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PM BRIDGE4 User Manual

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THINK LESS. CREATE MORE.
BRIDGE4
MIDI CONTROLLER
USER MANUAL
(V2.0.0)

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  • Page 1 THINK LESS. CREATE MORE. BRIDGE4 MIDI CONTROLLER USER MANUAL (V2.0.0)
  • Page 2 This device was created and designed to empower your creativity. It is the result of many long nights and early mornings. It is born from the desire to bridge the gap between musician and instrument, and we want to say a huge thank you for your support.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    1. Device Interface Footswitches ......................14 OLED Display ......................14 RGB LEDs ........................ 14 2. Power & Navigation Powering Your Bridge4 ..................15 Switching Power Sources ..................15 Basic Navigation ....................15 Opening the Menu ....................16 Second-Screen Settings ..................17 3.
  • Page 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT.) LFOs ........................38 Expression Pedals ....................38 Expression Ladder Messages ................39 Aux Switches ......................40 Boot Messages & Boot Delay ................40 Device Link ......................40 8. Message Stacks MIDI Messages Onboard ..................41 9. MIDI Clock MIDI Clock Onboard .....................
  • Page 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT.) Extended UI ......................63 17. Interface - Switch Labels Changing & Customising Switch Labels ..............65 18. Bank Navigation 19. Other Global Settings MIDI Channel ......................67 Persistent Switch States ..................67 Transmit Switch States ....................67 Program Change (PC) Bank Output ..............68 Switch Hold Time ....................68 20.
  • Page 6 BRIDGE4 OVERVIEW The Bridge4 is a 4-switch MIDI foot controller with RGB LEDs, an OLED screen, and a super tough aluminium enclosure. It’s made in New South Wales, Australia and was the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2020. Now PIRATE MIDI builds and sells MIDI devices all over the world.
  • Page 7 Imperial (11.8v oz.) DISPLAY POWER REQUIREMENT OLED (3.2”) 9v DC or USB (200mA) BOX CONTENTS 1x Bridge4 MIDI Foot Controller 1x USB Cable 4x Self-Adhesive Rubber Feet LINKS TO DOWNLOADS: https://learn.piratemidi.com It’s important that firmware updates are installed when they are available.
  • Page 8 HARDWARE LAYOUT 4 soft-touch footswitches. No clicking. Work with multiple press types (double-press, hold, etc). Heavy-duty aluminium enclosure with black anodising. Scratch-resistant and no flex. Bright, crisp, and easy to read OLED graphical display. Menus, icons, scribble strips are all a breeze on this beautiful display 8 RGB LEDs which you can assign to any colour you like for any function you like.
  • Page 9 HARDWARE LAYOUT (CONT.) USB type C for USB MIDI, using the web editor, and powering the device. Flexiports 1 and 2. Multi-function ¼” (6.35mm) TRS jacks which can be used in a number of different modes. Dedicated 3.5mm TRS MIDI Out conforming to the MIDI.org specification (Type A).
  • Page 10 QUICK START 1. Bank Up/Down To go to the next bank, press switch 3 and switch 4 together. To go to the previous bank, press switch 1 and switch 2 together. These can be customised or turned off (See chapter 18). 2.
  • Page 11 QUICK START (CONT.) 3. Don’t Miss the Rest! Many menus and settings have a second or third page of settings. Always make sure you haven’t missed vital settings by scrolling to the right using switch 4 until you get back to the first position.
  • Page 12 “exclusive” mode where only one switch will be on at a time. If you want to learn what these powerful settings are capable of, read more in chapter 13. Check that your BRIDGE4 firmware is up to date. Updates are released periodically adding new features and bug fixes. Go to: www.learn.piratemidi.com/downloads/firmware-updates...
  • Page 13 Warning: technical documentation enclosed. Coffee required. © PIRATE MIDI 2023 - Firmware v2.0.0 www.learn.piratemidi.com...

  • Page 14: Device Interface

    1. Device Interface Footswitches Four silent footswitches are the main interface on the Bridge4. Rated for over 100,000 presses each, they can send different MIDI message stacks for different press types (Toggle On, Toggle Off, Press, Release, Double Press, Hold, Hold Release etc).

  • Page 15: Power & Navigation

    USB Power Switching Power Sources The Bridge4 uses smart power switching so you can have both plugged in at once, and if you need to remove one or the other, the unit will seamlessly switch power sources without shutting down or restarting.

