MIDI IN USE

In quick review, last time we stated that MIDI is a system by which one device can control another through transmitting instructions through MIDI cables. Below is a typical keyboard setup:

If the lower keyboard is set to transmit on MIDI CHANNEL 1, and the other two keyboards are set to receive MIDI CHANNEL 1, you could conceivably play the CONTROLLER and hear itself AND the other two simultaneously, responding to every key depression as well as DAMPER PEDAL, MIDI VOLUME, PITCH BEND, MODULATION, and PROGRAM CHANGE. A variation of this would be to set the top keyboard to receive MIDI CHANNEL 2. This would allow for the player to combine the sounds of the lower two keyboards with the top one not combined. By switching the controller to transmit MIDI CHANNEL 2, the combined sounds of the controller with the top keyboard would be heard, freeing up the middle one. The MIDI information simply passes through the middle instrument to the top one. Only the keyboard with the matching channel number to the controller will be controlled. Another term associated with MIDI channels is “OMNI”. If the controller was set to “TRANSMIT OMNI”, any connected MIDI device would be controlled regardless of its set MIDI channel number. This also applies to MIDI RECEIVE OMNI, where any device set to this would be controlled regardless of what MIDI channel was controlling it.

This type of MIDI setup is most useful in a live performance situation, where combining the sounds of different instruments might be desired. Most keyboards of today are fully capable of combining sounds within the instrument itself without the need to connect it to another one. This is because the instruments of today are MULTI TIMBRAL, or can produce many sounds simultaneously. Most keyboards of today compare to a stack of 16 keyboards from back in the early days of MIDI. Still, Pro players like to have an arsenal of sounds that are typical of certain keyboards or their manufacturers. There are sounds that are distinctly Roland, as there are particular Yamaha sounds, Korg sounds, and so forth. Also, even within a manufacturers offering, there are different types of sound generating devices that produce sounds for a particular purpose. Early analog synthesizers have a fat, warm, powerful tone where digital synthesizers typically have edgier, crisp, glassy tones. Samplers allow us to play real-world recorded sounds from the keyboard while PCM based synths open up the world of realistic instruments like pianos, strings, horns and drums. Whatever sound you have in mind, there’s a synth for that. There will be more on the different synth flavors in the future.

THE MIDI TONE MODULE

If you don’t need the keys on a synthesizer, why carry around all that extra bulk and weight? By connecting two keyboards together, we’re able to play the sounds of the second one from the first one’s keys. Well, great. Let’s get rid of all those extra keys then. Enter the MIDI TONE MODULE. It’s a keyboard without the keyboard. Just the guts in a box, usually rack-mountable to keep them all neat and packed in a box. Just about every keyboard that has been produced is also available as a MIDI TONE MODULE. They save space, are easier to cart around and look very cool when all stacked and lit up. Consider this set up:

This diagram is nowhere to scale, as the rack-mounted modules are only a standard 19” across. The standard single rack space is only 1 ¾” high. Some modules are single space, some double and some triple. There are still some boutique rack gear pieces that are more, but up to 3 spaces is typical.

THE CONTROLLER KEYBOARD

The above setup has the same type of capabilities as the three keyboard setup, just without the keys. Many pro players choose a special type of keyboard to control many rack mounted synths. These are specifically called CONTROLLER KEYBOARDS, designed for use with MIDI devices. They generally do not produce any sound of their own, and have many functions to easily control the connected modules, layer multiple sounds on the keyboard, split different sounds across the keyboard, preset program changes and set up an entire bank of modules to the desired sounds with a single switch.

The CONTROLLER KEYBOARD is an infinitely useful tool when setting up a MIDI-based recording studio, whether it be a home project studio, or a full-fledged facility. For a big-league live show, it’s just the ticket to keep all of those sounds and modules organized into neat button presses. By the way, the controller above is the one I use, a Roland A-90. Unfortunately, they don’t make these anymore, but it’s been an amazingly handy tool for my purposes. It has an 88 key weighted keyboard, so playing piano sounds ‘feel’ as they should. When it comes to synth style of playing, I may use another one of my keyboards with the regular synthesizer action. It’s nice to have that flexibility. Controller keyboards come in all sizes, right down to a 25 note version, if that’s all you need, all the way up to the piano-style 88 key version above, with practically everything in between.

Next time, we’re going to move into the studio environment where things will begin to get a little more slick. Until then, play LOUD!