1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. PM Manuals
  4. Recording Equipment
  5. AERO
  6. User manual

PM AERO User Manual

Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
THINK LESS. CREATE MORE.
AERO
MIDI CONTROLLER
USER MANUAL
(V2.0.3)

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the AERO and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Related Manuals for PM AERO

Summary of Contents for PM AERO

  • Page 1 THINK LESS. CREATE MORE. AERO MIDI CONTROLLER USER MANUAL (V2.0.3)
  • 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

    TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Device Interface Footswitches .......................12 RGB LEDs ........................12 2. Power & Navigation Powering Your Aero ....................13 Switching Power Sources ..................13 Basic Navigation ......................13 Web Editor Features for Navigation ................14 3. Overview of Connectors 4. Flexiports Flexiport Modes Summary ..................16 MIDI Out ........................17...
  • Page 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT.) Primary Footswitch Modes ..................25 Other Footswitch Modes ..................29 Expand & Improve Your MIDI Routing ..............30 LFOs ..........................30 Expression Pedals ...................... 31 Expression Ladder Messages ................... 32 Aux Switches ......................32 Boot Messages & Boot Delay ................... 33 Device Link .........................
  • Page 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT.) 15. Other Global Settings MIDI Channel .......................49 Persistent Switch States ....................49 Transmit Switch States ....................49 Program Change (PC) Bank Output .................50 Switch Hold Time ......................50 16. Resetting or Updating Factory Reset .......................51 Updating Firmware .....................51 Troubleshooting ......................51 17.
  • Page 6 TRS aux or footswitch jack on your amp, non-MIDI pedals, synths, and more. If you power the Aero and still only use it as an aux switch, you can use the editor to set LED colors to correspond to your aux switch functions.

  • Page 7: Technical Information

    Imperial (7.7 oz.) POWER REQUIREMENT ARGB LEDs (3) 9v DC or USB (150mA) BOX CONTENTS 1x AERO MIDI Foot Controller 1x USB Cable LINKS TO DOWNLOADS: https://learn.piratemidi.com It’s important that firmware updates are installed when they are available. Old firmware may not be supported by the web editor.

  • Page 8: Hardware Layout

    HARDWARE LAYOUT 3 SuperSilent footswitches. Almost inaudible. Work with multiple press types (double-press, hold, etc). Heavy-duty aluminium enclosure with black anodising. Scratch-resistant and no flex. e RGB LEDs which you can assign to any colour you like for any function you like.
  • Page 9 HARDWARE LAYOUT (CONT.) Dedicated ¼” TRS aux jack - completely passive 2.1mm 9v DC barrel jack - as standard on most effects pedals and power supplies. Centre negative. Flexiports 1 and 2. Multi-function 3.5mm TRS jacks which can be used in a number of different modes.

  • Page 10: Quick Start

    1. Using As Passive Aux Switch Plug a ¼” TRS cable from the ¼” jack on the rear of the Aero to your target device. If your target device only uses a TS connector, you will not gain any extra functions from 3 switches - only 1 or 2 of the switches will perform functions depending on the design of the original manufacturer.
  • Page 11 Warning: technical documentation enclosed. Coffee required. © PIRATE MIDI 2025 - Firmware v2.0.3 www.learn.piratemidi.com...

  • Page 12: Device Interface

    1. Device Interface Footswitches Three silent footswitches are the main interface on the Aero. 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 13: Power & Navigation

    USB Power Switching Power Sources The Aero uses smart power switching so you can have both cables 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 14: Web Editor Features For Navigation

    Web Editor Features for Navigation Global Settings Aero settings can be modified inside the web editor to make one switch trigger bank up or bank down globally regardless of the current preset. Switch and Bank Labels Even though the Aero doesn’t have a screen, we have included switch labels and bank names in the device’s config data which is transferrable between the device and the web editor.

  • Page 15: Overview Of Connectors

    1/4” TRS Aux Jack A 1/4” TRS Jack that is directly connected to the 3 switches on the Aero using the same electrical circuit that any other triple aux switch uses. Switches A, B, and C, are labelled on the rear of the enclosure to show which connector of the TRS cable they represent.

  • Page 16: Flexiports

    4. Flexiports Flexiport Modes Summary Each Flexiport on the Aero is a 3.5mmTRS Jack. They have 8 modes that are assignable in the web editor. 1. MIDI Out - Type A Can power CME WIDI devices. Type A is the MIDI TRS standard.

