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Roland MIDI Manual

1. 17 FIG 2 gt gt broadcasting Channel center broadcasting face center 2 N broadcasting center 16 FIG 3 master MIDI OUT synthesizer synthesizer2 MIDI channel receives information only from channel ae en ee re MIDI channel2 receives information only from channel 2 slave MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA MIDI sequencer playing on a variety of different chan nels it is impossible to separate the informa tion So then the slave must be in the OMNI OFF FIG 4 mode so that it will only receive information on the chosen channel synthesizer synthesizer There are also POLY and MONO modes in OR receives information Re hi piel MIDI which decide whether the information is to Em any ANDE be sent as monophonic information one note or polyphonic information more than one note Keyboard instruments such as pianos and PROGRAMMABLE POLYPHONIC SYNTHESIZER JU 2 synths usually use the POLY mode MONO mode is mainly used for MIDI guitar con T omni off on display trollers In this mode the information belonging to each guitar string is sent on separate chan nels dividing the sound source into 6 mono phonic synths Then a BASIC MIDI channel is set and the next 5 channels are used for the other strings To choose whether to use POLY MONO OMNI etc MIDI includes a MODE selector with 4
2. Closer is Better From the previous discussion it would seem that we could construct a chain of instruments one after the other via a large series of MIDI THRU connections However in reality a MIDI conversation involves some complicated dia A logue and too many MIDI THRU connections qx Output TES can disrupt the conversation making it progres sively less easy to understand Consequently the 4th or 5th instrument in a chain may receive incorrect data For further information refer to page 16 To avoid this situation place the master and slave instruments as close together as possible This does not mean the actual physical place nn ment but rather the number of MIDI connec MIDI MIDI tions between them To simplify this procedure a MIDI THRU Box or OUTPUT Selector should N be used this net orien Output Selector or Thru Box MIDI THRU MIDI THRU Boxes send MIDI information from mii eg the master to the slaves at the same time so dee that each slave receives the information first MIDI N hand correctly There are many kinds of MIDI Tan devices but remember although perhaps the MIDI Ne simplest the THRU Box is the most necessary eee 2 THE BENEFITS OF MIDI A RESA DEE Ka we y WES Ti A EINE gee ZW gen 2 Ws Be II al Qs IES RES THE BENEFITS OF MIDI 1 Two Instruments in Unison This section will cover the uses of
3. MIDI in perfor mance expression and other facets of the music making process Firstly we shall discuss playing 2 instruments in unison For example the MIDI OUT of an electronic piano to the MIDI IN of a synth Then if the synth is set to a string sound playing the piano will cause the synth to play exactly the same part on a string sound The result is a very BIG sound simulating the pianist being doubled by an orchestra Another useful combination would be to use a harpsichord sound from the piano and a synth flute sound Similarly two synths with pipe organ and choir sounds are very effective Two trumpet sounds slighly detuned make the brass effect much thicker The list is endless Playing two instruments in unison can provide a wealth of musical possibilities Another method is to use one synth sound that features a unique attack sound combined with another instrument whose sustain sound is interesting In this way a whole new synthesized sound is created by playing the two together Playing two instruments in unison is a very basic way of using MIDI and yet you can achieve a much greater variety of sounds thicker sounds than using only one synth It can certainly 10 THE BENEFITS OF MIDI expand your expressive capabilities so try it and you ll begin to understand the fascination of MIDI Of course if you use MIDI THRU con nectors 3 or 4 synths can create some amazing possibilit
4. it was pressed and when it was released MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA MIDI Program Changes A Program Change is used to cause the slave to i o e PROGRAMMABLE POLYPHONIC SYNTHESIZER Ju 2 change its sound Synths electronic pianos and sampling machines have memories full of many sounds With these Program Changes the 4 Program Change ON on display musician can choose which sound tc use It is also possible to switch the memories of MIDI effects devices Control Changes A Control Change can add subtle nuance to a performance things like modulation i e vibrato and tremolo hold damper pedal soft pedal and portamento These messages are not used in all MIDI instruments An electronic piano will send and receive damper pedal information but it certainly does not require portamento So even if the master instrument has portamento the piano will not respond to that information To find out which controllers a specific instru ment will respond to refer to the MIDI Imple mentation Chart at the back of the owner s manual for that instrument see page 24 After Touch Synths and samplers can control vibrato bril liance volume etc by simply pressing the key harder after initially playing it This effect is called After Touch and can be used to trans mit the same effects via MIDI Of course the slave instrument must then decide how to use the After Touch Information it rece
