Song Mode and the Song Editor. Kurzweil PC3x, PC3

Chapter 12

Song Mode and the Song Editor


Getting Started with the Sequencer

Getting Started with the Sequencer

The PC3’s sequencer is a powerful and versatile tool for songwriters, composers, and anyone else who wants to record and play back songs. As with any tool, however, it’s best to start with the basics. If you are familiar with other sequencers, you will have no problem using Song mode in the PC3. Read through this section, however, to learn about the features that make the PC3’s sequencer unique.

What is a Sequencer?

A sequencer is similar in some ways to a multi-track tape recorder: you can record and play back all sorts of music and sounds, layer sounds on top of other sounds, and change or manipulate things that you’ve previously recorded. Unlike a tape recorder, however, you do not actually record sounds with a sequencer. Rather, you are recording commands that cause sounds to be played. Nonetheless, we will sometimes explain sequencer features by drawing analogies to familiar tape recording techniques such as splicing and overdubbing.

There are several advantages to recording a song by sequencing. For one thing, sequencer commands take up much less disk space than digitally recorded music would, so you can get a lot of information (that is, music) per megabyte. Furthermore, you can easily make changes to your sequences. For example, you can change individual notes, transpose parts, or change instrumentation. Lastly, you can share the sequences you create with other musicians.

Song Mode: The MAIN Page

The Song mode MAIN Page allows real time recording and playback, song and track selection.

From this page you can view and edit the tracks’ channel, program, volume and pan settings, as well as other useful items.

Parameter

Current Song

Recording Track

Program

Range of Values

Song List

1 to 16, None, Mult

Program List

Default

0*New Song*

1

Current Program

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Song Mode: The MAIN Page

Parameter

Track Status

Channel

Volume

Pan

Tempo

Mode

Location


–, R, M, P

1 to 16

0 to 127

0 to 127

20 to 400 BPM

Merge, Erase

-9999:9 to 9999:9

Default

–

1 to 16 left to right

127

64

120 BPM

Merge

1:1

The Events field on the top line displays the free RAM available for events in the selected song.

The Song Status, also on the top line of the display, is always one of the following:

STOPPED

PLAYING

The default sequencer status; also appears when you press the Stop or Pause button.

Appears when the Play button is pressed, but only if the following conditions are true: the Record was not pressed prior to pressing Play.

REC. READY

Appears when the Record button is pressed while Song Status is STOPPED.

REC. READY flashes, indicating that the sequencer is waiting to start recording.

Current Song (CurSong)

This shows the ID and 16-character name of the song currently selected for recording, playback, or editing. When a song is selected, Program Change, Volume, and Pan information is sent to all

MIDI channels assigned to tracks that have data on them, and the internal clock is set to match the setting of the Tempo parameter.

Tempo

The Tempo parameter determines the initial tempo for the selected song. Whatever the tempo is set to when you record your first track will be the song’s initial tempo.

To change a song’s initial tempo, press Record (the Song Status will change to REC READY), set the tempo desired, then press Stop. The initial tempo can also be changed with the Tempo parameter on the COMMON page in the Song Editor. The song will always start playback at the initial tempo, even though this tempo marker does not get recorded as a tempo event on any track.

Fractional Tempos

You can set the selected song to fractional tempos (e.g., 120.5) by two ways. First, you can go into the Song Editor and change the Tempo parameter on the COMMON page. Second, you can use the Tempo feature in Master mode.

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Recording Track (RecTrk)

The RecTrk parameter determines which track is record enabled. Set the record enabled track to

Mult

to record more than one channel simultaneously.

When RecTrk is set to a single track (1–16), Record (R) is displayed for that track in the Track

Status Indicator region (above the Track and Channels region). Conversely, with one exception, when any track’s Status Indicator is changed to Record (R), that track is shown as the value for the RecTrk parameter.

The exception is when RecTrk is already set to Mult, you can select the record enabled tracks by toggling the Track Status Indicator to Record (R), and the RecTrk will remain set to Mult.

When Mult is initially selected, all of the empty tracks will be record enabled. Tracks containing data will remain set to play (P), but you can manually set them to record (R).

The parameter(s) below RecTrk change according to the value of RecTrk and in one case, the mode from which you enter Song mode. If RecTrk is set to a single track (1–16), Program is displayed and you can select the program to be assigned to that track.

If you change RecTrk to None, the display changes to show the Channel parameter followed by the Program parameter (although the Program parameter’s name doesn’t appear, just its value).

If you switch through the channels, the program also changes, showing the program currently assigned to that channel.

Program

Scroll through the programs in memory to select the program before initially recording each track of your song. Any MIDI program changes on the current RecTrk or Chan cause the ID and name of the track’s program to change during playback.

