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- Wave Blaster II Frequently Asked Questions
-
- This is a frequently asked questions file for the Creative Wave Blaster
- II daughter-board. This document summarizes many frequently asked
- questions and answers about the Wave Blaster II. If you have a
- question, please check this file before calling Creative Technical
- Support, as you may find the answer contained in this document.
-
- This FAQ is organized into the following sections:
-
- [A] Wave Blaster II in General
- [B] Editing Tool
- [C] Introduction to the EMU8000 chip
- [D] How do I ...
- [E] References
- [F] Sysex Implementation Table
-
- Before you continue ...
-
- This document assumes you have a basic understanding of how MIDI
- communication works, the different MIDI messages, and how your MIDI
- sequencer works. If you are not familiar with these topics, please
- consider consulting a friend who has experience with MIDI communication,
- or consulting books on the MIDI standard. A list of recommended reading
- can be found in Section E of this document.
-
- Contents
- ========
-
- Section A - Wave Blaster II in General
-
- 1. What is the Wave Blaster II? How does it differ from the Wave
- Blaster?
- 2. How many MIDI channels can the Wave Blaster II handle in Windows?
- 3. Will software written for the original Wave Blaster work with the
- Wave Blaster II?
- 4. Is it possible to use Wave Blaster II sounds together with FM
- sounds from the Sound Blaster 16's FM chip in Cakewalk?
- 5. What MIDI sequencers will work with the Wave Blaster II? Are
- special drivers required?
- 6. Can I upload my own samples to the Wave Blaster II?
- 7. What is "Bank#" documented in Appendices D-15 and D-16 of the
- Wave Blaster II User's Guide? How are these variation tones accessed?
- 8. What "drum kits" are available in GS mode?
- 9. Does the Wave Blaster II respond to MIDI aftertouch?
- 10. Will the Wave Blaster II fit onto the SB AWE32?
- 11. What is the benefit of adding a Wave Blaster II to the SB AWE32?
- 12. What are the different reverb and chorus variations available on
- the Wave Blaster II?
-
- Section B - Editing Tool
-
- 1. Is there a preset editor for the Wave Blaster II?
- 2. What functionality does the Wave Blaster II Control Panel offer?
- 3. Is the effect engine on the Wave Blaster II programmable?
-
- Section C - Introduction to the EMU8000 Chip
-
- Section D - How Do I ...
-
- 1. How do I make use of the RPNs documented in the Wave Blaster II
- MIDI Implementation chart?
- 2. How do I change an instrument's sound parameter in real time?
- 3. How do I select the Wave Blaster II's reverb and chorus variation
- types through a MIDI file?
-
- Section E - References
-
- Section F - Wave Blaster II Patch Parameters
-
-
- Section A - Wave Blaster II in General
-
- 1. What is the Wave Blaster II? How does it differ from the Wave
- Blaster?
-
- Like the original Wave Blaster, the Wave Blaster II is a MIDI
- device designed to fit as a daughter-board onto Sound Blaster 16
- and AWE32 sound cards. The Wave Blaster II contains actual
- recordings of sampled sounds to enhance the quality of MIDI
- playback. The Wave Blaster II supports General MIDI, GS and
- Sound Canvas MT32 emulation.
-
- The Wave Blaster II takes advantage of the EMU8000 Advanced
- WaveEffects chip found on Creative's premium AWE32 sound cards.
- The EMU8000 combines realistic instrument sounds with special
- effects such as chorus, reverb, tremolo, and vibrato. These
- capabilities enhance MIDI playback to a level usually limited to
- professional MIDI equipment costing thousands of dollars.
-
- The Wave Blaster II is not an upgrade option for Sound Blaster 16
- Value Edition or AWE32 Value Edition.
-
- 2. How many MIDI channels can the Wave Blaster II handle in Windows?
-
- The Wave Blaster II is a General MIDI device capable of supporting
- 16 MIDI channels, with 15 being melodic, and one channel (MIDI
- channel 10) being percussive. When used in conjunction with the
- Sound Blaster 16's FM synthesizer, a total of 32 MIDI channels are
- possible. On an AWE32 card, a total of 48 MIDI channels are
- possible, using the Wave Blaster II, the FM synthesizer, and the
- AWE MIDI synth.
-
- 3. Will software written for the original Wave Blaster work with the
- Wave Blaster II?
-
- The Wave Blaster II uses a sampling technology entirely different
- from that of the original Wave Blaster. The Wave Blaster II
- contains different samples, and has different effects. However,
- because both the Wave Blaster and the Wave Blaster II are MIDI
- devices, both daughter-boards will work with the same types of
- MIDI sequencers. Software designed to play music using the
- original Wave Blaster should also work with the Wave Blaster II.
- Software designed specifically to manipulate the samples on the
- original Wave Blaster (via sysex messages) will probably not work
- with the Wave Blaster II.
