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Chapter 11
MIDI
About MIDI
MIDI is the acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It is the industry standard protocol which allows the
exchange of musical data between electronic musical instruments, devices (such as a sequencer), and computers.
MIDI enables MIDI-equipped devices designed by different manufacturers to communicate MIDI data to each other.
MIDI data is sent or received using standard MIDI cables to connect to other MIDI devices or a USB cable to connect
to a computer. The Andante CGP220 is equipped with conventional MIDI In, Out and Thru ports, and a USB port. The
current line of Kurzweil products have a standard class-compliant USB-MIDI implementation. They do not require the
installation of any additional drivers.
MIDI Channels
Similar to television channels, MIDI protocol transmits multiple channels of MIDI performance data. Typical MIDI
instruments can play up to 16 channels at the same time. Each channel can be assigned its own voice.
To change and/or assign MIDI channels, enter Function Mode and select the MIDI Channel parameter. See the MIDI
Implementation chart at the end of this chapter for details.
MIDI In and Out and Thru Ports
The Andante CGP220 is equipped with the conventional MIDI In, Out and Thru ports. The MIDI In port is used to
receive MIDI data from another MIDI device; the MIDI Out port is used to transmit the MIDI data generated by the
Andante CGP220 to another MIDI device; the MIDI Thru port passes MIDI In data along to an external device.
When you connect the MIDI Out of the Andante CGP220 to the MIDI In of another instrument, you can play the
sounds of both instruments simultaneously from the Andante CGP220's keyboard.
When you connect the MIDI In of the Andante CGP220 to the MIDI Out of another controller, you can control the
Andante CGP220 using the other controller.
Depending on your system setup, you may want to use the Andante CGP220's MIDI Thru port to pass MIDI information
from a MIDI controller or computer sequencer to the Andante CGP220 and on to the next device in your system.
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USB MIDI Connection
In addition to the conventional MIDI In, Out and Thru ports, the Andante CGP220 also has a USB (Universal Serial
Bus) port on the panel on the underside of the piano. You can connect the Andante CGP220 directly to a computer with
a USB cable. This connection transmits and receives MIDI data between the Andante CGP220 and the computer.
The Andante CGP220 supports the "Plug and Play" feature used in the Windows XP or higher and Macintosh operating
systems. No drivers are required to use this connection; but you may need to enable MIDI on your computer's sound
and audio control panel.
To use the Andante CGP220 as a MIDI controller with a computer, use any Type-A to Type-B USB cable. By default,
the Andante CGP220 acts as a MIDI controller (not a hard drive) when connected to a computer.
If you have a sequencer program installed on your computer, you can use this USB connection to record and play
your music. The Andante CGP220's recorder is actually a simple sequencer and the performance you record into
the Andante CGP220's memory is MIDI performance data. Using a computer-based sequencer program provides
unlimited memory, editing, and the ability to post on the Internet.
Using Windows applications for MIDI control
Certain apps (like Windows Media Player - WMP) released with Windows VIsta or later can no longer play MIDI songs
triggering external MIDI devices; WMP is only routed to the internal Microsoft GS Synthesizer.
This means the MIDI app you choose to use must natively offer its own built-in MIDI mapping abilities. Most commercial
MIDI software products for PC have a configuration screen which includes the MIDI device mapping necessary to route
to an external MIDI device such as the Andante CGP220.
Chapter 11
MIDI
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