FAMC Mini, User Manual, Page: 12 / 98

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(using routers, mergers, etc…), but the basic concept is that MIDI OUT ports will send messages from a device and there
needs to be a listening MIDI IN port to receive that data.
MIDI Channels
Like any other spoken language, the vocabulary (commands discussed above) will be meaningless if we can’t identify
specifically who we are talking to in the crowed room. Yelling commands when no one is listening wouldn’t be very
rewarding. We essentially would be talking to ourselves (that's not always a bad thing!), but for MIDI- it is required that
someone is listening or nothing will happen. Most commands you will use require that you define who the message is
intended to reach. Meaning, if we are sending a command, we need to tell all the devices on the MIDI daisy chain which
device we are trying to speak with. The concept of MIDI channels is our way to do that. MIDI allows up to 16 channels in
one network. That doesn’t sound like much, however, think about how many MIDI devices you have in your RIG? More
than 16? If so, you’re not reading this section and have figured it out by now. Ha.
When we connect a device to the MIDI network via cables from a MIDI OUT (THRU) connector to a MIDI IN connector
on a device, we would also need to assign a unique MIDI CHANNEL to that device. Usually there is a setting in the device
that lets you set the MIDI channel from 1-16. Just make sure each device connected as a different MIDI Channel
assigned. The number itself doesn’t matter, there is no real set formula for which channel you assign to which device,
just make a note of who is listening to which channel.
Putting it together
So we have a network of connected devices using MIDI IN and OUT connectors. We have set each device to a specific
MIDI channel—great, we are ready to start sending commands to those devices so we can tell them what to do. Well
how do we know what MIDI commands a device is listening for? Great question. Usually a hardware device that is
compatible with MIDI will have a MIDI IMPLIMENTATION guide somewhere in their user guide. This guide will tell you
what messages the device is capable of sending, and also what messages it is listening for. Use the guide to help you
define what commands you need to send the device to achieve your desired results. Most of what you will need will be
accomplished using either a Program Change (PC) message, or a Continuous Controller (CC) message. Let’s look at
those two messages below.
Command: PROGRAM CHANGE (PC)
Let’s make some noise on an effects unit! We have to assign the device a MIDI channel. Ok, so now let’s say that it’s
listening to MIDI CHANNEL 1. Great. We want to select a preset (patch) or memory area of the effects unit to load so we