Here's a brief explanation of the various MIDI modes. Well, maybe not
brief,
though probably about as comprehensive as anyone is going to want. And of
course, we first start out with a bit of history.
When MIDI first came out there were only two things that governed mode.
One
was the Omni Mode on/off status, and the other was Mono/Poly status.
In Omni mode on the synth would respond to all channels without paying
attention to what channel data was sent with the message. This was good
for
troubleshooting a connection or if you only have one synthesizer that
isn't
multi-timbral. This was usually turned off.
Mono/Poly mode determined how MIDI data was sent and recognized. With Poly
on you could have as many notes on a channel as the synth would play,
while
turning Mono on (which automatically turned Poly off) the lowest note (or
some other note depending on a particular sending scheme of the synth)
would
send on the lowest channel the instrument was set to, and each higher note
went out on subsequent higher channels until the lowest note was released.
Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits, who pretty much authored the initial
MIDI
specification singlehanded, had plans for this functionality, and it
showed
up fairly soon with their Six-Track instrument. The Sequential Six -Trak
was
the first instrument that exhibited what we knew as "multi-timbral"
behavior, though it did it with only one voice per channel. This idea
really
got attention, as up to that point a synthesizer or other MIDI equipped
instrument could respond on one channel, maybe two. (for some of the
keyboards with a split mode)
But since this processing was going on within the instrument and nothing
needed to be changed in the MIDI specification manufacturers (including
Sequential) soon realized that they could use as many oscillators as they
wanted per channel and provide multiple sounds -- what was at first called
"Poly/Mono" or "Mono/Poly" mode until the term "Multi-timbral Mode" caught
on. (Which happened fairly quickly) This was one of the key developments
that made keyboard workstations possible, especially since polyphony and
oscillators went down in price. (Trivia question answer -- the first
workstation was the Ensoniq EPS, as it was the first instrument to provide
the possibility of melodic sounds, drum sounds, and a sequencer in one
box)
What does this all mean? Well, first, unless you're a vintage synth freak,
forget about Mono mode -- it's not used anymore and though some
instruments
have it its application is for very rare circumstances. Also it's a good
idea to leave Omni in the off position, as otherwise you've got one sound
playing everything on the MIDI pipe. (This is less a problem if you have
several MIDI ports like I do, but it's still a waste of a good MIDI port)
So
the only modes you have to worry about are Poly mode and Multi-timbral
mode,
which I'll call Multi in this case for a couple of reasons that aren't
important here.
If your synth is in Poly mode, you're going to get one sound on one
channel.
This is fine if you can use that sound for your entire composition. (For
example, a pipe organ patch or a good brass patch or string patch for
sectional compositions) But for the most part it's not going to do what
you
want.
Multi mode on the other hand is quite nice. This will allow you to put
different instruments on different channels. This makes life a lot easier
for you, as you can actually have drums, bass, piano, sax, and strings,
for
example, playing at once.
That said, some folks start out with Poly mode when they first start
learning this stuff, because multi-part music can be a lot to take in.
That
need is getting less and less, however, as folks are getting better about
picking up on how things work pretty quickly.
One more thing -- I would strongly suggest that you pick some standards
and
stick with them regarding MIDI channels. It's a lot easier to just assign
a
specific channel to things and use that channel for all your sounds. For
example, it's pretty standard to put drum kits on channel 10. I always put
bass on 9. (Old Jazz ensemble thinking there -- you want your drums and
bass
close together, and it makes it easy to remember) This will alleviate the
need to take time out of your creative process to name a track something
new
and specific -- anything you can do to minimize brain shifting from one
side to the other by keeping in creative mode when doing creative things
is
good, because then you maximize your creative abilities. This also
includes
leaving things plugged in and ready to go so you don't have to spend too
much time doing technical things when you want to create.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
Bobbi Blood
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 7:58 PM
To: QWS list
Subject: Re: QWS List QWS Audio Tutorials
Hey James,
I am fairly new to this list, as well as QWS. Anyway, I wanted to let you
know that I took a listen to the tutorials you posted. I'm really quite
glad they're up there, to be honest. I've been looking into getting a
midi
keyboard for a while now and it's nice to know just what to expect when
dealing with QWS.
I am curious though. And for the record, anyone who knows the answer to
this can feel free to chip in with information. If, say, I owned a
Yamaha
Motif, and I wanted to sequence using QWS but use my keyboard's internal
sounds, is it absolutely necessary that I switch it to multitimbral mode?
I'm still the slightest bit confused as to what would happen if I left
multitimbral mode off. Would that mean that only some instruments could
be
used because of multitimbral mode, or would something like the Motif be
just
as powerful in either situation?
Any and all information is very much appreciated, and thanks again for
putting those tutorials up. I found them very informative.
Most Sincerely,
Bobbi
--------------------------------------------------
From: "James Bowden" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 3:44 PM
To: "QWS list" <[email protected]>
Subject: QWS List QWS Audio Tutorials
Hello,
I have uploaded the first 3 parts of a QWS audio tutorial. You can find
the mp3 files in the audio section of the downloads page on the QWS
website: qws.andrelouis.com
Hope you enjoy them.
I hope to add more sessions as time goes on.
With best regards,
James.
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