Hammond Skx PRO, Reference Manual, Page: 610 / 754

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MIDI
MIDI
u A Word About What MIDI Can Do
The letters MIDI stand for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. MIDI is an international standard for
allowing electronic musical instruments equipped with MIDI capability to exchange performance
information. For example, a synthesizer can be used to communicate with a drum machine, an electronic
piano can interface with a computer, and so forth. Additionally, since MIDI is an international standard
recognized and implemented by all musical instrument manufacturers worldwide, instruments made by
different manufacturers can communicate with each other via MIDI.
u MIDI Connections
t DIN MIDI Connections - MIDI IN and MIDI OUT
In order to allow communication to take place, MIDI-equipped instruments have at least two MIDI jacks -
MIDI IN and MIDI OUT. MIDI IN is for receiving MIDI data from another instrument, while MIDI OUT is
for sending MIDI data out to another instrument.
In the example above, the keyboard(s) of the sending or transmitting instrument (MIDI OUT) are being
used to control the sound generators of the receiving instrument (MIDI IN). When a key is played on the
sending instrument, the corresponding note will play on the receiving instrument as though the
appropriate key had been pressed on the receiving instruments's keyboard. When the key is released on
the sending instrument, the tone being played by the receiving instrument will stop. (This is called "Note
On / Note Off" data.) The instrument receiving the MIDI data is called a MIDI slave and the sending
instrument is called the MIDI master. This is the most basic MIDI hookup.
Because MIDI data can travel in only one direction using DIN connectors, two-way communication
between two MIDI-equipped devices is accomplished by two MIDI connections between two instruments.
In this way, the keyboard(s) of either instrument can be used to control the sound generators of the other.
NOTE: In some MIDI literature, the sending instrument may be referred to as the Controller or Source and
the receiving instrument may be called the Target or Destination .
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SKX PRO Reference Guide