5. possibilities MODE 1 4 MODE 1 OMNI ON POLY Receives the information on all channels FIG 5 a oa Polyphonic pee ver omni on mode mode 2 MODE 2 OMNI ON MONO Receives the information on all channels omni off mode3 mode 4 but will only play one note at a time 18 MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA MIDI MODE 3 OMNI OFF POLY Receives only on the chosen MIDI channel Polyphonic useful with sequencers MODE 4 OMNI OFF MONO Receives on specific MIDI channel s will only play one note per channel Useful with guitar controllers 2 Main Contents of MIDI Information MIDI contains many kinds of information that it can use to transmit performance details from the master to the slave Such things as when each note was played or released note on and note off damper pedal on and off etc Also the information is divided into channel messages and system messages O Channel Messages These messages are sent via the individual MIDI channels to specific instruments in the system and therefore only effect those instruments receiving that channel Channel Messages include note on off damper pedal on off pitch bend etc These Channel Messages are fur ther divided into 2 categories Voice Mes sages and Mode Messages a Voice Messages Note Information Note Information is the most basic it simply says which key was pressed when
6. N AND NOTES E System Real Time Real Time Information refers to the ability of the machine to synchronize via MIDI If it under stands Clock information then it can play in time with other instruments If it understands Command information it will also know when to start and stop M Aux Messages This column is used to display whether the instrument is capable of receiving information that will help it to avoid any MIDI problems This area is used for exceptions to the rules For example if the functions of an instrument change according to specific parameter set tings they will be indicated here As a result when you connect two or more instruments via MIDI cables you merely need to check the relevant columns of their respective Implementation Charts to see if the communica tion you require is possible See FIG 2 for an easy way to compare charts All MIDI Implementation Charts have a standard format making it easy to arrange the charts as shown and compare the transmit column of the master to the receive column of the slave For instance if either column has a X for pitch bend then it will not be communicated 28 FIG 2 MID Inplementation chart of the master instrument MIDI Implementation chart of the slave instrument ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES NOTE Some synths can decide whether or not to transmit or receive specific data such as program change o
7. VIA MIDI each manufacturer has an ID Number which their instruments will recognize Any system exclusive data received with the wrong ID Num ber will be ignored by that manufacturers machines With Exclusive Messages it is pos sible to transmit sounds between synths or to change the parameters of a synth via a synth programmer such as the PG 1 000 or PG 300 T Synthesizer programmer 22 4 ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES W T u Di BEN SS ES PP Oly Beye Re ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES 1 MIDI Implementation Chart The Effective Way to Check MIDI Communi cation Although MIDI made it possible for a wide variety of instruments to communicate this does not mean that all instruments will understand the entire MIDI language For example connecting a MIDI cable from a synth to a MIDI effect may not make the effect behave the way you want Or using a synth with pitch bend connected to an electronic piano will not force the piano to change its pitch Simply connecting a MIDI cable is not enough For the information to be successfully communicated between the two instruments they must both understand that particular piece of information As FIG 1 shows when using a synth as a master to play an electronic piano sound they can only communicate in area a The synth has por tamento and pitch bend functions and sends the relevant informatio
8. annel and Mode Channel MIDI is able to transmit a variety of information from a master instrument to a slave instrument Either one part or multiple parts can be trans mitted for example via a sequencer system For this purpose MIDI includes 16 channels All the different types of MIDI conversation can be sent via these 16 channels separately So with one MIDI cable 16 parts can be played at the same time The concept of MIDI channels is similar to that of TV broadcasting in a sense Many TV stations are transmitting their respective programs at the same time This means that your TV antenna must be receiving all these channels at once However since all the stations are trans mitting on different channels you simply need to select the channel you wish to watch MIDI channels behave the same way A MIDI master instrument is just like a TV broadcast ing station A MIDI slave instrument is like your TV receiver although rather than transmitting through the air MIDI is transmitted via cables The MIDI master instrument can then decide which channel to transmit rather like choosing which TV station it wants to be On the other hand the slave instrument can behave like the 16 FIG broadcasting channel N center AA Aa broadcasting Channel 2 TV set center 2 ee ee select channel to watch at the receiver TV set I i PROGRAMMABLE POLYPHONIC SYNTHESIZER JU T MIDI ch