  • Page 16: Opening The Menu

    Opening the Menu To enter the menu, press and hold down switches 1 & 3 simultaneously (as pictured below). You will know you’ve entered the menu when the screen layout changes. Press switch 1 or switch 2 to navigate the menu (note the arrows on screen). Press switch 3 or 4 to change bank or navigate horizontally in the menu (note the arrows on the screen.

  • Page 17: Second-Screen Settings

    Ready to Rock That’s the end of the basic navigation instructions. After this you should be able to figure out how to navigate all the menus and settings. You can watch the tutorial videos on our YouTube channel for a visual explanation. ©...

  • Page 18: Overview Of Connectors

    3. Overview of Connectors USB (type-C) The Bridge4 can be powered by USB, and is also a class-compliant USB MIDI device. This means it will be recognised as a MIDI device without any drivers. Use it with your DAW, plugins, or music apps.
  • Page 19 • Tap Tempo Out • Pulse Clock Out The extreme flexibility of the Bridge4 is due partly to the two Flexiports we’ve included. The Flexiport is a multi-function TRS port that we’ve designed (and named) to give you a truly flexible experience with our devices.

  • Page 20: Flexiports

    4. Flexiports Flexiport Modes Summary Each Flexiport on the Bridge4 is a 6.35mm (¼”) TRS Jack. They have 11 modes (and counting) that are assignable in the Menu under Menu > Global > Flexiports > Flexiport ‘x’ > Mode 1. MIDI Out - Type A (Can power CME WIDI devices.
  • Page 21 7. Exp In (Single TRS expression pedal input) 8. Aux Switch In (1, 2, or 3 switch TRS aux switches supported - add more footswitches to your controller) 9. Switch Out (Send TRS switch emulation to non-MIDI devices) 10. MS Relay (Send TRS commands to your Morningstar Omniport Relay Interface) 11.

  • Page 22: Midi Out

    Many devices use larger operating voltage and/or currents that the 3.3 volts that a Flexiport can handle. Please go to piratemidi.com/compatibility for a list of devices we have checked for compatibility. Please contact us to see if your device may be compatible with this mode. A Flexiport can also be damaged when using an incorrect mode with an external device attached.

  • Page 23: Exp-Doubler In

    Please note that this is designed to work with TRS expression pedals only. TS Expression pedals will not work. Expression Pedal Calibration Expression pedals will sometimes not register their full range on different devices they connect to. Calibrating your expression pedal will make sure that toe-down is equal to the maximum MIDI value (127) and heel-down is equal to the minimum value (0).

  • Page 24: Tap Tempo Output

    expression pedals can be used! Two per Flexiport. This is why Expression pedals are labelled as 1A and 1B, 2A and 2B. Tap Tempo Output When set to “Tap Tempo Output” mode, the Flexiport is a dedicated analog TRS output which sends switch impulses synced to the chosen MIDI clock (A or B).

  • Page 25: Switch Out

    When in Aux Switch mode, the Standard UI will show dynamic switch icons as pictured below. The centre of the circle will fill when a press is registered, and the circle will be filled completely when a switch hold is registered. Switch Out When set to ‘’Switch Out”...

  • Page 26: Pulse Clock Out

    Pulse Clock Out Use this mode to send MIDI clock as a beat sync pulse. This method of sync is used by brands like Teenage Engineering (Pocket Operator series), Korg (volca series) and others. Some devices use 2 pulses per quarter note, and some use 4 pulses per quarter note. There will be a future update to allow for changing the number of pulses.
  • Page 27 Bank Navigation Synchronise bank changes between devices. Similar to how a PC message would normally cause a bank change, but without using up message space. MIDI Receive (RX) MIDI messages are received via the high-speed device link connection, and output to the MIDI outputs as per the MIDI Thru Flexi1/2 routing set in the Global “MIDI Thru”...

  • Page 28: Midi In/Out/Thru

    MIDI In The dedicated MIDI In on the Bridge4 is a 3.5mmTRS Jack. Like the MIDI Out, it is not able to be changed to another function. It is a permanent MIDI In. It accepts any kind of MIDI message and depending on the ‘Thru’...
  • Page 29 If a message is sent from the Bridge4 USB port, and the device it is connected to is set to send the MIDI back to the Bridge4 and you also have the MIDI Thru routing settings on the Bridge4 set to send MIDI in to the MIDI out, you will have an infinite loop as both the Bridge4 and the USB device send the MIDI thru from their input to their output.

