Casio CTK-601 - Understanding MIDI and Connections; MIDI Basics and Connections; MIDI Messages Explained

| General MIDI
What is MIDI?
The letters MIDI stand for Musical Instrument Digital Interface,
which is the name of a worldwide standard for digital signals
and connectors that makes it possible to exchange musical data
between musical instruments and computers (machines) pro-
duced by different manufacturers. MIDI compatible equipment
can exchange keyboard key press, key release, tone change, and
other data as messages. 7
Though you do not need any special knowledge about MIDI to
_ use this keyboard as a stand-alone unit, MIDI operations require
a bit of specialized knowledge. This section provides you with
an overview of MIDI that will help to get you going.
MIDI Connections | a ae
MIDI messages are send out through the MIDI OUT terminal of
one machine to the MIDI IN terminal of another machine over a
MIDI cable. To send a message from this keyboard to another
machine, for example, you must use a MIDI cable to connect the
MIDI OUT terminal of this keyboard to the MIDI IN terminal of
the other machine. To send MIDI messages back to this keyboard,
you need to use a MIDI cable to connect the other machine’s
MIDI OUT terminal to the MIDI IN terminal of this keyboard.
To use a computer or other MIDI device to record and playback
the MIDI data produced by this keyboard, you must connect the —
~ MIDIIN and MIDI OUT terminals of both machines in order
send and receive data.
MID! OUT
MIDI sequencer
If a MIDI THRU function provided by the software is being run
on a connected computer or other MIDI device, be sure to turn
this keyboard’s LOCAL CONTROL off (page E-45).
MIDI Channels
MIDI allows you to send the data for multiple parts at the same
time, with each part being sent over a separate MIDI channel.
There are 16 MIDI channels, numbered 1 through 16, and MIDI
channel data is always included whenever you exchange data
(key press, pitch bend operation, etc.) rit.
Both the sending machine and the receiving machine must be
set to the same channel for the receiving unit to correctly receive
_and play data. If the receiving machine is set to Channel 2, for
example, it receives only MIDI Channel 2 data, and all other
channels are ignored. .
This keyboard is equipped with multi-timbre capabilities, which
means it can receive messages over all 16 MIDI channels and
play up to 16 parts at the same time. Tone and volume settings
for each channel can be made using the keyboard’s onboard
Mixer, or by an external source that sends required MIDI con-
trol messages. . be gt or
Keyboard and bend operations performed on this keyboard are
sent out by selecting a MIDI channel (1 to 16) and then sending
the appropriate message.
E-42
General MIDI standardizes MIDI data for all sound source types,
regardless of manufacturer. General MIDI specifies such factors .
as tone numbering, drum sounds, and available MIDI channels
for all sound sources. This standard makes it possible for all MIDI
equipment to reproduce the same nuances when playing Gen-
eral MIDI data, regardless of the manufacturer of the sound
source. ae
This keyboard supports General MIDI, so it can be used to play
commercially available pre-recorded General MIDI data and
General MIDI data send to it from a personal computer.
Messages
There is a wide variety of messages defined under the MIDI stan-
dard, and this section details the particular messages that can be
sent and received by this keyboard. An asterisk is used to mark
messages that affect the entire keyboard. Messages without an
asterisk are those that affect only a particular channel.
NOTE ON/OFF | ae
This message sends data when a key is pressed (NOTE ON) or
released (NOTE OFF).
A NOTE ON/OFF message include a note number (to indicate
note whose key is being pressed or released) and velocity (key-
board pressure as a value from 1 to 127). NOTE ON velocity is
always used to determine the relative volume of the note. This
keyboard does not receive NOTE OFF velocity data.
Whenever you press or release a key on this keyboard, the cor-
responding NOTE ON or NOTE OFF message is sent from the
MIDI OUT terminal. . os . vile ents .
HNOTEE
The pitch of a note depends on the tone that is being used, as shown
in the Note Table on page A-1. Whenever this keyboard receives a .
note number that is outside its range for that tone, the same tone in
the nearest available octave is substituted.
PROGRAM CHANGE
This is the tone selection message. PROGRAM CHANGE can
contain tone data within the range of 0 to 127.
A PROGRAM CHANGE message is sent out through this key- |
board’s MIDI OUT terminal whenever you manually change its
a tone number. Receipt of a PROGRAM CHANGE message from
an external machine changes the tone setting of this keyboard.
