Q: Why don't TPX keyboards and TBX1 have USB ports?

MIDI was designed as a system where any device with MIDI ports can communicate with any other device having MIDI ports, otherwise known as a "peer-to-peer" system. USB does not work this way. It is a system which requires a master device (a computer) to provide power and route all the traffic, otherwise known as a "host-centric" system. Because MIDI-over-USB lacks peer-to-peer connectivity, it is at odds with the basic concept of MIDI. Any device requiring MIDI-over-USB is a computer peripheral, not a stand-alone device. The Tuning Box and TPX keyboards are designed as stand-alone MIDI devices, which can connect as a peer to other MIDI devices, and as such, they require a MIDI to USB interface in order to communicate with a computer. If you want direct USB connectivity without MIDI peer-to-peer functionalty, take a look at the latest addition to the Tonal Plexus family, a computer peripheral USB keyboard called U-Plex.
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Q: How do I set the Pitch Bend Range for my MIDI/RTAS/VST/AU instruments?

Multiple tracks are required to acheive microtonal polyphony using software instruments with H-Pi products. Both TBX1 and TPX keyboards send messages automatically which set the pitch bend range for any receiving MIDI device when a preset is selected, so you don't necessarily need to add these messages yourself to every track; you can instead just record yourself pressing a preset before playing; however, in some cases these messages are not recognized by software instruments, and in thses cases you will need to set the pitch bend range to 1 semitone for each software instrument you use. You may also choose to set the range yourself in order to have a default template for your MIDI recording. Often, there is simply a dial or drop-menu on the software instrument window interface to set the bend range, such as in Logic when working with EXS instruments. In other cases, when a drop-down menu or other method of setting the software instrument pitch bend range is not available, you can also add the following MIDI messages to each MIDI track at the very start of each track's event list.

Bank Change: (your bank number)
Program Change: (your patch number)
Controller 101: 0
Controller 100: 0
Controller 6: 1
Controller 38: 0

Always make sure these messages are sent on the correct MIDI channel for each track; this is important to remember when setting up multiple tracks using copy and paste. Also, always send the controller messages after a program change. If the track requires a program change somewhere after the beginning, the messages should be added again. Lastly, remember that the MIDI channels you assign to these tracks must be the same as those engaged on your TPX keyboard or TBX1.

It is a good idea to make a template file with 16 tracks already created with software instruments configured for each channel, with these messages already at the start of each track. Once you set up such a template, you can just open it and save it under a different name for each new recording.
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Q: Why isn't H-Pi at trade shows like NAMM?

Many people have asked why they have not seen H-Pi Instruments at NAMM or similar trade shows. It costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time to participate in such events, and I simply cannot justify such expenses. If you look for my advertising budget, you will see only a bill for internet hosting. You won't even find hours logged for YouTube videos, because videos are simply made in 'spare time'. I hope that you will support me for choosing to keep my costs as low as possible so my products can be affordable. Not participating in expensive trade shows is one way I am keeping prices low when every product is being made one at a time by hand. This situation may change in the future, when my products are being mass produced.
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H-huh?

Q: What does Hπ mean? Good question; your inquisitiveness is about to pay off, big. You've heard of Grand Unification Theories? Hπ is the answer. That's right; Hπ is a mathematical formula which explains the entire universe. It also allows you to win the lottery. No, I'm only joking. Hπ is in fact a branding symbol (see graphic at left) which was used in the Old West in America and also in Ancient Greece. It actually stands for Homestead Prime Select Beef ... or Lamb. OK, enough horsing around. Hπ symbolizes the cross-cultural structure of this organization. The H is for Hunt and the π is for Petkov, which in the Bulgarian alphabet (Cyrillic) begins with the letter π. Really, to be correct the π should be uppercase Π, but because the lowercase version π is more recognizable, we use that. Now that you are armed with this vital information, though you may not have solved all the riddles of the universe, and you may or may not be a vegetarian, you still might win the lottery. Good luck! Ask a question Back to top.