Midi; What Is Midi; Midifiles; The General Midi Standard - Korg Liverpool Owner's Manual

8. MIDI

WHAT IS MIDI?

Here is a brief overview of MIDI, as related to the Liv-
erpool. If interested, you may find more information on
the general use of MIDI in the various specialized mag-
azines and books.
In general
MIDI stands for Musical Instruments Digital Interface.
This interface lets you connect two musical instruments,
or a computer and various musical instruments.
Physically, MIDI is composed of three different connec-
tors. The MIDI IN receives data from another device; the
MIDI OUT sends data to another device; the MIDI THRU
sends to another device exactly what was received on the
MIDI IN (this is useful to daisy-chain more instruments).
Channels and messages
Basically, a MIDI cable transmits 16 channels of data.
Think to each MIDI channel as a TV channel: the
receiver must be set on the same channel of the trans-
mitter. The same happens with MIDI messages: when
you send a Note On message on channel 1, it will be
received on channel 1 only. This allows for multitim-
bricity: you can have more than one sound playing on
the same MIDI instrument.
There are various messages, but here are the most com-
monly used:
Note On – This message instructs an instrument to
play a note on a specific channel. Notes have both a
name (C4 standing for the center C) and a number (60
being the equivalent for C4). A Note Off message is
often used to say the note has been released. In some
case, a Note On with value "0" is used instead.
Together with the Note On message, a Velocity value is
always sent. This value tells the instrument how loud
the note must play.
Pitch Bend (PB) – You can generate this message acting
on the joystick (X movement). The pitch is translated
up or down.
Program Change (PC)– When you select a Program, a
Program Change message is generated on the channel.
Use this message, together with Control Change 00 and
32, to remotely select Liverpool data from a sequencer
or a master keyboard.
Control Change (CC) – This is a wide array of mes-
sages, controlling most of the instrument parameters.
Some examples:
• CC00, or Bank Select MSB, and CC32, or Bank
Select LSB. This message pair is used, together with
the Program Change message, to select a Program.
• CC01, or Modulation. This is the equivalent of
pressing up the joystick. A vibrato effect is usually
triggered on.
• CC07, or Master Volume. Use this controller to set
the channel's volume.
• CC10, or Pan. This one sets the channel's position
on the stereo front.
• CC64, or Damper Pedal. Use this controller to sim-
ulate the Damper pedal.
Tempo
Tempo is a global MIDI message, that is not tied to a
particular channel. Each Song includes Tempo data.
Lyrics
Lyrics are non-standard MIDI events, made to display
text together with the music. Liverpool can read many
of the available Lyrics format on the market.

MIDIFILES

Midifiles, or Standard MIDI Files (SMF), are a practical
way of exchanging songs between different instru-
ments and computers. Liverpool has the SMF format as
its default song format, so reading a song from a com-
puter, or saving a song that a computer software can
read, is not a problem at all.
Liverpool sequencers are compatible with the SMF in
format 0 (all data in one track; it is the most common
format) and 1 (multitrack). It can read the SMF in Song
Play mode and modify/save them in Song mode. It can
save a Song in SMF 0 format in the Backing Sequence
or Song mode.
When in Song Play mode, the Liverpool can also dis-
play SMF lyrics in Solton, M-Live (Midisoft), Tune1000
and compatible (Edirol, GMX, HitBit, XF) formats, and
the chord abbreviations of SMF in Solton, M-live (Midi-
soft), GMX, and XF format.

THE GENERAL MIDI STANDARD

Some years ago, the musical instruments world felt a
need for some further standardization. Then, the Gen-
eral MIDI Standard (GM) was born. This extension of
the basic MIDI sets new rules for compatibility
between instruments:
• A minimum of 16 MIDI channels was required.
• A basic set of 128 Programs, correctly ordered, was
mandatory.
• The Drum Kit had a standard order.
• Channel 10 had to be devoted to the Drum Kit.
A most recent extension is the GM2, that further
expands the Programs database. The Liverpool is
soundwise-compatible with the GM2 standard.

THE GLOBAL CHANNEL

Any channels with the Global option assigned (see
"Page 6 - MIDI IN Channels" on page 128) can simulate
the Liverpool integrated keyboard. When the Liverpool
is connected to a master keyboard, transmission should
take place over the Global channel of the Liverpool.
MIDI 35
What is MIDI?