■MIDI messages that can be received by the unit

MIDI uses many different types of message to transmit musical performance data, and there are many types of MIDI message. For example, information indicating “which key was played how strongly” is transmitted as a Note message.

The way that a device responds when it receives each type of MIDI message (i.e., how it produces sound, etc.) will depend on the specifications of that device. This means that if the receiving device is not able to perform the function requested by the incoming message, the musical result will not be what you expected.

The main types of MIDI message received by this unit are as follows.

*MIDI messages for which reception capability is required by the GM system (level 1) are marked by a ✩ sign.

❍Note messages ✩

These messages convey notes played on the key- board. They include the following information.

Note number

: a number indicating the note

 

(key) that was pressed or

 

released

Note on

: data indicating that the note (key)

 

was pressed

Note off

: data indicating that the note (key)

 

was released

Velocity

: a number indicating how strongly

 

the note (key) was pressed

Note numbers are a number from 0 — 127 which indicate the keyboard key position, with middle C (C4) as note number 60.

Correspondence between note numbers and note names

Note name

C-1 A0 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8

0 21 24 36 48 60 72 84 96 108

MIDI note number

❍Pitch bend ✩

This message conveys the position of the bender lever (or pitch bend wheel). The pitch will change when this message is received.

❍Bank Select (Control Change num-ber 0 and 32)❍Program Change ✩

These messages are used to select sounds. Sounds are selected by a Program numbers 1 —

128.On this unit, these messages will select sounds (Instruments). By using Bank Select mes- sages (which are a type of Control Change mes- sage), an even wider variety of sounds can be selected (p.126).

These messages can also be used to select Patches (p.41). However if settings have been made to allow Patches to be selected, the program change message for each Part will be ignored.

❍Control Change

These messages control parameters such as modulation and pan. The function of the message is determined by its Control Change number.

Modulation (control change number 1) ✩

This message controls vibrato.

Volume (control change number 7) ✩

This message controls the volume of a Part. When this message is received the volume of a Part will change.

Expression (control change number 11) ✩

This message conveys volume changes. It can be used to add expression during a song.

*The volume of a Part will be affected both by Volume messages (control change 7) and by Expression mes- sages (control change 11). If a value of 0 is received for either of these messages, the Part volume will be 0 and will not rise even if the other message is sent with a higher value. Be aware of this.

Using Volume and Expression

It is convenient to use Volume and Expression in distinct ways, as follows.

Volume : Adjust the volume balance between Parts.

Expression : Create volume changes during a song (crescendo, decrescendo, etc.).

The reason for this differentiation is that if you use only Volume messages to create volume changes during the song, you will have to modify all of the Volume data in the song if you later decide to adjust the volume balance between the Parts. However if you use only Volume at the beginning of the song, and use only Expression during the song, it will be easy to adjust the volume balance between Parts for the entire song simply by modifying the Volume data at the beginning of the song, and the data for changes in dynamics during the song can remain as it was. This is very convenient when, for example, you decide to make a slight change in the balance between the piano and bass when the song is nearly completed.

Pan (control change number 10) ✩

This message controls the stereo position of a Part. (p.27, 35)

Chapter 7. MIDI and the unit

131