ProKeys Sono 88 User Guide - M-Audio

ProKeys Sono 88 User Guide
Routing MIDI Data to and from your Computer
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If you are new to MIDI, it may be challenging to understand how your computer and ProKeys Sono “talk” to each other using MIDI as
the communication protocol . The fundamental principle to understand is that MIDI is a control protocol—a MIDI connection allows
instructions to be exchanged between two devices (such as your ProKeys Sono and your computer), rather than actual audio signals
(i .e . sounds) . In other words, when a key is pressed on the ProKeys Sono keyboard, a MIDI instruction is sent to your computer (or
hardware MIDI module) to play a specific note at a specified “velocity” (loudness) . No actual audio signals are transmitted over the
MIDI connection .
The following image shows an example of a typical MIDI note message as transmitted over a MIDI connection and displayed within a
MIDI sequencing application after recording:
The left side of the image shows a visual representation of a recorded MIDI note in the “Piano Roll” editor of a sequencing application .
For many MIDI users, working with MIDI notes that are displayed this way is more intuitive than looking at the bare MIDI data in list
form as explained next .
The right side of the image shows the same note in a sequencing application’s MIDI event list editor, very similar in format to how this
information is transmitted over a MIDI connection .
1 . MIDI event type: MIDI note
2 . Start point of the MIDI note (Note On)
3 . End point of the MIDI note (Note Off)
4 . Pitch of the MIDI note
5 . Velocity (loudness) of the MIDI note
Regardless of how MIDI information is displayed in your sequencer (visually in a piano roll editor, as traditional score within
musical staff or as a MIDI event list), the recorded or transmitted MIDI information always consists of items 1-5 listed above for all
MIDI notes .
MIDI instructions can be recorded by software and simultaneously routed to destinations that will transform the data into actual
sound: the built-in sounds on ProKeys Sono, a virtual instrument running on the computer, or an external MIDI synthesizer . As you
begin using ProKeys Sono, you will quickly discover that using a computer-based sequencer with virtual instrument software gives you
access to a large array of high-quality sounds, a large graphic user interface, and the ability to edit and change performances even
after they’ve been recorded .