-
- 4. Is it possible to use Wave Blaster II sounds together with FM sounds
- from the Sound Blaster 16's FM chip in Cakewalk?
-
- You can use both the Wave Blaster II sounds AND the OPL-3 FM
- sounds together in Cakewalk. The Wave Blaster II attaches to the
- SB16's daughter-board connector, which is on the MIDI Out port.
- Because both the MIDI port and OPL-3 appear under Microsoft
- Windows as two separate MIDI devices, you can play both devices
- simultaneously. The following is a step-by-step guide:
-
- Method 1
-
- 1. Start the Control Panel, and enter the MIDI Mapper applet.
- 2. Select "SB16 ALL FM" as the output setup.
- 3. Select "Edit" to go into MIDI Setup.
- 4. Locate the "Port" column.
- 5. If you want a channel to play back using the AWE32, then
- select "Sound Blaster AWE32 MIDI Synthesizer." If you want
- the channel to play back using the OPL3, then select
- "Voyetra Super SAPI FM Driver." Repeat steps 4 and 5 on
- other channels to assign the output port as desired.
- 6. Start Cakewalk. Select "Settings," then "MIDI Devices."
- 7. Select "Microsoft MIDI Mapper" as the output MIDI device.
-
- Now the sound will play back according to what you have set in the
- MIDI Mapper.
-
- Method 2
-
- 1. Start Cakewalk.
- 2. Select "Settings," then "MIDI Devices."
- 3. You will see a dialog box with MIDI IN devices on the left,
- and MIDI OUT devices on the right. Click on both "Sound
- Blaster AWE32 MIDI Synth" and "Voyetra Super SAPI FM
- Driver."
- 4. Select "OK."
- 5. Activate the "Track/Measure" Window.
- 6. Locate the "Port" column in the Track/Measure Window.
- 7. If you want a track to play back using AWE32, double-click
- on the track's "Port" section, and select "1:Sound Blaster
- AWE32 MIDI Synth." If you want the track to play back using
- the OPL-3 then select "2:Voyetra Super SAPI FM Driver."
-
- You can repeat steps 6 and 7 on other Cakewalk tracks to assign
- the output port as desired.
-
-
- 5. What MIDI sequencers will work with the Wave Blaster II? Are special
- drivers required?
-
- The Sound Blaster 16/AWE32 sees the Wave Blaster II as an external
- MIDI device. Any MIDI sequencer designed to use the MIDI
- interface of the Sound Blaster or an MPU-401 card should be able
- to use the Wave Blaster II without any additional drivers.
-
- 6. Can I upload my own samples to the Wave Blaster II?
-
- The Wave Blaster II contains 2 megabytes of sampled instruments
- which can be tailored to suit a user's needs. Unlike the Sound
- Blaster AWE32, the Wave Blaster II does not contain RAM for
- uploading user-created instrument samples.
-
- 7. What is "Bank#" documented in Appendices D-15 and D-16 of the
- Wave Blaster II User's Guide? How are these variation tones
- accessed?
-
- "Bank#" refers to the bank number used to access the GS Variation
- Tones in a MIDI file, using Continuous Controller 0 (zero).
- Continuous Controller 0 is MIDI bank change.
-
- The Wave Blaster II offers Sound Canvas compatibility by including
- the user bank instruments found on the Sound Canvas. User bank
- instruments are simply instruments of a similar class or
- variation. For example, General Sound instrument number 25 is the
- Nylon String Guitar, and its variation is the Ukulele.
-
- A user bank tone is just like any other General MIDI instrument.
- Take for example the Ukulele variation tone. Lets assume you are
- editing a MIDI file under Cakewalk Apprentice, and you've created
- a track that uses Nylon String Guitar. When you play the track
- back, you decide that the Nylon String Guitar does not quite cut
- it, so you decide to give Ukulele a try. To do this, you would
- insert a MIDI bank change of value 8 (the user bank for Ukulele)
- in that track, followed immediately by a patch change of 25 (Nylon
- String Guitar) to select the user bank tone. Below is an
- example taken from Cakewalk's Event List:
-
- Kind Values
- __________________________
- CTRL 0 8
- Patch 25
-
- You have just set the MIDI channel on which the Nylon String
- Guitar instrument was playing to the user bank instrument
- "Ukulele."
-
- Note that the user bank instruments are available only in the "GS"
- mode of the Wave Blaster II. You can switch to "GS" mode via the
- Windows Wave Blaster II Control Panel applet, or WB2MODE.EXE in
- DOS.
-
- 8. What "drum kits" are available in GS mode?
-
- A drum kit is a collection of percussive instruments (snare drum,
- bass drum, hi-hats, etc.) laid across the entire MIDI keyboard.
