Yamaha XG

Yamaha XG is a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) extension standard developed by Yamaha Corporation in 1994. It expands upon the General MIDI (GM) standard to offer greater control over sound parameters and a wider range of instrument sounds. While General MIDI provides a basic set of 128 instruments, XG offers hundreds more, including variations and effects.

Key features and improvements over General MIDI offered by Yamaha XG include:

• Increased Instrument Voices: XG compliant devices typically provide significantly more than the 128 GM instruments, allowing for more diverse and nuanced musical arrangements.
• Effects Processing: XG incorporates effects such as reverb, chorus, and delay, which can be controlled via MIDI messages to enhance the sonic textures.
• Parameter Control: XG provides more detailed control over parameters like filter cutoff, resonance, and envelope settings, allowing for finer adjustments to the sounds.
• System Exclusive (SysEx) Messages: XG utilizes System Exclusive messages to control specific features and settings on compatible devices. These messages allow for customized sound manipulation beyond standard MIDI Continuous Controllers.
• Compatibility: XG devices are typically designed to be backward compatible with General MIDI, meaning that GM MIDI files should play back correctly, although they may not utilize the full range of XG's capabilities.

While XG offered advancements over General MIDI, it was not universally adopted as the industry standard. Roland developed a competing standard called GS, and eventually, the Extended General MIDI Level 2 (GM2) standard emerged, incorporating elements of both XG and GS. The XG standard is primarily found in Yamaha synthesizers, sound modules, and computer sound cards from the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Despite being superseded by newer standards, it remains relevant in legacy MIDI files and equipment.