The Yamaha XG Editor By G.
Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................4 2. GETTING STARTED.............................................................................................................................6 2.1 2.2 2.3 3. THE MAIN SCREEN .............................................................................................................................7 3.1 4. AD Controls .........................
9.2 Drum Edit Mode............................................................................................................................28 10. ENABLES MODULE ...........................................................................................................................29 10.1 Message Enables .........................................................................................................................29 11. KEYBOARD.............................................................
1. Introduction Legal Stuff - License/Warranty/Disclaimer XGedit is distributed as Shareware. You may make as many backups of the program as you need, however you may not run the registered version on more than one PC at a time. You may not distribute XGedit for profit except by arrangement with the author. You may not disclose registration keys to non-registered users. The contents of this user manual are the copyright of Gary Gregson.
What Is XGedit? XGedit is a Windows based editor/librarian for the Yamaha XG series of synthesiser modules. The editor may also be used in GM mode to edit the parameters of other synth modules and sound cards. The main features of the program are as follows:Access to all XG parameters in real-time using simple mouse actions. A single dialog window designed to represent a conventional rack based synth front panel. Parameters separated into logical groups:- .
2. Getting Started 2.1 System Requirements The program is designed to operate on machines with the following specification • A 486 PC (or faster) running Microsoft Windows 95 or NT4.0 • 8MBytes RAM • 1.5Mbytes Disk space • Multimedia Drivers for use with attached XG Synthesiser • Mouse It is recommended that the program be used at a minimum Windows display resolution of 800 x 600 with 256 colours.
3. The Main Screen The main screen consists of a single dialog window from which all XG parameters may be accessed. 3.1 Controls You can use the Standard Windows keys to move around the main screen controls:• TAB - moves between groups of controls • Cursor Arrow Keys - move between controls within a group. The currently selected control is always highlighted. 3.1.
3.1.2 Dials are digital readout controls with no associated knob. To adjust the value press and hold the left mouse button down over the dial. Moving the mouse with the button down will increment the dial. Up / Left decrease Down / Right Increase Releasing the mouse deactivates the dial PC keyboard +/- keys may also be used to adjust dial readouts when highlighted. The Setup Menu "Reverse Dial Action" option will cause the vertical mouse movement response to be reversed. 3.1.
GM Button A two state push button. If the button is up the program will use System Exclusive messages to communicate with the synth module. If the button is down the program will use only General Midi controller messages. Note that only a small subset of the XG parameters may be altered by controller messages (Controls update to show which are available). Most GM synths respond to the controls available in GM mode.
4. Master Module The Master module controls the global settings for both the XGedit program and the attached XG synth module. 4.1 Midi File Edit Parameter Contents LEDs These LEDs determine the content of saved midi files as follows:Compact - The midi file contains a GM/XG reset plus those parameters which have been edited (Sysex messages are only used where no equivalent controller based message is available). XF - The midi file is structured in accordance with Yamaha’s XG authoring guidelines.
4.3 Number of Parts LED This LED determines the number of synth parts saved to the midi file. Normally the saved file will only include tracks for System data, A to Ds and 16 synth parts. On multi port synths the user may choose to save all 32 synth parts. However, since there is no way to represent port number within a midi file, the user will have to perform this assignment later within a sequencer. The status of the Parts option will be saved in XGEDIT.INI for use in future sessions.. 4.
4.7 Knob Controls These controls adjust the synths global parameters:VOL ATT TUNE KSHIFT UNIT Master volume level Master volume attenuation level Master tuning control Master Key Shift control Module Unit Number (see below) 0 - 127 0 - 127 -102.4 - +102.3 cent -24 - +24 semitones 1 - 16 4.7.1 Unit Number Knob This knob selects the address of the XG module (in most cases the default value will be correct).
5. Equaliser Module The Equaliser module provides editing of the built in sound output equalisation unit. This function is only available on the higher range devices. For other XG synths use the equalisation parameters built into the Variation effects 5.1 Equalisation Program List-box The list-box provides convenient access to the built in Equalisation macros. Selecting a macro will automatically update all equalisation controls to the appropriate values. 5.
6. Display Panel The display panel provides a graphical representation of the system parameters. The panel has seven modes, which are selected by left clicking on the appropriate button above the display. Note that the standard Windows keyboard navigation keys may be used to select different modes, however the envelope parameters may only be edited using the mouse. 6.1 Volume Panel Mode This mode provides a graphical representation of the Volume settings for each part.
