Summary: Using the Live Routings setting in Audio Midi Setup/ Network to edit hardware parameters WHILE using Ableton Live 9
Ableton Live does not like passing SYSEX info that is coming into it via the Network Session MIDI input out of an output :-) If I use Midi Designer wirelessly into the "Network" interface that shows up in the Mac OS's Audio MIDI Setup, Ableton will receive data like note messages, cc's, and NRPN's just fine, but it goes silent on SYSEX messages like those used in the excellent TG77 hardware synth editor Layout and many others that use SYSEX.
I have found a workaround so that I can edit synths that use SYSEX wirelessly with my ipad (while the ipad sitting on the synth I need to edit hooray!). This is even while still playing the synth into Ableton when I am in a session and ready to record the sounds I have made with a MIDi Designer Layout. The key is to setup your ipad and main Mac on the same network, whether it is your usual home internet network or an private ad hoc network you have created. A little bit of latency isn't a big deal for me when I am only editing patches. I will not go into the details of connecting via network in general here as you can find that elsewhere all over the web. However, I want to share a quick way to connect your ipad with a MIDI Designer SYSEX-based layout to your hardware synth wirelessly.
First, of course, your hardware synth must be connected to your Mac via MIDI or USB MIDI or some way that shows up in Audio MIDI Setup on the Mac. Set up your ipad to connect to your Wifi network as you would usually using the Audio MIDI Setup Network icon AND applying the correct settings on your ipad and in MIDI Designer/configure/connections. Again, check the web if you want to know how to do this as there are many articles on this already. Now...
In the bottom right of the Network settings page in Audio MIDI Setup, there is a Live Routing section. This is the thing. Once your ipad and Mac are connected in the settings above this as usual, the first drop down menu should be set to "Network Session 1" or whatever session you created when setting up your ipad/Mac communication. The second drop down list should be set to the MIDI port that your hardware synth/drum machine/etc. are on. Yippee! Now MIDI Designer can be used to edit your hardware synth patch while you also have it routed into Ableton for recording or whatever. You can save the patch on your MD layout presets, on the synth itself, or using something like SYSEX Librarian. If you need to edit a patch on a different synth, load the layout in MIDI Designer and change that bottom drop-down menu to the port that the new synth is on. Golden.
I hope this helps. I spent forever trying to get it to work wirelessly GOING through Ableton with the Network Session MIDI Input to no avail. As you may know Ableton isn't super SYSEX-friendly and just doesn't do SYSEX pass-through through the Network MIDI option (as far as I can tell). You can however edit your hardware by sending SYSEX directly from a plug-in editor for the synth. It's only in the IN/OUT scenario where SYSEX seems to get obliterated :-/ Feel free to correct me if you have another solution, but this one is rockin' for me :-)
