Dumb MIDI question

[The Dark force of dance]

Y-ellow JBV.

At 09:19 PM 04/19/99 +0000, jbv wrote:
>Here is a slightly off-topic question about MIDI.
>
>I want to drive an analog device of my own (more on this subject when
>it's finished) from a
>MIDI sequencer.

[bobbit]

>So, the question is :
>
>A - is it the same with other sequencers ?
>
>B- I've been thinking of using another method, with Note-ON for Start,
>and Note-OFF for Stop;
>but then, how do I do Continue ?
>
>C- Any better suggestion on how this could be achieved ? Sysex, may be ?

	Try using one of the uncommitted controllers. That's how I'm controlling
my mixer. You probably don't even need to go to the trouble of choosing
NRPNs. I didn't. Basically it comes down to this, there are a lot of
uncommitted controller numbers you can use. It's pointless worrying about
the committed ones half the time anyway since we can assume that your
device, on it's specified channel will be the only thing receiving those
messages. Just don't  use controllers 0 or 32. These are reserved for bank
changes and most MIDI controllers and sequencers wont' send them unless as
an actual bank change.

It probably is best if you avoid using the committed controller numbers but
even so this leaves you plenty. I found controllers 16 - 31 free and used
them for volume. I skipped to controller 48 - 63 for PAN and used
controllers 44-47 for various auxiliary functions. As well as things like
the omni on/off messages up the other end of the scale.

I did this because having looked at a few mixer control methods, I came to
the realization that MIDI is still a bit of a free-for-all. There's no set
method of controlling mixers that I could define.

So I'd suggest just using some of the non committed MIDI controllers.

Hope this helps.

Be absolutely Icebox.

 _ __        _                              
| "_ \      | |         batzman at all-electric.com / aek at all-electric.com
| |_)/  __ _| |_ ____           ALL ELECTRIC KITCHEN               
|  _ \ / _` | __|___ |  The Elementary Urban sanity CD
| |_) | (_| | |_  / /   out now on Transmission Communications
|_,__/ \__,_|\__|/ /    
                / ,__   http://www.all-electric.com
Goodfortune    |_____|