- Under General MIDI, channel 10 is reserved for percussion
- instruments. General MIDI defines only one drum kit, which is the
- Standard Kit. Under the "GM" synth mode of the Wave Blaster II,
- channel 10 automatically uses the "Standard Kit." MIDI music
- would be boring if everybody used the same drum kit in every MIDI
- song.
-
- Under the "GS" synth mode of the Wave Blaster II you can use 10
- (including the Standard Drum Kit) different drum kits on MIDI
- Channel 10. These drum kits are:
-
- Name Prog. # Description
-
- Standard/Jazz 1/33 Standard General MIDI drum kit.
- Jazz is similar to the Standard
- drum kit.
- Room 9 Similar to that of the Standard
- kit except that it has more room
- ambiance.
- Power 17 Again similar to that of the
- Standard kit, but with more power
- kick and snare drums.
- Electronic 25 Electronic drum kit. Most of the
- percussion instruments in this
- drum kit are reminiscence of old
- analogue and digital rhythm
- machines (such as the Roland
- TR-707 and TR-909 rhythm machine).
- TR-808 26 Electronic drum kit, reminiscence
- of the Roland TR-808 rhythm
- machine.
- Brush 41 Similar to the Standard kit except
- that brushes have been added. This
- kit is mostly used for Jazz MIDI
- pieces.
- Orchestra 49 An immense collection of concert
- drums and timpani.
- SFX 57 A collection of Sound Effects.
- CM-64/32L 128 Same as the MT32 drum kit.
- This drum kit contains standard
- percussion at the lower range of
- the keyboard, and sound effects at
- the higher range of the keyboard.
-
- GS Drum kits are very easy to access. Each drum kit is essentially
- an instrument, and you select a drum kit by selecting an
- instrument--just as you would select a melodic instrument. For
- example, if you want to select the TR-808, all you have to do is
- to perform a patch change to 25 on MIDI channel 10. After the
- patch change, all percussion sounds will be played back through
- the TR-808 drum kit.
-
- Note that the user bank instruments are available only in the "GS"
- mode of the Wave Blaster II. You can switch to "GS" mode via the
- Windows Wave Blaster II Control Panel applet, or WB2MODE.EXE in
- DOS.
-
- 9. Does the Wave Blaster II respond to MIDI aftertouch?
-
- The Wave Blaster II supports Channel Aftertouch. Keyboard
- Aftertouch, however, is not currently supported.
-
- 10. Will the Wave Blaster II fit onto the SB AWE32?
-
- Yes, the Wave Blaster II is designed to fit on any SB16 or SB
- AWE32 with a Wave Blaster connector.
-
- (Please note that the Value Edition series cards do not contain a
- Wave Blaster connector.)
-
- 11. What is the benefit of adding a Wave Blaster II to the SB AWE32?
-
- The Wave Blaster connector was included on the SB AWE32 to provide
- users an alternative to the AWE32's wave-sample synthesis method.
- By incorporating a Wave Blaster II onto the SB AWE32, the total
- polyphony of this combination will be increased to 64, the total
- number of MIDI channels expanded to 32, and you will have access
- to a secondary palette of sampled sounds.
-
- 12. What are the different reverb and chorus variations available on the
- Wave Blaster II?
-
- Reverb and chorus effects add warmth and movement to music. There
- are eight reverb and eight chorus presets available on the Wave
- Blaster II.
-
- Room 1 - 3
- This group of reverb variation simulates the natural ambiance of a
- room. Room 1 simulates a small room, Room 2 simulates a slightly
- bigger room, and Room 3 simulates a big room.
-
- Hall 1 - 2
- This group of reverb variation simulates the natural ambiance of a
- concert hall. It has greater depth than the room variations.
- Again, Hall 1 simulates a small hall, and Hall 2 simulates a
- larger hall.
-
- Plate
- Back in the old days, reverb effects were sometimes produced using
- a metal plate, and this type of reverb produces a metallic echo.
- The Wave Blaster II's Plate variation simulates this form of
- reverb.
-
- Delay
- This reverb produces a delay (echo) effect.
-
- Panning Delay
- This reverb variation produces a delay effect that is continuously
- panned left and right.
-
- Chorus 1 - 4
- Chorus adds depth and warmth to a sound. The basic chorus levels
- are Chorus 1 through 4, with 1 being least, and 4 being most
- prominent.
-
- Feedback Chorus
- This chorus variation simulates a soft "swishing" effect.
-
- Flanger
- This chorus variation produces a more prominent feedback chorus
- effect.
-
- Short Delay
- This chorus variation simulates a delay repeated in a short time.
-
- Short Delay (feedback)
- This chorus variation simulates a short delay repeated many times.
-
-
-
- Section B - Editing Tool
-
- 1. Is there a preset editor for the Wave Blaster II?
-
- The Wave Blaster II comes with an editing tool to allow
- modification of the onboard samples to suit the user's tastes.
