an Artist (has MIDI) and a 212 (no MIDI).
The advantage of having the app connected to the Katana makes tweaking the internal effects considerably more convenient and having the MM allows hands free operation. In fact the MM could replace the need for the GAFC footpedal.
The link to the Katana Librarian app also allows the changing of the effect colours (red, yellow, green), which you can’t do with the GAFC or MIDI, which is awesome, so you can switch effects without using up a channel preset.
Katana Librarian allows setlists so you can pretty much have 200 presets and scroll through them with the MM, great for live playing and for also comparing imported presets.
Process
In order to get everything set up, a number of stages need to be completed.
In the Midi Maestro App
Go to ‘My Commands’ and create the following:
| Command Name | Device | Description | Type | Channel | Command | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank A Channel 1 | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘1’ | CC | 1 | 101 | 127 |
| Bank A Channel 2 | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘2’ | CC | 1 | 102 | 127 |
| Bank A Channel 3 | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘3’ | CC | 1 | 103 | 127 |
| Bank A Channel 4 | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘4’ | CC | 1 | 104 | 127 |
| Bank B Channel 1 | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘5’ | CC | 1 | 105 | 127 |
| Bank B Channel 2 | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘6’ | CC | 1 | 106 | 127 |
| Bank B Channel 3 | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘7’ | CC | 1 | 107 | 127 |
| Bank B Channel 4 | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘8’ | CC | 1 | 108 | 127 |
| Previous Patch | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘↑’ | CC | 1 | 109 | 127 |
| Next Patch | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘↓’ | CC | 1 | 110 | 127 |
| Tap | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘T’ | CC | 1 | 111 | 127 |
| Panel | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘P’ | CC | 1 | 112 | 127 |
| Booster/Mod Toggle | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘B’ | CC | 1 | 113 | 127 |
| Booster/Mod Effects | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘Shift-B’ | CC | 1 | 114 | 127 |
| Delay/FX Toggle | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘D’ | CC | 1 | 115 | 127 |
| Delay/FX Effects | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘Shift D’ | CC | 1 | 116 | 127 |
| Reverb Toggle | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘R’ | CC | 1 | 117 | 127 |
| Reverb Effects | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘Shift R’ | CC | 1 | 118 | 127 |
| Send/Return Toggle | Katana Librarian | Command to simulate ‘S’ | CC | 1 | 119 | 127 |
Or download the ones I’ve already created in Browse Commands.
Create a custom mode and populate it to suit your use. This is the one I’m currently using:
| Pg 1 | Redirect | Top Line | Bottom Line | Command | Press | Release | Midi | BLE | Toggle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None | Next | Patch | Next Patch | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 2 | 3 | Amp | Channel --> | - | - | - | - | - | Off |
| 3 | None | Send/Return | - | Send/Return Toggle | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 4 | None | Previous | Patch | Previous Patch | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 5 | 2 | Control | Effects --> | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6 | None | Delay | Tap | Tap | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| Pg 2 | Redirect | Top Line | Bottom Line | Command | Press | Release | Midi | BLE | Toggle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None | Booster/Mod Toggle | Booster/Mod Toggle | On | Off | Off | On | Off | |
| 2 | None | Delay/FX | Toggle | Delay/FX Toggle | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 3 | None | Reverb | Toggle | Reverb Toggle | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 4 | None | Booster/Mod | Effects | Booster/Mod Effects | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 5 | None | Delay/FX | Effects | Delay/FX Effects | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 6 | None | Reverb | Effects | Reverb Effects | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| Pg 3 | Redirect | Top Line | Bottom Line | Command | Press | Release | Midi | BLE | Toggle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Bank A | - | - | - | - | - | - | Off |
| 2 | None | Channel | 1 | Bank A Channel 1 | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 3 | None | Channel | 2 | Bank A Channel 2 | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 4 | 1 | <-- Exit | - | - | - | - | - | - | Off |
| 5 | None | Channel | 3 | Bank A Channel 3 | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 6 | None | Channel | 4 | Bank A Channel 4 | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| Pg 4 | Redirect | Top Line | Bottom Line | Command | Press | Release | Midi | BLE | Toggle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Bank B | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2 | None | Channel | 1 | Bank B Channel 1 | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 3 | None | Channel | 2 | Bank B Channel 2 | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 4 | 1 | <-- Exit | - | - | - | - | - | - | Off |
| 5 | None | Channel | 3 | Bank B Channel 3 | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
| 6 | None | Channel | 4 | Bank B Channel 4 | On | Off | Off | On | Off |
Upload the custom mode using either Menu-Program Device, or clicking the grey icon in the top right.
Once the custom mode has been uploaded to Midi Maestro, ensure Bluetooth is still on, it should be flashing slowly. Then in the Katana Librarian App, go to Settings-Manage MIDI devices- Scan for devices and MIDI Maestro will appear, click connect, the Bluetooth light on MIDI Maestro will go solid. Return to Katana Librarian settings menu.
Ensure the Katana is set to MIDI channel 1, Katana Librarian currently only supports MIDI channel 1.
The next action is to customise the hotkeys in the Katana Librarian app. Ensure the android device is connected to the Katana using the OTG USB cable. In the Katana Librarian app, go to Settings-Hotkey settings. Choose the previous patch hotkey, press Previous Patch (Button 4) on Midi Maestro and the assigned key will change to MIDI_CC_6D. Do this for each hotkey and its corresponding MIDI Maestro command.
| KL Value | MM Command | KL New value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bank A Ch1 | MIDI_CC_65 |
| 2 | Bank A Ch 2 | MIDI_CC_66 |
| 3 | Bank A Ch 3 | MIDI_CC_67 |
| 4 | Bank A Ch 4 | MIDI_CC_68 |
| 5 | Bank B Ch 1 | MIDI_CC_69 |
| 6 | Bank B Ch 2 | MIDI_CC_6A |
| 7 | Bank B Ch 3 | MIDI_CC_6B |
| 8 | Bank B Ch 4 | MIDI_CC_6C |
| Keypad Up | Previous Patch | MIDI_CC_6D |
| Keypad Down | Next Patch | MIDI_CC_6E |
| T | Tap | MIDI_CC_6F |
| P | Panel | MIDI_CC_70 |
| B | Booster/Mod Toggle | MIDI_CC_71 |
| shift B | Booster/Mod Effects | MIDI_CC_72 |
| D | Delay/FX Toggle | MIDI_CC_73 |
| Shift D | Delay/FX Effects | MIDI_CC_74 |
| R | Reverb Toggle | MIDI_CC_75 |
| Shift R | Reverb Effects | MIDI_CC_76 |
| S | Send/Return Toggle | MIDI_CC_77 |
Once this is done, you should be able to control the Katana using Midi Maestro. On my custom mode I use an extension pedal to change pages, which is why Page 2 does not have any exit buttons. Feel free to modify it to suit your needs.