Roland G-800 - MIDI messages used by the G-800

G-800 Reference Manual
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g MIDI mode
SMF, General MIDI, and General Standard
Before exploring the MIDI parameters of your G-800, there is something you need to know.
Your G-800 is GM (General MIDI) and GS (General Standard) compatible, the most impor-
tant advantage being that it allows you to playback (and record) Standard MIDI Files using
the Recorder that can be played back on any GM or GS compatible instrument (like your
G-800). You may think that is nothing special, but before the advent of GS (and GM), there
was no way of predicting what a sequence would sound like when played back on another
module or synthesizer because memory 1 on instrument A contained a synth pad sound, while
the same memory on instrument B contained a grand piano sound.
Standard MIDI Files
In fact, there used to be a time when you could not even load your sequences into a sequencer
of another brand because there were as many formats (i.e. ways of data-encoding) as there
were sequencer manufacturers. That is why several manufacturers decided to develop a for-
mat that could be read by all sequencers. Think of the Standard MIDI File format as the TXT
format of popular personal computers: the level that all programs can understand.
Contrary to TXT format, however, the Standard MIDI File (SMF for short) format is amaz-
ingly elaborate: even System exclusive (SysEx) messages, the most intricate kind of MIDI
data, travel well, so that the “format” (comparable to the lay-out of printed text) remains
intact when a sequence is converted to SMF. A
In fact, the SMF format is so elaborate that some sequencers no longer rely on their manufac-
turers’ system for recording and playing back data — which is the case of the G-800’s Record-
er.
The Standard MIDI File format (i.e. the fact that any sequencer can read the data) is a prereq-
uisite for the following two formats (i.e. the fact that sound selection, amongst other things,
remains the same).
GENERAL
GM System Mil
The GM (General MIDI) system is a set of recommendations which seek to provide a way to
go beyond the limitations of proprietary designs, and standardize the MIDI capabilities of
sound generating devices. Sound generating devices and sound data that meet the GM stand-
ard bear the GM logo. Song data bearing the GM logo can be played back using any GM
sound generating unit to produce essentially the same musical performance.
GS format G)
The GS format is Roland's unified set of specifications to standardize the MIDI capabilities
of sound generating devices. Song data bearing the GS logo can be played back using any GS
sound generating unit. The G-800 supports both GM and GS, and can be used to playback
song data carrying either of these logos.
Note: See “Compatibility” on page 155 of the Player's Guide for aspects to consider in order to
keep your G-800 Recorder songs GM/GS compatible.
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