Roland SonicCell User Manual page 189

Issues Related to MIDI and
External Devices
Q
Performances of the external sequencer are sluggish, or
have interruptions.
A
Problems of sluggish and interrupted performances can
crop up very easily when the sequencer or sound
generator used for the performance has to handle heavy
data loads.
Main causes and possible corrective measures are
considered below.
• Are more than 128 voices playing simultaneously?
Reduce the number of voices. The composition of
SonicCell Patches is such that up to eight Waves may be
used for one Patch. When using such Patches, even
though only one sound may be heard, it is actually eight
sounds that are being played simultaneously. In addition,
with certain sounds like continuous sounds with long
releases, even though the actual sound may not be
audible to you, processing for playing the sound is still
underway, so in these cases as well, the performance
data can differ from the actual number of voices being
played.
• Are you using a Patch that uses a lot of LFO?
Try changing to a different Patch. LFO processing
invariably places a big load on the machine, so heavy
use of the LFO slows down processing for the SonicCell
overall, which can end up having affecting the expression
of sounds themselves.
• Is the data concentrated at the beginning of the beats in
the sequence data?
Avoid overlapping data with the same timing by setting
an offset of 1-2 clocks instead. Data may easily become
concentrated at the beginning of the beats in the song
data when, for example, the song data is input using Step
Recording, or if the data is quantized after being input
with a keyboard in real time. Because of this, large
amounts of data are sent to the SonicCell, and the
processing for expressing sounds becomes bogged down.
• Is there a Program Change at the point where the song
performance is sluggish?
Change the position of the Program Change. When
Program Changes are inserted in songs, processing time
for switching patches increases, which may then cause the
performance to become sluggish.
• Is there a System Exclusive message at the point where the
song performance is sluggish?
Move the location of the data. System Exclusive messages
contain large amounts of data, thus placing a heavy
burden on sequencers and sound modules. Try
repositioning data and changing System Exclusive
messages to Control Changes for any data for which
Control Changes can be substituted.
• Is there an Aftertouch or other such large Control Change
at the point where the song performance is sluggish?
Move the location of the data. If the data is no longer
needed, delete the data. In some cases, when using a
keyboard that features aftertouch to input data, you may
end up inputting huge amounts of data before realizing
this is happening. Such large amounts of data can place
an excessive load on your sequencer and sound module.
Q
Can't receive MIDI messages correctly.
A
Check the following points.
Is the SonicCell set to receive MIDI messages?
• Performance mode
The performance part's Receive Channel (p. 71)
The performance part's Receive Switch (p. 72)
• Patch mode
Patch Rx Ch (p. 177)
Q
Exclusive messages are not received.
A
Check the following points.
• Is the instrument set to receive Exclusive messages?
Set the Rx Exclusive to "ON" (p. 180).
• Does the Device ID number of the transmitting device
match the Device ID number of the SonicCell?
Check the Device ID (p. 177).
Q
I connected an external sequencer or MIDI keyboard to
the MIDI IN connector, and attempted to play a SonicCell
rhythm set, but there was no sound. Why?
A
Check to make sure that the MIDI Transmit channel of the
external MIDI device and the SonicCell's MIDI Receive
channel are matched. The MIDI Receive channel used by
the SonicCell in Patch mode is set with the Patch Rx Ch (p.
177). Rhythm Set performance data is generally received
on MIDI Channel 10.
Q
When the Bend Range for a Patch is increased (48), the
pitch does not rise sufficiently, even when a MIDI Pitch
Bend message is received.
A
While Patch Bend Ranges can be set anywhere between
0 and 48, when certain Waves in which the pitch is
raised (in the + direction) are used, the pitch may stop
rising at a fixed point, rather than continuing to go up.
Although a value of 12 is ensured for the upper limit of
raised pitches, use caution when setting the Bend Range
above this figure.
Troubleshooting
189