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14 ADDITIONAL TOPICS
SENDING AND RECEIVING MIDI
MIDI Messages are received at the MIDI In port and transmitted at the MIDI OUT/THRU port of the FM3. Use 5-pin
MIDI cables between the FM3 and the MIDI ports of other devices.
RECEIVING MIDI
The FM3 responds to MIDI Program Change Messages, MIDI CC messages — which can be used for a wide variety
of purposes including Scene Select, Effect Bypass/Engage, Modier Control, and more — and will sync internal
tempo to MIDI clock messages for use with delay time, LFO rates, etc.
The FM3 is NOT a USB MIDI Device. It uses COM ports over USB for Fractal-Bot and FM3-Edit, and will not appear
as a MIDI device in a DAW or other MIDI program.
MIDI THRU
The FM3 MIDI Out port also features a soft “MIDI Thru” capability. This merges any data received at the MIDI In
port with any generated MIDI messages at the MIDI Out port. This option must be enabled. See “The MIDI/Remote
Menu” on p. 95.
SEND MIDI PC
The simplest MIDI capability of the FM3 is transmitting a single MIDI program change message (“PC”) each
time a new Preset is loaded—whether via the front panel, using an FC Footswitch, or in any other way. To enable
this, open the SETUP | MIDI/Remote menu and page to the “General” tab. Set Send MIDI PC to the desired MIDI
channel.
THE SCENE MIDI BLOCK
A more sophisticated MIDI tool is the Scene MIDI Block. Once you place this block on the grid, it transmits MIDI
messages automatically whenever a new scene is loaded—whether via the front panel, with a footswitch, or by
any other means. The Scene MIDI block can transmit up to eight total custom PC or CC messages. Remember
that a “default scene” loads automatically when you select a new preset, so any FC footswitch that selects a new
Preset or a new Scene can also cause the FM3 to send a burst of MIDI messages. See the “The Fractal Audio
Blocks Guide” for more on the Scene MIDI Block.