- The Wave Blaster II Control Panel saves the edits in the form of
- sysex files that may be loaded into the Wave Blaster II Control
- Panel, or incorporated into a MIDI file using a sequencer that
- supports sysex commands.
-
- 2. What functionality does the Wave Blaster II Control Panel offer?
-
- With the Wave Blaster II Control Panel you can add chorus and
- reverb effects to each instrument, and program the instrument's
- envelopes and LFOs to your liking. Refer to the "Introduction to
- the EMU8000 Chip" section for information on envelopes and LFOs.
-
- 3. Is the effect engine on the Wave Blaster II programmable?
-
- The effect engine on the Wave Blaster II is dedicated to produce
- reverb, chorus and QSound effects, and is not intended to be
- programmable. You can, however, select different reverb or chorus
- variations using sysex. Refer to the section "What are the
- different reverb and chorus variations available on the Wave
- Blaster II?" for more information.
-
- Section C - Introduction to the EMU8000 Chip
-
- The EMU8000 has its roots in E-mu's Proteus sample playback
- modules and their renowned Emulator sampler. The EMU8000 has 32
- individual oscillators, each playing back at 44.1 kHz. By
- incorporating sophisticated sample interpolation algorithms and
- digital filtering, the EMU8000 is capable of producing high
- fidelity sample playback.
-
- The EMU8000 has an extensive modulation capability using two sine-
- wave LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and two multi-stage envelope
- generators.
-
- What exactly does modulation mean? To modulate is to dynamically
- change a parameter of an audio signal, whether it be the volume
- (amplitude modulation, or tremolo), pitch (frequency modulation,
- or vibrato) or filter cutoff frequency (filter modulation, or wah-
- wah). To modulate something requires a modulation source, and a
- modulation destination. In the EMU8000, the modulation sources are
- the LFOs and the envelope generators, and the modulation
- destination can be the pitch, the volume or the filter cutoff
- frequency.
-
- The EMU8000's LFOs and envelope generators provide a complex
- modulation environment. Each sound producing element of the
- EMU8000 consists of a resonant low-pass filter, and two LFOs in
- which one modulates the pitch (LFO2), and the other modulates
- pitch, filter cutoff and volume simultaneously (LFO1). There are
- two envelope generators: Envelope 1 contours both pitch and
- filter cutoff simultaneously, and envelope 2 contours volume. The
- output stage consists of an effects engine that mixes the dry
- signals with the Reverb/chorus level signals to produce the final
- mix.
-
- What are the EMU8000 sound elements?
-
- Each of the sound elements in an EMU8000 consists of the
- following:
-
- Oscillator
- An oscillator is the source of an audio signal.
-
- Low Pass Filter
- The low pass filter is responsible for modifying the timbres of an
- instrument. The low pass filter's cutoff values can be varied from
- 100 Hz to 8000 Hz. By changing the values of the filter cutoff, a
- myriad of analogue sounding filter sweeps can be achieved. An
- example of a GM instrument that makes use of filter sweep is
- instrument number 87, Lead 7 (fifths).
-
- Amplifier
- The amplifier determines the loudness of an audio signal.
-
- LFO1
- An LFO, or Low Frequency Oscillator, is normally used to
- periodically modulate -- or change -- a sound parameter, whether it
- be volume (amplitude modulation), pitch (frequency modulation) or
- filter cutoff (filter modulation). It operates at sub-audio
- frequency from 0.042 Hz to 10.71 Hz. The LFO1 in the EMU8000
- modulates the pitch, volume and filter cutoff simultaneously.
-
- LFO2
- The LFO2 is similar to the LFO1, except that it modulates the
- pitch of the audio signal only.
-
- Resonance
- A filter alone would be like an equalizer, making a bright audio
- signal duller, but the addition of resonance greatly increases the
- creative potential of a filter. Increasing the resonance of a
- filter makes it emphasize signals at the cutoff frequency, giving
- the audio signal a subtle "wah-wah," like a siren sound
- periodically going from bright to dull to bright again.
-
- LFO1 to Volume (Tremolo)
- The LFO1's output is routed to the amplifier, with the depth of
- oscillation determined by LFO1-to-Volume level. LFO1 to Volume
- produces tremolo, which is a periodic fluctuation of volume. If
- you were to rapidly increase and decrease the volume while
- listening to your home stereo, you would be creating a tremolo
- effect. The speed in which you increase and decrease the volume
- is the tremolo rate, (which corresponds to the speed at which LFO1
- is oscillating). An example of a GM instrument that makes use of
- LFO1 to Volume is instrument number 45, Tremolo Strings.
