Using the P-100 with another MIDI keyboard
Yamaha’s SY99 synthesizer incorporates a multitimbral tone generator similar to the TG77. It can therefore be slaved
to the P-100 as described above. However, it also has a MIDI keyboard with a broad range of control features and a
powerful l6-track sequencer, making it an excellent master device.
To make full use of the more powerful control capabilities of a MIDI synthesizer like the SY99, you will probably
want to connect it to the P-100 with two MIDI cables: one to carry data from the P-100 to the synthesizer, and another
to carry it in the other direction. When you connect the P-100 to an external keyboard in this way, either keyboard will
be able to control the other device’s tone generator, as well as its own.
Set the synthesizer’s receive channel (or channels) to match the P-100’s transmit channel settings (Tch and Tch+l) as
described for the TG77. Then set the P-100’s receive channel (Rch) and the synthesizer’s keyboard transmit channel to
the same number. (You can use the same channel number for Tch and Rch, if you wish, since each of the two MIDI
cables actually constitutes a separate MIDI system. Remember to turn the P-100’s MIDI merge function off, however,
or the P-100 will echo synthesizer’s data back to it, causing notes to double up unnecessarily.)
Once you have made these settings, you will be able to control the synthesizer’s tone generator from the P-100 as
described above. You will also be able to play the P-100 using the synthesizer’s keyboard, should that be more
convenient. If the keyboard has a built-in sequencer, as the SY99 does, then the sequencer will also be able to control
the P-100.
When in Single or Dual mode, the P-100 will respond normally to notes received from the synthesizer. In Split mode,
it will play notes received on the receive channel (Rch) with the main voice, and notes received on the next channel up
(Rch+l) with the sub voice selection.
If you set the P-100’s program receive channel to the channel on which the synthesizer is transmitting, the P-100 will
receive program change messages whenever you select one of the synthesizer’s voices, and respond to them as
specified by your program change receive table settings. This will allow you to control the P-100’s voice selection
from the synthesizer. It will also make changing your transmit and receive table settings easier, as you will be able to
simply select one of the synthesizer’s voices instead of using the [DATA ENTRY] slider to set program change
number values.
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