11
MIDI Tutorial
MIDI messages used by the K-Station
(NRPN stands for Non Registered Parameter Number). Users new to
MIDI only need to know at this stage that NRPNs actually consist of
three MIDI control change messages grouped together, rather than a
single MIDI control change message which is used normally.
A full list of MIDI Control Change messages and NRPNs used by the
K-Station can be found in the Appendix towards the end of this manu-
al.
PITCH BEND MESSAGES
These messages are transmitted whenever the K-Station’s pitch bend
wheel is moved.
AFTERTOUCH MESSAGES
These messages are transmitted by some keyboards whenever
already-held down keyboard notes are pushed further or wiggled.
Aftertouch messages can be used to add extra expressiveness to a
sound, for example introducing an extra vibrato effect. Although the K-
Station’s keyboard itself cannot generate MIDI aftertouch messages,
the K-Station’s synthesizer engine can still respond to aftertouch if it is
received via the MIDI In socket from another keyboard or sequencer.
The MIDI specification actually defines two different types of aftertouch
message; mono and poly. The type recognized by the K-Station is the
mono type. Poly aftertouch includes information in the MIDI message
about which keyboard note was used to trigger the aftertouch effect.
Poly aftertouch is actually very rarely found nowadays as only a very
few synthesizers ever used it.
PROGRAM CHANGE MESSAGES
These messages are transmitted by the K-Station whenever a new
sound is called up from the front panel. However, the MIDI
Specification actually only allows a MIDI program change message to
select one of 128 different sounds. When the MIDI specification was
originally designed, this was rarely a problem since synthesizers in
those days rarely had more than 128 memories. Modern synthesizers
of today such as the K-Station often offer very many more memories
than this (the K-Station actually has 400 memories divided into four
banks of 100 memories each), so it is often convenient to send a MIDI
program change preceded by an additional MIDI message which speci-
fies which ‘bank’ of sounds the following program change message will
select from.
The bank select MIDI message used for this purpose is actually a MIDI
control change message (CC32 is the control change number used).
Whenever a new sound is selected on the K-Station, the bank select
MIDI message is transmitted, followed closely by the appropriate MIDI
program change message. If these messages are then later played
back into the K-Station from a sequencer, the appropriate sound will be
then selected instantly.
It is not strictly necessary to always send a bank select message
before the program change message (though recommended). It is per-
mitted to omit the bank select, but if this is done, the program change
message will select the sound from whatever bank of sounds is cur-
rently selected.
Channel Messages
All of these different types of MIDI message detailed above include
information detailing which MIDI channel was used when the message
was transmitted. MIDI channel messages will only affect receiving
devices using the same MIDI channel. For example, a pitch bend mes-
sage sent using MIDI channel 1 would have no effect at all if it were
received on a synthesizer set to respond on MIDI channel 2.
Some MIDI messages do not include any MIDI channel information
defined in them. Some examples of these are :
MIDI CLOCK MESSAGES
These are synchronization messages sent from a sequencer. When
received, they enable tempo-locked features of the K-Station such as
the arpeggiator and various effects settings (such as Panning and
Delay sync) to follow the current tempo of the sequencer. The K-
Station itself does not transmit MIDI clock messages, so it can only be
synchronized to follow the tempo of other devices and not vice versa.
Whenever an external sequencer is started, a Start Song MIDI mes-
sage is usually transmitted. Certain features on the K-Station can be
set to reset their synchronisation when a Start Song message is
received.
SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE MESSAGES
This is a special type of MIDI message which can actually contain any
type of data, depending what the synthesizer manufacturer decides to
put in it! The only constraint with system exclusive messages is that
they always contain certain header information which is exclusively
used by the manufacturer (and usually the relevant synth model as
well). What this effectively means is that a K-Station will only accept a
system exclusive message designed especially for it. If the K-Station
should receive a system exclusive message transmitted by a different
make of synthesizer, the message would simply be ignored. Similarly,
other makes of synthesizer will ignore any system exclusive messages
originally sent by a K-Station.
Novation have employed system exclusive messages for two distinct
purposes on the K-Station. Firstly, they can be used to back up all of
the K-Station’s memories and global data. This feature is extremely
useful in building up a sound library on a computer or for making a
safety copy of sound and global data. This data backup format is actu-
ally fully compatible with the Novation A-Station, so it is easily possible
to transfer sounds from the A-Station to the K-Station or vice versa.
Data backup is discussed in detail on Page 33 in the Advanced
Features chapter.
Secondly, Novation also use system exclusive messages to enable a
K-Station to update its entire operating system via MIDI. The latest
operating system for the K-Station is always available free of charge at
the Novation web site. From there, it can be downloaded as an SMF
(Standard MIDI File).
Because the operating system update consists purely of MIDI system
exclusive messages, it can then be transferred to the K-Station simply
by playing the file on a sequencer directly into the K-Station. However,
as a safety feature, the K-Station has to be put into a special mode
where it will accept the operating system update. Full details on how to
do this will be supplied when you download the update.
For list of the latest operating system updates please see the Novation
Website :
www.novationmusic.com
A MIDI Implementation Chart provides a concise way of telling at a
glance which MIDI messages an instrument will transmit and respond
to. A MIDI Implementation Chart for the K-Station can be found on in
the Appendix towards the end of this manual.
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