-
- LFO1 to Filter Cutoff (Wah-Wah)
- The LFO1's output is routed to the filter, with the depth of
- oscillation determined by LFO1-to-Filter level. LFO1 to Filter
- produces a periodic fluctuation in the filter cutoff frequency,
- creating an effect similar to that of a wah-wah guitar (see
- resonance for a description of "wah-wah"). An example of a GM
- instrument that makes use of LFO1 to Filter Cutoff is instrument
- number 19, Rock Organ.
-
- LFO1 to Pitch (Vibrato)
- The LFO1's output is routed to the oscillator, with the depth of
- oscillation determined by LFO1-to-Pitch level. LFO1 to Pitch
- produces a periodic fluctuation in the pitch of the oscillator,
- producing a vibrato effect. An example of a GM instrument that
- makes use of LFO1 to Pitch is instrument number 57, Trumpet.
-
- LFO2 to Pitch (Vibrato)
- The LFO1 in the EMU8000 can simultaneously modulate pitch, volume
- and filter. LFO2, on the other hand, modulates only the pitch,
- with the depth of modulation determined by LFO2-to-Pitch level.
- LFO2 to Pitch produces a periodic fluctuation in the pitch of the
- oscillator, producing a vibrato effect. When LFO2 to Pitch is
- coupled with LFO1 to Pitch, a complex vibrato effect can be
- achieved.
-
- Volume Envelope
- The character of a musical instrument is largely determined by its
- volume envelope, which is the way the level of the sound changes
- with time. For example, percussive sounds usually start suddenly
- and then die away, whereas a bowed sound might take quite some
- time to start and then sustain at a more or less fixed level.
-
- A six-stage envelope makes up the volume envelope of the EMU8000.
- The six stages are delay, attack, hold, decay, sustain and
- release. The stages can be described as follows:
-
- Delay The time between when a key is played and when
- the attack phase begins.
- Attack The time it takes to go from zero to the peak
- (full) level.
- Hold The time the envelope will stay at the peak
- level before starting the decay phase.
- Decay The time it takes the envelope to go from the
- peak level to the sustain level.
- Sustain The level at which the envelope remains as long
- as a key is held down.
- Release The time it takes the envelope to fall to the
- zero level after the key is released.
-
- Use of these six parameters can yield a very realistic
- reproduction of the volume envelope characteristics of many
- musical instruments.
-
- Pitch and Filter Envelope
- The pitch and filter envelope has the same envelope stages as the
- volume envelope, but it contours the pitch and filter values of an
- instrument over time. The pitch envelope is particularly useful
- when putting the finishing touches on a natural-instrument
- simulation. For example, some wind instruments tend to go slightly
- sharp when they are first blown, and this characteristic can be
- simulated by setting up a pitch envelope with a fairly fast attack
- and decay. The filter envelope, on the other hand, is useful in
- creating synthetic sci-fi sound textures. An example of a GM
- instrument that makes use of the filter envelope is instrument
- number 86, Pad 8 (Sweep).
-
- Pitch/Filter Envelope Modulation
- These two parameters determine the modulation depth of the pitch
- and filter envelope. In the wind instrument example above, a small
- amount of pitch envelope modulation can be used to simulate its
- natural pitch characteristics.
-
-
- Section D - How Do I ...
-
- 1. How do I make use of the RPNs documented in the Wave Blaster II
- MIDI Implementation chart?
-
- RPN is short for "Registered Parameter Number." Registered
- Parameter Numbers are used to represent sound or performance
- parameters. MIDI 1.0 specified three RPNs: RPN 0 for Pitch Bend
- Sensitivity, RPN 1 for Coarse Tune and RPN 2 for Fine Tune. The
- Wave Blaster II implements only RPN 0, Pitch Bend Sensitivity.
-
- Before going into how to set pitch bend sensitivity, let's go into
- how pitch bending is used in MIDI. Pitch Bending is normally used
- to make the pitch of a sustained note slide higher or lower. The
- default pitch bend sensitivity of the Wave Blaster II is +/- 2
- semitones, which means you can go higher or lower than the current
- note by two semitones when using the pitch bend wheel. To create
- a more dramatic pitch bending effect, simply change the pitch bend
- sensitivity to a higher value. Below is an example of how to
- change the pitch-bend sensitivity:
-
- 1. Bring up the "Event List" window for the track on which you
- want to set pitch bend sensitivity.
- 2. Go to the top of the event list (page up) and insert a MIDI
- controller event, with controller number 101 and a
- controller value of 0.
- 3. Insert another MIDI Controller event immediately after
- controller 101, with controller number 100 and controller
- value of 0.
- 4. Insert another MIDI controller event immediately after
- controller 100, with controller number 6, and set the
- controller value to the desired pitch bend sensitivity.
-
- 2. How do I change an instrument's sound parameter in real time?
