Roland AX-7 - Manual (Page 8)

The basics
8
Connecting the AX-7
Note: Switch off both the AX-7 and the external instru-
ment(s) before establishing or breaking the MIDI connections.
The AX-7 is a MIDI controller. It contains no sound-
generating circuits of its own. You need to connect
it to at least one external MIDI instrument in order
to hear what you are playing. See right for the basic
connections.
Note: Do not forget to connect the module, synthesizer,
etc., to an amplifier. See its manual for details.
Working with a computer or sequencer
If you want to use the AX-7 as Master keyboard for
recording applications that involve a computer with
sequencing software, or a hardware sequencer (like
the Roland MC-80), here is the most useful connec-
tion system: This setup only works as expected if the follow-
ing conditions are met:
• The computer (if that is what you use) must be
equipped with a MIDI interface.
• You need to switch on the sequencer’s MIDI
Soft Thru/MIDI Echo function. Otherwise you
won’t hear what you are playing. (See the
sequencer’s/software’s manual for details.)
Note: The MIDI channel you set on the AX-7 (see p. 14)
may be changed to another number by the sequencer. If
that is not the case, be sure to set at least one of the
AX-7’s zones to the MIDI channel the module (not the
sequencer) is receiving on.
Note: Yet other configurations are possible, but the
above usually cover most of your MIDI needs. You could
connect the MIDI IN socket of a second module to the a
MIDI THRU socket of the module pictured above for an
even larger system.
Or you could establish the following connection:
[Sequencer] MIDI OUT
→ [AX-7] MIDI IN
[AX-7] MIDI OUT → [Module] MIDI IN
(See also “About MIDI Merge” (p. 17)).
Powering up
Power to the various devices should be turned on in
the appropriate order. First, switch on the units that
transmit MIDI messages (computer, AX-7). Next,
switch on the sound module(s)/synthesizers, then
the amplification system.
Set the AX-7’s power switch (rear panel) to the ON
position.
Power off your system in the reverse order. Note: The AX-7 is equipped with a circuitry protection fea-
ture. At power-up, a brief interval is required before it will
operate normally.
Note: If the AX-7 is powered using batteries, be sure to
switch it off whenever you are not planning to use it for a
while (5 minutes or more). But before doing so, you may wish
to save the current settings to a Patch memory (see p. 17).
MIDI OUT
MIDI IN
AX-7 (transmits MIDI messages)
Module, synthesizer, etc. (receives MIDI messages)
MIDI OUT
MIDI IN
AX-7 (transmits MIDI
messages)
Computer or sequencer
(records and transmits
MIDI messages)
Module, synthesizer, etc. (receives MIDI messages)
MIDI OUT
MIDI IN
AX-7_UK Page 8 Sunday, October 21, 2001 2:12 PM