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About General MIDI (GM)
General MIDI (GM) is a new addition to the worldwide MIDI stan-
dard. MIDI, as you know, stands for Musical Instrument Digital
Interface, and makes it possible for various electronic musical
instruments and other devices to “communicate” with each other.
For example, by connecting a sequencer to the MU15’s MIDI IN
terminal, you could play back a song on the sequencer using the
Voices of the MU15.
So, where does GM fit in all of this? One of the most important
features of General MIDI is in the standardization of Voices. This
means that a song recorded in the GM standard can be played back
on any GM-compatible tone generator and sound just as the com-
poser intended. For example, if there is an alto sax solo in the song,
it will be played by an alto sax Voice on the General MIDI tone
generator (and not by a tuba or harpsichord!). Since the MU15 is
fully GM-compatible, you can take advantage of the vast wealth of
musical material recorded in that format.
About XG
The Yamaha XG format is an extension of General MIDI, and pro-
vides a number of significant improvements and enhancements. XG-
compatible song data takes advantage of the expanded Voice set,
extensive MIDI control and built-in effects of the MU15 (as well as
other MU-series instruments).
To get the most out of XG and your MU15, we recommend using
XG-compatible instruments and software. For example, the Yamaha
CBX-K2 keyboard lets you dynamically control a variety of param-
eters in real time while you play. The XGworks sequencer software
not only lets you playback GM- or XG-compatible song data, it lets
you record your own songs — and gives you enormously powerful
and easy-to-use editing tools for adjusting detailed settings of the
MU15 that are unavailable with the panel controls.
T h e M U 1 5 — W h a t I t I s a n d W h a t I t C a n D o
