Guide: OXI Coral Guide EP.4: MIDI Channel Configuration

Welcome to EP.4 of the OXI Coral guide series. This time, we’ll cover how to configure MIDI channels.

By default, Coral operates as a polyphonic sound source on MIDI channel 1, but you can also change the channel for all voices at once, or assign different channels per voice. By applying this, you can play multiple parts — bass, lead, chords, and more — simultaneously from a single module.

• Default MIDI Channel Configuration
• How to Change the MIDI Channel
• Per-Voice MIDI Channel Configuration
• Practical Applications

Default MIDI Channel Configuration#

Right after powering on, all 8 of Coral’s voices are assigned to MIDI channel 1. In this state, since every voice belongs to the same channel, Coral receives MIDI note data from channel 1 polyphonically.

How to Change the MIDI Channel#

To change the MIDI channel for all voices at once, hold the Color button and turn the Harm/MIDI knob. While operating, the LED ring displays the currently selected MIDI channel in real time. Since the knob position carries over from its previous value, you may need to turn it a bit before the channel actually changes.

The moment you release the Color button, the new MIDI channel is applied to all voices. Below is the LED ring display after changing to MIDI channel 2.

Per-Voice MIDI Channel Configuration#

Each of Coral’s 8 voices can have its own independent MIDI channel. Voices assigned to the same MIDI channel are automatically grouped into a single part. For example, if you assign voice 1 to channel 1 (bassline), voice 2 to channel 2 (lead), and voices 3–8 to channel 3 (chords or pads), Coral functions as a multitimbral sound source with three parts.

Procedure#

Here’s how to set the MIDI channel for each voice:

1. Hold the Color button (encoder) down and turn the encoder to select a voice. The selected voice is shown on the LED ring in a bluish color (blue)
2. While still holding the Color button, turn the Harm/MIDI knob to select the desired MIDI channel
3. Release the Color button, and the selected MIDI channel is assigned to that voice

The example below shows the procedure for assigning voice 1 to MIDI channel 1. When voice 1 is selected, LED number 1 on the ring lights up blue.

From there, turn the Harm/MIDI knob to display MIDI channel 1, then release the Color button, and voice 1 is assigned to MIDI channel 1. The remaining voices 2–8 stay on MIDI channel 2, giving you two parts.

Practical Applications#

Using MIDI channel part splitting dramatically increases the flexibility of using Coral in combination with sequencers (OXI One, OXI Split, etc.).

• Bass + poly chords: Split voice 1 as channel 1 (monophonic bass) and voices 2–8 as channel 2 (7-voice poly chords)
• Multi-timbral drums: Assign each voice to a separate MIDI channel, so each channel of a drum sequencer triggers a different voice (engine)
• Layer switching: Use Part CV to switch in real time which part is affected by the CV input

Also, to reset all voices back to MIDI channel 1 and return to the default state, hold the encoder down for more than 5 seconds on the main view. When the LED ring displays a red animation, the reset is complete.