M-Audio 99004139310 manual Midi Messages Defined, Program and Bank Changes

Oxygen Series User Guide  3

10 MIDI Messages Defined

Program and Bank Changes

When the MIDI standard was first established, it enabled the user to access only 128 different sounds using program change messages (0-127). As MIDI devices became more sophisticated and contained more sounds, bank change messages were included in an updated MIDI specification allowing access to more than 128 sounds. The language MIDI uses to communicate between musical instruments only allows for program change commands 0-127, for a total of 128 possible programs (127 programs + program “0” = 128 programs total). Due to inherent limitations of the MIDI communication protocol, the number of directly accessible programs (using program change messages) cannot easily be expanded beyond 128. Thus, a system of banks, with 128 sounds in each, has been created that enables manufacturers to overcome the 128-sound MIDI limit.

128 banks with 128 sounds in each bank is the basic principle used	Bank MSB	Bank LSB	Program
to expand the number of accessible sounds. However, to avoid			Program 0
reaching the new limit of the resulting 16,384 possible sounds (128
			Program 1
banks x 128 programs) accessible using a bank change combined			Program 2
with a program change, another layer of banks was added. The		Bank LSB 0	Program 127
result is a system of 128 banks that can contain 128 sub-banks in			Program 0
each of them, which, in turn, can contain 128 sounds (programs).	Bank MSB 0	Bank LSB 1	Program 1
			Program 2
Bank change messages are useful when calling up sounds from a		Bank LSB 2	Program 127
large library that may exist in a particular sound module or software			Program 0
			Program 1
synthesizer. For example, devices that are built according to		Bank LSB 127
			Program 2
Roland’s GS specification or Yamaha’s XG specification (Appendix			Program 127
E) require you to specify a bank change in order to access the
extra voices that these devices provide. MIDI CC 0 is the bank
select MSB (Most Significant Byte) message. This MIDI message			Program 0
is 7-bit in size and can be used to select any of 128 banks.			Program 1
			Program 2
This message can be used in conjunction with MIDI CC 32 which is		Bank LSB 0	Program 127
			Program 0
bank select LSB (Least Significant Byte): a separate 7-bit message	Bank MSB 1
		Bank LSB 1	Program 1
allowing additional selection of any of another 128 sub-banks. The
			Program 2
combination of Bank MSB and LSB messages gives a 14-bit		Bank LSB 2	Program 127
message that can select any of a possible 16,384 banks. Each			Program 0
bank can in turn contain 128 possible sounds selected via a		Bank LSB 127	Program 1
separate program change MIDI message. This enables a user to			Program 2
theoretically recall over two million programs directly, using only			Program 127
MIDI commands. However, most devices only use a few different
banks, and you can often ignore the LSB message.
You will find many MIDI devices respond to program change			Program 0
			Program 1
			Program 2
commands and many are organized according to the GM listing. In
		Bank LSB 0
General MIDI devices, different sounds are organized in the same			Program 127
way from device to device. Piano sounds are in their particular	Bank MSB 2	Bank LSB 1	Program 0
			Program 1
place, string sounds are in their place, drum sounds are in their
			Program 2
place, and so on. All GM devices (both hardware and software		Bank LSB 2	Program 127
sound modules) are clearly labeled as such, so you know that their
			Program 0
sounds are organized in the General MIDI structure. When a GM
	Bank MSB 127	Bank LSB 127	Program 1
device receives a MIDI program change, it calls up a type of sound			Program 2
that you expect from the GM sound set. All non-GM MIDI sound			Program 127

modules call up unique sounds from their memory upon receiving

MIDI program changes. Since the sounds in a non-GM device are not arranged in a particular order, you need to take a look at the device itself to see which sound you want and at which location in the memory it resides. Many VST instruments such as Native Instruments’ FM7 or the synth modules in Propellerheads Reason are non-GM devices.

You can send Program Change, Bank LSB and Bank MSB messages directly from your Oxygen Series keyboard.

Please consult the documentation for your sound module, DAW or software instrument for further information.