PatchGrid - M3

User Manual

Version 1.0.6

PatchGrid - M3 User Manual

A practical guide to arranging, selecting, and performing Korg M3 patches.

PatchGrid is a performance-oriented patch organizer for the Korg M3. It presents patches as a 4 x 4 grid so you can select sounds quickly, arrange them into pages, and adjust useful performance controls from one screen.

Feature summary

System requirements

PatchGrid requires an iPad with an A10 chip or newer. The following hardware tiers clarify the minimum and recommended devices:

Settings - Import / Restore

The Settings item opens the Import and Restore workflows.

Import

Use Import to read patch data from the connected M3 into the application's patch storage.

1. Open Settings using the Gear icon and choose Import.
2. Choose the patch type and the banks, categories, sub-categories, or patches to read.
3. Click Start to begin the MIDI extraction.
4. Wait for extraction to finish before returning to PatchGrid.

Import is the device-connected workflow. It requests Program, Combination, or GM patch data from the M3 and stores the returned data. Click Cancel while extraction is in progress if you need to stop it.

Restore

Use Restore to restore selected shipped default patches without reading them from the M3.

1. Open Settings using the Gear icon and choose Restore.
2. Choose PROG, COMBI, or GM.
3. Select individual patches, or use SELECT ALL and SELECT NONE.
4. Click Restore Defaults.
5. Confirm the restore when prompted.

Restore is available in offline storage mode. It replaces the selected stored patches with the corresponding shipped defaults. A patch that has already been restored is not selectable again during the same restore session.

Leave the Settings view

Click Exit to leave the Import/Restore view. When Settings was opened from PatchGrid, the app returns to PatchGrid and reloads its patch data before normal use resumes. If you opened the workflow from another view, the app returns to that originating view instead.

Disclaimer

Before you begin

PatchGrid supports a direct USB-wired MIDI connection between the iPad and the Korg M3. Bluetooth MIDI, network MIDI, Wi-Fi MIDI, and other wireless or network connection methods are not supported.

The PatchGrid Boot screen

The Boot screen is the first screen used to prepare PatchGrid. It detects the connected M3 and supported expansion boards, loads the available patch data, and provides the MIDI connection controls.

The Keyboard selector can be used to choose from the available MIDI inputs, including multiple connected keyboard inputs. M3 Input selects the MIDI input used to receive data from the M3, and M3 Output selects the MIDI output used to send patches and controls to the M3. Use Connect after selecting the required devices.

Select Skip M3 Connection when you want to use PatchGrid without connecting to an M3. PatchGrid remains available for offline editing, browsing, and organizing patches; the M3 will not receive patch changes until a connection is made.

The Inventory text button switches the visible patch inventory between patches imported from the M3 and the preset patches supplied with PatchGrid. Use it to confirm which patch source is being displayed before assigning sounds.

The Privacy Policy and PG Manual text links open the product privacy information and this user manual.

The PatchGrid screen

Play selects and performs patches. Edit assigns patches, manages PatchGrids and pages, edits notes, and adjusts slot settings. Settings opens Import and Restore.

The centre of Play mode is a 4 x 4 grid of 16 slots. A slot can contain a Program, a Combination, or be empty. Each PatchGrid can contain up to 8 pages, and the application supports up to 128 saved PatchGrids.

The MAIN, VOL, slider, and EQ controls sit lower in the Play view; DRUM, KARMA, SW1, and SW2 are repositioned on the left; and the transpose controls sit farther right. The VC logo is visible in Play mode and hidden in Edit mode. The PatchGrid selector uses a 2 x 2 layout, with its previous and next arrows kept within the selector width.

Play mode

Select a patch

1. Click Play.
2. Click a filled slot.
3. PatchGrid sends the corresponding bank and program change to the M3.

Click an empty slot to move into Edit mode so that a patch can be assigned to it.

Change page or PatchGrid

• Use the arrows beside the grid to change page.
• Use the PatchGrid selector arrows to move through saved PatchGrids.
• Select a PatchGrid entry to load it.
• In Edit mode, use the up and down arrows beside PatchGrid to change the saved PatchGrid order.
• In Edit mode, use the up and down arrows beside Pages to change the saved page order.

Page movement changes the selected item immediately and keeps it active. The new ordering is saved with the PatchGrid data and restored after restart. The first page of the built-in Default PatchGrid cannot be deleted or cleared, and its next-page arrow is hidden when no next page is available.

Performance controls

• Drum toggles the drum track.
• KARMA On/Off toggles KARMA.
• SW1 and SW2 toggle the M3 switches.
• TRANSPOSE changes transpose from -12 to +12 semitones.
• Tempo and volume can be adjusted from the performance panel. Drag rotary controls or the volume slider vertically.

