Gs Format Sound Selection Instructions - Rodgers 702 Owner's Manual

GS FORMAT SOUND SELECTION INSTRUCTIONS
The leading-edge MIDI capabilities of the 702 organ from Rodgers include a function known as
GS Format Sound Selection. GS Format Sound Selection greatly increases the control that
Rodgers owners have with MIDI (or Musical Instrument Digital Interface).
To this point, MIDI has used 128 different Program Change messages to select sounds. Page
11 of this owner's manual contains instructions on using Program Change messages to select sounds
in a separate MIDI sound module.
However, some sound modules have more than 128 sounds. The GS Format Sound Selection
was developed to allow MIDI users access to more sounds. With the GS Format Sound Selection
feature on your Rodgers organ, you have the ability to select 16,384 different sounds!
Rodgers is the first manufacturer in the organ market to introduce this powerful capability. By
following these steps, you will be able to put this exciting feature to work.
How Does GS Format Work?
In the past, MIDI has used 128 Program Change messages to select sounds. Each of these pro-
gram changes is still used in the GS Format; however, 128 Variation Select messages are now used
to select variations of each sound.
For instance, study the graph below:
Variation 127
etc.
Variation 3
Variation 2
Variation 1
Program
Changes
1 2
3 4
5
6 etc. 128
Sending a Program Change message by itself will select a sound in the lowest variation of voic-
es, shown above with no shading. This variation of voices is often called "Variation 0". For instance,
sending Program Change #1 would select "Piano 1"; sending Program Change #4 would select
"Trumpet".
As you can see, there are variations of each sound located in the variations above Variation O. By
combining a Variation Select message (actually called a "Controller 0" message) with a Program
Change message, the sounds in the variations above Variation 0 can be selected. For example, send-
ing Variation Select #2 and Program Change #1 would select "Dull Piano"; sending Variation Select
#3 and Program Change #4 would select "Muted Trumpet".
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