Yamaha 640 Owner's Manual - Page 122

MIDI Functions In the rear panel of your PSR-740/640, there are MIDI terminals (MIDI IN, MIDI OUT), a TO HOST terminal, and a HOST SELECT switch. By using the MIDI functions you can expand your musical possibilities. This section explains what MIDI is, and what it can do, as well as how you can use MIDI on your PSR-740/640. q If you don't know what MIDI is, make sure to read these sections: • What's MIDI page 122 • What You Can Do With MIDI page 124 • MIDI Data Compatibility page 125 q If you want to use your PSR-740/640 with a computer, read this section: • Connecting to a Personal Computer page 126 q The PSR-740/640 lets you make the following MIDI-related settings: • MIDI Template page 128 • MIDI Transmit Setting page 130 • MIDI Receive Setting page 131 • Local Control page 132 • Clock ...page 132 • Initial Data Send page 133 • The MIDI settings cannot be made when the Recording mode is active, or during song/auto accompaniment playback. What's MIDI? No doubt you have heard the terms "acoustic instrument" and "digital instrument." In the world today, these are the two main categories of instruments. Let's consider an acoustic piano and a classical guitar as representative acoustic instruments. They are easy to understand. With the piano, you strike a key, and a hammer inside hits some strings and plays a note. With the guitar, you directly pluck a string and the note sounds. But how does a digital instrument go about playing a note? q Acoustic guitar note production q Digital instrument note production L Sampling Tone Generator (Electric circuit) R Sampling Note Note Playing the keyboard Pluck a string and the body resonates the sound. Based on playing information from the keyboard, a sampling note stored in the tone generator is played through the speakers. As shown in the illustration above, in an electronic instrument the sampling note (previously recorded note) stored in the tone generator section (electronic circuit) is played based on information received from the keyboard. So then what is the information from the keyboard that becomes the basis for note production? For example, let's say you play a "C" quarter note using the grand piano sound on the PSR-740/640 keyboard. Unlike an acoustic instrument that puts out a resonated note, the electronic instrument puts out information from the keyboard such as "with what voice," "with which key," "about how strong," "when was it pressed" and "when was it released." Then each piece of information is changed into a number value and sent to the tone generator. Using these numbers as a basis, the tone generator plays the stored sampling note. q Example of Keyboard Information Voice number (with what voice) Note number (with which key) Note on (when was it pressed) and note off (when was it released) Velocity (about how strong) 01 (grand piano) 60 (C3) Timing expressed numerically (quarter note) 120 (strong) 122 120