MIDI Controller Numbers

Setting Up your MIDI System Controls

Each controller number below can be used to control MIDI controls within your computer MIDI system or MIDI Keyboard.

Here are some uses for controlling those numbers:

• Initialise a General MIDI (GM) Keyboard or Sound Module so that it returns the controllers to the factory (flat) setting. For example, you may have transposed a channel up by 3 semitones and just forgotten about it. A controller number could be used to take all those settings back to zero. Or, it could work the other way, you want a channel to be transposed up 3 semitones!
• Assign a keyboards modulation wheel to controlling volume, pan, attack time or effect changes
• Within a sequencer program you could draw very accurately controller settings which could swell volumes with orchestral type sounds for authenticity.
• For use in LIVE situations during a gig – you may want to control certain aspects of sound with your keyboard, sequencer or change patches remotely with other connected MIDI equipment.

Using MIDI LIVE

Here’s something which I have created in the past on stage – The tracks were sequenced but didn’t include drums – we had a real drummer. The drummer received a click by plugging headphones into drum machine. The drum machine was connected via MIDI to a sequencer and received the correct tempo and a click . The sequencer sent Channel 10 to the drum machine.

Control Guitar FX with MIDI during the Gig

We expanded the Laptop MIDI system to include the guitarists MIDI fx unit. We simply connected the unit via MIDI and sent program changes to quickly change his patches during the song! I should add that those program changes were pre-programmed via Cubase and saved as a MIDI file. That MIDI file was then exported to our mobile sequencer player. It’s great when it works!