Re: Repeater: MIDI (was record CFC)

[Kim Flint <kflint@loopers-delight.com>]

At 12:15 PM 9/3/2001, Tom Ritchford wrote:

>MIDI program changes tell a MIDI synthesizer to switch
>to a new sound. (*)

right. as the midi spec says "When a 'program' (i.e., sound, voice, tone, 
preset, or patch) is changed, the number corresponding to the newly 
selected program is transmitted."

so a "program" is defined in midi as sound, voice, tone, preset, or patch.


>(* - Actually some gizmos do other things with the program changes --
>for example, lighting units might move to a new scene -- but the
>idea still holds...)

To me that still fits with the idea of a preset.

unfortunately, there are some gizmos now using program change to control 
things that are not programs at all, but actual functions. (like looper 
functions, for example.) This is breaking the midi spec, in my opinion. 
The 
reason manufacturers do this is because of the existence of simple-minded 
midi pedals out there that only send program change messages. Rather than 
tell users that they have to get a midi pedal with reasonable 
functionality 
to control a more sophisticated device than a multi-effect, the 
manufacturer contorts their midi implementation to do everything possible 
only using program change commands. Lexicon did this with the JamMan, and 
I 
was sad to see that Electrix is now doing it with Repeater. In the short 
term it is convenient for some users who already own a simple-minded 
controller. They will be happy that it is still useable. So it is 
understandable that some manufacturers make this choice.

But in the long term it is harmful. For one thing it is watering down the 
midi spec, which makes it hard for other manufacturers to design similar 
devices since the standards become confused. It also reduces the demand 
for 
full-featured midi controller pedals, so those of us who wish that there 
were more good pedals on the market have to wait longer and continue to 
listen to the pedal manufacturers tell us that pedals are for guitar 
players, guitar players are dumb, and therefore cannot understand anything 
beyond a simple program change command.

And it comes back to hurt the manufacturer as well, because now they have 
eliminated the possibility of supporting presets in their own device! So 
for example, you can never have a future Repeater upgrade that supports 
presets because program change commands have already been dedicated to 
execute the basic functions, instead of being left available for their 
intended purpose of changing presets.... Users with basic midi controllers 
would be really unhappy with a future upgrade that takes that away. So the 
manufacturer becomes stuck with this choice....

kim



______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint                     | Looper's Delight
kflint@loopers-delight.com    | http://www.loopers-delight.com