Table of Contents
Advertisement
MIDI
188
Standard MIDI Files
Standard MIDI Files
Standard MIDI Files (a.k.a. SMF) are a practical way of exchang-
ing songs between different instruments and computers. Pa600
uses the SMF format as its default song format, so reading a song
from a computer, or saving a song that a computer software can
read, is not a problem at all.
The Pa600's Player is compatible with SMFs format 0 (all data in
one track; it is the most common format) and 1 (multitrack). It
can read SMFs in Song Play mode and modify/save them in
Sequencer mode. It can save a Song in SMF format 0 from
Sequencer mode.
When in Song Play mode, Pa600 can also display SMF lyrics in
Solton, M-Live (Midisoft), Tune1000, Edirol, GMX, HitBit, and
XF formats, and the chord abbreviations of SMF in Solton, M-
Live (Midisoft), GMX, and XF format.
Note: The above trademarks are the property of their respective
holders. No endorsement is intended by their inclusion in this list.
Standard MIDI Files usually have the ".MID" or ".KAR" filename
extension.
The General MIDI standard
Some years ago, the musical instruments world felt a need for
some further standardization. Then, the General 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 Sounds, 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
Sounds database. Pa600 is sound-compatible with the GM2
standard.
The Global channel
Any channels with the Global option assigned (see "MIDI: MIDI
In Channels" on page 151) can simulate the Pa600 integrated
keyboard. When the Pa600 is connected to a master keyboard,
transmission should take place over the Global channel of the
Pa600.
The MIDI messages received over a Global channel and not over
a standard channel are affected by the status of the SPLIT button,
as well from the split point. Therefore, if the SPLIT button LED
is lit up, notes arriving to Pa600 over this channel will be divided
by the split point into the Upper (above the split point) and
Lower (below the split point) parts.
Notes arriving to a Global channel are used for the chord recog-
nition of the automatic accompaniment. If the SPLIT LED is
turned on, only the notes below the split point will be used.
These notes will be combined with the ones of the special Chord
1 and Chord 2 channels.
The Chord 1 and Chord 2 channels
You can set two special Chord channels (see page 151) to send
Pa600 notes for chord recognition. These notes will be combined
with the notes that go through the channel set as Global (Global
notes are recognized only under the split point, if the SPLIT LED
is lit up).
The Chord channels are not affected by the split point. All the
notes – both above and below the split point – will be sent to the
chord recognition.
However, the status of the SPLIT button has a particular effect
on the way chords are recognized on the Chord channels:
•
When the SPLIT LED is turned on (Lower mode), the
chord recognition mode will be set by the "Chord Recogni-
tion" parameter in the Global > Mode Preferences > Style
page (see page 143). You can play a single note to play a
Major chord.
•
When the SPLIT LED is turned off (Full Upper mode), the
chord recognition mode will always be Fingered or Expert,
depending on the previous situation. You have to play at
least three notes in order for the chord to be detected.
These two channels are especially useful for accordion players,
that wish to assign a different Chord channel to the chords and
the bass played with the left hand. This way, chords and bass will
both contribute to the formation of chords for the chord recog-
nition of the automatic accompaniment.
The Control channel
You can set a MIDI IN channel as the Control channel (see
page 151), to select Styles and Performance from an external
device. See the Appendix for a list of messages corresponding to
Pa600 internal data.
MIDI Presets
You can play Pa600 with an external controller, and use it simply
as a powerful sound generator. To help you configure the MIDI
channels, we have provided a set of MIDI Presets that can be
accessed in the Global > MIDI > General Controls page (see
"Preset" on page 149).
We recommend you to consider each MIDI Preset as a starting
point you can freely tweak. Once you have selected the most
appropriate MIDI Preset for the connection to be made, you can
modify the parameters as needed and save them into a MIDI
Preset (see "Write Midi Preset dialog box" on page 155).
Advertisement
Table of Contents
