Piedinature - Pinouts
PC MIDI + game port

Reference and Sources:

• Joysticks and game controllers
• Joystick specifications

Some soundcards have some MIDI signals included in their Gameport. Ground and VCC has been used for this.

(At the computer)

(At the joystick cable)

15 PIN D-SUB FEMALE at the computer.
15 PIN D-SUB MALE at the joystick cable.

About MIDI Signals

How this document describe signals

MIDI Signals are like ASM instructions :
First a byte gives the instruction, if there is parameters, they follow the instruction byte using data bytes.

For exemple, "Note off event (Key, Velocity)" for channel 0 will be send as "Note off event" byte, then Key data byte, then Velocity data byte: "1000 0000 - 0kkk kkkk - 0vvv vvvv"
where kkkkkkk is the Key value and vvvvvvv is the Velocity value.
Data are always 7 bits, to allow the 0 beginning the data byte, when a parameter need more than 7 bits, it uses 2 data bytes, again like in ASM: LSB followed by MSB.

Bytes table

Type	Command	Byte
		7	6	5	4	3	2	1	0
Data	Data	0	Data
Channel	Note off event	1000				Channel
	Note on event	1001				Channel
	Polyphonic key pressure	1010				Channel
	Control change	1011				Channel
	Program change	1100				Channel
	Channel pressure	1101				Channel
	Pitch wheel change	1110				Channel
System Exclusive	System Exclusive Header	1111 0000
System Common	(Undefined)	1111 0001
	Measure Information	1111 0010
	Song Select	1111 0011
	(Undefined)	1111 0100
	(Undefined)	1111 0101
	Tune Request	1111 0110
System Exclusive	System Exclusive End of block	1111 0111
System Real Time	Timing Clock In Play	1111 1000
	Measure End	1111 1001
	Start From 1st Measure	1111 1010
	Continue Start	1111 1011
	Timing Clock In End	1111 1100
	?	1111 1101
	Active Sensing	1111 1110
System Reset	System Reset	1111 1111

Channel Signals

The 4 highest bits of a channel status byte is the instruction, the 4 lowest ones is the channel number.

Note off event (key, velocity)
Note on event (key, velocity)
Polyphonic key pressure (key, after-touch)
Control change (command address, command value)
Program change (program number)
Channel pressure (after-touch)
Pitch wheel change (value lsb, value msb)

System Exclusive

These two instructions are used to send special instructions to a MIDI device, the instruction is made of a 2 bytes header, followed by data block(s) (as many as needed) and then finish by an end of block byte.

System Exclusive Header + Data (Identification code) + Data block(s) + System Exclusive End of block

System Real Time

Instructions for synchronisation and rythm boxes control, send for all channels.

Timing Clock In Play
This clock is send while the system is in "play" mode.
There are 24 clock impulsions for 1 black note.

Measure End
Replace the Timing Clock In Play signal at the end of every measure.

Start From 1st Measure
This signal is send when the master "play" key is pressed.
The first Timing Clock In Play must be send in the next 5ms following this signal.

Continue Start
This signal is send directly when the master "continue" key is pressed.
The next Timing Clock In Play must be send in the next 5ms following this signal.

Timing Clock In End
This signal is send when the master is in wait-mode and is used to lock a PLL during a pause.

Active Sensing
no information available.

System Common

Measure Information (measure number lsb, measure number msb)
Song Select (song number)
Tune Request

System Reset

System Reset
Restart the whole system.

Parameters

Channel
Channel number from 0 to 15.

Key
Key number from 0 to 127, the central A is always number 60.

Velocity
Velocity from 0 to 127 (0=Note off).
If the keyboard doesn't have velocity, 64 is send as default.

After touch
After-touch from 0 to 127.

Command address
Address from 0 to 127.
Except for the "Pitch bender", which is 0, there is no specification for these.

Command value
For controllers, from 0 to 127.
For switches, 0=off, 127=on (other ore ignored).

Program number
Program number from 0 to 127.

Identification code
Society code from 0 to 127.

01	000 0001	Sequential Systems
40	100 0000	Kawai
41	100 0001	Roland
42	100 0010	Korg
43	100 0011	Yamaha

Measure number
Measure number in 14 bits.
The value is divided into 7 msb bits and 7 lsb bits to be able to send them as data blocks.