Troubleshooting

This chapter collects the most common problems and how to solve them. Many come from the way RigAstra works by design (for example, MIDI Clock going out to a single destination), so it’s worth checking them before assuming something is broken.

I touch a control and nothing sounds

RigAstra is a controller: it sends MIDI and OSC, and the sound comes from the device or app that receives it. Check in this order:

1. Open Settings > MIDI Outputs, tap Destination and make sure the right device is selected (or choose All Outputs to test).
2. If the device isn’t in the list, tap Scan Outputs.
3. Open the control’s inspector and make sure it’s in MIDI mode (see MIDI, Macro and OSC modes) and that its channel matches the channel your instrument listens on.
4. On the receiving device or app, make sure it accepts that MIDI input and channel.
5. If you’re using a network destination ([NET]), check that the network MIDI session is set up in the system: RigAstra doesn’t create one of its own.

A connected device doesn’t appear in the list

1. Check the physical or network connection and that the device is turned on.
2. In Settings, tap Scan Outputs to look for destinations again.
3. On iPhone and iPad, if you connect to a Mac by cable with IDAM, tap Scan Outputs again after plugging in the cable and enabling IDAM on the Mac.
4. For clock sources (inputs), use Scan MIDI Inputs.

RigAstra remembers destinations and inputs by name: when a device you had already chosen reconnects, it’s picked up again on its own.

My device doesn’t receive MIDI Clock

• MIDI Clock goes out to a single destination: the first one you selected in Settings that’s connected. If you have several destinations selected, make sure the device that needs the clock is the first one you selected, or leave only that one selected.
• If the first destination disconnects, the clock automatically moves to the next connected destination (cable or IDAM first, then network, then Bluetooth) and returns to the first one when it reconnects.
• Network destinations ([NET]) only receive Start and Stop, not the clock pulses. To send clock, use a cable or Bluetooth connection.
• If the clock source is External MIDI, RigAstra doesn’t send clock out. Switch to Internal on the Tempo screen.
• The clock stops if RigAstra goes to the background. Keep the app on screen while it’s the master clock.

RigAstra doesn’t follow my DAW’s clock

1. Open the Tempo screen and choose External MIDI in the Clock section.
2. In Settings > MIDI Inputs, make sure your DAW’s input is selected (or All Inputs). If it’s set to None, no device can take over the clock.
3. If you connected the device after opening the app, tap Scan MIDI Inputs.
4. Check the status text: Awaiting external MIDI clock means nothing is arriving yet; External clock detected shows the incoming BPM.

When you open the app, return to it or a MIDI destination connects, if no clock is arriving, RigAstra switches back to the internal clock. Start sending clock from your DAW and choose External MIDI again.

With external clock, the tempo jumps or is unstable

If several inputs send clock at the same time, their pulses get mixed. In Settings > MIDI Inputs, leave only one input selected: the one from the device that should set the tempo.

Tap does nothing

Tap only works with the internal clock. With External MIDI, the external device sets the tempo.

Notes cut off and engines stop on their own

This is a safety feature. When the app goes to the background or there’s an audio interruption (a phone call, for example), RigAstra stops every engine and turns off every note so nothing is left hanging. When you come back, start the engines again by hand.

RigAstra doesn’t keep running in the background. When playing live, keep the app on screen and avoid interruptions (for example, with a Focus or Do Not Disturb mode that silences calls).

Changing an Arpeggiator’s channel from its header also turns off the notes that were playing.

OSC messages don’t arrive

1. On iPhone and iPad, the system asks for permission for RigAstra to access devices on your local network. If you declined, turn it on in the system Settings app, under Privacy & Security > Local Network.
2. In Settings > OSC Output > Manage OSC Outputs, check the receiving device’s IP and port. RigAstra doesn’t discover devices automatically: you type them in.
3. Make sure the control is in OSC mode and has the right output and path selected.
4. Check that the receiving software is listening on that port and path.

RigAstra only sends OSC; it doesn’t receive OSC messages. See MIDI and OSC connections.

A file from Android won’t open or arrives incomplete

For now, not every file transfers between Android and iPhone or iPad. Full scene collections (.rigastrascenes) and arpeggiator presets are compatible; single scenes, page presets, Drum Player presets and settings have limitations. The details are in Files and backups.

All files are compatible between iPhone and iPad.

"Requires a newer version of RigAstra" appears

The file or scene was made with a newer version of the app. Update RigAstra. In the meantime, RigAstra keeps whatever it doesn’t know intact and doesn’t modify your file.

An "About your files" message appears

RigAstra couldn’t read one of its internal files. It kept a copy of the original and, if possible, recovered it from an automatic backup. If it couldn’t recover it, it won’t save changes to that file until you restart the app. Read the message: it tells you which file it is and what was done. See Files and backups.

I imported scenes and mine disappeared

Import Scenes replaces every scene on the device with the ones in the file, without asking for confirmation. To avoid losing anything, always tap Export Scenes before importing. If you only want to bring in one scene, use Import in the scene actions: it replaces only the selected scene and asks for confirmation.

The Up, Down or Random arpeggiator presets sound alike

The factory preset names refer to note orders, octaves and swing, but the current arpeggiator engine doesn’t apply orders, octaves or swing. See Arpeggiator.

Notes show up in a different octave (C3 or C4)

Manufacturers name middle C differently. In Settings > Middle C, choose C3, C4 or C5 so the names match your gear. It only changes the names; the notes sent stay the same.

Still having trouble?

Write to me using the support form. Include your RigAstra version (in Settings > About RigAstra), your device and its system version, and what you were doing when it happened.