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THE MU50 — WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT CAN DO
The MU50 — What It Is and What It Can Do
What It Is…
The MU50 is a compact, highly portable and easy-to-use tone generator. It
features full General MIDI Level 1 compatibility with 128 General MIDI
Voices and 1 drum kit. It also provides new XG-MIDI compatibility, with a
total of 480 Voices and 11 drum kits. The MU50 has 32-note polyphony
and is 16-Part multi-timbral. In other words, the MU50 features 16 differ-
ent Parts, each with its own Voice, so that up to 16 different Voices can be
sounded simultaneously.
The MU50 also has a TO HOST terminal for easy interfacing with a
computer, allowing you to play the Voices using your favorite music soft-
ware. This is where the advanced multi-timbral capabilities come in, letting
you playing sophisticated arrangements using up to 16 different Voices at
the same time.
The MU50 also features a special Performance mode, in which four Parts
are played simultaneously over a single MIDI channel. Connected to a MIDI
keyboard, this effectively gives you four tone generators in one. The MU50
gives you four sets of 32 factory-programmed Preset Performances plus 128
Internal Performance locations for your own original Performances.
About General MIDI
General MIDI is a new addition to the worldwide MIDI standard. 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 MU50’s MIDI IN terminal, you could play back a song on the
sequencer using the Voices of the MU50.
So, where does General MIDI fit in all of this? One of the most impor-
tant features of General MIDI is in the standardization of Voices. This
means that a song recorded in the General MIDI format can be played back
on any General MIDI 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 MU50 is fully compatible with
General MIDI, you can take advantage of the vast wealth of musical mate-
rial recorded in that format.
