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MIDI uses many different types of message to
transmit musical performance data, and there are
many types of MIDI message. For example, infor-
mation 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
❍ 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 mod-
ulation 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 modi-
fying 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 conve-
nient 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)
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8
A0C-1
24 36 48 60 72 84 96 108
210
Note name
MIDI note number
Chapter 7. MIDI and the unit
131
■ MIDI messages that can be received by the unit