Evolution Technologies UC-33 manual Assigning RPN/NRPN To a Fader/Rotary Controller

Evolution UC-33 Advanced User Guide

Number	MMC Command
01	STOP
02	PLAY
03	DEFERRED PLAY
04	FAST FORWARD
05	REWIND
06	RECORD STROBE
07	RECORD EXIT
08	RECORD PAUSE
09	PAUSE
10	EJECT
11	CHASE
12	COMMAND ERROR RESET
13	MMC RESET

Assigning RPN/NRPN To A Fader/Rotary Controller

Note: For a detailed description of RPN/NRPN data see section RPN/NRPN’s Explained on page 17.

1.Press Control select, and move the desired controller.

2. Press control assign and while the display is flashing, enter controller 132 for RPN coarse, 133 for RPN fine, 134 for NRPN coarse or 135 for NRPN fine.

3. Press DATA MSB to assign the number for the RPN/NRPN MSB.

4. Press DATA LSB to assign the number for

RPN/NRPN LSB.

5. Press CHANNEL ASSIGN to assign the MIDI channel the message should be sent on.

You will find most data sheets for synths that make use of NRPN's will give the MSB and LSB values that you should enter into DATA MSB and DATA LSB banks (also see Appendix F). However, some manuals may only give the hex values. The UC-33 requires you to enter the decimal value. You can easily convert hexadecimal values to decimal using the windows calculator. Simply select Scientific mode, select hex and enter the hexadecimal value you need to convert. Press the Dec button to convert it to a decimal value. Enter the decimal value into the UC-33.

Alternatively, use the look up table in Appendix C.

The following shows how to set a button to transmit a note on when pressed, and a note off when released.

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Evolution UC-33 Advanced User Guide

Program & Bank Changes Explained

The original GM MIDI specification catered for only 128 voices, numbered from 0-127. It is possible to access a different voice by sending a program change.

In order to expand on the GM set of voices, Bank changes were devised. Each bank contains 128 patches, that can be accessed using a program change. There are 16,384 banks available, accessible by sending a 14-bit Bank change message. The first 7 bits of this message are sent in a single byte known as the Bank LSB. The last 7 bits are specified by another byte known as the Bank MSB. The BANK LSB is the most commonly used This allows for 128 bank changes, and often there is no need to send a Bank MSB.

You will find almost all MIDI devices respond to the program change, but some that do not conform to the GM set of voices use the program change message for other purposes. Many VST instruments have adopted this approach, allowing you to use a program change to change the instrument patch. The FM7 by Native Instruments is a good example of this.

Bank changes are more rarely used, although they do exist. Bank changes are useful in manufacturer's extensions to the MIDI specification, such as Roland's GS specification and Yamaha's XG specification. Both of these require you to specify a Bank change, in order to access the extra voices and effects that these specifications provide.

Sending Program, Bank LSB and Bank MSB data is made simple using the UC-33. Simply press the PROGRAM, DATA LSB or DATA MSB button and enter the program or bank change you wish to send.

RPN/NRPN’s Explained

Non-registered parameter numbers (NRPN's) are device specific messages that enable the control of synths via MIDI. The MIDI specification defines parameter numbers to allow scope for manufacturers to specify their own controllers. The more common of these have been registered by the MIDI Manufacturer's Association and are part of the MIDI specification (hence the term Registered Parameter

Numbers – RPN's). (See Appendix F.)

MIDI controllers 98 and 99 represent the NRPN LSB and MSB respectively, while 100 and 101 represent the RPN LSB and MSB. This can be seen from the MIDI controllers list in Appendix D. To transmit an NRPN/RPN, these two controller messages are sent along with their user-specified values. A further controller message and value needs to be sent to specify the (coarse or fine) value adjustment.

This is specified by controller number 6 (Data entry) for coarse adjustments or number 38 for fine adjustments.

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