Sending Bank and Program change messages with a Roland MC-500 MkII sequencer

[Tekhed66]

First post! Hello all...

Can someone please tell me if it is possible to program a Roland MC-500 / 500Mk II in order to send bank and program changes as part of a song to a sound module or synth.

I have a Roland XV-5080 and have scrounged a MC-500 MkII ... ideally I'd like to program a song on the MC-500 using multiple midi channels which then will play the corresponding channel/patch in the 5080.

I want to do this in a live setup so it's a quick change between songs ... there's only so much patter the audience can take while you furiously flick between patches.

I've downloaded the MC-500 manual from the web ... there seems to be quite a few sites all hosting the same document ... I can't find any reference to changing bank/program/patches as part of a song though I'd be the first to admit I missed it...

any help would be greatly appreciated!


tekhed

 

[ssscientist]

Try this - google 'MidiOx' and download it. This is the still best midi data manipulation tool available now and it's a least 20 years old.

Go into your XV-5080 manual and see what it needs to see as far as bank/program change messages. Then it's MidiOx time. Set up the midi continuous controller number 0 (zero) for the bank and continuous controller number 32 for the program you want to use. MidiOx speaks a weird hybrid of English and midi-speak, so take your time getting to know it. Don't forget - midi programs raw data in hexadecimal and this raw data is what you'll need to record to your MC500 / MC500Mk II.

Next, hook up the MC500 to the computer midi out to the MC500 midi in. Put the MC500 in record and then send the data. This should only take a fraction of a second because the midi data being transmitted is very short. Then take the MC500 out of record mode and hook up the midi out to the midi in of the XV. See if it works!

What I've described is a way around any midi recorder that's older and was manufactured before synths had enough patch memory to store multiple banks. I'd recommend storing a setup for each song in your live set with just the patch chages necessary, then have the song data in a separate file ready to load w/no program change info at all. This will give you a chance to verify the correct data has been called up in the synth before loading the actual song.

Good luck, and if any of this is over your head, post again!