  • Page 30: Usb Midi

    USB to USB on pedals such as the Zoom multistomp series. A USB host device like the CME WIDI UHOST will be a great addition to your Bridge4. Plug it into your USB port and go wireless! It also means that as a USB host device, you can connect the WIDI UHOST to a WIDI Jack or similar and use the USB MIDI in/out as another general MIDI in/out to the device the WIDI Jack is plugged into.

  • Page 31: Messages & Modes

    7. Messages & Modes You can program all the functions of your Bridge4 with the onboard menus or the web editor. We’ve made both methods as straightforward as possible so you can quickly get up and running. Here’s an overview of what you can do when programming your Bridge4. Step-by- step instructions for these methods will be covered in later sections.

  • Page 32: Primary Footswitch Modes

    • Switch Off • Switch Toggle • Reset Sequential • Increment Sequential Step • Decrement Sequential Step • Set Step Sequential • Queue Next Sequential Step • Queue Sequential Step • Reset Scrolling • Increment Scrolling Value • Decrement Scrolling Value •...
  • Page 33 In the Global settings, you can choose whether changing banks will preserve the toggle states of switches, or whether all switches’ states are reset when changing banks. Menu > Global > Interface > Preserve Bank States Momentary This sets a switch to ignore ‘Toggle On’ and ‘Toggle Off’ messages and acts as a switch that turns on only when being pressed.
  • Page 34 In a message stack consisting of 3 messages, message 1 will be sent on the first press, message 2 will be sent on second press, message 3 will be sent on third press, and then message 1 will be sent on the fourth press - starting the sequence over again. Example 2: In a message stack consisting of 3 messages for controlling an audio looper, a “record”...
  • Page 35 Scrolling This mode uses the “Scrolling” message stack and will scroll the value of any messages placed in the stack. This can be useful for scrolling through modes or presets or snapshots on other apps or devices. You can use a maximum of 16 messages which can be simultaneously scrolled with different starting offsets based on the value the message is entered with.

  • Page 36: Secondary Footswitch Modes

    Scrolling Linked This mode lets you link to another Scrolling mode footswitch within the current bank but change the direction of the scroll and the send mode. Useful for having two switches linked for forwards/reverse switch pairs. Secondary Footswitch Modes Each footswitch also has 4 secondary modes which use the secondary LED to signal their state.

  • Page 37: Expand & Improve Your Midi Routing

    Hold Momentary This mode allows you to activate the Hold message stack with a long press of a footswitch. The secondary LED will light up momentarily to confirm that the hold action has been triggered. Hold time is adjustable in the Global Interface settings. Hold and Hold Release message stacks have an 8-message limit.

  • Page 38: Lfos

    Almost every parameter on multi-effects units like the Line6 Helix and Fractal Audio devices can do this. The Bridge4 LFOs can be set to activate with the Primary or Secondary switch function. This can product a “toggle” type or “momentary” type effect (i.e. press once to turn on, press again to turn off, OR press to activate, release to stop) The LFO will oscillate all possible MIDI messages that are in the chosen MIDI message stack.

  • Page 39: Expression Ladder Messages

    Each individual message can be routed to any selection (or all) of the available MIDI outputs and can be set with min/max limits and linear, log, or anti-log interpolation curve. If you like, you can also reverse the sweep so that the lowest value will be sent at the toe-down position and the highest value at the heel-down position.

  • Page 40: Aux Switches

    Boot Messages & Boot Delay You can add up to 16 messages of any type that are sent as soon as your Bridge4 is turned on. This is useful for making sure your connected gear is set to a “default” or “beginning” state without having to check everything.

