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Section VI
E. MIDI AS A REGISTRATION TOOL
In some churches and auditoriums it is difficult to judge the effectiveness of a registration from
the organ console. Due to the acoustics of the room, or positioning of the console, the sound of
the instrument may be different when listened to from the congregation’s or audience’s vantage
point. MIDI allows the organist to check registrations by recording his playing and registration
to a sequencer and then listening from different locations in the room during the music’s
playback.
F. OTHER USES FOR MIDI
MIDI has opened new possibilities to the organist. The MIDI organ console’s ability to control
external keyboards or sound modules puts an ever increasing array of non-traditional sounds at
the organist’s fingertips, with a degree of control only possible through the flexibility of an organ
console. The ability to record MIDI data with the use of a sequencer opens a variety of new
possibilities, both in practice and performance situations. Computer programs are even available
that allow musicians to play MIDI devices connected to a computer and have their performance
printed out as conventional five line musical notation. Because MIDI is an industry-wide
standard, today’s MIDI instruments will be compatible with tomorrow’s MIDI innovations.
II. CONNECTING THE ALLEN ORGAN TO OTHER MIDI DEVICES
The MIDI-capable Allen Organ consoles may be connected to a variety of MIDI devices. A
diagram for connecting the Allen organ to a variety of MIDI devices can be found at the end of
this section of the manual. Although the diagram is not meant to be an exhaustive list of
possibilities, they illustrate the most commonly used combinations of MIDI devices. If more
specific information is required, please consult the owner’s manuals of the external devices
being connected to the Allen Organ.
III. SmartMIDI™
Your Allen MDS organ features SmartMIDI™, an expanded MIDI system with increased
flexibility. Allen’s SmartMIDI™ provides a comprehensive interface between MIDI sound
modules such as the Allen MDS-Expander™, and digital sequencers such as the Allen Smart
Recorder™. Two MIDI OUT ports, one switched and one unswitched, allow unprecedented
control over external MIDI devices attached to the organ.
Under normal circumstances, MIDI sound modules should be connected to the switched MIDI
port labeled MIDI OUT 2. Doing so allows the organist to disable the sending of MIDI data
from the organ to the sound module. Devices such as MIDI sequencers should be connected to
the unswitched MIDI port labeled MIDI OUT 1, eliminating the necessity of having to draw the
MIDI stop controls before recording a digital sequence. The drawing below illustrates the
proper procedure for connecting the Allen MDS-Expander™ II and Allen Smart Recorder™ to
an Allen MDS organ equipped with SmartMIDI™.
SMART RECORDER™
MIDI IN MIDI OUT
MDS-EXPANDER™ II
MIDI IN MIDI THRU
ORGAN
MIDI OUT 1 MIDI OUT 2 MIDI IN
