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BEFORE GENERAL MIDI, HOW DID DEVICES COMMUNICATE THE LOCATIONS OF THEIR PERCUSSION SOUNDS?
I ask this because of the bold text on page 81 of the (attached) user manual. This mysterious MIDI 1.0 protocol predates GM because the device was released in 1989.
I would like to have my drum sounds readily available on the pads of my controller without sending a 'program change message' first. I CAN reserve an arbitrary channel from the ones available, BUT synthesis on my device occupies more and more channels the deeper you get into sound design, and it is conceivable that I use up all 16 channels for sound design thus leaving me with no room for my drums.
As shown on the attached page from the user manual (pg77), my Proteus/1 apparently has a secret 'bank' (called 'sampled sounds') only accessible through each patch's own submenu. APART from the factory preset patches and slots for user created patches.
My previous keyboard controller, M-Audio Code49, seemed to access the drums automatically without my changing any settings, however, having sold it, I cannot confirm exactly what the settings were for It's drum pads.
I want to express myself through the limitations of my instrument and not operate a machine through limitations of my ignorance.
When operating a machine artfully, accidents are only happy if you know what you are doing.
tl;dr BEFORE GENERAL MIDI, HOW DID DEVICES COMMUNICATE THE LOCATIONS OF THEIR PERCUSSION SOUNDS?
Posted : 07/10/2020 2:48 am
Basically, they didn't.
I have, and still use, a Roland LAPC-I card. This is used as a midi interface for an old computer, but I do also use the sounds on the card, and I have a number of rather pleasing midi files that are set for the MT-32 sound set, and not GM. The percussion sounds are assigned differently from GM, maybe not ALL, but at least some, so if I play a GM midi file via the Roland card, it just does not sound right. I can load a GM patch set for the main instruments, but this does NOT change the percussion assignments.
Any software that I might be working through would need to know that the sounds were, both the normal sounds, and the percussion. Normally, I'd just select the instruments manually. Some older software might have a MT-32 setup, then the MT-32 instruments were fairly common back then. The Proteus device you mention would prob need it's own 'map', and this was maybe not as common.
Normally, percussion is selected via a single PC (Program Change), and different instruments are then selected via a note number (key pressed). This means that you NEED a channel available to use for percussion. You cannot mix pitched notes and non-pitched percussion on the same channel without causing a sonic mess. So only ONE 'sound' (either percussion set, or tuned instrument, would be active at any one time on a channel. If your Proteus had a way of doing something else, then this was peculiar to the Proteus.
Geoff
Posted : 07/10/2020 5:16 am
Topic starter
Thank you for your answer Geoff.
Posted : 08/10/2020 1:10 am
