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Chapter 12: MIDI Functions
ANDROMEDA A6 REFERENCE MANUAL 253
End-of-System-Exclusive Message. This byte is sent at the completion of a System
Exclusive message and that tells all units in a MIDI rig that a Program or Sample
dump in progress has completed.
System Messages: Exclusive Messages
System Exclusive. This message (called SysEx for short) is considered “exclusive”
because different manufacturers send and receive data over MIDI which is intended
only for that manufacturer’s equipment. For example, sending a A6 SysEx message
to an Alesis DM Pro drum module won’t do anything, but the message will be
understood by another A6.
System Exclusive messages most often contain the data of individual instrument
programs: when synthesizer patches are transferred via SysEx, it is called a Program
Dump; sound samples transferred between two like devices via the MIDI Sample
Dump standard.
The System Exclusive message function of MIDI makes it possible for two or more
synthesizers that are the same make and model to exchange program data. Two
drum machines of the same make and model can exchange pattern and song data,
much the same as two identical sequencers to exchange sequence and song data.
SysEx also makes it possible for MIDI editing using personal computers. It is often
the case with complex synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers to have their
functions buried in layers of display pages – a group of related functions that are
shown together in the display. Often, a group of related functions is so large that all
of them can’t be displayed at the same time, so they are broken up into many sub-
groups and hence displayed on many pages. This requires you to make numerous
button presses and knob turns just to get to the page you want. This scenario is
compounded by the fact that certain buttons and knobs have multiple functions and
it is easy to get lost or confused in making even the simplest of edits, such as naming
a program.
While this not as much of an issue on the A6 due to its large display, this synthesizer
literally has thousands of parameters. SysEx editing software running on a personal
computer displays most (if not all) of a device’s functions on-screen simultaneously.
The frustration level drops dramatically when you can move from page to page with
a mouse click, or give a program a name by just typing it on your computer’s
keyboard.
SysEx also makes it possible for personal computers and other hardware devices to
store program, sample, pattern, sequence or song data to a hard disk, floppy disk or
other storage media.
TO SEND AN INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM OR MIX OUT AS A MIDI SYSTEM
EXCLUSIVE DUMP:
1. Set your sequencer or data recorder to RECORD mode. Make sure System
Exclusive filtering, if any, is OFF.
2. From Program or Mix mode, press
STORE. Press Soft Button 5, SYSEX.
3. If you're not already on the Program or Mix you want to send, select it using the
BANK and NUMBER variables on Soft Knobs 1 and 2.
4. Make sure that the
SEND variable is set to PROG (MIX> using Soft Knob 4.
5. A box in the display will read,
HIT STORE TO SEND THIS PROGRAM (MIX)
OUT AS A SYSEX DUMP
. Do that.