CS9236

16

DS214PP11

Message Definitions

Channel Voice Messages

NOTE ON

9nH

kkH

vvH

n = MIDI channel number

0 - FH (1 - 16)

kk = note number

00 - 7FH (0 - 127)

vv = velocity

00 - 7FH (1 - 127)

The NOTE ON message is used to turn on a note for a specified MIDI channel. Note number 3CH (60) is Middle C. In the

CS9236, the NOTE ON velocity value may control several characteristics of the resulting sound. The velocity value is used

to scale the amplitude envelope for all of the instruments in the CS9236 according to the following formula:

Max_env = (constant) * 10 ^ ((127 - velocity_value) * (-0.00835)).

For certain instruments, the velocity value also affects characteristics such as low-pass filter cutoff frequency, allowing the

timbre of the instrument to change subtlety as a function of velocity. MIDI controllers/transmitters which are not velocity

sensitive should use velocity = 40H (64). A NOTE ON message with velocity = 00 is defined to be a NOTE OFF message

with NOTE OFF velocity of 40H (this allows long strings of NOTE ON and NOTE OFF events to be sent as data bytes only

using running status).

NOTE OFF

8nH

kkH

vvH

or

9nH

kkH

00H

n = MIDI channel number

0 - FH (1 - 16)

kk = note number

00 - 7FH (0 - 127)

vv = velocity

00 - 7FH (ignored)

The NOTE OFF message is used to turn off a note on a specified MIDI channel (this message triggers the “release” portion

of the note’s amplitude envelope, wherein the amplitude decays to zero). Note number 3CH (60) = Middle C. MIDI con-

trollers/transmitters which are not velocity sensitive should use velocity = 40H. The NOTE OFF velocity value is ignored

by the CS9236. A note can be turned off using the NOTE OFF message (status byte = 8nH) or using the NOTE ON message

(9nH) with velocity = 00. The NOTE ON message with velocity = 00 is defined to be a NOTE OFF message with NOTE

OFF velocity of 40H (this allows long strings of NOTE ON and NOTE OFF events to be sent as data bytes only using running

status). The DAMPER PEDAL (Sustain) ON (MIDI Controller 64) takes priority over the NOTE OFF and ALL NOTES

OFF messages: the NOTE OFF or ALL NOTES OFF messages are recognized, but not acted on until the DAMPER PEDAL

is released (OFF). The SOSTENUTO PEDAL (MIDI Controller 66) ON takes priority over the NOTE OFF and ALL

NOTES OFF messages in a similar way, with the exception that SOSTENUTO only affects notes which were already active

at the time that SOSTENUTO was switched from OFF to ON (See description of DAMPER PEDAL and SOSTENUTO mes-

sages).