-
- The instrument's sound parameters can be changed via sysex
- commands or NRPNs. Sysex Commands are system-exclusive commands
- that affect an instrument regardless of the channel on which it is
- being played. NRPNs (non-registered parameter numbers) are MIDI
- controllers that affect a particular MIDI channel regardless of
- the instrument being played.
-
- Sysex commands can be created with the Wave Blaster II Control
- Panel, or manually, using the model below:
-
- F0 18 40 00 02 bk pr pa VM VL F7
-
- where
- bk = Bank number
- pr = Preset number
- pa = Patch parameter number (see Section F)
- VM = Value MSB
- VL = Value LSB
-
- Wave Blaster II patch edits are entered as 14-bit, two's-
- complement values. Below is a quick conversion formula for patch
- edit MSB and LSB.
-
- Patch Edit Value MSB
- IntegerDivide( Desired Value / 128 ) % 128
-
- Note that -x % y = y - (x % y)
- i.e. -12 % 10 = 10 - (12 % 10) = 10 - 2 = 8
-
- Patch Edit Value LSB:
-
- Desired Value % 128
-
- Note that "%" is the remainder in a division problem. For
- example, 600 % 128 is the same as the remainder when 600 is
- divided by 128.
-
- Use the key below to determine if your calculations are correct:
-
- Desired MSB LSB
- -8192 64 0
- -129 126 127
- -64 127 64
- -1 127 127
- 0 0 0
- 63 0 63
- 129 1 1
- 8191 63 127
-
- Resetting Parameters to the default is accomplished with the
- following sysex command.
-
- F0 18 40 00 02 bk pr pa F7
-
- Where
- bk = Bank number
- pr = Preset number
- pa = Patch parameter number, in hex (see Section F)
-
- Note that each of the parameters (bk, pr, pa) is optional and
- should only be added if you want that parameter to be reset.
- Sending the command without any of the optional parameters resets
- all presets on all banks.
-
- Before going into the use of NRPNs, let's go into the nature of
- the Wave Blaster II's NRPNs. Absolute NRPNs take the data
- specified in data MSB and LSB values as absolute values, i.e.,
- value of 80 literally means the parameter shall receive the
- absolute value of 80. Relative NRPNs take the data specified
- in data MSB and LSB as relative values, i.e., value of 80 means an
- offset of 80 units from the current preset value. Relative NRPNs
- do not add onto absolute NRPNs. Unlike the Wave Blaster II sysex
- commands, the NRPNs are 14 bit one's-complement values to allow
- CC6 to control the entire range at course resolution.
-
- Wave Blaster II NRPNs are executed using the following series of
- controller events:
-
- Controller Parameter Description
- 99 125 or 126 126 - Absolute NRPN
- 125 - Relative NRPN
-
- 98 Command LSB Command LSB Number
- (See Section F)
-
- 38 Data LSB See Formulae Below
- 6 Data MSB See Formulae Below
-
- Resend CC99 and CC98 to change to another parameter.
-
- Below are the formulae to determine the values for the data MSB
- and LSB:
-
- Unipolar NRPNs
-
- Unipolar NRPNs are only expressed in positive numbers. The value
- range for unipolar Data MSB and LSB is from 0 to 16383. The whole
- range of the data space is mapped to the real world ranges
- specified in the Parameter Chart in Section F, with the stated
- resolution. To find the data MSB and LSB, choose a value between
- 0 and 16383, and use it in the following formulae:
-
- MSB: IntegerDivide( value / 128 )
- LSB: value % 128
-
- Bipolar NRPNs
-
- Bipolar NRPNs are expressed in either a positive or negative
- value. The unit range for bipolar NRPNs is -8191 to 8191. To
- find the data MSB and LSB for a bipolar NRPN, choose a value
- between -8191 and 8191, and use it in the following formulae:
-
- MSB: IntegerDivide( value / 128 )+ 64
- LSB: value % 128
-
-
- 3. How do I select the Wave Blaster II's reverb and chorus variation
- types through a MIDI file?
-
- You can select the reverb and chorus variations via sysex commands,
- as shown below:
-
- Reverb sysex string:
- F0 18 40 00 04 00 rr F7
-
- Where rr indicates the reverb variations (from 00 to 07).
-
- Chorus sysex string:
- F0 18 40 00 04 01 cc F7
-
- Where cc indicates the chorus variations (from 00 to 07).
-
- Q-Sound sysex string:
- F0 18 40 00 04 02 F7
-
- Note that Q-Sound effects cannot be used simultaneously with
- Chorus/Reverb effects.
-
-
- Section E - References
-
- The definitive guide to MIDI would be "MIDI 1.0 Detailed
- Specification", published and distributed exclusively by :
-
- The International MIDI Association
- 5316 W.57th St.
