Yamaha P90 - can a MIDI controller program change panel settings ?

Bret_Excalibur

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I'm using a Yamaha P90 in a live set-up that keeps both hands busy. I'm considering using an external foot MIDI controller (ex. Behringer FCB1010) to change the panel settings of the P90 through a program change MIDI command. Is this possible ? As a MIDI beginner, I thought it was basic, however the P90 manual suggests that this won't work (see manual, page 40 reads "Program change and other like channel messages received will not affect the P-90’s panel settings or the notes you play on the keyboard.". Does this mean that it would only affect the sound played by Notes ON/OFF received through MIDI ? or will it effectively modify the panel settings as per the program change command and play the desired sound from the notes played on the keyboard ?
If this doesn't work, is there another way to modify the panel settings from an external MIDI command ?
 
Here are links to two good articles on midi basics - part one and part two. They may be a little too basic for you, but we can all use a refresher course now and then...

I think what the manual is referring to is that one of the things midi cannot do is change the position of a hardware knob, switch or fader without some kind of automation being present. It CAN, however, change the value of the parameter that the knob is set to control. For example, if your P90 has continuous controller 7 mapped to main volume, then even though sending that controller will not change the position of the volume knob/fader the volume would still go up and down depending on the cc 7 value. In other words, it bypasses the front panel while still affecting the sound.

The FCB1010 is a foot controller mostly for guitar players who need both hands free and is fairly limited in the midi messages it puts out . There are many other midi controllers out there much better suited to the needs of the average keyboard player like this or this or this.
 
MIDI Message to change panel settings

Dear Bret_Excalibur / Sscientist,
Great to see your post on this topic. I have also been trying to do exactly the same thing. I have tried sending program change messages, bank selection messages, SysEx messages to the memory locations that were discussed in Yamaha XG specification, etc. But it does not affect the voice that has been set on the panel.
Have you so far come across any other way to do this? I am also exploring a way to see if individual button presses can be simulated by MIDI messages, so i can "press" those buttons on the panel using MIDI messages while both my hands are busy.
By the way I use Yamaha entry level portable keyboard and have tried this with PSR E-323, E-403, etc. Only the PSR-1100 seems to have a special SysEx message to achieve this.
Regards,
--Shantanu.
 
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