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Topic: channels (Read 4339 times) previous topic - next topic

channels

Hi, it's me again.
I was wondering, with all this talk of channels, what exactly is a channel???? And how do you use it?? Is it different on each sound card?? In that case I have a Ensoniq PCI sound card. What's the difference between an instrument patch and a channel. Because the channel 10 is drums on my system, but how about the other channels?? And why isn't there a drum patch in the list of instruments??
Thanks, I'm really confused.

Re: channels

Reply #1 –
You will find probably 16 channels listed when you check the channels box in your music programs. They are separate divisions (lack of better word) for different sounds and settings in your program. You can put two sounds on one channel and two different musical lines or staves, but I don't think you can change the volume between the staves etc. if they are both on one channel. I have'nt played with the channels for some time because I generally put each separate line of music on a separate channel. As for drum sounds, open the file "drumref"in the "Samples" folder included with your NWC program and it will list the appropriate notes to match the drum sounds desired (in General MIDI I believe). Someone else may be able to explain all this better, after I learn how to use something I am afraid that I forget much of the technical aspects.

Re: channels

Reply #2 –
Briefly, you can consider the channels as independant parts of the MIDI software.
this means that you can vary the volume, alter the pitch on one channel without alter the others.
On each channel you can assign one or more instruments, each of them can play 0 to n notes at the same time. The limits depend on your MIDI hardware (for example a channel may be limited to 16 simultaneous notes, with instruments limited to 4 for each, and a global limitation (all channels altogether) of 20 notes. Thus if you got a big piano chord (10 notes), the flute or bassoon may not sound at that moment because the violins+contrabass are playing 10 notes too...)

Typically, you may want to assign the same channel to instruments/staves that you want to "link".
But you always can assign the same instrument (but not staff) to different channels, i.e. each channel ignores what the others do.

Hope it helps ?