Editor for Mandala V3 & Synapse — Support
Getting started
- Read the welcome notice. The first time you open the App it explains what the App is: free, unofficial, and private. Sending writes straight to your pads, and Synapse edits are saved in the Synapse as you make them, so export your presets or save a Synapse setup first if you want a backup.
- Plug in a pad. Connect your Mandala V3 to your iPhone or iPad with a USB cable (and an adapter if your device needs one). It appears as a pad card at the top of the screen.
- Tap what you want to change. Tap a zone (z1 in the centre out to z4 at the edge) or a rim (r1 at one o’clock, clockwise to r9). Its note and channel appear below the drawing.
- Set the surface controllers. Tap Strike position, Slide, or Pressure under the drawing to choose what each one sends.
- Send. Tap Send. The App writes to the pad, reads the settings back, and tells you whether they match.
You can replay the guided tutorial any time from Settings → Show tutorial.
Editing
What can I change on each zone and rim?
Every zone has an on/off switch, a note, and a MIDI channel. Every rim has the same for its note, plus an optional pressure controller with its own channel.
What can the surface controllers send?
Strike position, slide, and pressure can each send a control change (with its number), aftertouch, pitch bend up, or pitch bend down, on any channel. Strike position reads 0 at the centre and 127 at the edge.
How do I change every pad at once?
Turn on Apply edits to all pads. While it’s on, a change to a zone, rim, or controller is made on every pad in the App.
Where are sensitivity and damping?
Tap Pad settings. Surface threshold and rim threshold set how light a tap will trigger — lower is more sensitive. Surface damping and rim damping set how hard you need to hit to reach velocity 127 — higher needs a harder hit.
What does Selection follows MIDI do?
With it on (in Settings), hitting a zone or rim selects it in the editor, and switches to that pad if you hit a different one. It’s the quickest way to find the zone you want.
Pads
Can I set up a pad that isn’t plugged in?
Yes. Tap + to add a pad with nothing plugged in and edit it as normal. In Pad settings, choose which hardware pad it belongs to. Edits are saved and can be sent the next time that pad is connected.
The App says my settings differ from the pad.
What’s in the App and what’s stored on the pad don’t match. Send to write the App’s settings to the pad, or load the pad’s settings to replace what’s in the App.
How do I remove pads?
Delete one pad from Pad settings, or remove them all from Settings → Reset all pads. Either way, the settings stored on the pads themselves are not changed.
Presets
Can I use presets from the official utility?
Yes. Tap More → Import presets and pick an XML preset file saved by the official Mandala V3 utility. Export presets saves one in the same format, so it opens in the utility too.
Why didn’t my sensitivity settings come across?
The official preset files don’t include threshold or damping, so exported presets leave them out and imported presets don’t change them. Pad notes you write in the App aren’t exported either.
How do I get preset files onto my iPhone?
Save them to iCloud Drive, AirDrop them, or copy them into the App’s folder in the Files app. The App can open files from any of those places.
Mandala Synapse
How do I connect the Synapse?
Connect the Synapse’s power supply, then its USB cable. The App finds it as a MIDI device named Mandala Synapse and reads every setting from it. Choose Mandala V3 pads or Mandala Synapse on the first screen, and switch at any time. Pads plugged into the Synapse’s USB hub show up in the pad editor too.
What can I change?
Inputs 1 and 2 are kicks, Input 3 takes a hi-hat or a second expression pedal, and Input 4 takes an expression pedal. Each input’s note, note length, MIDI channel, velocity range, curve, and sensitivity are there, in the order the Synapse manual uses.
Is there a Send button?
No. Every edit goes straight into the Synapse and is kept there. Save a setup first if you want a backup. Reload reads every setting from the Synapse again.
How do I set up my hi-hat?
Input 3’s Preset menu has the Synapse manual’s settings for the Roland FD-7 and FD-8, HAT Kat, Yamaha HH65, Alesis RealHat, and Simmons hi-hat controller. Choose yours, then follow the steps the card shows for the trimmer and calibration. Raw mode, in Tools, shows the unscaled reading from Inputs 3 and 4 while you set the trimmers; the pedals send no MIDI until it is off again.
What are setups?
Setups, at the top of the Synapse editor, save every setting on all four inputs at once. Use them to move between rigs, or between kinds of pedals and triggers. Loading one replaces every setting in the Synapse. Calibration is stored in the Synapse and can’t be read back, so it isn’t part of a setup: recalibrate any pedal that differs from the one it was saved with.
What does factory reset do?
Factory reset, in Tools, returns the Synapse to its factory calibration: any kick pedal on Inputs 1 and 2, a Roland FD-8 hat on Input 3, and a Roland FV50L expression pedal on Input 4.
Can I try it without a Synapse?
Yes. Explore without a Synapse shows a demo set of values. Nothing is sent until one is plugged in.
Troubleshooting
My pad doesn’t show up.
Check the cable and adapter, then unplug the pad and plug it back in. If you use a USB hub, try connecting the pad directly. The pad shows up under a name like Mandala_V3_ followed by its serial number.
The pad did not answer.
Unplug and replug the pad, then send again. If a pad can’t be read back, the App can still send to it but can’t confirm the settings took.
No Synapse found.
Check the power supply is connected as well as USB, then tap Look again.
The Synapse’s settings don’t arrive.
Tap Read again. If that fails, unplug the Synapse’s power and USB, plug them back in, and try again. Editing stays off until the settings arrive, so nothing is written over them.
Can you help with the pad or Synapse itself?
Editor for Mandala V3 & Synapse is an unofficial app and isn’t made, endorsed, or supported by Synesthesia Corp. We can help with the App. For firmware and hardware questions, contact Synesthesia Corp.
Still stuck?
Email support@ocodedesign.com, or use Contact support in the App’s Settings so the version is included. Tell us what happened and which device you’re using, and we’ll get back to you.
See also: Privacy Policy · Terms of Use