9. annel on display MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA MIDI TV set and choose which MIDI channel it wants to hear Even if information is received on all 16 MIDI channels the slave will only hear the chosen channel just like the TV set For example if the instruments are set up as in FIG 3 synth 1 only receives the information from channel 1 through the MIDI cable Synth 2 only receives channel 2 So that if the master keyboard is sending on MIDI channel 1 only synth 1 will respond Similarly if the master is on MIDI channel 2 only synth 2 will respond Even though synth 1 is obviously receiving the information it cannot respond because it is switched to a different channel In other words for this sys tem to work correctly YOU MUST CARE FULLY SELECT MIDI CHANNELS With this concept of MIDI channels it is then possible to play 16 different parts on 16 instru ments via a sequencer and all originally down one MIDI cable Modes As we mentioned before it is necessary to use the same MIDI channel if a master and a slave are to play in unison but there is another way to make the slave receive the information This mode is called OMNI ON and it forces the slave to respond to all 16 MIDI channels at once In a simple set up of one master and one slave this becomes very useful because the slave doesn t care which channel the master is using it will hear them all However when using a
10. er 4 MIDI cable sation from an instrument and is therefore the exit point for MIDI information See FIG1 for a simple MIDI OUT to MIDI IN connection FIG MIDI As you can see MIDI IN and MIDI OUT are rela OUT tively easy to understand and use however os MIDI THRU is comparatively more difficult MIDI THRU is similar to MIDI OUT in that it does FIG 2 speak to the next instrument however it doesn t provide it s own conversation it merely repeats anything that is heard by the MIDI IN For example FIG 2 shows the flow of informa tion through a possible set up of three key boards In this set up MIDI information is fed out of the MIDI OUT of keyboard number 1 and into the IN of keyboard number 2 It is also passed on to the construction of MIDI Keyboard IN of keyboard number 3 via the THRU of MIDI MIDI MIDI IN THRU OUT un sound OUT eyboar keyboard number 2 In this way the information from keyboard number 1 can control both key boards 2 and 3 Such a combination of more than 2 instruments is referred to as a MIDI system Of course without the MIDI THRU this set up could not a 6 WHAT IS MIDI become a MIDI system and therefore it is easy to understand the use of MIDI THRU in expand ing a MIDI system 4 One Way MIDI Conversation MIDI information is sent from MIDI OUT to MIDI IN or from MIDI THRU to MIDI IN The informa tion is alway
11. gth then play E4 a little louder The second instrument listens to this dialogue and plays the notes in turn as long as it can under stand the language used The language that is now shared by all electronic musical instru ments is called MIDI and is featured in this booklet Even though the instruments can now con verse they still have no will of their own Infact the only link in the chain with its own will is you the musician Then the instruments interpret your performance by translating it into MIDI MIDI is considered to be the language whichis used to send performance information from one instrument to another Although MIDI is a relatively new concept it has already became a household word in the musical instrument scene It is one of the com mon features of today s musical instruments For your reference MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface 2 Applications of MIDI MIDI is widely known as a language between musical instruments MIDI has expanded in such a short period of time because it can be applied to many kinds of situations MIDI is a universal term Although there are 4 WHAT IS MIDI many different languages in the world such as English French and so on MIDI has only one language and can therefore provide communica tion between Japanese and American instru ments or German and Italian instruments More i
12. ies 2 Combinations of Different Kinds of Instruments As was mentioned earlier it is possible for differ ent kinds of instruments to converse through MIDI Naturally we expect keyboards to talk to each other but what would a piano say to a drum machine It is hard to imagine just what the result might be Think what would happen if you connect a piano to a drum machine the piano as the master the drum machine as the slave You may choose the sounds assign them so that by playing the key C on the piano a bass drum sound is heard Then perhaps a D would play the snare and a G a tom etc Then rather than using drum sticks you can play the drums by pressing the appropriate keys on the keyboard What happens if the drum machine is the master and the piano is the slave This time if the drum machine is playing a pre programmed rhythm the piano will play the same part However whenever the drum machine plays a bass drum the piano will play a C etc Just the reverse of the previous situation NOTE A drum machine has limited note capabil ity and can usually only remember a few songs 11 THE BENEFITS OF MIDI so it would be more practical to use a sequencer or acomputer for this type of automatic perfor mance as we shall discuss later This combination of a piano and a drum machine is only one example Using MIDI performance information it is possib
