Here is a standard MIDI file containing System Exclusive messages that
set up a Roland D-70 with a GM Patch set. You simply load this MIDI file
into any sequencer capable of handling SysEx MIDI messages (ie, the Windows
Media Player should suffice -- unless you've got a Mac, you poor bastard),
press the play button to "play" the MIDI file to the D-70, and let
the file play to the end. During playback, you should see the D-70's LCD
screen indicate that it is receiving a system exclusive dump. The D-70
will count down the bytes as it receives them.
    You must set the D-70 to a Unit Number of 1, have "Exclusive Rx" set to
"On". See the "System Setup" on page 137 of your manual.
    The D-70 is unable to be fully GM compliant because it can only play on
5 MIDI channels simultaneously (instead of all 16 channels).  Which 5 MIDI
channels those are depend upon which Performance has last been selected.  (A
D-70 Performance stores all of the parameters concerning its MIDI
implemention.  Each Performance may be set differently.  But there is that 5
Part limitation, plus a Rhythm Part). When playing a MIDI file, I recommend
that you try to change all of the musical tracks to be on MIDI channels 1 to
5, with the drums on 10.  Then, use a Performance whose 5 Parts are set to
those first 5 MIDI channels, and drums on channel 10.	You may also want to
check that each Part is set to respond to AfterTouch, Pitch Wheel, etc,
since each part has its own MIDI implementation for responding to these
messages.
    Now, as long as you observe that 5 MIDI channel limit, you can play GM
MIDI files on your D-70. Please note that my GM patch set contains LOTS of
stereo patches. I was interested in the most spacious and complex sounds that
I could get out of the D-70.  So, even though the piano sound is a nice
stereo patch, for example, this GM set eats up D-70 voices like mad. You may
hear voice stealing if you play MIDI files with lots of parts. Hey, I like
lots of stereo depth. Make sure that you listen to your D-70 in stereo. Mono
is for Phil Spector. Since most of the patches are stereo, I turned off the
"Pan Receive" for each stereo patch. You may wish to enable this, and modify
a patch to be mono, if you like to place a patch in a particular spot within
the stereo spectrum (as opposed to filling the entire spectrum with a more
lush, stereo "sound" of that patch).
    I admit that toward the end of the GM patch set, I sort of gave up,
especially upon the "sound effects" like a gun shot (ie, patch # 128), and
just padded out the GM set with extra, more musically useful patches. But,
I did make an effort to get through all of the patches through to the end
of the synth patches. Somewhere around "Tinkle Bell" (ie, 113) is where I
started to deviate from the GM spec, since I didn't feel like spending a lot
of time making a patch that I'd probably never use such as "Telephone".
    Oh yeah, one other thing: I turned the BRIGHTNESS slider all of the way
down when I made this patch set.  If you turn it up, many of the patches will
sound brighter than I intended. Unfortunately, that BRIGHTNESS slider is not
programmable on the D-70, so you manually have to set it where you want it.
My GM Patch can't set it to a "default" position.

MAC USERS: This MIDI file does NOT contain a Mac Binary header on it. You
may need to run it through your ResEdit thingie, or whatever it is that
your inflexible, brain-dead OS needs to do to binary files, before it
will recognize this as a MIDI file.

Jeff Glatt
6 Sycamore Drive East
New Hartford, NY 13413
(315) 735-5350
jglatt@servtech.com