Control change events

Control change events

Control change events are used to transfer MIDI controller information (modulation, sustain, volume, and pan, for example) to software instruments or external MIDI keyboards and modules.

Figure. Event List showing control change events.

  • Ch(annel): MIDI channel of an event from 1 to 16.

  • Num(ber): The number of the controller. Each MIDI controller (such as the modulation wheel or sustain pedal) is assigned a specific Continuous Controller (CC) number (CC#1 or CC#64, respectively). This can vary from device to device. Several controllers (apart from the two above) are defined in the same way by most manufacturers; these standardized controllers include volume (CC#7) and pan (CC#10).

  • Val(ue): Value of the controller. Continuous controllers have a range of 0 to 127. Switch controllers (CC#64–CC#90) transfer two states: off (val = 0) and on (any value between 1 and 127).

  • Length/Info: Shows the name of standardized controllers defined in the MIDI Specification.