13. ives Pitch Bender If the master has a pitch bender the information may be sent via MIDI Once again the slave will 4 decide if it wants pitch bend and even how much t pitch bender lever 20 MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA MIDI it wants b Mode Messages As mentioned earlier MIDI has 4 MODES and MODE messages are used to switch the MODE of aslave Some synths or electronic pianos are in MODE 1 OMNI ON POLY whenever they are switched on so you will need to switch them to MODE 3 OMNI OFF POLY for use with a sequencer Because of this some sequencers will automatically send a mode message to turn the slaves to MODE 3 Turning the slaves power on first followed by the power of the master will often achieve the same result NOTE Make it a habit to always turn the mas ter on last System Messages System Messages can be sent no matter how the MIDI channels of the slave or the master are set since they are used to control the whole MIDI system that is every instrument con nected by the MIDI cables For example they can be used to synchronize a sequencer and a drum machine so that they play exactly in time together or to start and stop the performance or simply to avoid MIDI system problems Also there are messages called System Exclu sive Messages which are messages that are exclusive to a particular manufacturer So that 21 MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED
14. le for many types of instruments to converse via MIDI 3 A Sequencer System One of the most powerful uses of the MIDI lan guage is to include a sequencer Performing in unison as we mentioned earlier can provide some excellent sound possibilities but still limits the performance to that of the master key board A sequencer on the other hand is capa ble of remembering several instrumental parts making it possible to use a variety of sound sources It then becomes a simple matter to construct an entire arrangement or orchestra tion For example a sequencer as the master can control a synth for melody a piano for chords another synth for bass and a drum machine all at the same time The data for this 4 part performance being stored in the sequencer Then as the data is sent to all 4 instruments the automatic performance begins 4 Computer Music System Computers did not seem to relate to music very well before MIDI Certainly it was hard to under stand any conversation between computers 12 FIG MEN MIDI OUT MIDI IN Output Selector MIDI THRU MIDI N MIDI N electronic piano chord MIDI rhythm machine rhythm THE BENEFITS OF MIDI and musical instruments Thanks to MIDI it is now possible to build small boxes that can inter pret the language of computers into MIDI and vice versa These boxes are called interfaces All computers use what we n
15. mportantly MIDI can even be used to talk to instruments from different manufacturers Furthermore MIDI can be applied to many kinds of instruments In this way it is possible for an electronic piano to talk to a synthesizer or a drum machine for details please refer to page 11 Consequently MIDI has an enormous potential for growth and development as you shall see in this booklet 3 What Makes MIDI Conversation Possible Just how is MIDI used to provide this conversa tion To explain this look at the back of your instrument There are several connectors in cluding a MIDI IN a MIDI OUT and often a MIDI THRU These are the ears and mouth of the MIDI conversation and are essential for any 4 MIDI Connectors MIDI communication The actual MIDI conver sation travels from the MIDI OUT of one instru ment to the MIDI IN of another by connecting only one MIDI cable between these two sockets The cable used has five pins matching perfectly the five holes in each of the sockets NOTE DIN SYNC sockets look very similar to MIDI sockets but have an entirely different function so please don t connect a MIDI cable to a DIN SYNC socket WHAT IS MIDI So why do we need three sockets MIDIIN MIDI OUT and MIDI THRU MIDI IN is for listening to a MIDI conversation that is it is the entrance for MIDI information MIDI OUT is for speaking to send the conv
16. n via MIDI OUT but the piano does not have these functions Conse quently the piano can neither receive nor per form either of these effects On the other hand the piano has a soft pedal a control the synth can not understand So in a multi instrument MIDI system you will need to check what information each instru ment can send and receive To quickly check 24 FIG ST 7 SS note number poltamento damper soft pedal pitch bend pedal sostenuto after touch hold program change i Be z a the information that electronic piano can receive the information that synth can transmit MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES this information each instrument has a User s Manual that will include a MIDI Implementation Chart showing the kinds of information that can be sent and received How To Read MIDI Implementation Charts On the left hand side of the chart various types of MIDI information names are listed The trans mit receive column shows the capability of the instrument to transmit or receive that data using a O for yes and a X for no If its capability depends on other factors the addi tional information will also be shown E Basic Channel There are two columns on Basic Channel Power On and can be set Power On shows which channel is set when you first turn on the power Recently most instruments can remem ber a s
