Showcase Song Selection via Midi?

[rondesjardins]

In the Showcase demos, it seems that you can currently only select and load (queue) a Song in the "Song view" screen (or by using the arrow buttons in the transport mode to select prior/next song). However, it does seem that you can "save" a Preset to a Song.

As such.. if you recall the PRESET via midi, then does that also queue up the Song it is associated with? Or do Preset recalls stay independent of Songs?

I had planned on buying the Stadium floor, in large part due to Showcase. I will need to recall presets via midi (as I do with my HX Stomp today), and hoped that associated Songs would then also be queued up in that process (I only use a handful of backing tracks in my current setup, so every Preset wouldn't necessarily have a Song). It doesn't seem like the current Showcase capability allows for Songs to be called up via an external Midi command (maybe that will be a future software release?). It'd be great to understand how this will work before purchasing (at this stage). Basically, do Present recalls also load associated Songs? Or, will users eventually be able to load Songs (via a Midi command), which will then also recall/load the associated Preset?

Any current Stadium XL users try this with Showcase?

Edited December 18 by rondesjardins
Fixed wording.

[silverhead]

On 12/18/2025 at 3:40 PM, rondesjardins said:

…. However, it does seem that you can "save" a Preset to a Song.

As such.. if you recall the PRESET via midi, then does that also queue up the Song it is associated with? Or do Preset recalls stay independent of Songs?

….

You can tag a preset for recall at a specific point in a Song. And since you can tag more than one preset to a song, and a preset can be tagged in multiple songs, preset recalls stay independent of Songs. Recalling a preset by any means does not queue a Song.

 

Also note that the online manual now includes a Song section.

[rondesjardins]

Then I hope this is something that gets addressed in a future update. As a performer, I cannot be bending down and scrolling through Songs to load them...or clicking the arrow buttons 20 times to get to the 21st song in my list. Being able to recall both Presets and Songs via midi is a must. Or, maybe an option would be to use and Instant Command to load the Song when you recall a Preset?

I did see that you create Set list of Songs. Are Song and Present Setlist different? Or, can a Setlist contain both Songs and Presets?

[silverhead]

Setlists (ordered list of Presets) and Playlists (ordered list of Songs) are different and maintained separately by the user. In Global Settings -> Songs you have options for controlling automated progression through a Playlist.

[silverhead]

On 12/18/2025 at 4:01 PM, rondesjardins said:

….Or, maybe an option would be to use and Instant Command to load the Song …

That’s available now in the Command Center. Here’s a clip from the manual….

 

The Song command category is supported by all source controller types other than expression pedals or X-Axis/Y-Axis controllers. This category includes Song View commands to control song transport functions, navigate between existing songs, or select markers within the current song. This can be a convenient way to load and play songs directly from your preset, without having to change to the dedicated Song View screen.

[ppoceiro]

Hi.

I think that @rondesjardinsis on to something.

It would be very useful to call a Song via midi I think.

One could have separate hardware and software like a tablet for organizing playlists with apps made for that effect and that would queue and play the Songs in the Helix by sending Midi instructions to the Helix.

[cchimi]

I posted about exactly this issue on the Facebook group and, frankly, got a ton of crap about it.  It was upsetting, since I was just asking a question.  I suspect that most people at this point don't really understand how Songs are different from Presets as containers on Stadium.  Most people, because of prior experience on other devices, associate songs with presets.  A Preset contains a Song, more or less.  That's one reason we have snapshots, so that we can alter guitar sounds as needed as we play a song.  On the Stadium, Songs contain Presets.  It's actually a much better way to work, but I think - based on the reaction to my post - that many people can't see that yet.  

But as soon as they build a fairly large number of Songs within Showcase, they will see it.  And, soon as they have to press a footswitch 25 times at a gig to go from Song 2 to Song 27, they will understand why Songs in Showcase must have MIDI Program Change numbers so they can be called at random, as needed.  People who work from predefined setlists, and people who can easily access the song list on Stadium with their fingers, will never have to deal with this.  But if you work with requests, if you pull up songs in response to the feel of the audience in the moment, Showcase - as it stands right now - is pretty well unusable.  Only because there's no way (short of bending down and pressing a few buttons) to select a song at random from your list.  I believe Eric Klein and his crew are aware of this, but he can't say when MIDI Song selection might come to the Stadium.  He says Showcase was designed to be a standalone system not needing input from other devices (that's paraphrased).  

