What Is General Midi 2?; Principle Differences Between General Midi 2 And The Gs Format - Roland SC-8820 Owner's Manual

Appendices
MIDI uses sixteen channels, numbered 1–16. Music data is received when the trans-
mit channel of the transmitting device matches the receive channel of the receiving
device. If you make the MIDI channel settings shown in Fig.1, only sound module B
will sound when you play the keyboard, and sound module A will not sound. This
is because sound module B matches the transmit channel of the keyboard, but sound
module A's channel does not match.
Conversely, if you set the transmit channel of the keyboard to match sound module
A, sound module A will sound (Fig.2).
fig.11-3e
MIDI OUT
Transmit Channel: 1
Fig. 1
MIDI Keyboard
MIDI OUT
Transmit Channel: 2
Fig. 2
MIDI Keyboard
Since this unit has MIDI IN connector, it can receive a total of 16 channels simulta-
neously. By using 16 channels you can play ensembles that use 16 Parts. Sound mod-
ule such as this unit, which are able to simultaneously play many parts, are called
"multitimbral" sound modules. Timbre is a word meaning sound.
This unit has two types of Parts: Normal Parts and Drum Parts (p.28). Normal Parts
are used to play melody or bass lines. On General MIDI/GS sound modules, the
Drum Part uses channel 10.

What is General MIDI 2?

The General MIDI 2 is a set of recommended specifications that provide detailed def-
initions for functionality such as sound editing and effects that had not been defined
in the GM (General MIDI) (*), and extend the sound map to allow a higher degree of
performance expression and compatibility.
* The GM (General MIDI) was defined in 1991 as a recommended practice of the MIDI specification, to
provide a standard for the MIDI functionality of sound modules that would allow certain types of com-
patibility between manufacturers. It defines basic sound module specifications such as the number of
parts, polyphony, and the sound map.
Principle differences between General MIDI 2 and the GS Format (SC-8820)
• Initialization message for sound source parameters
[GS]
[General MIDI 2] GM2 System On
• Sound selection
[GS]
96
MIDI IN MIDI THRU
Receive
Channel: 2
Sound
Module A
Receive
Channel: 1 MIDI IN
Sound
Module B
MIDI IN MIDI THRU
Receive
Channel: 2
Sound
Module A
Receive
Channel: 1
MIDI IN
Sound
Module B
GS Reset F0 41 10 42 12 40 00 7F 00 41 F7
F0 7E 7F 09 03 F7
Use bank select MSB and program change.
Bank select LSB is used to change the sound map.
00H: specify INST MAP
01H: SC-55 Map
02H: SC-88 Map
03H: SC-88Pro Map
04H: SC-8820 Map
To set a part other than part 10 as the drum part, use a system ex-
clusive message. (p.38)