Tuning a Device to Specific MIDI Channels

<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>

Navigation:  Configuring Your Soundcard and MIDI Equipment > Using the MIDI Device Configuration Window > Managing MIDI Devices >

Tuning a Device to Specific MIDI Channels

Previous pageReturn to chapter overviewNext page

Some external devices have the capability to "tune in" to specific MIDI channels, while ignoring incoming MIDI events for other MIDI channels that are intended for, and passed on, to other MIDI devices connected via MIDI Thru connectors. Such devices typically provide front panel options for tuning into channels. By specifying which MIDI channels a given device is tuned to, you can help Composer determine which channels are intended to be performed by a given device.

In particular, if you assign a staff to the "Auto" MIDI channel of a "tuned" device, then Composer will play back that staff using only one of the channels that the device is tuned to. For details about assigning a staff to the Auto MIDI channel, see Assigning MIDI Channels.

In the following example, the 16 channels of MIDI performance sent from the SoundBlaster Live! MIDI Out port are first received by the Korg M1 device. The Korg M1 device forwards all of the MIDI performance, via its MIDI Thru connector, to the second device, a Roland M-SE1 sound module. The Korg M1 device is intended to respond only to channels 9 through 16; and the Roland M-SE1 device is intended to respond only to channels 1 through 8.

MidiDiagramSBMidiInAndMidiOutKorgM1MidiThruRolandMSE1

The MIDI Device Configuration for the above setup looks like this:

MidiConfigSBMidiInANdMidiOutKorgM1MidiThruRolandMSE1

Notice that the first eight channel buttons are green for the Roland M-SE1, and the last eight channel buttons are gray. For the Korg M1, the first eight channel buttons are gray, and the last eight channel buttons are green. This means that the Roland M-SE1 is "tuned into" the first eight channels (1-8), and the Korg M1 is tuned into the last eight channels (9-16).

prcarrow To tune a device into specific MIDI channels:

1.Open the MIDI Device Configuration Window by choosing the MIDI Device Configuration command from the Setup menu.

-- OR --

Type "qdc" for Quick Device Configuration.

2.For the desired device, click channel buttons, which are arranged in four groups of four buttons, to toggle whether the channel is tuned into or not.

    -- OR --

    Drag the mouse over the channel buttons to toggle several at a time.

It is important to understand that "tuning into" channels is intended to instruct Composer about your intentions for using MIDI channels on the devices, but it does not directly force the external devices to accept, or conversely, ignore incoming MIDI data on the specified channels. To accomplish this latter purpose, you must typically choose options on the control panel of the external device to tune that device to specific MIDI channels, and to ignore other channels. For details specific to your device, please refer to its owners manual.