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Topic starter
Hello guys,
I decided to take out my good old Roland E-15 to play around with it.. For an older synthesizer, it actually doesn't sound bad!!
I'm having issues while reading MIDI files, every instrument after channel 10 doesn't work. First thing I was thinking is that the synth might only support 10 channels. Is that a possibility?
Can it be the usb midi cable i'm using? Is it something I'm not thinking of ?
According to the manual, you can select channels 1 to 16 for the intelligent synthesizer instrument settings, so I believe the synth does support 16 channels. SInce that's the case, why can't I read a 16-channel midi file? I mean, everything works until the drum channel 10... After that, nothing, it's like if the instrument doesn't even exist 🙁
I can't even test if the cable is the problem because I don't have the ac adaptor of my other synth (I lost it).
Any help or advice would be appreciated!!
Thanks!! 🙂
Posted : 09/10/2018 5:10 pm
I looked at the Roland E-15 manual available on this page: Roland Manual Archive. The end of the manual has two MIDI implementation charts:
1. The first MIDI implementation chart seems to be for the normal mode of the E-15, and shows it recognizes, by default, channels 1-11 assigned to various parts.
2. The second MIDI implementation chart is titled (Multi Timbral Sound Generation) "GS" and says it recognizes channels 1-16.
* The manual describes you can enter the GS mode by holding the MIDI SELECT button while turning on the E-15, or by sending a System Exclusive message.
* The "128 GS Sounds" listed in the "tone chart" have almost identical names to the 128 General MIDI Level 1 sounds.
Posted : 09/10/2018 6:57 pm
Topic starter
Hi Bavi_H
Thanks for such quick reply! I've seen the GS mode at the end of the manual but haven't thought that would be a solution. I will try that out tonight once I get home. I'll let you know if it works 😀
Posted : 10/10/2018 4:42 am
Topic starter
I looked at the Roland E-15 manual available on this page: Roland Manual Archive. The end of the manual has two MIDI implementation charts:
1. The first MIDI implementation chart seems to be for the normal mode of the E-15, and shows it recognizes, by default, channels 1-11 assigned to various parts.
2. The second MIDI implementation chart is titled (Multi Timbral Sound Generation) "GS" and says it recognizes channels 1-16.
* The manual describes you can enter the GS mode by holding the MIDI SELECT button while turning on the E-15, or by sending a System Exclusive message.
* The "128 GS Sounds" listed in the "tone chart" have almost identical names to the 128 General MIDI Level 1 sounds.
I did start the synth in GS mode but still nothing. I also just realized channel 1 isn't playing either. It can't be the synth settings because from what I read from the manual, as soon as I turn off the synth, it resets. I am using Notation Composer to open up midi files. That's the program managing my midi files. I also tried MIDI with guitar pro and I checked channels 1, 11-16 do not work. Could my midi cable be an issue ? I'll have to order an ac adaptor for my other roland synth and compare..
Is there any other thing I could check?
Posted : 10/10/2018 2:06 pm
> channels 1, 11-16 do not work.
I get the impression that your E-15 is operating in its normal mode because the first MIDI implementation chart in the manual says:
* Channel 1 defaults to "note to arranger" (which sounds like it would be used to set the accompaniment chords) and "basic MIDI channel" (which is used to send mode messages), both of which sound like they might not actually make any sounds.
* Channel 11 defaults to the "sound effect" channel. The manual doesn't say what that does, but as a guess, maybe it only makes sounds on 6 keys that represent the 6 sound effects buttons on the panel? If so, then it probably doesn't make much sound either.
* Channels 12 to 16 default to no assignment.
I got the impression from the second MIDI implementation chart in the manual that the GS mode would allow all 16 channels to be used.
If holding down the MIDI SELECT button at the same time as you turn on your E-15 didn't help, then maybe sending the System Exclusive message to turn on the GS mode will work better for you:
F0 41 10 42 12 40 00 7F 00 41 F7
As a test, the attached MIDI file contains that System Exclusive message followed by a different instrument note on each of the 16 channels.
Download: 16.zip
Posted : 10/10/2018 9:48 pm