To me, one interesting thing about thinking of Showcase as a standalone system is, if that's true, why do Presets even need to have Program Changes associated with them?  Any preset you want can easily be called up within a Song in Showcase.  I think it's possible Line6 just didn't quite see the importance of being able to select Songs at random and decided to release Showcase without that capability.  In my opinion, that was a mistake, but it's likely they don't see it that way because there's a belief that few people will need it.  Since most users at this point are still wrapping their heads around what Showcase can do, there's very little insight into how this is already a problem for some of us, so our concerns tend to get dismissed, or our writing styles critiqued.  But I think this is going to be a bigger problem than it might seem right now, as more people become familiar with Showcase and how Songs work.  Hopefully, Line6 will see that and add this capability as quickly as possible.

Edited December 20 by cchimi
Forgot some words

[cchimi]

On 12/19/2025 at 6:38 AM, ppoceiro said:

Hi.

I think that @rondesjardinsis on to something.

It would be very useful to call a Song via midi I think.

One could have separate hardware and software like a tablet for organizing playlists with apps made for that effect and that would queue and play the Songs in the Helix by sending Midi instructions to the Helix.

I use OnSong on an iPad to call up songs at random as I need them.  Each song in OnSong sends the appropriate Program Changes to our devices.  This doesn't work at present on the Stadium because Showcase Songs are not currently selectable via MIDI.  I think Line6 hasn't yet seen now important this will be for many of their users.

[silverhead]

On 12/20/2025 at 9:43 AM, cchimi said:

….  Hopefully, Line6 will see that and add this capability as quickly as possible.

Providing your perspective from an ‘audience request’ position is valuable, I think, and doesn’t deserve to be met with lollipop unless presented disrespectfully. Sorry you experienced that.

 

Please make sure you make an official feature request for this:

https://line6.com/company/contact/productfeedback/

[cchimi]

On 12/20/2025 at 9:56 AM, silverhead said:

Providing your perspective from an ‘audience request’ position is valuable, I think, and doesn’t deserve to be met with lollipop unless presented disrespectfully. Sorry you experienced that.

 

Please make sure you make an official feature request for this:

https://line6.com/company/contact/productfeedback/

I don't think I was disrespectful, but opinions differ.  I certainly didn't mean to be disrespectful.  I just want a Stadium that works for me and was explaining why MIDI Selection of Songs is critical and I was surprised it wasn't included when Showcase was released.  Honestly, I think it's something that people will only understand as it affects them.

 

Thank you for the feedback link.  I'll make that request.

[ppoceiro]

On 12/20/2025 at 2:43 PM, cchimi said:

To me, one interesting thing about thinking of Showcase as a standalone system is, if that's true, why do Presets even need to have Program Changes associated with them?  Any preset you want can easily be called up within a Song in Showcase.

Well I definitely agreed with all.

But in this case, of course we still need PC associated with presets. Not everybody will make use of the Showcase.

And your post got me thinking.

I don't have the Stadium yet.

How does one go from song to song? Is it just from the new footswitch layout dedicated to showcase and/or getting down and using the touchscreen?

I know we can do eveything with Command Center but just maybe L6 can think about adding an extra layer to the banks footswitches.

Maybe with showcase it can be useful, besides having the 2 bank up/down footswitches dedicated to swaping presets or snapshots, to add another layer for bank up/down Songs, right? Or is the User Setlists associated with the Songs? Or the other way around?

And with Command Center we can add just the Play/Stop or whatever to any footswitch eliminating the need to tap dance between the Showcase layout and the Stomp/Snapshots layout.

I know that we don't need to exit the Showcase layout if we automate the switching but what if I like to have direct control of the switches instead of automating?

And going back to the original issue, if we use an app on a tablet to control Showcase via Midi, we don't have to go to the Showcase layout.

 

[cchimi]

On 12/18/2025 at 4:16 PM, silverhead said:

That’s available now in the Command Center. Here’s a clip from the manual….