- Los Angeles, CA 90056
-
- Other MIDI related publications are :
-
- Music Through MIDI
- Using MIDI to create your own electronic music system
- by Michael Boom
- published by Microsoft Press
- Catalog number : ISBN 1-55615-0260-1
-
- The MIDI Manual
- by David Miles Huber
- published by SAM
- Catalog number : ISBN 0-672-22755-6
-
-
-
- Section F - Wave Blaster II Patch Parameters
-
- Patch Parameter 0 (Delay before LFO1 starts)
- NRPN LSB # : 0
- Realtime : No
- Sysex Byte : 00 h
- Sysex Range : [0, 8191]
- Sysex Unit : 1 millisecond
- Delay from 0 to 23.71 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 1 (LFO1 Frequency)
- NRPN LSB # : 1
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 01
- Sysex Range : [0, 127]
- Sysex Unit : 84 mHz
- LFO1 frequency from 0Hz to 10.72 Hz.
-
- Patch Parameter 2 (Delay before LFO2 starts)
- NRPN LSB # : 2
- Realtime : No
- Sysex Byte : 02
- Sysex Range : [0, 8191]
- Sysex Unit : 1 millisecond
- Delay from 0 to 23.71 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 3 (LFO2 Frequency)
- NRPN LSB # : 3
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 03
- Sysex Range : [0, 127]
- Sysex Unit : 84 mHz
- LFO2 frequency from 0Hz to 10.72 Hz.
-
- Patch Parameter 4 (Envelope 1 delay time)
- NRPN LSB # : 4
- Realtime : No
- Sysex Byte : 04
- Sysex Range : [0, 8191]
- Sysex Unit : 1 millisecond
- Envelope 1 Delay from 0 to 23.71 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 5 (Envelope 1 attack time)
- NRPN LSB # : 5
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 05
- Sysex Range : [0, 5939]
- Sysex Unit : 1 Millisecond
- Envelope 1 attack time from .006 to 11.88 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 6 (Envelope 1 hold time)
- NRPN LSB # : 6
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte: : 06
- Sysex Range : [0, 8191]
- Sysex Unit : 1 Millisecond
- Envelope 1 hold time from 0 to 11.7 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 7 (Envelope 1 decay time)
- NRPN LSB # : 7
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 07
- Sysex Range : [0, 7919]
- Sysex Unit : 1 Millisecond
- Envelope 1 decay time from 0.023 to 23.7 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 8 (Envelope 1 sustain level)
- NRPN LSB # : 8
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 08
- Sysex Range : [0, 96]
- Sysex Unit : 1dB
- Envelope 1 sustain level from full level down to off (0.75 dB
- step).
-
- Patch Parameter 9 (Envelope 1 release time)
- NRPN LSB # : 9
- Realtime : No
- Sysex Byte : 09
- Sysex Range : [0, 7919]
- Sysex Unit : 1 millisecond
- Envelope 1 release time from .024 to 47.55 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 10 (Envelope 2 delay time)
- NRPN LSB # : 10
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 0A
- Sysex Range : [0, 8191]
- Sysex Unit : 1 millisecond
- Envelope 2 Delay from 0 to 23.71 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 11 (Envelope 2 attack time)
- NRPN LSB # : 11
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 0B
- Sysex Range : [0, 5939]
- Sysex Unit : 1 Millisecond
- Envelope 2 attack time from .006 to 11.8 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 12 (Envelope 2 hold time)
- NRPN LSB # : 12
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 0C
- Sysex Range : [0, 8191]
- Sysex Unit : 1 Millisecond
- Envelope 2 hold time from 0 to 11.7 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 13 (Envelope 2 decay time)
- NRPN LSB # : 13
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 0D
- Sysex Range : [0, 7919]
- Sysex Unit : 1 millisecond
- Envelope 2 decay time from 0.024 to 47.55 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 14 (Envelope 2 sustain level)
- NRPN LSB # : 14
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 0E
- Sysex Range : [0, 96]
- Sysex Unit : 1dB
- Envelope 2 sustain level from full level down to off.
-
- Patch Parameter 15 (Envelope 2 release time)
- NRPN LSB # : 15
- Realtime : No
- Sysex Byte : 0F
- Sysex Range : [0, 7919]
- Sysex Unit : 1 millisecond
- Envelope 2 release time from 0.024 to 47.55 seconds.
-
- Patch Parameter 16 (Initial Pitch)
- NRPN LSB # : 16
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 10
- Sysex Range : [-8192, 8191]
- Sysex Unit : cents
- Pitch tuning between -8192 and 8191 cents, relative to the
- original pitch.
-
- Patch Parameter 17 (LFO1 to Pitch)
- NRPN LSB # : 17
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 11
- Sysex Range : [-128, 127]
- Sysex Unit : 9.375 cents
- A data value greater than 0 causes a positive (from 0 to maximum)
- 1 octave shift at LFO peak.
- A data value smaller than 0 causes a negative (from 0 to minimum)
- 1 octave shift at LFO peak.
