Written: August 27, 2026

MIDI is a way for instruments and computers to describe musical events
to one another. It does not send the sound itself. It sends messages such
as NOTE ON, NOTE OFF, velocity, controller changes, and program changes.

The biggest surprise with the Lowrey Jamboree was discovering how much
MIDI support it has.

A cheap USB-to-MIDI interface was connected to the Nitetime Linux
workstation. Linux recognized it immediately:

                USB DEVICE: fc08:0101 Conrad Electronic SE MIDI Cable UA0037

ALSA, the Linux sound system, reported:

                client 28: 'USB MIDI Interface'
                                0 'USB MIDI Interface MIDI 1'

The ALSA MIDI port is:

                28:0

The commands used during the first tests were:

                lsusb
                aconnect -l
                aseqdump -l
                aseqdump -p 28:0

The organ began streaming MIDI immediately. It sends MIDI clock
continuously, along with Active Sensing and performance data.

THE LOWREY CHANNEL MAP

According to the Lowrey manual, confirmed through testing:

                MIDI CHANNEL 1     Upper manual
                MIDI CHANNEL 2     Lower manual
                MIDI CHANNEL 3     Bass pedals
                MIDI CHANNEL 4     Lower Solo
                MIDI CHANNEL 10    Drums / rhythm

Remember that Linux tools display MIDI channels zero-based. In aseqdump:

                channel 0 = MIDI channel 1 = Upper
                channel 1 = MIDI channel 2 = Lower
                channel 2 = MIDI channel 3 = Bass

Example output from the organ:

                Note on   1, note 43, velocity 56
                Note off  1, note 43

                Note on   0, note 53, velocity 34
                Note on   0, note 57, velocity 74
                Note on   0, note 59, velocity 48

This confirmed that the manuals transmit independently, chords transmit
properly, velocity is transmitted, and the keyboards are velocity
sensitive.

THE EXPRESSION PEDAL

The physical expression pedal also transmits MIDI:

                Control change 0, controller 11, value 33
                Control change 0, controller 11, value 39

CC11 is standard MIDI Expression. The Lowrey expression pedal can
therefore potentially control software instruments and other MIDI gear.

THE PANEL CONTROLS

Almost every button on the control panel also transmits MIDI System
Exclusive data. A few example packets are:

                F0 16 00 10 01 12 20 05 79 00 F7
                F0 16 00 10 01 12 20 0C 04 00 F7
                F0 16 00 10 01 12 20 0C 08 00 F7
                F0 16 00 10 01 12 20 0C 18 00 F7
                F0 16 00 10 01 12 20 0D 00 00 F7

The organ also sends actual MIDI realtime messages: Start and Stop.

Nitetime does not necessarily need to understand what every obsolete
Lowrey command originally meant. If a physical button emits a unique,
reliable packet, software can map that packet to a station command.

                Lowrey button A -> station identification
                Lowrey button B -> switch OBS scene
                Lowrey button C -> launch video
                Lowrey button D -> play sound effect
                Lowrey button E -> queue a movie
                Lowrey button F -> PLEASE STAND BY

The labels can remain wonderfully obsolete. Nitetime software only cares
about the MIDI message underneath.

THE COMPUTER PLAYS THE ORGAN

The connection works in both directions. Linux reported the same MIDI
port with:

                aplaymidi -l

Linux then sent a simple MIDI file containing middle C:

                aplaymidi -p 28:0 /tmp/lowrey-test.mid

The organ played the note. Nobody touched the keyboard.

                Linux -> MIDI -> Lowrey -> actual organ sound

This wooden object is simultaneously a physical instrument, a two-manual
MIDI controller, a MIDI bass-pedal controller, a control surface, a MIDI
sound module, and a computer-controlled musical instrument.