  • Page 41: Message Stacks

    8. Message Stacks MIDI Messages Onboard You can add MIDI messages for switch presses (per bank), expression pedals (per bank and global) but the method is essentially the same for each, you just find them in different places in the menu. 1.
  • Page 42 “Add” Pressing switch 4 in this screen will allow you to add a new message to the stack. Once pressed the label on Switch 2 saying “edit: 1” will change to “save: 1” Press this to save the message and exit the edit menu.
  • Page 43 All controls are the same as on switches. To view global expression pedal messages, go to: Menu > Global > Global Exp Messages > Exp ‘xx’ > Messages All controls are the same as on switches. Editing Messages on Expression Pedals Editing expression messages is the same as editing switch messages.
  • Page 44 2. Log 3. Reverse Log ANTI-LOG SWEEP MIDI VALUE PEDAL POSITION 4. Inverse Linear 5. Inverse Log 6. Inverse Reverse Log 3. Bank Messages Each bank has its own stack of 16 messages. These messages are automatically sent when that bank is selected.
  • Page 45 Menu > Global > Aux Messages > Aux Switch ‘x’ 5. Boot Messages A stack of 16 messages can be set to be sent immediately after the Bridge4 is powered on. To set these messages, go to: Menu > Global > Boot Messages This is useful for making sure your connected gear is set to a “default”...

  • Page 46: Midi Clock

    9. MIDI Clock MIDI Clock Onboard The Bridge4 has two onboard MIDI Clocks that can run simultaneously and independently with individual routing options. 1. Assigning MIDI Clock to a Footswitch To assign a MIDI clock to a switch, enter the menu and go to: Menu >...
  • Page 47 ‘x’ This will send analog tap tempo impulses from the Flexiport. This is linked to the footswitch assigned to that MIDI clock, so any tempo changes made on the Bridge4 are reflected in the Tap Tempo out. 5. Sending MIDI Clock as Beat Sync Pulse Some devices like the Pocket Operator series from Teenage Engineering, or the volca series from KORG use a square wave sync pulse instead of MIDI clock to sync device tempos.
  • Page 48 6. Controlling Clock Tempo with MIDI You can set the tempo for Clock A and Clock B using external MIDI commands sent to the MIDI in or USB MIDI In of the BRIDGE controller. Clock tempos can be adjusted using CC 73 and CC 74 as NPRN-style pairs. (NRPN is a way to extend the range of values of a MIDI CC by using two CC’s together instead of just one).

  • Page 49: Lfos

    10. LFOs Setting LFOs The Bridge4 has six LFOs per bank that can run simultaneously and independently with deep customisation and flexibility. LFOs are assigned to a particular message stack on a particular switch. When active, the Primary LED becomes an indicator of the LFO, showing both frequency and wave shape with the pulsing/fading of the LED itself.
  • Page 50 Only two LFOs can be assigned per bank. If there are already two switches in the current bank with the LFO state set to ‘on’ the Bridge4 will tell you that there are no more LFO slots available and will not turn on the LFO.
  • Page 51 5. LFO Limits The Min Limit and Max Limit parameters set the range that the LFO will oscillate between. If you want to limit the range of oscillation to be smaller than the full 0-127 values of a normal MIDI message, use these limits.
  • Page 52 7. LFO Messages This setting allows you to choose the message stack that the LFO will modulate. Any compatible message in this stack will be what the LFO uses to create the oscillating MIDI data. For instance, if you choose the toggle on stack, then any messages in the toggle on stack are what the LFO will oscillate.

  • Page 53: Switch Out

    11. Switch Out Setting TRS Out PIRATE MIDI Flexiports can act as TRS switch outputs to control non-MIDI devices. Each footswitch can send a specific Tip, Ring or Tip+Ring message for each press type. The TRS Out settings are per bank. 1.

  • Page 54: Aux Switch In

    12. Aux Switch In Setting Up Auxiliary Switches PIRATE MIDI Flexiports can act as TRS switch inputs to offload some simple functions to external controls. 1. Activating Aux Switch In mode To enable auxiliary switch functions, please set your chosen Flexiport to Aux Switch In mode. Menu >...
  • Page 55 If you have problems with a particular aux switch, you can message us or email us to get advice. It is possible that some devices will not be wired in a way that works properly with the Bridge4. If messages are not set in the Toggle On or Toggle Off stacks, the switches and the corresponding Flexiport UI on the main screen will act in Momentary Mode.

  • Page 56: Switch Groups

    13. Switch Groups Switch groups are used to activate, toggle, or deactivate switches by pressing other switches. These groups can be simple or very advanced. The default settings allow for simple exclusivity such as is needed to emulate a “snapshot” mode or where only one switch in the group should be able to be active at one time.
  • Page 57 If there are no group members, you will see this screen. Press switch 4 to add the first group member. Switch The Primary and Secondary sides of the switch can be independently controlled within a switch group. You can add switch 1-6, primary and secondary for up to 12 members per group per bank.
  • Page 58 has been broadcast to the group. So, if the switch has been set to receive broadcast from other switches (via Receive only or Transmit & Receive mode), this setting dictates the response. inverts the setting of the state it is receiving. If it receives broadcast from another switch turning off, it will turn this switch on.