17. ow call software that is information on computer disk that tells the computer how to behave One piece of software may teach the computer how to bea sequencer for example while another could be sound edit software teaching the computer MPU 401 etc MIDI processing unit how to modify the sounds of a synthesizer FIG 2 shows an example of a computer music system with sequencer software The advan tages of such are system are the huge computer N memory available in order to store many Songs other MIDI or long songs and the size of the computer sound module display making it easy to visually check all the LL perform to record used to playback data for a performance performance data the performance data 5 MIDI Systems Expanding Into Various Fields We have already discussed a variety of MIDI auras EP Ann NAAA APT CNCA ERRATA systems but there are still many more possibil ities For example when changing a sound ina MIDI system it is also possible to switch a variety of effects on or off delay or reverb for example A MIDI sequencer can also be synchronized with 4 MIDI effector a multi track tape recorder MTR expanding the number of available tracks The concept is extremely versatile and the future is still wide open 13 3 MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA MIDI MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA MIDI 1 MIDI Ch
18. pecific MIDI channel In this case the channel you selected last time you used the instrument will be recalled in which case the chart will say memory works even after the power is turned off The next column says can be set This shows how many MIDI channels can be set usually 1 16 MW Mode There are 3 columns for Mode power on mes sage and alternative Power on shows the mode it is in when the power is turned on The message column shows if it is possible for the instrument to receive Mode messages or after having 25 ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES received a mode message if it s possible to still change modes The alternative column is only used is only used for instruments that can receive messages which will switch the instru ment to a special mode the special mode being explained in this column E Note Numbers This column shows the note range over which the instrument can receive or transmit It can usually only transmit as many note numbers as it has keys while it may receive over a much wider range Some instruments may receive very high or low notes but play anote inadifferent octave as aresult this too is mentioned in this column M Velocity There are note on and note off columns for velocity This column shows whether the instru ment can transmit or receive these two veloc ities It does not represent the actual note on off capability just the speed of the respecti
19. quipment have a parameter related to MIDI called Lacal Control When this control is on LOCAL ON the keyboard of the instrument can play its own sounds if LOCAL is OFF the instrument can only send MIDI information out without playing its own sounds The basic structure of synths and electronic pianos is shown in FIG 4 The information gener ated by the keyboard usually goes to the sound generating part to play a sound This connec tion is broken if the LOCAL switch is OFF However even if LOCAL is OFF the MIDI OUT connection will still operate LOCAL OFF is convenient when using sequen cers which are capable of mixing the MIDI IN information with the MIDI OUT information This function is called SOFT THRU see FIG 5 In this case when you record using LOCAL OFF and SOFT THRU ON you can listen to the performance of the sequencer as well as your performance on the keyboard 31 FIG 4 MIDI MIDI sound keyboard generator FIG 5 the information recorded on the sequencer MIDI IN Roland 2601510200 c 2601510200 P U I Roland MIDI GUIDEBOOK lt THE FOURTH EDITION December 1987 27th Printing Apr 1992 E 3 Printed in Japan No 26015102 Copyright C 1987 by ROLAND CORPORATION All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of ROLAND CORPORATION
20. r portamento which can then create some interesting effects 2 To Avoid MIDI Problems MIDI enables you to add expression to your music in many different ways Things like after touch synchronization and pitch bend can substantial ly enhance the performance However this requires an exchange of large amounts of data which also increases the possibility of error Unexpected problems can be caused by faulty connections lack of knowledge and many other factors In this section some of the common problems are discussed and their solutions ex plained MIDI Cable Connections Obviously if the cables are connected incorre ctly the performance information can not be successfully communicated Make sure they are connected from the MIDI OUT of the master to the MIDI IN of the slaves or MIDI THRU to MIDI IN See FIG 3 the master is connected straight back to its own MIDI IN In this case turn the FIG 3 Example of a wrong connection power off and re connect the cables correctly Do not connect the MIDI OUT to the MIDI IN of the same instrument O How to Connect MIDI Cables and Switching MIDI Channels MESES SYNTHESIZER Whenever you wish to change a connection master 29 ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES always turn the power off before removing the cable If you are playing and a cable is removed you may not be able to stop the sound Some keyboards will not change MIDI channels while a note i