PITCH BEND — | : |
This message carries pitch bend information for smoothly slid-
ing the pitch upwards or downwards during keyboard play.
Performing a pitch bend operation on this keyboard causes si-
multaneously changes the pitch of the built-in sound source and
sends a PITCH BEND message out through the MIDI OUT ter- ~
minal.
452A-E-044A
| a
[7 “sorrPEDAr
‘CONTROL CHANGE
This message adds effects such as vibrato and volume changes ~
applied during keyboard play. CONTROL CHANGE data in-
cludes a control number (to identify the effect type) and acon- |
trol value (to specify the on/off status and depth of the effect),
__ The following is a list of data that can be send or received using
CONTROL CHANGE. : .
BANK SELECT
VOLUME | 3
0, 32
7 :
10
ak
5,
100/101
- DATA ENTRY ei: 6/38 }
_ *1 The BANK SELECT setting of PROGRAM CHANGE can be
used to access any of this keyboard’s 200 tones when select-
ing tones on this keyboard from an external machine.
Bank 0: 128 General MIDI tones (PROGRAM CHANGE 0 to
127) =
Bank 1: 32 synthesized tones (PROGRAM CHANGE 0 to 31)
Bank 2: 8 drum sets (PROGRAM CHANGE 0to7)
Bank 3: 32 user tones (PROGRAM CHANGE 0 to 31)
_Immediately prior to sending the PROGRAM CHANGE mes-
sage, send two successive CONTROL CHANGE messages
containing the following data.
CONTROL NUMBER= 0, CONTROL VALUE= <bank num-
ber>
CONTROL NUMBER= 32, CONTROL VALUE= 0
Example: To select tone number 190 (user tone 22) from an
external MIDI machine.
CONTROL NUMBER= 0, CONTROL VALUE= 3
(bank number)
_. CONTROL NUMBER= 32, CONTROL VALUE= 0
PROGRAM CHANGE= 22
*2 RPN stands for Registered Parameter Number, which is a spe-
cial control change number used when combining multiple
control changes. The parameter being controlled is selected
using the control values of control numbers 100 and 101, and
then settings are made using the control values of DATA
ENTRY (control numbers 6 and 38). ~ : .
This keyboard supports pitch bend sense, transpose, and tune
control RPN sent from other MIDI machines. .
ALL SOUND OFF ©
This
message
forces
all
sound
being
produced
over
the
current
channel
to
turn
off,
regardless
of
how
the
sound
is
being
pro-
duced.
ALL NOTES OFF
This message turns off all note data sent from an external device
_ and currently being sounded on the channel.
_
¢
Any
notes
being
sustained
using
a
sustain
pedal
or
sostenuto
pedal continue to sound until the next pedal off. .
-RESETALL CONTROLLERS __
This messages initializes pitch bend and all other control chang-
es.
_. 452A-E-045A
: SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE* -
This message is used to control system exclusives, which are tone
fine adjustments that are unique to a particular machine. Origi-
nally, system exclusives were unique to a particular model, but
|.
now
there
are
also
universal
system
exclusives
that
are
applica-
ble to machines that are different models and even produced by
different manufacturers.
The following are the system exclusive messages supported by
this keyboard. Se es oe
Ml GM MODE ON ([FON7EN7FIL09N01NF7) ©
GM MODE ON is used by an external machine to turn on this
keyboard’s GM system. GM stands for General MIDI |
¢ GM MODE ON takes more time to process than other messag-
es, So when GM MODE ON is stored in the sequencer it can .
take more than 100msec until the next message. :
ma GM MODE OFF ([Foll7EII7FIlo9]o21F7))
GM MODE OFF is used by an external machine to turn off this |
keyboard’s GM system. . ae
ml REVERB CHANGE ([F0I[44I{0Ello9llyyl[F7)
_REVERB CHANGE switches the keyboard's internal digital re-
verbs. The lyy] parameter in the syntax noted in the title stands
for a hexadecimal value that represents a reverb number sent
from an external machine. The following shows the hexadeci-
mal values that can be specified and their meanings.
Off Off
INOTES IE
¢ MIDI Channel 10 is reserved for drum sounds only, so it is not
necessary to send bank select data when changing tones.
°
Sustain,
sostenuto,
and
soft
effects
produced
by
the
foot
pedal
can
also
be
sent
and
received
(Control
Numbers
64,
66,
67
re-
spectively).
_
E-43