In Play mode, drag a filled slot horizontally through patch numbers in its bank or vertically through categories. Both directions wrap at the end. During the drag, the selected slot shows the previous, current, and next patch names; the preview disappears when the drag ends and the selected patch is saved.

To fill an empty slot by dragging through patches, begin with the default Program I-A000. Continue dragging to move through the available patch selection; the final selection is saved when the drag ends.

The MIDI Status Strip initially shows MIDI. Tap it to expand SYSEX, PC, CC, BANK, and NOTE, then tap again to collapse it. The KARMA Status Strip initially shows KARMA; tap it to show LATCH or OFF, the active module, and the scene for the selected slot.

When the selected PROG or COMBI contains drum-track data, Play mode shows the drum pattern category, drum pattern, and drum kit above the performance controls. PatchGrid resolves these names from the loaded M3 MIDI dump and its drum pattern and drum kit lookups.

Use the small arrow beside the KARMA On/Off control to open the extended controls. The slideout provides Latch, Module, and Scene buttons for the selected slot; Latch toggles, while Module and Scene cycle through their available values.

Edit mode

The editor has three tabs: Patch List for assignment, Grid Table for an overview of all 16 slots, and Slot Editor for detailed settings.

The selected slot has a thicker outline for clear identification. The VC logo is hidden in Edit mode.

Assign a patch

1. Open Edit.
2. Select the target slot in the grid or Grid Table.
3. Choose COMBI or PROG in Patch List.
4. Use bank, category, and subcategory filters as needed.
5. Scroll and click a patch to assign it.
6. Click Play when ready.

Drag the patch list, use its scrollbar, or use the mouse wheel over it.

Edit a slot

1. Select a filled slot.
2. Open Slot Editor.
3. Choose a colour and adjust tempo, volume, EQ, Drum, KARMA, SW1, or SW2.

The EQ controls are Low, Mid, Mid Hz, and High. Values are stored per slot and per page.

Grid Table view

Slot Editor view

Edit notes

1. Click the notes area in Edit mode.
2. Type the notes. Notes are limited to 500 characters; the remaining-character counter shows the available space.
3. Click Save or Cancel.

Escape cancels an active notes edit. Losing focus does not save it. The notes area scrolls when the text is longer than the visible field. A new Default PatchGrid starts with: “This patch grids load the first of each category in PROG and COMBI to give you some options to try out the sounds.”

Manage PatchGrids

Create

1. Open Edit and click New beside Patch Grids.
2. Enter a unique, non-empty name of no more than 23 characters.
3. Press Return or click Add.

Default PatchGrid is reserved. Escape or Exit cancels without creating a file.

Rename

Select a PatchGrid, click Rename or the pencil icon, edit the name, then confirm with Return or Add. Invalid, duplicate, empty, and reserved names are rejected without changing the existing name.

Pages

• New adds a blank page, up to eight pages.
• Duplicate copies the current page.
• Clear removes assignments and settings from the current page.
• The trash button deletes a page after a second confirmation click.

Page 0 cannot be deleted. The first page of Default PatchGrid cannot be cleared. The up and down arrows reorder pages and save the new order. The Default PatchGrid cannot receive additional pages; its next-page arrow is hidden. When blocked, the app warns: “The Default Page cannot be deleted. No new Page's can be added to this PatchGrid.”

Clear, duplicate, or delete

Use Clear to empty a selected PatchGrid. Use Duplicate to create a uniquely named copy. The trash button requires a second confirmation click before deletion. The built-in Default PatchGrid cannot be cleared or deleted.

Copy and paste slots

One slot

1. Select the source slot.
2. Click Copy.
3. Click the target slot.

The patch, controls, and colour are pasted together. Click Copy again to cancel.

Saving and persistence

PatchGrid saves assignments, page changes, slot controls, colours, notes, names, and page structure as they change. Returning to Play also commits the current editing state and refreshes the PatchGrid list.

Troubleshooting

Patch names or lists are missing

Wait for patch loading to finish. PatchGrid requires both Program and Combination data before it can build the complete browser and Default PatchGrid.

The M3 does not change sounds

Check the selected MIDI output, connection, MIDI channel, and M3 receive status.

A new PatchGrid was not created

Check the name and confirm with Return or Add. Losing focus does not create it.

A delete or clear action did not happen

Deletion requires a second click. The built-in Default PatchGrid and its first page have additional protection.

Edited text reverted

Use Save for notes or Return/Add for a name. Escape or Cancel restores the previous value.

Quick reference