7. A To D Converters This module provides control over the A to D converters of the MU10/MU80/MU100/SW1000 and SW60 synths. 7.
8. Effects & Controllers Module The Effects module consists of controls relating to both the global effects settings and the part based continuous controller settings. 8.1 Understanding The Effects Unit REVERB REV LEVEL PAN LEVEL PAN ToREV PART BASED CHORUS CHOR ToREV ToCHOR VAR SYNTH PART VARIATION LEVEL PAN + SYS DRY INS SYSTEM GLOBAL CON STEREO PART MONO D/W MULTI PART 8.1.
manner to the Reverb and Chorus send controls. Hence, in this mode the Variation module is system global. It should be noted that in this mode each synth part signal is also routed via a DRY knob. This controls the amount of dry (pure signal) that bypasses the effects units and is routed directly to the output. This is useful if you do not wish to fully effect a sound. e.g. you want a fully dry signal from the left speaker and a fully effected signal from the right speaker.
HCH Selects Plug Harmony effect – Harmony MIDI control channel 1 – 16,OFF MCH Selects Plug Harmony effect – Melody MIDI control channel 1 – 16,OFF XGedit95 User Manual Page 18
8.3 Effect Parameters Module This module provides editing of the currently selected effects parameters. 8.3.1 Effect Name List-box Effect types may be quickly selected using the Effect Name Listbox. Each name corresponds to one of the built in effect macros Reverb NO EFFECT HALL1 HALL2 ROOM1 ROOM2 ROOM3 STAGE1 STAGE2 PLATE WHITE ROOM TUNNEL BASEMENT CANYON Effect turned off. Reverb simulating the resonance of a hall. Reverb simulating the resonance of a hall. Reverb simulating the resonance of a room.
ROOM2 ROOM3 STAGE1 STAGE2 PLATE WHITE ROOM TUNNEL BASEMENT CANYON DELAY L,C,R DELAY L,R ECHO CROSS DELAY EARLY REF1 EARLY REF2 GATE REVERB REVERSE GATE KARAOKE 1 KARAOKE 2 KARAOKE 3 CHORUS1 CHORUS2 CHORUS3 CHORUS4 CELESTE1 CELESTE2 CELESTE3 CELESTE4 FLANGER1 FLANGER2 FLANGER3 SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE DETUNE AMBIENCE ROTARY SPEAKER 2 WAY ROTARY SPEAKER TREMOLO AUTO PAN PHASER1 PHASER2 DISTORTION COMP+ XGedit95 User Manual Reverb simulating the resonance of a room. Reverb simulating the resonance of a room.
DISTORTION OVERDRIVE AMP SIMULATOR 3BAND EQ(MONO) 2BAND EQ(STEREO) AUTO WAH(LFO) AUTO WAH+DIST AUTO WAH+ODRV TOUCH WAH 1 TOUCH WAH 2 TOUCH WAH+DIST TOUCH WAH+ODRV PITCH CHANGE 1 PITCH CHANGE 2 AURAL EXCITER COMPRESSOR NOISE GATE VOICE CANCEL TALKING MODULATOR LO-FI DIST + DELAY ODRIVE+DELAY COMP+DIST+ DELAY COMP+ODRIVE + DELAY WAH+DIST+ DELAY WAH+ODRIVE+ DELAY THRU INSERTION1 &2 XGedit95 User Manual regardless of the input level (MU100/ SW1000 Only) Adds mild distortion to the sound.
THRU HALL1 HALL2 ROOM1 ROOM2 ROOM3 STAGE1 STAGE2 PLATE DELAY L,C,R DELAY L,R ECHO CROSS DELAY KARAOKE 1 KARAOKE 2 KARAOKE 3 CHORUS1 CHORUS2 CHORUS3 CHORUS4 CELESTE1 CELESTE2 CELESTE3 CELESTE4 FLANGER1 FLANGER2 FLANGER3 SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE DETUNE ROTARY SPEAKER TREMOLO AUTO PAN PHASER1 DISTORTION OVERDRIVE XGedit95 User Manual Bypass without applying an effect. Reverb simulating the resonance of a hall. (MU100/SW1000 Only) Reverb simulating the resonance of a hall.
AMP SIMULATOR 3BAND EQ(MONO) 2BAND EQ(STEREO) AUTO WAH(LFO) TOUCH WAH 1 TOUCH WAH 2 AURAL EXCITER COMPRESSOR NOISE GATE Harmony A simulation of a guitar amp. A mono EQ with adjustable LOW, MID, and HIGH equalising. A stereo EQ with adjustable LOW and HIGH. Ideal for drum Parts (MU100/SW1000 only) Cyclically modulates the centre frequency of a wah filter. With an AC1 etc. this can function as a pedal wah.
