MIDI Controller Types
CC falls into continuous, switch, bank and parameter families, and the number fixes the meaning.
Related
The same fader is volume on one source and cutoff on another. A CC number is an agreed address rather than the third knob.
The problem
Treating CC as a universal knob turns a pedal switch into a continuous value and lets bank select collide with program change. A wrong number puts the whole curve on another parameter.
Protocol or message
0 to 31 are continuous controllers, paired with 32 to 63 for 14-bit values. 7 is volume, 10 pan, 11 expression, 1 modulation, 74 cutoff and 71 resonance. 64 to 69 are switch pedals. 0 and 32 select a bank. 100 and 101 pick an RPN, 98 and 99 an NRPN, and 6 and 38 write the value. 120 to 127 are channel mode messages.
Settings and practice
Keep expression and volume apart, expression for phrasing and volume for balance. Switch pedals turn at 64. Select an RPN before writing it. Send high-resolution pairs together, since one half alone reads as a coarse value. Archive the mapping of each sound source.
What to listen for
CC11 breathes, CC7 only changes level, CC1 wobbles pitch slightly and CC64 joins detached notes into one surface.
Common misunderstandings
CC is not an automation curve. A CC number is not a vendor parameter. Every CC stops at 127, so 14 bits need two messages.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- MIDI 1.0 规范的控制器编号与 RPN、NRPN 机制，依 MMA 公开规范核查，未抄文本
- 高分辨率控制器的高低字节配对规则，依通用 MIDI 规范核查，未抄文本
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.