-
- Patch Parameter 18 (LFO2 to Pitch)
- NRPN LSB # : 18
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 12
- Sysex Range : [-128, 127]
- Sysex Unit : 9.375 cents
- A data value greater than 0 causes a positive (from 0 to maximum)
- 1 octave shift at LFO peak.
- A data value smaller than 0 causes a negative (from 0 to minimum)
- 1 octave shift at LFO peak.
-
- Patch Parameter 19 (Envelope 1 to Pitch)
- NRPN LSB # : 19
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 13
- Sysex Range : [-128, 127]
- Sysex Unit : 9.375 cents
- A data value greater than 0 causes a positive (from 0 to maximum)
- 1 octave shift at envelope peak.
- A data value smaller than 0 causes a negative (from 0 to minimum)
- 1 octave shift at envelope peak.
-
- Patch Parameter 20 (LFO1 to Volume)
- NRPN LSB # : 20
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 14
- Sysex Range : [-64, 63]
- Sysex Unit : 0.1875 dB
- A data value smaller than 64 causes a positive phase (from 0 to
- maximum) volume modulation with magnitude of 12 dB at LFO peak.
- A data value greater than or equal to 64 causes a negative phase
- (from 0 to minimum) volume modulation with magnitude of 12 dB at
- LFO peak.
-
- Patch Parameter 21 (Initial Filter Cutoff)
- NRPN LSB # : 21
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 15
- Sysex Range : [0, 127]
- Sysex Unit : 59.76563 cents
- Filter cutoff from 100Hz to 8000Hz.
-
- Patch Parameter 22 (Initial Filter Resonance [Filter Q])
- NRPN LSB # : 22
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 16
- Sysex Range : [0, 120]
- Sysex Unit : .171875 dB
- The EMU8000 has a built in resonance coefficient table comprising
- 16 entries. Values 0-7 will select the first (0) entry, values 8-
- 15 selects the second (1) entry and so on.
-
- Coeff Low Fc Low Q High Fc High Q DC
- (Hz) (dB) (kHz) (dB) Attenuation
- (dB)
- 0 92 5 Flat Flat -0.0
- 1 93 6 8.5 0.5 -0.5
- 2 94 8 8.3 1 -1.2
- 3 95 10 8.2 2 -1.8
- 4 96 11 8.1 3 -2.5
- 5 97 13 8.0 4 -3.3
- 6 98 14 7.9 5 -4.1
- 7 99 16 7.8 6 -5.5
- 8 100 17 7.7 7 -6.0
- 9 100 19 7.5 9 -6.6
- 10 100 20 7.4 10 -7.2
- 11 100 22 7.3 11 -7.9
- 12 100 23 7.2 13 -8.5
- 13 100 25 7.1 15 -9.3
- 14 100 26 7.1 16 -10.1
- 15 100 28 7.0 18 -11.0
-
- Patch Parameter 23 (LFO1 to Filter Cutoff)
- NRPN LSB # : 23
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 17
- Sysex Range : [-64, 63]
- Sysex Unit : 56.25 cents
- A data value smaller than 0 causes a positive phase (from 0 to
- maximum) filter modulation with magnitude of 3 octaves at LFO
- peak.
- A data value greater than or equal to 0 causes a negative phase
- (from 0 to minimum) filter modulation with magnitude of 3 octaves
- at LFO peak.
-
- Patch Parameter 24 (Envelope 1 to Filter Cutoff)
- NRPN LSB # : 24
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 18
- Sysex Range : [-64, 63]
- Sysex Unit : 56.25 cents
- A data value greater than 0 causes a positive phase (from 0 to
- maximum) filter modulation with magnitude of 6 octaves at envelope
- peak.
- A data value smaller than 0 causes a negative phase (from 0 to
- minimum) filter modulation with magnitude of 6 octaves at envelope
- peak.
-
- Patch Parameter 25 (Chorus Effects Send)
- NRPN LSB # : 25
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 19
- Sysex Range : [0, 255]
- Sysex Unit : .375 dB
- Chorus send, with 0 being the driest (no chorus) and 255 being the
- wettest (full chorus).
-
- Patch Parameter 26 (Reverb Effects Send)
- NRPN LSB # : 26
- Realtime : Yes
- Sysex Byte : 1A
- Sysex Range : [0, 255]
- Sysex Unit : .375 dB
- Reverb send, with 0 being the driest (no reverb), and 255 being
- the wettest (full reverb).
-
- Patch Parameter 27 (Pan)
- NRPN LSB # : N/A
- Realtime : N/A
- Sysex Byte : 1B
- Sysex Range : [0, 127]
- Sysex Unit : .375 dB
- 0 = Full Left
- 127 = Full Right
- To pan via MIDI controllers, use MIDI Controller 10 instead of
- NRPNs.
-
-