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MIDI Functions
Nearly all of the electronic musical instruments made today-particularly synthesizers, sequencers
and computer music related devices-use MIDI. MIDI is a worldwide standard that allows these
devices to send and receive performance and setting data. Naturally, this instrument lets you send
your keyboard performance as MIDI data, as well as that of the styles and panel settings.
The potential MIDI holds for your live performance and music creation/production is enor-
mous-simply by connecting this instrument to a computer and transmitting MIDI data. In this
section, you'll learn the basics of MIDI and the particular MIDI functions of this instrument.
What Is MIDI?
No doubt you have heard the terms "acoustic instrument" and "digital instrument." In the world today,
these are the two main categories of instruments. Let's consider an acoustic piano and a classical guitar
as representative acoustic instruments. They are easy to understand. With the piano, you strike a key,
and a hammer inside hits some strings and plays a note. With the guitar, you directly pluck a string and
the note sounds. But how does a digital instrument go about playing a note?
Acoustic guitar note production
Pluck a string and the body
resonates the sound.
As shown in the illustration above, in an electronic instrument the sampling note (previously
recorded note) stored in the tone generator section (electronic circuit) is played based on informa-
tion received from the keyboard. So then what is the information from the keyboard that becomes
the basis for note production?
For example, let's say you play a "C" quarter note using the grand piano sound on the instrument.
Unlike an acoustic instrument that puts out a resonated note, the electronic instrument puts out
information from the keyboard such as "with what voice," "with which key," "about how strong,"
"when was it pressed," and "when was it released." Then each piece of information is changed into
a number value and sent to the tone generator. Using these numbers as a basis, the tone generator
plays the stored sampling note.
G Example of Keyboard Information
Voice number (with what voice)
Note number (with which key)
Note on (when was it pressed) and
note off (when was it released)
Velocity (about how strong)
54
EZ-250i Owner's Manual
Digital instrument note production
L
Sampling
Note
Based on playing information from the keyboard, a
sampling note stored in the tone generator is played
through the speakers.
01 (grand piano)
60 (C3)
Timing expressed numerically (quarter note)
120 (strong)
Tone Generator
R
(Electronic circuit)
Sampling
Note
Playing the keyboard
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