 

The Song command category is supported by all source controller types other than expression pedals or X-Axis/Y-Axis controllers. This category includes Song View commands to control song transport functions, navigate between existing songs, or select markers within the current song. This can be a convenient way to load and play songs directly from your preset, without having to change to the dedicated Song View screen.

At the moment, I don't think it's possible to use an Instant command to load a SPECIFIC Song.  It can only load the NEXT or PREV song.  If you have an ordered setlist, this might work for you.  But if you have to choose songs at random, as some of us do, it won't work.  Also, note that while you can be in the Preset view and play a Song, it will not be a Song that is in anyway associated with that Preset, except by accident.  The Preset list and the Song list are, at present, independent of each other.
 

One way to look at this is Songs select Presets (because Songs have ways of selecting Presets as needed on the timeline), but Presets do not select Songs (except NEXT and PREV).  I hope that changes soon and we can select Songs using MIDI commands, and I hope this is helpful.

 

[cchimi]

On 12/20/2025 at 10:07 AM, ppoceiro said:

Well I definitely agreed with all.

But in this case, of course we still need PC associated with presets. Not everybody will make use of the Showcase.

And your post got me thinking.

I don't have the Stadium yet.

How does one go from song to song? Is it just from the new footswitch layout dedicated to showcase and/or getting down and using the touchscreen?

I know we can do eveything with Command Center but just maybe L6 can think about adding an extra layer to the banks footswitches.

Maybe with showcase it can be useful, besides having the 2 bank up/down footswitches dedicated to swaping presets or snapshots, to add another layer for bank up/down Songs, right? Or is the User Setlists associated with the Songs? Or the other way around?

And with Command Center we can add just the Play/Stop or whatever to any footswitch eliminating the need to tap dance between the Showcase layout and the Stomp/Snapshots layout.

I know that we don't need to exit the Showcase layout if we automate the switching but what if I like to have direct control of the switches instead of automating?

And going back to the original issue, if we use an app on a tablet to control Showcase via Midi, we don't have to go to the Showcase layout.

 

Yes, of course we need PCs for Presets.  And that's exactly why we also need PCs for Songs.  Songs is such a new concept I suspect many people aren't seeing this yet.  At the moment, assuming the Stadium is on the floor and you don't want to have to constantly bend down and press the screen several times, you cannot select a Song at random.  You can only scroll through them one by one by pressing a footswitch multiple times, NEXT or PREV.  That's going to be a big problem for a lot of people once they experience that.  But, I should say, if you work from an ordered, predefined setlist, or if you work so that your fingers can easily touch the screen, you will likely never experience this problem and might not even see it as a problem.

[silverhead]

On 12/20/2025 at 10:38 AM, cchimi said:

…  But, I should say, if you work from an ordered, predefined setlist, or if you work so that your fingers can easily touch the screen, you will likely never experience this problem and might not even see it as a problem.

Yes, I think you are in a (small?) minority at the moment of players who frequently respond to audience requests as opposed to showing up at a gig with a prepared setlist. I think most bands/players invite requests, if at all, at some point near the end of their gig, and at that point it’s perhaps not too much of a problem to bend down a time or two and take a few seconds to make a specific Song selection.
 

Perhaps as you say more players will come to see this as a problem and Line 6 will respond to an increase in feature requests for this. At the moment you’ve done your part if you submit an official feature request. And keep banging the drum!

[rwandering]

I think controlling this from MIDI makes some sense.

 

I do wonder about the practical use for it though.  Presumably the MIDI command defines a specific song (or preset) by order.  So if you change order (insert, rearrange), then your MIDI programming all has to change.  Honest question: is that acceptable to users (i.e., would you actually work to keep all of that in sync or just say nevermind)?

 

I do think that there should be a way to interleave presets and songs into a setlist.  If/when I start using songs I know I won't be all in . . . that said, I'm not the target audience for this because I'm not even sure I'll use setlists anytime soon.  I have about 8 presets (with snapshots) that I use for a set of up to 35 songs.

[silverhead]

On 12/20/2025 at 12:17 PM, rwandering said:

….  So if you change order (insert, rearrange), then your MIDI programming all has to change.  Honest question: is that acceptable to users (i.e., would you actually work to keep all of that in sync or just say nevermind)?