  • Page 17: Midi Out

    5. Device Link Connect multiple PIRATE MIDI devices together. 6. Exp-Doubler In Enables two expression pedal inputs per Flexiport with our Exp-Doubler device 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. FLEXIPORT WARNING! Other Pirate MIDI devices may offer different Flexiport modes.

  • Page 18: Expression Pedal In

    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). Currently calibration of expression pedals is not implemented on the Aero, but we will add it in a future firmware update.

  • Page 19: Aux Switch In

    Aux Switch In When set to ‘’Aux Switch” mode, the Flexiport will receive auxiliary switch input for extra footswitch controls. Set the Flexiport mode in the global settings menu. Single, double or triple auxiliary switches will work in this mode. Plug your aux switch into your Flexiport and then assign it a function or MIDI command in one/both of the Global and Bank Aux Settings.
  • Page 20 Bank Name Temporarily overwrites the displayed bank name on the Satellite device with the bank name of the Main device when connected to the Device Link network. Note that the name is not replaced, and when disconnected the original bank names are retained on the satellite device. Bank Navigation Synchronise bank changes between devices.

  • Page 21: Midi In/Out/Thru

    MIDI In There is no dedicated MIDI input on the Aero. When connected to a USB host, the Aero can receive USB MIDI, and when in Device Link mode, it can stream MIDI from the other Device Link devices that are connected and pass those messages to the Aero’s outputs.
  • Page 22 MIDI back to the Aero and you also have the MIDI Thru routing settings on the Aero set to send MIDI in to the MIDI out, you will have an infinite loop as both the Aero and the USB device send the MIDI thru from their input to their output.

  • Page 23: Usb & Usb Midi

    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 Aero. 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 24: Messages & Modes

    7. Messages & Modes You can program all the functions of your Aero 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 Aero. Step-by-step instructions for these methods will be covered in later sections.

  • Page 25: Key Press Messages

    • 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 • Set Value Scrolling •...

  • Page 26: Tap Tempo

    • Toggle On: 64 • Toggle Off: 64 • Press: 16 • Release: 16 The LED will be toggled between On and Off along with the switch state. In the Global settings, you can choose whether changing banks will preserve the toggle states of switches, or whether all switches’...
  • Page 27 Example: 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 28 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 64 messages which can be simultaneously scrolled with different starting offsets based on the value the message is entered with.

  • Page 29: Other 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. Other Footswitch Modes Each footswitch also has 4 other modes triggered by other footswitch actions.

  • Page 30: Expand & Improve Your Midi Routing

    The Aero’s LFOs can be set to activate with the switch actions. 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 31: Expression Pedals

    With each Flexiport able to take an expression pedal input, or an Exp-Doubler input, you can do a lot with expression pedals on the Aero! Each expression pedal can control a stack of bank expression messages and a stack of global expression messages.

  • Page 32: Expression Ladder Messages

    Aux Switches An Aux switch, connected to a Flexiport, can have up to 3 switches using a TRS cable. The Aero can register press, toggle and hold events from an Aux Switch. The press, toggle, and hold events can trigger one message each (including smart messages) per bank, and there is also a global setting for each message type.

  • Page 33: Boot Messages & Boot Delay

    Boot Messages & Boot Delay You can add up to 64 messages of any type that are sent as soon as your Aero 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 34: Midi Clock

    8. MIDI Clock MIDI Clock Onboard The Aero 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, change the switch mode to “Tap Tempo” in the web editor.
  • Page 35 4. Controlling Clock Tempo with MIDI You can set the tempo for Clock A and Clock B using external MIDI commands sent to the Aero. 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 36: Lfos

    9. LFOs Setting LFOs The Aero has three 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 LED becomes an indicator of the LFO, showing both frequency and wave shape with the pulsing/ fading of the LED itself.

  • Page 37: Lfo Trigger

    Available Time Divisions: • 1/4 • 1/4 Triplet • 1/4 Dotted • 1/8 • 1/8 Triplet • 1/8 Dotted • 1/16 • 1/16 Triplet • 1/16 Dotted 4. LFO Trigger There are two options for triggering the LFO. Toggle or Hold. Toggle will start the LFO after pressing the footswitch, and it will continue to run until you press the footswitch again to turn it off.
  • Page 38 • Saw • Ramp • Square • Random - Set the step size. If the random value is within the step size, it will regenerate to create a new value outside the step size of the previous value generated. 7. LFO Messages This setting allows you to choose the message stack that the LFO will modulate.

