Using MIDI Matlab with the Yamaha P120

by Dave Koenig
(Painted Post, NY USA)

Hello. This is my first submission to this forum.

I have been attempting to remotely strike the P120 keys using MIDI commands so that I could collect the results and carry out spectral analysis using MATLAB. I have done this manually for several pianos and although I gain insight there is a sensitivity to how forcefully I strike the key. I have cooked up several devices designed to minimize the variation in the strike velocity and there are improvements but there is still variation.

I thought I could accomplish this by using the MATLAB Audio Toolbox to send MIDI commands. I have spent several days trying this to no avail. Yesterday I stumbled upon this forum and read where a couple of you have been able to communicate by switching the IN and OUT cables. I tried this a Wa La! Success! Thanks, forum.

Now, the question: is there a MIDI command that I can send or is there a manual setting on the P120 that would allow me to choose an instrument other than the grand piano #1? Pressing the buttons on the panel for, say, jazz organ, while allowing me to still manually strike the keys and get the jazz organ sound, does not change the remotely-driven response.

Thanks.