Exclusive: Sys-Ex Messages - Yamaha CS1x Manual

A M P L E :
Fine Tune
Control 101 000
Control 100 001
Control 006 068
Control 101 127
Control 100 127
Fine tuning is increased by 4 cents: middle value 64 + 04
steps = 68 (Control 006). In order to change a single param-
eter, the poor sequencer track is fl ooded with 5 events. In
comparison, the equivalent Sys-Ex message would only
require a single event: FOH.43.10.4C.08.00.09.07.44.F7.
This gives us a good excuse to deal with this subject in
greater detail.
Exclusive:
Sys-Ex messages
You may have felt that the previously described methods of
song production sound control are a little tedious. If so, feel
free to skip this section. If you still want more however, it's
time to get aquainted with System Exclusive messages. The
following step by step guide will show just how these are put
into practice.
System Exclusive data consist of a tone generator's param-
eter settings and can only be understood by that specifi c
machine. Until recently, Sys-Ex messages where the domain
of software programmers, who utilised them for synth edi-
tors and other software tools. The average user would only
have come into contact with these messages when a BULK
DUMP was sent from his or her tone generator. It wasn't nec-
essary however to deal with the actual messages them-
selves.
XG elevates System Exclusive messages to a whole
new plateau. There is a whole range of XG compatible
machines, all of which speak exactly the same language. To
clarify: an XG song will playback virtually identically on any
XG machine thanks to the Controllers and single Sys-Ex
messages (not blocks) used to control each sound. Therefore
any songs created using a cheaper entry-level XG model will
survive the upgrade to a more expensive model later on fully
intact, provided they were programmed correctly. Better still:
the higher quality XG machine will noticeably improve your
sounds.
An important advantage of using System Exclusive mes-
sages is that they can control any CS1x parameter in real-
time. It is important however to check whether these param-
eter values can be set using the more user-friendly Control-
lers. This applies particularly to Filter Frequency, Resonance,
Pan Position and Effect Sends.
With this combination of different Controllers and
Sys-Ex data the XG system opens the door to unimagined
sound shaping possibilities, particularly in a musical context.
For example, you could play a looped bass sequence and try
out different sounds and different sound parameters, all from
within the sequencer. Once you have settled on the right val-
ues, these values are already incorporated into the
sequencer track – it can be this easy!
The fi rst thing you need to know when getting involved in
Sys-Ex data is that all values are given in hexadecimal. Some
sequencers insist on using decimal notation for Sys-Ex input,
so some kind of conversion is necessary. To this end you can
utilise the table "DATA LIST" (page 18) or use the values
(Hexa/Decimal) given in the following examples and tables.
By the way: hexadecimal values are often indicated with an H
after the actual value. Sometimes a preceding $ sign is used as
well.
As a handle into the Sys-EX subject we will try to explain
the basic structure of a "XG Native Parameter Change".
This is System Exclusive message which is used to change a
single parameter on any XG model.
Table: Creation of a Sys-Ex message
to change a parameter value (XG)
Value No. Description
1 Exclusive Status
2 YAMAHA ID
3 Device Number
4 XG Model ID
5 Adress High
6 Adress Mid
7 Adress Low
8 Data
9 End of Exclusive
As you can see from the table, bytes 5 to 8 are given no
value. This might lead you to think that bytes 1 to 4 and 9
are the same for each System Exclusive message – this is
true, but with one limitation: you will see that DEVICE
NUMBER lists a value of 16. This value 16 (10H) actually
represents Device Number 1, 17 represents Device Number
2, 18 represents Device Number 3, and so on. It is usually
suffi cient to use any value between 16 to 31 (10H to 1F), but
for this to work your XG model has to be set to Device
Number ALL (ALL PART). If you are using several XG devices
you can address each device separately using different
Device Numbers. This requires however that you correct the
Sys-Ex messages to take this into account.
We are going to use value 16 from now on, as your machine
is usually either set to DEVICE NUMBER ALL or 1. If your
model doesn't respond to the Sys-Ex data, check that the
correct Device Number is being used.
Back to the table: bytes 1 and 9 always begin and end the
message. Most sequencers don't require the entry of those
two bytes as a result, and usually enter them for you when
inputting a message. This sometimes happens 'behind the
scenes'. If in doubt, consult the relevant section in your
sequencer manual. Nevertheless, these two bytes are
included in all our examples – in brackets however to remind
you that you might not need to enter them.
All you need now to program your fi rst Sys-Ex message are
the Address Bytes (High, Mid, Low) and the required param-
eter's control range. Both can be found in the "MIDI DATA
FORMAT" documentation.
You may at this point fi nd yourself getting lost in grey the-
ory, so let's put some of this theory into practice with some
Sys-Ex parameter changes. With the aid of some really
useful parameter values we will show you that Sys-Ex can be
fun! You will need to use the CS1x XG mode for the following
examples, so press the MULTI key. The ADDRESS and DATA
bytes are shown in bold type to set them apart from the ever
repeating basic settings.
Hexadecimal Decimal
F0 240
43 67
10 16
4C 76
F7 247
37