 

..

Yes, the MIDI programming will need to change. This is also true for reordering Presets and Setlists. Here’s a snippet from the manual that I find ambiguous:

 

*Note: Reordering setlists and presets will change the MIDI Recall CC and PC messages to which they respond. 
 

Now, does that mean it’s being done automatically within Stadium or does it mean that the user has to do the reprogramming? I haven’t tested this because I don’t use MIDI recall. But if it’s being done automatically within Stadium I presume the same could be applied to Songs. If it’s not automatic then I presume there’ll soon be an outcry about it with Presets!

[cchimi]

On 12/20/2025 at 12:40 PM, silverhead said:

Yes, the MIDI programming will need to change. This is also true for reordering Presets and Setlists. Here’s a snippet from the manual that I find ambiguous:

 

*Note: Reordering setlists and presets will change the MIDI Recall CC and PC messages to which they respond. 
 

Now, does that mean it’s being done automatically within Stadium or does it mean that the user has to do the reprogramming? I haven’t tested this because I don’t use MIDI recall. But if it’s being done automatically within Stadium I presume the same could be applied to Songs. If it’s not automatic then I presume there’ll soon be an outcry about it with Presets!

Actually, why would you have to change any of the MIDI programming on the Stadium?  There would be no reason at all, because the selection calls would be made from an external device.  In fact, doing it that way you only need one Song list on the Stadium and one on the calling device.  It's not that complicated.

[silverhead]

On 12/20/2025 at 3:32 PM, cchimi said:

Actually, why would you have to change any of the MIDI programming on the Stadium?  There would be no reason at all, because the selection calls would be made from an external device.  In fact, doing it that way you only need one Song list on the Stadium and one on the calling device.  It's not that complicated.

You’re right. Sorry for my momentary(?) confusion.

[cchimi]

On 12/20/2025 at 3:54 PM, silverhead said:

You’re right. Sorry for my momentary(?) confusion.

No problem.  This Showcase Song model is very new and we're all feeling our way through it.

[jpdennis]

On 12/20/2025 at 1:01 PM, cchimi said:

No problem.  This Showcase Song model is very new and we're all feeling our way through it.

 

cchimi,

 

Thanks for your input and analysis of this new feature.  It is unacceptable that you would be chastised for asking a question especially since I do not see any disrespect in the posts you've added to date. 

 

I haven't yet focused on Showcase because I am rebuilding all my presents from scratch as I slowly go through the manual.  After reading and rereading the initial request & replies, plus the insights, from everyone in this thread to make sure I what's being said so far, I may have to fast track my timeline to get to Showcase ASAP.

 

I say this because I can think of a few scenarios from my past work that would fit this need.  One is a group were the vocalist would get a request in the second set, as an example, to repeat a real crowd pleaser from the first set or advance one or two from the next two or three sets at that moment: bar band tip jar could even trigger this.  Or the vocalist may not be ready to sing a song that looked great in the lineup but at 10:15pm doesn't seem to work for that vocalist.  One other is the Friday-Sunday afternoon day time public event a one man band or small band venue that asks for requests for tips.

 

I don't know the math of how many of current Stadium owners this represents though it could really be a great demographic to seek out as the Stadium evolves.  And I know it will evolve as everyone keeps sending feedback, suggestions, and bug fix tickets to Line 6 support.  This has been proven over the past 15+ years with the original Helix family.

 

Having said that, this thread has pushed me to start attempting to use Showcase sooner rather than later to determine what can and what cannot be accomplished at this time.

 

Thank you all for the push.  Never too old to learn more.

 

jpd

 

 

[silverhead]

I think one of the most frequent “write your requests down on a $10 bill” situations could be the solo singer/guitarist playing to relatively small crowds, where the atmosphere can be a bit more intimate and an audience relationship can be established. MIDI Song selection, driven by an app on an iPad or whatever, would be very helpful.

