GENERATORS

MIDI Out

The MIDI Out plugin does not make any sound on its own. MIDI Out acts as a MIDI controller, sending standard MIDI messages to internal (plugins) or external MIDI hardware that is set to the same MIDI Port number, as shown in the top right corner of the MIDI Out plugin. Up to eight pages X nine controllers are freely assignable on the MIDI Out plugin to parameters on the target MIDI device. As noted, to link the MIDI Out plugin to a target MIDI device, match the MIDI port numbers on the MIDI Out plugin and the target device. The ‘Channel’ setting allows independent (multitimbral) data to be transferred. For example, an external multitimbral instrument may be set to connect on port 2, play drum sounds on channel 10 (driven from the Piano roll) and strings on channel 2 (driven from another Piano roll channel). Controllers on the target plugin/hardware, such as mod wheels etc, have MIDI CC (control change) numbers assigned to them that act as ‘addresses’ for knobs/controls on the target plugin/hardware. You will need to consult the third party documentation to learn these CC numbers. Fruity LSD is your friend: The MIDI out plugin is a great companion to the Fruity LSD (effect) plugin. Once MIDI Out has been set to the same Port number as the LSD plugin you can then select sounds from the MIDI Out Patch parameter and hear them played through the FL Studio mixer.

Using external synthesizers, drum machines & other MIDI devices

If you want to incorporate the sounds from external MIDI hardware, so it is exported along with the rest of your internal plugins in the final render, you will need to:

• 1. Make a MIDI connection to your external hardware.
• 2. Make audio connections from your external hardware to your soundcard inputs.
• 3. Load a MIDI Out channel and set it to the same port as your external MIDI hardware.
• 4. Enter or record your score data in the Piano roll or Stepsequencer associated with the MIDI Out channel controlling the external hardware.
• 5. Record the device back into FL Studio, as it is played by the MIDI Out channel.
• 6. Place the recorded audio clip in the Playlist and render the final track.

Note: MIDI is not an audio connection

Parameters

• Port - This is the main connection between the MIDI out plugin and the target plugin or external device. 255 Ports are available. Matching port numbers on the MIDI Out plugin and the target instrument/plugin links them.
• Channel - The MIDI output channel number. Each port has 16 independent channels over which communications can occur. Generally channel #10 is used for drums channel.
• Bank - The patch bank number. 127 banks are available.
• Patch - The patch (instrument) number. 127 patches (per bank) are available. This parameter may be automated. The menu displays the name of the general MIDI instrument for the selected patch number. It may not match the current instrument if your device is not using a general MIDI mapping. For some devices, the patch number also selects the drum kit for drum channels. To hear these sounds: Load a Fruity LSD plugin into the mixer and set it to the same port number as the MIDI Out plugin.
• Reset - Sends a reset (CC #121) message to your MIDI device, then updates all enabled controls. This switch is handy when you have disabled a control and you want its assigned controller to be reset by the MIDI device.
• Page - The current controller page (right click to rename). Each page supports 9 freely assignable controllers (all automatable).
• Controller Wheel - Each knob represents a single controller. The unassigned knobs in each page are labelled with three dashes (---). Click the label to enable/disable the corresponding controller (all controllers are disabled by default). To link a control knob to a MIDI controller (internal or external), right-click a control and select 'configure', and then set the CC number, range etc. You will need to examine the documentation of the target plugin/hardware to learn the CC numbers (for example) associated with the controller you wish to link to.

MIDI Out & the Piano roll

You can independently control up to 16 instruments from a single MIDI Out Piano roll by utilizing the note colour groups feature that transmits each color on a different MIDI channel. In the screen-shot below the MIDI channel numbers have been added for clarity, to see the MIDI channel numbers in FL Studio hover the mouse over each color and look at the hint bar.

Notes & Tips

• Pan, filter cutoff & resonance per note (by the graph edit or the Piano roll) are not supported - the MIDI standard only supports velocity per note.
• As there is no standard rule for mapping velocity values (0..127) to dB, the level scale of MIDI channels may not fit the internal mixer levels.

Plugin Credits: Didier Dambrin