Leprecon LP-1600 Series - Manual (Page 53)

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completely different functions. For instance, if a synthesizer is connected via
MIDI to the LP1600, turning the synth’s modulation wheel forward will cause
channel 2 of the console to increase in level. This is because the MIDI
command isn’t really saying “turn the modulation wheel,” it is saying “raise the
value of this particular parameter to this particular level.”
Many controls on MIDI devices, such as synthesizer modulation wheels or
lighting channel faders, operate over a wide range of values, allowing for
smooth transitions from one setting to the next. Because of this, they are
called “continuous controllers.” The MIDI Specification calls for 128
continuous controllers, with each having a range of 128 possible values (0 to
127). A basic switch function, such as a sustain pedal or a bump button, can
be a continuous controller as well, by using a value of fully off (0) to be an “Off”
setting, and a value of fully on (127) to represent “On”; values in between these
two extremes are simply not used. It is these continuous controllers that form
the basis of the LP1600’s MIDI implementation. Nearly every fader and button
on the console’s front panel acts like a MIDI continuous controller; moving that
control will send out MIDI data, and MIDI data that is received will mimic that
control, duplicating its function remotely.
There are 16 MIDI “channels,” and, like a television set, a unit won’t receive a
particular message unless it is set to the correct channel. To control a slave
device remotely, the master controller must send out data on the same MIDI
channel that the slave is set to receive on. If the slave is set to “Omni Mode,”
then it responds to messages on all MIDI channels (a device can only transmit
on one channel, however). While most devices send and receive data on the
same channel, some - like the LP1600 - offer the added versatility of being able
to send and receive on separate channels.
MIDI is a serial communications protocol, operating at 31.25 kilobaud, and
connections are made through 5-pin DIN connectors (only three of the pins are
actually used). There are three types of MIDI ports: MIDI In, MIDI Out, and
MIDI Thru. Similar to an audio setup, the MIDI Out of one device feeds the
MIDI In of another. If you are sending data from a keyboard to the LP1600,
then, you should plug a MIDI cable from the MIDI Out jack of the keyboard to
the MIDI In jack of the LP1600. The MIDI Out of a device sends only the data
that device generates.
8.2. Midi System Interface
Even disregarding the MIDI System Interface, the LP1600 functions beautifully
as a multi-scene memory console, with lots of memory for storing scenes,
chases, and patches. The MIDI capabilities add much more versatility,
however.
In conjunction with a computer (with the necessary MIDI interface and
software), or with a sequencer, the user can store and recall scenes, chases,
and even console setups, and record and edit a performance in either real time,