Advanced Techniques MIDI Channel Modes |

The Beatnik MIDI Synthesizer supports an unusual MIDI Channel Mode, called Pitched Percussion, that gives you additional creative options by letting you play Percussion Bank Instruments like regular Instruments, so that their pitch is transposed according to the MIDI note number. For example, "talking drum" effects become easy, and you may discover other unusual and useful sound textures by playing Percussion Instruments at unexpected pitches. For example, you can get a cool Gong-like effect if you play a cymbal crashes at a very low pitch. And Percussion sounds played at high pitches make good user interface clicks.
You can also use MIDI Channel Mode control to make MIDI channels other than channel 10 behave like additional Drum channels. In fact, you can put any MIDI channel into any MIDI Channel Mode.
About MIDI Channel Mode
MIDI Channel Mode determines how a channel will interpret MIDI note events. Each channel tracks its own MIDI Channel Mode independently, and all notes played on a channel will sound using the channel's current MIDI Channel Mode. Any channel can be put into any MIDI Channel Mode with a Non-Registered Parameter Number, but by default, all channels start up in their normal General MIDI Mode.
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. An option is also provided to return each channel to its ordinary General MIDI mode (Percussion Mode for channel 10, Melodic Mode for all other channels).
Setting the MIDI Channel Mode
To change a channel's MIDI channel mode, send a MIDI Non-Registered Parameter Number (NRPN) event, with MSB (Continuous Controller 99) of 5 and LSB (Continuous Controller 98) of 0 (also known as `NRPN 640'), followed by a Data Entry controller message (Continuous 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 (a la General MIDI Channel 10)
3 | Normal Melodic Mode | Program Changes select Musical bank sounds, note numbers transpose them.
Note: Mode 1, Pitched Percussion is the unusual one that you'll have the most fun exploring.
In your MIDI sequencer's Event List, the events needed to set a channel's MIDI Channel Mode are as follows, where M is 0, 1, 2, or 3 according to the above table:
Controller #99, 5 - NRPN MSB of 5 - Select MIDI Channel Mode as Data Entry destination Controller #98, 0 - NRPN LSB of 0 Controller #6, M - Set MIDI Channel Mode to M, via Data Entry controller Uses for Normal Percussion Mode
One possible use for the MIDI Channel Mode would be to put more than one channel into Normal Percussion Mode at the same time. Here are a few of the creative applications of doing so:
Multiple Percussion channels would let you spread a rhythm arrangement out over many MIDI channels, giving you the ability to dynamically change the pattern by muting and unmuting the channels. With multiple Percussion channels, you could play Percussion Instruments from multiple Banks at once - the GM Bank Percussion Instruments, the Beatnik Special Bank Percussion Instruments, and your own Custom Bank Percussion Instruments, all at the same time. Just put each channel into Normal Percussion Mode, and then use a Bank Select message to pick the Bank you want. Drum echo effects can be easier to achieve if you use additional MIDI channels for the echo tracks - there won't be any unpredictable retriggering problems if any of the initial notes overlap the start of their echoes.

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