21. re z FR LG al SE ves Gr THE FOURTH EDITION A System Which Greatly Expands the Potential of Musical Composition GUIDEBOOK Roland Biran k A MIDI THE FOURTH EDITION CONTENTS WHAT IS MIDI 1 Conversation Between Musical Instruments ee 4 2 Applications of MIDI ener etree ees were 4 3 What Makes MIDI Conversation Possible ee 5 4 One way MIDI Conversation eeneeeeeennnnnnennen 7 5 Closer is Better re ree 8 1 Two Instruments in Unison 0 cere es 10 2 Combinations of Different Kinds of Instruments 5 11 3 A Sequencer System tetera 12 4 Computer Music System ne eeeneeneeneneeenennennnene nenn 12 S MIDI Systems Expanding Into Various Fields ee 13 MUSICAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA MIDI 1 MIDI Channel and Mode 00 src cc nen eee anno 16 aman Contents of MIDI information E gle AAA AA E einher EES 19 ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES 1 MIDI Implementation Chart He een 24 2 To Avoid MIDI Problems resessessnsenenenenseesnssennnnenne 29 Iustration by T Yamamoto e ay es Ne 3 Mit ler Zu Wa E WHAT IS MIDI 1 Conversation Between Musical Instruments Musical instruments finally started convers ing in the 1980 s a revolution in the world of electronic music Now one instrument can say to another play middle C with about 60 stren
22. s playing so you will need to stop playing before changing channels Power On Order Always turn the master instrument on last In fact you cannot cause damage by turning it on first but it may make the set up much easier to finish with the master This is because the master often sends out Mode Messages that will make the slaves behave correctly O Pitch Bend Range and After Touch Effects Although MIDI can transmit Pitch Bender and After Touch Information it actually only says how much the pitch lever was moved and how hard the keys were pressed It does not say how far the pitch actually moved nor what after touch effect occurred The range of pitch change bender range and the effects caused by the after touch need to be set on both instru ments the master and the slave MIDI and Drum Machines Drum machines can be used in synchronization with sequencers or as a sound source for a MIDI keyboard etc When a synth is the slave to change the sound you need to send a Program Change Message However to change the sound of a drum machine you need only play a different note C for bass drum D for snare etc 30 ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES Consequently in a MIDI system using a sequen cer it would be better to set the MIDI channel of the drum machine to a channel that is not being used so that it does not receive unexpected note on data O Local Control Some synths and e
23. s sent one way so that the Speaker and the listener in a MIDI conversa tion remain the same always For example a MIDI keyboard controller which has no sound of its own or a MIDI sound module which has no keyboard and so on have fixed roles They are either the master or the slave In this situation the speaker is called the master and the listener is the slave FIG 3a shows the information from an electronic piano being sent to a synthesizer In this case the piano is the master and the synth is the slave However in FIG 3b the information is being sent from the synth to the piano and so their roles are reversed The synth is now the master while the piano is the slave Consequently the con nections are very important Furthermore the master slave relationship is not always one to one as in the previous 2 diagrams The number of slaves can be in creased 1 2 or 1 3 etc as we saw in FIG 2 on a previous page where instrument 1 was the master and was controlling 2 slaves instru ments 2 and 3 As a result even in very large MIDI systems if 7 electronic piano master MIDI MIDI OUT electronic piano slave T MIDI sound module WHAT IS MIDI you check that the flow of information is all one way and all correct and the relationship between master and slaves is very clear then the connections will pose no problems 5
24. ve note on or off Ifthereisan X in either column it does not mean that the instrument cannot recognize a note on or off merely that it does not recognize how fast it was pressed or released E After touch This shows if the instrument can receive transmit after touch information The columns refer to channel after touch one value per MIDI channel and polyphonic after touch a separate 26 ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTES after touch for each note but after touch usually refers to channel after touch E Pitch Bend Whether or not the instrument can receive transmit pitch bender information WE Control Change This column shows whether or not the instru ment can transmit receive controls like modula tion damper pedal portamento etc These controls are particularly important when con necting two different synths or a synth and a piano M Program Change Whether or not the instrument can transmit receive program change information and what numbers it uses W System Exclusive This column indicates what kind of data can be transmitted received via System Exclusive Messages E System Common This section is for sequencer based MIDI sys tems It indicates if the instrument will under stand MIDI Song Position Pointer where the instrument can decide from which bar to start playing and MIDI SONG Selection to decide which song to play etc 27 ACTUAL MIDI IMPLEMENTATIO

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