  • Page 39: Lfo Reset

    9. LFO Modulation Target Not currently active - please wait for a future update. 10. LFO Reset Choosing ‘yes’ will reset the waveform each time you start or restart the LFO. Choosing no will keep continuous data between stops. Turning reset to ‘no’ is helpful for continually ramping parameters when using the ramp shape - rather than going back to the min value each time you activate the LFO, you can increase it gradually in multiple stages by starting and stopping the LFO a few times.

  • Page 40: Aux Switch In

    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 Aero. © PIRATE MIDI 2025 - Firmware v2.0.3...
  • Page 41 The messages you can set include Smart Messages and Key Press messages, so you can affect complex features like sequential messages, selecting expression messages, triggering other footswitch groups, sending keyboard macros and much more. © PIRATE MIDI 2025 - Firmware v2.0.3 www.learn.piratemidi.com...

  • Page 42: Switch Groups

    11. 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 43 Respond To The options here are On, Off, or On & Off. This means that the switch will respond according to the Response Type (see next section) when it receives the “On” or “Off” state of another switch in the group. Whether it receives the “On” or “Off” state depends on the Broadcast setting as described above.
  • Page 44 Switch groups with sequential switches can also be used across devices connected using Device Link. © PIRATE MIDI 2025 - Firmware v2.0.3 www.learn.piratemidi.com...

  • Page 45: Footswitch Leds

    12. Footswitch LEDs Each switch on the Aero has an LED. The LEDs are RGB (multi-color) and can be customised per bank and per sequential step in the web editor. LED Color Selection To change the color of the LED, first select the bank that you want the change to affect. Then, click on the LED representation on the web editor screen.

  • Page 46: External Led Control

    External LED Control LEDs can be controlled via external MIDI commands. Any changes made are not permanent, and do not change the onboard settings, they only temporarily override the LED settings. This is useful for linking LED colors or actions with external apps like DAWs or Live Looping software.

  • Page 47: Bank & Switch Labels

    Changing & Customising Switch Labels Each switch can be given a different name in all 128 banks on the Aero, even though they’re only visible in the editor. These labels can be up to 8 characters, and they help you to keep track of your settings and configuration as you move between the editor and the device, make changes, and tweak your settings.

  • Page 48: Bank Navigation

    14. Bank Navigation To allow bank changes on the Aero, you will need to assign a trigger. Because Aero is a standard passive aux switch, “combo” switch presses using more than one switch are not possible. So, you can add a Smart Message on any switch in any message stack - the bank control Smart Messages are “Next bank”, “Previous bank”, and “Go to bank ‘x’...

  • Page 49: Other Global Settings

    If you want to make sure that messages coming into the Aero are passed thru, and not interpreted as Aero control messages, you’ll need to change the MIDI channel of the Aero to a...

  • Page 50: Program Change (Pc) Bank Output

    Aero every time. Program Change (PC) Bank Output By default, your Aero 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 51: Resetting Or Updating

    Up to date information for firmware updates can be found at www.learn.piratemidi.com/ downloads/firmware-updates The Aero 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. Troubleshooting...
  • Page 52 • Turn off the Aero • Connect a TS or TRS ¼” cable between the two Flexiports. • Press and hold down footswitch 3 • While holding down switch 3, plug in the USB cable. • The device will start in update (DFU) mode and then you can release the footswitch.

  • Page 53: Midi Implementation

    17. MIDI Implementation The Aero can itself be controlled by MIDI from an external MIDI device via Device Link or USB MIDI. You can set the MIDI channel in the web editor’s Global MIDI Settings menu. FUNCTION MIDI CC# VALUE...
  • Page 54 FUNCTION MIDI CC# VALUE Sequential Reset 0-3 (FS1-FS4) Scrolling Increment Step 0-3 (FS1-FS4) Scrolling Decrement Step 0-3 (FS1-FS4) Scrolling Next Step 0-3 (FS1-FS4) Scrolling Reset 0-3 (FS1-FS4) Reset All Sequential Switches Any (0-127) Reset All Scrolling Switches Any (0-127) All Primary Switches Off Any (0-127) All Primary Switches On Any (0-127)
  • Page 55 FUNCTION MIDI CC# VALUE MIDI Clock Control See chapter 9 for details Target Clock A: 45-127 BPM Target Clock A: 128-240 BPM Target Clock B: 45-127 BPM Target Clock B: 128-240 BPM Set Tempo (when targeting 45-127 (= 45-127 45-127 BPM) BPM) 0-127=128-240 bpm Set Tempo (when targeting...

  • Page 56: Support & Warranty

    18. Support & Warranty Thank you for purchasing an Aero! 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.

Table of Contents