GEM PK5 Owner's Manual page 65

Incorporated functions
In addition to the principal functions described above, PK7 incorporates three additional functions within the
main disk operating structure: Preload, Play direct from disk and Slow/Fast load.
Preload (background loading): The Preload operation loads data to the PK7 memory while the sequencer
is playing without stopping it. «Preload» loads to the first available free destination.
Play direct from Disk: this function allows you to play a Song or MidiFile directly from disk without loading
the data to RAM, useful for Songs or MidiFiles that are larger than the available space in the instrument's
memory.
Slow/Fast Load: You can choose to set the Slow or Fast loading option at will. The SLOW option allows
background song loading, and does not lock the machine during loading operations. The FAST option
allows faster loading times but it does not permit background loading and it locks the machine during
loading procedures. To set the FAST option, press the DISK button and the display's DISK icon starts to
flash. To set the SLOW option, press DISK again and the relative icon stops flashing.
To escape from DISK mode, press ESCAPE.
Loading MIDI files
A Standard MIDI File is a storage format created to maintain data compatibility among different devices com-
plying with the Standard MIDI File format. This format allows Songs to be exchanged between different instru-
ments and computers. If a Song is saved as a MIDI file on an MS-DOS disk, you can be certain that all the most
recent generation of instruments and any computers will be able to load and read that Song.
PK7 reads format 0 and 1 MIDI files , and saves MIDI files in format 0.
General MIDI (GM)
To facilitate compatibility between different makes of instruments, MIDI files should be in General MIDI stand-
ard, a common platform for sounds and they way they are selected.
General MIDI stipulates common standards regarding the listing of sounds, Program Change numbers for
sound selection, the percussive sound configuration in the Drumkits, the assignment of MIDI channel 10 to the
drumkit track, a minimum polyphony (24) and a maximum number of tracks (16).
In PK7, Sound Banks 1 and Drumkit Bank 2 are fully GM compatible. PK7 recognises GM compatible MIDI
Files, thanks to a messages contained in the MIDI File (General MIDI ON). If this message is not detected,
sounds that differ to a Drumkit may be assigned to MIDI channel 10.
To ensure correct loading of GM compatible MIDI files that do not contain the "General MIDI ON" flag, set the
General MIDI parameter to ON in the «Edit MIDI» pages. PK7 can save GM compatible MIDI Files when the
General MIDI parameter is set to ON.
GMX format
The GMX format is an extension of General MIDI specifically created by Generalmusic which renders the first
three sound banks of all PK, WK Series instruments completely compatible (except PK5).
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NOTE
FORMAT 0: all the tracks
are mixed onto a single
track.
FORMAT 1: all the tracks
remain separate (multi-
track).
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Disk 59