Midi bass pedals, want to play 2 parts on Yamaha MX49

[Edpal]

Have mercy on a neewb...
I'm a bass guitar player, got a nice set of Hammond XPK200 bass pedals, which I have hooked up to my Yamaha MX49. The plan is for me to play single notes,etc. for a little organ song filler here & there while playing bass guitar. My issue:
The bass pedals only play part 1. Layer, "join parts 1 &2" - no help. Is the issue that the pedal only sends on one midi channel and therefore can't play say "part 1rgan"+ part 2":clavinova?

I know how to change the channel on the pedals, but it seems they only can be set for one channel.
I feel like I'm missing something crucial but [probably] painfully obvious. Just not to me. Thanks.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I'm not clear yet on what you're trying to achieve, but looking at page 10 of the manual it appears that the unit can send only one MIDI channel. It mentions being able to merge channel messages coming from the MIDI IN connection with the outgoing channel messages, but I gather that the channel numbers for the incoming MIDI messages-- which must be different than the channel number selected for the pedals-- will be converted to the channel number for the pedals. For instance, if the pedals are set to transmit on channel 3 (the default), and note on/off messages are coming in on channels 1 and 2, the manual seems to indicate that the channel 1 and channel 2 note on/off messages will be merged and transmitted on channel 3 along with any notes being played on the pedals.

Edit: I don't know if it's feasible to connect the pedals with your Yamaha keyboard via a computer or laptop, but if you did then I think you should be able to use a DAW to send the MIDI messages from the pedals to one or more channels on the keyboard. And if you have some sort of other controller-- either a launch pad controller or (if you need to keep your hands free for playing the bass guitar) a foot controller-- you might be able to trigger setup changes in the DAW using the other controller.

 

[delaware dave]

It sounds as though the pedals are assigned to the same midi channel that the organ is assigned to while the clav is on a different midi channel. Is it possible to assign both the hammond and the clav to the same midi channel that the pedals are assigned to? As an example, if the pedal is transmitting on channel 3, see if you can assign both the organ layer and the clav layer to channel 3. I know for a fact that this can be done on my Kurzweil PC3. If not, see if the Yamaha can receive on "omni" mode. Omni tells the unit to respond to ALL midi channels. This way you only have to have the pedals send on one channel but all layers should respond regardless of channel assignment.

 

[Edpal]

Gentlemen - thank you so much. Just got on this morning and am going to dig into this a LOT today (avoiding the snow and cold for a few hours). I AM trying to keep my hands free - basically I would generally just be hitting some organ sounds with slow attack and slow release as the pedals tend to sound a bit clunky otherwise, due to there being no velocity messages being captures and transmitted. At other times I will maybe do an intro, etc. on the "real" keys but we are trying to limit what I do to what I could do in real time gigging, vs. our recordings and overdubbing. I would agree with SeaGTGruff that the primary issue is the pedals only transmit on one midi channel. Deleware Dave I believe is on the right track that I want the actions of the pedals assigned to both the layers. Ironic that DelDave mentions channel 3 - that's what they were set for when I bought them and I first used them with a MicroKorg (monophonic). I switched them to #1. I'm thinking I should first set them back to #3 as I am probably conflicting with internal mii messages(of the keybaord) that are on channels 1 & 2.
Thanks guy!!
Which I could post a picture of my rig - it's pretty crazy and I'm kind of proud of it. I have the 20 keys midi pedals tightly fit under a Yamaha Z-stand, 4" velcro across the top of the pedals with all my bass pedals on it. Clear & smoked plexi tabletop I built fits on top of the Yamaha stand and holds an Electro Harmonix Bass Synth to the left, rest is for the keyboard with just enough room to the right for a medium sized laptop.

Again, very grateful for the help. Peace. Ed