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The Beatnik MIDI Synthesizer, although a piece of software, behaves as if it were a General MIDI sound module. It responds to the following standard MIDI messages, arriving on any of the 16 MIDI channels:
Program Change and Bank Select Note Events Pitch Bend Several Continuous Controllers
You can use any MIDI sequencer to create a Standard MIDI File containing these messages.
See also: MIDI Implementation Chart Program Change and Bank Select
The Beatnik MIDI Synthesizer responds to MIDI Program Change messages, which set the Instrument that each MIDI channel will use to play its notes. Each channel tracks its own program number independently, and all notes played on a channel will use the channel's current program. Instrument programs are numbered from 0 through 127.
The Beatnik MIDI Synthesizer also responds to MIDI Bank Select messages, which involve the concept of program Banks. Because 128 Instruments really isn't enough to hold all the useful musical Instruments in the world, the need arose to for a way to access more of them. So in MIDI, a Bank is defined a set of up to 128 Instruments, and a MIDI synthesizer can provide multiple Banks - for example, the Beatnik playback software furnishes three Banks. The MIDI Bank Select message (implemented as a Continuous Controller event for controller 0) determines which of the available Banks a MIDI channel will look to when it receives a MIDI Program Change message. Each channel tracks its own Bank number independently, and all Instruments used for a channel - as accessed by MIDI Program Change messages - will be fetched from that Bank until and unless a different Bank Select message is received.
In Beatnik, MIDI Program Changes access Bank 0 (General MIDI) by default, so:
If you're only accessing General MIDI instruments in a given channel, you don't need to include any Bank Select messages, but If you want to access Beatnik Special Instruments (Bank 1) or Custom Instruments (Bank 2) in your RMF file, you'll have to place a Bank Select message before any Program Change messages.
For example:
Controller #0, 1 - Selects Bank 1, which is Beatnik Special Program 1 - Change to instrument 1, Reflection Piano, in the Beatnik Special bank Program 2 - Change to instrument 2, Flange Piano, in the Beatnik Special bank Controller #0, 0 - Selects Bank 0, which is General MIDI Program 1 - Change to instrument 1, Bright Piano, in the General MIDI bank Program 2 - Change to instrument 2, Electric Grand, in the General MIDI bank See also: List of Built-In Instruments in the General MIDI and Beatnik Special banks. Note Events
MIDI treats every played note as two separate events: one Note On message that specifies the note number and velocity, and a separate Note Off message arriving some time later (also specifying the note number). Any MIDI channel can play any number of notes simultaneously, however the synthesizer does have an overall maximum (usually 56 voices).
Velocity
In the Beatnik MIDI Synthesizer, the velocity in the Note On message always affects the note's volume.
MIDI Channel Modes
MIDI Channel Mode determines how a channel will interpret MIDI note events. In addition to the two MIDI channel modes used in the General MIDI scheme (Normal Percussion and Normal Melodic modes), the Beatnik MIDI Synthesizer offers a third mode, Pitched Percussion. Each channel tracks its own channel mode independently, and all notes played on a channel will sound using the channel's current channel mode. By default, all channels start up in General MIDI Mode.
To change a channel's MIDI channel mode, send a Non-Registered Parameter Number (NRPN) with MSB (controller 99) of 5 and LSB (controller 98) of 0, followed by a Data Entry (controller 6) with your desired mode number:
Data Entry Controller | Mode | Effect
0 | General MIDI Mode (for that channel) | On Channel 10, puts the channel into Normal Percussion Mode; on all other channels, puts the channel into Normal Melodic Mode
1 | Pitched Percussion Mode | Program Changes select Percussion bank sounds, note numbers transpose them as though they were Melodic Bank Instruments
2 | Normal Percussion Mode | Note number selects Percussion bank sounds (ala General MIDI Channel 10)
3 | Normal Melodic Mode | Program Changes select Musical bank sounds, note numbers transpose them.
See also: the Advanced Techniques section. Pitch Bend
Like most instruments, the Beatnik MIDI Synthesizer responds to MIDI Pitch Bend events. Each channel tracks its own pitch bend value independently, and all notes played on a channel will use the channel's current pitch bend value. Value range is 12 bits, with a default depth of 2 semitones.
To change a channel's pitch bend depth, send a Registered Parameter Number (RPN) with MSB (controller 101) of 0 and LSB (controller 100) of 0, followed by a Data Entry (controller 6) with your desired bend range in semitones.
For example, to set a channel's pitch bend range to one octave:
Controller #101, 0 - RPN MSB of 0 - Select Pitch Bend Depth as Data Entry destination Controller #100, 0 - RPN LSB of 0 Controller #6, 12 - Set depth to 12 semitones, via Data Entry controller

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