 

For that situation, with or without MIDI Song triggers, I would really like to see a re-introduction of a feature I loved in the old POD X3 Live device: Lock Tone 2. On Stadium it would be called Lock Path B. The idea is that you could maintain your vocal tone with the Mic input on Path B while switching presets for your different guitar tones on Path A. I’m going to submit this as a feature request (again). I did submit this request for OG Helix but…..

Come to think of it, OG Helix has a Preset Spillover feature that is essentially a “Block Path B I’m using if for spillover” implementation. Might be feasible to tweak it for “Lock Path B I’m using it for vocals”.

 

[cchimi]

On 12/20/2025 at 6:18 PM, silverhead said:

I think one of the most frequent “write your requests down on a $10 bill” situations could be the solo singer/guitarist playing to relatively small crowds, where the atmosphere can be a bit more intimate and an audience relationship can be established. MIDI Song selection, driven by an app on an iPad or whatever, would be very helpful.

 

For that situation, with or without MIDI Song triggers, I would really like to see a re-introduction of a feature I loved in the old POD X3 Live device: Lock Tone 2. On Stadium it would be called Lock Path B. The idea is that you could maintain your vocal tone with the Mic input on Path B while switching presets for your different guitar tones on Path A. I’m going to submit this as a feature request (again). I did submit this request for OG Helix but…..

Come to think of it, OG Helix has a Preset Spillover feature that is essentially a “Block Path B I’m using if for spillover” implementation. Might be feasible to tweak it for “Lock Path B I’m using it for vocals”.

 

Yes.  Helix was essentially a guitar pedal.  "Guitar pedal" is only part of what Stadium is or can be.  I suspect there are many more musicians who take requests, or who select songs in real time rather than follow a strict setlist than Line6 realizes right now.  I think as more people start to use Showcase this will become evident.  After all, the type of player who takes requests - singer/songwriters, duos, nursing home performers - form a natural market for a feature such as Showcase.  Stadium is much more than a guitar pedal, even though most of the marketing focus has been in that direction.

[rondesjardins]

Great discussion. Being able to recall songs via midi (with an associated Preset) will be critical for me (and I suspect others). I may delay purchasing the Stadium until I know this feature has been added.

In my small acoustic duo, I use OnSong on an iPad to send PC changes to my devices (BeatBuddy, HX Stomp, and Rc500 looper (backing tracks)) for each/every song. I then use a Morningstar MC8 to control these devices while performing the song. My intent is/was for the Stadium to replace the HX Stomp, RC500, and Morningstar (smaller footprint and less complexity). I go into every gig with a pre-built setlist (in OnSong), but invariably every show is different and we make changes on-the-fly depending on the vibe in the room, audience requests, etc. In those situations, all I need to do is select the song in OnSong, and it loads the beats and/or backing tracks and presets across all my devices - no menu diving, no tap dancing.

I get that I could build Setlists (presets) or Playlists (songs) in Stadium, but those don't seem to easily allow for flexibility when ad-hoc set list changes are taking place. The internal Set Lists/Play Lists probably will work fine for larger shows with pre-defined lists that won't likely change. For smaller acts, we're going to need flexibility to call up songs (with associated presets) in a much more flexible manner. Showcase has such promise to help smaller acts add new elements to their shows and I hope Line6 can incorporate features that meet the needs of both large and small acts/performers.

[silverhead]

I presume everyone who supports the idea in this thread has submitted their feature request officially?

https://line6.com/company/contact/productfeedback/

 

[rondesjardins]

Done. ;-)

[cchimi]

On 12/21/2025 at 12:13 PM, silverhead said:

I presume everyone who supports the idea in this thread has submitted their feature request officially?

https://line6.com/company/contact/productfeedback/

 

 

Yup

[freemanstl]

 I definitely see a need for this.  In a live show where we are leveraging backing tracks and clicks associated with a preset that has been built for specific song.  We frequently need to call audibles on the the "set list" based on crowd participation.  Leveraging the Showcase Playlist, as it stands now it not functional as dead air during a show with 500+ people is no bueno.  

I will also definitely make this a new feature request.  Thanks!

[jpdennis]

On 12/21/2025 at 9:13 AM, silverhead said:

I presume everyone who supports the idea in this thread has submitted their feature request officially?

https://line6.com/company/contact/productfeedback/

 

 

Yes sir. :-)