Word for the Day Archive

Zone

In MIDI a zone is a defined area of a keyboard, or a range or layer of MIDI notes. Zones are the common method of splitting a keyboard, controller, or sound module into ranges that can each play different sounds. For example, one might have a bass guitar on the bottom of a keyboard, a mellow pad sound in the middle, and a sax sound for solos on the top range. It is also sometimes possible to have multiple zones that span the entire keyboard range, but are accessed with different levels of playing velocity. Different products allow for varied degrees of flexibility with regards to zones, not only in terms of how many zones are allowed, but which parameters they manage.