Carvin XP2 Instruction Manual - Page 16

MIDI MIDI, the acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, allows for the connection of music synthesizers, musical instruments and computers. The MIDI standard is based partly on hardware, and partly on a description of the way in which music and sound are encoded and communicated between MIDI devices. The hardware portion of the MIDI standard defines these types of input/output channels, called MIDI ports and specifies a particular type of cable (a MIDI cable) that plugs into the ports. The three types of ports defined by the MIDI specification are MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, and MIDI THRU. A synthesizer or other MIDI device receives MIDI messages via its MIDI In port. It also echoes the messages back out through the MIDI THRU port so that other devices can receive them. MIDI devices send their own messages to other devices via the MIDI Out port. The information transmitted between MIDI devices is in a form called a MIDI message, which encodes aspects of sound such as pitch and volume as 8-bit bytes of digital information. What does all this mean? MIDI is supposed to be here to make our lives easier. For use with the XP simply use an existing MIDI controller as a way to make a "Virtual Pedal Board" for your guitar, or use it "live" for vocals, drums and guitars. In the studio it will communicate with your existing MIDI gear. In order to use MIDI, the XP's MIDI data enable switch needs to be turned on. This switch is located in the global parameters and is titled "CE". When this is set to "1", MIDI functionality is enabled. MIDI is off when "CE" is set to "0" (See Global Parameters section for details) When you want to change the active effect program of an effect engine, send a program change command on the channel that the engine is listening in on. The MIDI channel configuration is also located in the global parameters and is labeled "Cx" where x is the actual effect engine #. (See Global Parameters section for more info) When you want to change an active parameter in an effect engine, send data on the appropriate controller number tuned to that engine's channel. (see effect parameter chart for details on what the controller numbers are). If the display mode that is currently selected indicates anything with regard to that controller, the display will update to reflect the value. Examples: 1) If changing the effect wet/dry mix and the display mode is on the mix screen, sending controller #96 on the appropriate MIDI channel will change the mix. You will see the new value display in real time on the display. 2) If changing an effect parameter value (for instance, reverb decay length rd) and the display mode is set to parameter select, every time the controller messages are sent, the display is updated to display "rd". This gives you a visual indication of what parameter the XP processor thinks that you want to change. 3) If changing an effect parameter value and the display modes is set to the value change mode, the numerical value changes that the continuous controller messages produce is shown on the screen in real-time. 16