Connecting to MIDI devices
V-Accordion FR-18 diatonic
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47
13. Connecting to MIDI devices
Your FR-18 diatonic can also transmit or receive MIDI data, thus providing an even greater versatility. In this section, we’ll
look at what MIDI is and does and which MIDI functions are available on the FR-18 diatonic.
■ What’s MIDI?
MIDI, short for “Musical Instrument Digital Interface”,
was developed as a universal standard for exchange
of performance data with external devices. By con-
necting the FR-18 diatonic to an external MIDI device
and exchanging performance data, you can control
one device from another. For instance, you can out-
put sound from other instruments, switch sounds or
receive MIDI data from an external sequencer that
cause your FR-18 diatonic to play.
Connecting an external MIDI device
to the FR-18 diatonic
The FR-18 diatonic has one MIDI socket that can be
used to either transmit (OUT) or receive (IN) MIDI data.
1.
Turn the volume all the way down on the
FR-18 diatonic and the MIDI device you are
about to connect.
2.
Use a MIDI cable (sold separately) to con-
nect the MIDI sockets to each other.
Connection to transmit MIDI data to an external
device:
Connection to receive MIDI data from an external
device:
3.
Adjust the volume level on the FR-18
diatonic and the connected device.
4.
Set the “MIDI OUT/IN” parameter.
See “MIDI OUT/IN” on p. 50. Select “OUT” to transmit
MIDI data to an external device. (This is the default
setting.)
Set it to “IN” to receive MIDI data from an external
device.
About MIDI channels
MIDI can simultaneously transmit and receive messages
on 16 channels, so that up to 16 instruments (or parts of
a module or synthesizer) can be controlled. Nowadays,
most instruments –like your FR-18 diatonic– are multit-
imbral, which means that they can play several musical
parts with different sounds. This requires the use of sev-
eral MIDI channels. The FR-18 diatonic, for instance, has
several accordion and orchestral sections that can be
played simultaneously. They can transmit and receive on
different channels.
The FR-18 diatonic’s sections use the following MIDI
channels:
External MIDI device: MIDI IN
Part Channel
Treble 1
Bass 2
Chords 3
Orchestra (Treble) or Organ 4
Orchestra Bass 5
Orchestra Chord 6
DRUMS sounds (see p. 30) 10
Basic channel (for selecting Sets) 13
External MIDI device: MIDI OUT
FR-18d GB.book Page 47 Wednesday, December 15, 2010 1:54 PM
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