  • Page 59: Interface - Leds

    14. Interface - LEDs Each switch on the Bridge4 has a pair of LEDs. The left LED is called the Primary LED and the right is called the Secondary LED. The LEDs are RGB (multi-color) and can be customised per bank in the onboard menus or the web editor.

  • Page 60: Led Behaviour

    If you are changing a custom color slot that already has a saved color, the saved color will appear in the primary LED position for you to compare to the new color you are creating in that slot. LED Behaviour Primary LEDs This LED function is linked to the current mode of the footswitch.

  • Page 61: External Led Control

    See the MIDI Implementation table at the end of this manual for the specific value ranges. All 100 Banks on the Bridge4 can be named individually with up to 16 Characters. Upper case, lower case, numbers, and symbols are available.

  • Page 62: Interface - Bank Names

    15. Interface - Bank Names Changing the Bank Name First, select the bank you want to change the name on. Then go to: Menu > Bank Name Here you can set up to 16 characters for the bank name using switches 1 & 3 to change the character and using switches 5 &...

  • Page 63: Interface - Ui Mode

    16. Interface - UI Mode The User Interface (UI) of the Bridge4 main screen defaults to the Standard UI but it can be changed to the Simple UI if preferred. How to change the UI To change the UI from Extended to Simple, go to: Menu >...
  • Page 64 The most interesting feature of the Extended UI is the Flexiport Status section. You will notice two boxes which indicate the Flexiport mode selected. Depending on the mode that has been selected for the Flexiports, you will be given different graphical representations and helpful information here.

  • Page 65: Interface - Switch Labels

    17. Interface - Switch Labels Each switch can be given a different name in all 100 banks on the Bridge4. These labels can be up to 8 characters. Here’s how to change them. Changing & Customising Switch Labels Go to: Menu >...

  • Page 66: Bank Navigation

    Menu > Global > Interface > General UI Then, scroll to the second page to change the bank triggers as shown in the diagram below. The options for bank triggers on the Bridge4 are: • FS1 + FS2 • FS2 + FS3 •...

  • Page 67: Other Global Settings

    If you want to make sure that messages coming into the BRIDGE are passed thru, and not interpreted as BRIDGE control messages, you’ll need to change the MIDI channel of the Bridge4 to a specific number (perhaps 16?) and then make sure your other messages are not using channel 16.

  • Page 68: Program Change (Pc) Bank Output

    Bridge4 every time. Program Change (PC) Bank Output By default, your Bridge4 will automatically send a Program Change (PC) MIDI message when you change banks. This is useful for plugging into another device like a HX Stomp and having the presets stay in sync with the banks.

  • Page 69: Resetting Or Updating

    Up to date information for firmware updates can be found at www.learn.piratemidi.com/ downloads/firmware-updates The Bridge4 can be updated through the firmware updater app, or using a manual firmware update method as a last resort. Both are outlined in the webpage linked above. © PIRATE MIDI 2023 - Firmware v2.0.0...

  • Page 70: Troubleshooting

    In case of some kind of software error where you are unable to use the onboard menus, you can enter the firmware update mode manually: • Turn off the Bridge4 • Connect a TS or TRS ¼” cable between the two Flexiports.

  • Page 71: Midi Implementation

    21. MIDI Implementation The Bridge4 can itself be controlled by MIDI from an external MIDI device via the dedicated MIDI In (6.35mm TRS) or USB MIDI. You can set the MIDI channel in the menu (see Global Settings for more details): Menu >...
  • Page 72 FUNCTION MIDI CC# VALUE LED Control Override LED colours with external MIDI Off (0) 31-38 (FS1 Primary LED Control Toggle (64) - FS4 Secondary) On (127) 43-50 (FS1 Primary LED Brightness 0-127 - FS4 Secondary) 0-7 (FS1 Primary - FS4 LED Color Change Target Secondary) Red Channel Intensity...

  • Page 73: Support & Warranty

    22. Support & Warranty Thank you for purchasing a Bridge4! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via support@piratemidi.com or use technical support at: www.learn.piratemidi.com Manufacturing defects are covered by our warranty. Please contact us if your device is defective.

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