8.4 Controllers The parts response to continuous controller messages is edited using the controller section of the Effects Module 8.4.1 Controller Selection Controller selection is achieved using the controller list-box For standard controllers, select the required item from the list-box (Modulation, Pitchbend, Channel Aftertouch or Polyphonic Aftertouch).
8.4.
9. Part & Drum Module This module allows editing of the current part parameters or current drum edit buffer parameters. (Note the current part and drum edit buffer are selected using the VoiceBox ) 9.1 Part Edit Mode 9.1.
9.1.6 Part EQ (MU100/SW1000 Only) Adjusts the EQ characteristics applied to the part. LGAIN LFREQ HGAIN HFREQ Bass frequency gain Bass centre frequency Treble frequency gain Treble centre frequency -12dB - + 12 dB 32Hz - 2.0Khz -12dB - + 12 dB 500Hz - 16.0KHz 9.1.7 Output (MU100/SW1000XG Only) OPUT Selects the output jack routing of the part Stereo, Indiv 1 + 2, Indiv 1, Indiv 2 9.1.
9.2 Drum Edit Mode In this mode the Part Module allows editing of individual drum tone parameters Drum editing is only available for parts set up for editable Rhythm use. Normally only part 10, is used for rhythm, although any part or number of parts may be used. However it is important to realise that, no matter how many parts are selected for rhythm use, there can only be two (four on MU80/MU100/SW1000) editable drum kits active (DRUMS1...DRUMS3).
10. Enables Module This module provides a group of LED’s to select the midi messages received by the current part. To enable or disable a message left click on the appropriate LED or press the space bar whilst the LED is highlighted. Green Dark Green Red Dark Red Enabled Enabled but cannot be modified in current mode Disabled Disabled and cannot be modified in current mode 10.
11. Keyboard The Keyboard is primarily used to define the input key range for a part. This is useful if you wish to produce a performance setting incorporating multiple layers. The keyboard is also used for auditioning sounds and selecting drum tones in Drum Edit mode (see Part Module ) Performance - a setup used when playing live. Avoid having to play multiple keyboards by splitting one keyboard between several sounds. e.g.
12. Voice Box The Voice box is used to select the current active part and provide an overview of the Synth setup. 12.1 Part Selection Part selection is achieved using the radio button array on the left of the Voice Box or clicking on the parts assigned voice in the list box. To select a part for editing left click on the associated button. The selected parts LED will be illuminated (Green) and the parts assigned voice will be highlighted.
Voices The Voice List provides a three level grouping of patches to allow for easy selection of the required sounds. The first column groups voices according to their type:MELODY Normal melodic voices SFX Sound Effect voices MU100 Exclusive Special voices only available on the MU100/SW1000 SFX Kit Sound Effect drum kits (i.e.
Voice Selection Tips Only those banks and voices currently defined in the XG data book are available for selection. Some midi files may contain voice selections where a bank does not provide a voice for a given program number. In this case the corresponding capital (or fallback) tone is shown. Such voices may be used, but the user should be aware that future XG modules may assign variation tones to these programs.
13. Menus The following Menu commands are available:- 13.1 File Menu 13.1.1 New This menu item allows the contents of the editor to be reset to its default state (note all edits and merged midi song data will be lost) 13.1.2 Save Setup (XGE) Registered Version Only This menu item allows quick saving of an XGEdit setup (.XGE) to disk. The menu item is disabled unless the setup has been previously loaded from disk or has already been saved under an appropriate filename. 13.1.3 Save Setup As..
13.2 Setup Menu 13.2.1 Setup Midi Opens the Midi Port Setup dialog allowing the user to select the midi drivers used to communicate with the attached XG synth module. Device Driver Lists The three list boxes select the device drivers used for midi in/out messages. The top list box shows the midi input device and the bottom two list boxes show the midi output devices. Each list box displays the devices available on your system (refer to Windows help for installing Multimedia devices drivers).
13.2.
13.3 Utils Menu 13.3.1 SW Mixer Provides access to the SW Mixer panel when XGedit is operating in SW60XG mode. 13.3.2 Clear Midi Song Data Clears any merged midi song data from the editors memory. Useful if you wish to extract a setup header from an existing midi file and save back as just the setup data. 13.3.3 Refresh Synth This option will re-transmit the current parameters contained within the editor. This may be useful if a sequenced midi file has changed the contents of the Synth. 13.3.
