Re: [linux-audio-dev] News about sequencers (not my own though!)

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Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] News about sequencers (not my own though!)
From: Fredrik (aeonek_AT_home.se)
Date: to tammi  20 2000 - 18:24:31 EST


> There's nothing particularly limiting about MIDI as it is, if you
> have an unlimited number of MIDI streams (each with the traditional
> 16 channels). Bear with me a moment to examine what unlimited
> streams allow you to accomplish...
>
> If you want to control the amount of pitch bend separately for each
> note in a chord, simply send each simultaneous note in a separate
> channel, and send pitch bend or other CC's on that same channel.
> If you run out of channels, simply take another MIDI stream.
> Alternatively, always use channel 1 and use a separate stream for
> each, to make things simpler.
 
A midi stream for each note? Current high end samplers and synths have about 128 notes polyphony and two midi inports. Imagine a sampler with 256 midi ports! (128 in + 128 out) Software synths makes these things easier, without doubt.

But how do you know which patch is assigned to that channel? Do you send a program change before each note? That could be a good idea, in that the patch is a property of the note rather than the channel.

Another limitation of the MIDI protocol is the low resolution in CC's. They're represented as 7 bit integers. If you control a filter over MIDI you can clearly hear filter stepping. Some synths (e.g. Nord Lead) use interpolation to get around this.

Roland used to sell a device (ASC-10), that implemented non-western scales by translating incoming note-on events to note-on+pitchbend or if you connected it to a GS device, note-on+NRPN.

    /Fredrik


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