Roland Forums

Hi-
I need someone to help!
I’m using my A-50 to play a Korg TR-Track.
The TR-Rack sounds are in four banks (A,B,C,D) of 128 patches.
But from the A-50 I seem to only able able to select from bank A, and there are sounds in the other banks I need to access. Would anyone know how to send a bank change signal?

There is a section in the Korg manual that says:

Example: “To select program B00 on MIDI channel 2, transmit: [B1,00,00], [B1,20,01], [C1,00]”

That’s total gibberish to me, but I’m hoping someone here knows how to do it! I have a gig on Saturday and ned to program up a load of patch changes! Help!!!

Andy

That's because this is gibberish!
There are 'bank select' messages: these are MIDI continuous controller (CC) messages.
(Info cut & pasted from TheWippinpost..)
Bank Select

Controller number zero (with 32 as the LSB) is defined as the Bank Select.

The bank select function is used in some synthesisers in conjunction with the MIDI Program Change message to expand the number of different instrument sounds which may be specified (The Program Change message alone allows selection of one of 128 possible program numbers).

The additional sounds are selected by preceding the Program Change message with a Control Change message which specifies a new value for Controller 0 (zero) and Controller 32, allowing 16,384 banks of 128 sounds each...impressive eh!

Since there is no standard way for a Bank Select message to select a specific synthesiser bank. Manufacturers, such as Roland (with "GS") and Yamaha (with "XG") , have adopted their own practices to assure some standardisation within their own product lines.

So as you can see there is no easy way to do this. Sequencers can send the necessary info as a MIDI sequence, but I don't think you could send this from a keyboard controller..
This data has to be sent before the required program change command.
Looking at the TR-rack manual online I see that Bank A would need these commands:
CC 0 value 0
CC 32 value 0
then the required program change number.
If you want a patch from bank B:
CC 0 value 0
CC 32 value 1
then the program change number.

It is worth noting that once a bank is selected it will remain in that group until another bank is selected.

Possible solutions:

1)
Set-up a multi-tambral performance on the TR-rack with ch1 using patches in bank A, ch 2 using patches in bank B, and so on.
You could then pick any patch from these groups from the A-50 just transmit on the required group's MIDI channel and select the required program change number.

2)
Have a sequencer send the necessary bank select messages, you could send the program change message too.

3) & how I would do it.
Copy the patches you think you will need for this Saturday (really shouldn't have left it so late!) into the 'user bank' I think 127 patches will get you by in 99% of most live gigs.

4)
Select the bank from the front panel on the TR-rack?

Good luck Jim.. this tape will self destruct in 5 seconds...