14. SW Mixer This mixer screen provides control over the SW card built in mixer. There is no way to read back the current status of the mixer. Hence to ensure, the panel correctly reflects the current setup you may wish to use the Refresh Synth menu option The mixer setup is saved into XGedit .XGE save files. However to avoid corrupting other users setups, the status of the mixer is NEVER saved to midi files.
(7) Left To Right/Right To Left Controls Allows the left audio signal to be overlaid on the right audio channel and vice versa. These controls are useful when balancing the right and left channels for voice cancellation, or for switching left and right inputs of an attached audio device. Note the small LED adjacent to the knobs determines whether the left/right controls are locked together or may be adjusted independently.
15. Working With Midi Files 15.1 Introduction Your XG synth is a superb instrument, designed to offer a large variety of high quality tonal sounds, supplemented by multiple drum kits, special effects banks and a versatile effects unit. However the real benefit of the XG format is the expressive control that can be applied to these elements……offering the sort of performance that was until now only available on machines far beyond the budget of most musicians.
15.2.1 Stand Alone Mode This is the normal mode of operation if you are using XGedit on its own and you want XGedit to provide software thru from an external keyboard The table below shows the correct driver settings (note you should substitute your drivers name for the word Driver e.g. if you are using the SB16 MIDI port driver, Xgedit in should read SB16 MIDI IN) The SW60XG driver has no Input port.
15.2.2 Dual Mode This is the normal mode of operation if you are using XGedit in parallel with your sequencer and thus need both programs to access the midi out port. The table below shows the correct driver settings (note you should substitute your drivers name for the word Driver e.g. if you are using the SB16 MIDI port driver, Sequencer in should read SB16 MIDI IN) The SW60XG driver has no Input port.
15.2.3 Dual Mode With Record This is the normal mode of operation if you are using XGedit in parallel with your sequencer and wish to record XGedits output in real-time The table below shows the correct driver settings (note you should substitute your drivers name for the word Driver e.g. if you are using the SB16 MIDI port driver, Sequencer in should read MULTI SB16 MIDI IN) The SW60XG driver has no Input port.
15.2.4 Trouble Shooting The following provides a list of possible problems and solutions related to midi setups:I get the message ‘Device Already In Use’ when I try to run both XGedit and my Sequencer. You are using a Single Client Midi Driver. Please install Multimid or an alternate Multi Client Driver. I have installed Multimid but I still get the same message or it doesn’t appear to work. Please check you have setup the driver routings as described in Setting Up Your Midi System .
15.3 The Authoring Process XGedit is designed to be used throughout the authoring of a Midi project. However it must be realised that it is a specialised editing tool; it does not provides capabilities for note entry, recording, arranging etc and therefore is not designed to replace your existing sequencing software. Consequently the midi author should be prepared to operate both XGedit and their sequencer in parallel.
Resolution - the author should be aware that the order of some events is important (particularly controller changes such as Bank select, Program Change, Continuous Controllers and RPN/NRPN). If such events are placed at the same ‘midi tick’ within a song, their ordering may not be guaranteed when replayed on different sequencers. To ensure that this does not cause problems the author should make sure that such events are correctly ordered and separated by at least an interval of 1/480 (i.e.
The following is my preferred procedure for editing an overall voice mix:Start by assigning basic (GM) voices to each track/part Where the basic voice is unsatisfactory, try voices from the corresponding patch number in the higher XG banks. Where a voice is still unsatisfactory perform some editing:Using the Part Filter parameters RES and CUTOFF have the greatest impact on voice character Using Part AMP EG parameters together with V.SEN and V.OFF have the greatest effect on voice dynamics.
Where possible use XGedit in Controller Output mode (General Midi button down). XGedit normally transmits edits as a series of System Exclusive Parameter Change messages. These are capable of editing every parameter within the XG synth, but their format is relatively bulky and not all Sequencers can handle them in real-time. Consequently wherever possible midi controller messages should be used. These are much shorter to transmit and are guaranteed to work with almost all sequencers.
timing should not be altered by the merge process. In addition the XG specification states that a period of 200ms should be left between the setup data and the first note on event of a song. Merging Within XGedit This is a simple operation and should provide the best results. The operation is described in Merging Midi Data . The user should pay particular attention to which midi events will be stripped from the file in case they need to be replaced later.
The File | Merge Midi menu item performs the following:Provides Midi Input File Selection A standard file select dialog box is opened allowing the user to select the Midi input file. The file must have the .MID extension and must contain either a type 0 or type 1 header with associated midi track data. Data Loading and Setup Bar interpretation On closing the file select dialog, the midi file data is loaded into XGedit for processing.
ready for output to midi file XGedit95 User Manual Page 51
Problem Files It should be noted that under certain circumstances XGedit will not show all setup data contained within a loaded file and/or may not correctly play a midi file. This is usually an indication that the file deviates from the XG Midi File Authoring Guidelines. Some common errors are described below:1) 2) 3) 4) The file is badly structured If the file contains setup data interspersed with note events XGedit will stop reading data after the first note event.
The user should refer to Merging Midi Data for which events will have been stripped from the merged midi file. If the user does not wish to include the merged midi file data, then the Utils | Clear Midi Song Data menu item should be clicked prior to saving. This will erase any merged midi song data from the editor but will not affect any extracted setup data. 15.6 Using Native Save Formats 15.6.
16. Create Your Own System Exclusive Messages There are times when you may want to enter just a single System Exclusive message into your midi file (e.g. to change an effect mid way through the song). Where possible such activity should be avoided as it is generally better to plan your midi file so that all setups are performed at the start of the song. However in some cases it may be unavoidable.
16.2 Check This Out First Before you attempt to create the sysex message, please take the time to check the XG manual section concerning Controllers and NRPN. It may be that the message you require can be input as a simple controller message (which is both faster to transmit and easier to construct). 16.2.
16.2.
16.3 XG Sysex All XG parameters can be altered using XG Sysex messages. Note that Sysex is specific to each manufacturer and is independent of midi channel (i.e. you can send sysex on any channel and it will always affect the correct part. This is because Sysex addresses the internal memory of the synth) There are two types of Sysex messages:Bulk Dump - These messages can send or retrieve large numbers of parameters in a single messages. However they are normally very long and slow to transmit.
16.4 Constructing XG Parameter Change Sysex The general format for an XG Parameter Change message is shown below. F0 43 1n 4C ah am al xx F7 F0 43 n 4C ah am al xx F7 The Midi command byte for a system exclusive message The Yamaha manufacturer ID Device number (normally an XG synth will receive on all device numbers unless you have deliberately altered the Device number). Hence in general a value of 10 should be used.
If we were really ambitious we could extend this multi byte Parameter Change message to change all Variation parameters in a single message! However certain restrictions apply as follows:a) You must send messages with number of data values defined in the Sysex tables. b) If you send more than one parameter in a given message then you must always send the complete parameter block. You will notice that the tables are split into blocks and that each block has a total size.
16.5 Other Useful Sysex Information This section highlights some other useful sysex strings and sysex related facts you should be aware of. 16.5.1 Reset Messages All XG synths will respond to the following three sysex messages:GM Reset - F0 7E 7F 09 01 F7 This sysex string forces the synth to resets all parameters to their General Midi defaults.
Index A About, 36 ALTGRP, 27 AMOD, 23 AMP, 14, 23, 27, 46 Amplitude Envelope Generator, 14, 27, 46 Analogue To Digital Converters, 15, 38, 43 Assign, 25 Attenuation, 12 Auditioning Sounds, 29 Envelope, 14 Equaliser, 13 Exit, 33 Expression, 15, 28 F File, 10, 11, 33, 44, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 Filter Cutoff, 25, 46 Frequency, 13 Frequency Modulation, 23 G B Band, 13 Bank, 25, 30 Bank Select, 15, 28 Bass Centre Frequency, 26 Bass Frequency Gain, 26 Bypass, 38 C CD, 37, 38 Change LCD Colour, 34 Channel Pressu
MOD, 28 Mode, 5, 14, 25, 27, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46 Mono/Poly, 28 Multimid, 6, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 N New, 33 NRPN, 9, 28, 44, 47, 49, 50, 53, 54 O OFFSET, 25 OP, 15 Output Select, 26 S Save, 5, 33, 47, 50, 51 SCALE, 25 Select Synth, 34, 44 Setup, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 33, 34, 45, 47, 48, 49, 51 SHAPE, 13 Silence, 8 SOFT, 28 SOS, 28 Stereo, 15, 38 SUS, 28 SWMixer, 43 System Exclusive, 5, 6, 9, 10, 33, 43, 46, 47, 49, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 T P Time Varying Filter, 23 Tone, 39 Transport, 11 Treble Frequency, 26