This parameter’s name is not visible when RecTrk is set to None or Mult (to make room for the

Chan parameter); just its value appears.

Programs selected in Program mode or from a Quick Access bank are selected as the program on the current RecTrk when you return to Song mode.

To change a track’s program quickly, press Record, select the program, then press Stop. Or you could press MIXER to go to the MIX page, change the program as desired. This preserves all changes you have made to any other tracks: volume, pan, tempo, etc.

Channel (Chan)

This parameter determines the control channel and is available only when RecTrk is set to None or Mult. In this case, the Channel parameter gets squeezed onto the same line as the Program parameter, which is why you don’t see the Program parameter’s name, just its value.

Volume (Vol)

You can set an initial volume level for the playback and recording of each track as a value between 0 and 127. If the channel of the RecTrk (or the control channel, if RecTrk is set to Multi or None) contains any recorded volume change (controller code 7), the change will be reflected as the Vol parameter’s value in real time.

To change a track’s initial volume quickly, press Record, change the value of Vol, then press

Stop

. Or, you can go to the MIXER page and change the initial volume.

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Pan

You can set an initial pan position (the balance between the Left and Right audio channels) for the playback and recording of each track as a value between 0 and 127. A value of 64 is center. If the channel of the RecTrk or the control channel contains any panning data (controller code 10), the Pan parameter’s initial value for the current track is modified in real time.

To change a track’s initial pan position quickly, press Record, change the value of Pan, then press Stop.

Mode

If Mode is set to Merge you will be able to overdub when recording on a track containing previously recorded data. You’ll usually want to set Mode to Merge when RecMode (on the BIG page) is set to Loop. Otherwise, each time through the loop, the previously recorded information will be erased.

If you set Mode to Erase, the previously recorded data on the record enabled track will be replaced with the new data only during the Bars and Beats you are actually recording, and the previously recorded data before and after the newly recorded Bars and Beats will be preserved.

Location (Locat)

The Bar and Beat displayed as the Locate value changes relative to current location of the song during playback and recording. You can set this to a negative Bar and Beat location to start playback a set length of time before the beginning of the song.

Whenever you set the Locate point, that location will be used as the return point when Stop is pressed. Simply press Stop again to reset the song to the top (1 : 1).

Mode Indicators (+ and x):

Mode Indicators appear only for tracks that already contain data.

A plus sign (+) appears above the Track Status Indicator of a track set to record (R) when the

Mode parameter is set to Merge.

An (x) appears above the Track Status Indicator of a track set to Record (R) when the Mode parameter is set to Erase.

Activity Indicators

A small square above the Track Status Indicator of a track set to Play (P) or Mute (M) means the track contains data.

During playback and recording, the indicators above tracks containing any MIDI data will flash a small, filled-in square when any MIDI activity is detected.

Track Status Indicators

Using the Up, Down, Left, and Right cursor buttons to position the cursor onto a Track Status

Indicator, you can toggle an empty track (–) into Record (R) with the Alpha Wheel or Plus/

Minus

buttons.

Once a track contains data, it will have a (P) as a Track Status Indicator, and it will be played during playback. You now will be able to toggle between Play (P), Mute (M), and Record (R).

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The track selected as the RecTrk will display an (R), designating it as the recording track. If the

RecTrk is set to Mult, initially all empty tracks will have Record (R) as a Track Status Indicator, any of which can be switched back to empty (–) if at any time recording on specific tracks is not desired.

If there isn’t a track with an (R), the RecTrk parameter’s value will be None. (The exception is when the RecTrk is set to Mult and you have switched all of the tracks out of record enable.)

Track Channels

Each track has a MIDI Channel that it uses to receive and transmit data. By default, tracks 1–16 of a new song are assigned to Channels 1–16 respectively, although a track can play or record on any channel and the same channel can be used for more than one track. Keep in mind, however, that only one program can be assigned to a channel at a time, so if you have more than one track assigned to the same channel, they’ll play the same program—the one on the higher-numbered track, since that’s the most recent Program Change command received on that channel.

Soft Buttons on the MAIN Page

This section contains descriptions of the functions of the function soft buttons, that is, the buttons with labels not in all-caps. As with all other modes, the soft buttons in Song Mode that have labels in all-caps call up different pages. See the following sections for descriptions on how these pages work.

The Rec, Play, and Stop Soft Buttons

NOTE:

These buttons are similar to the transport controls on a tape deck. Some of those decks require you to press Play and Record simultaneously to begin recording. The PC3’s transport buttons aren’t like that, however. It’s important that you press only one of these soft buttons at a time to insure proper recording start points, and to always be sure of the current sequencer status.

The Rec soft button changes the Song Status to REC. READY if the current Song Status is

STOPPED. If the current Song Status is PLAYING, it will be switched to RECORDING when you press Rec.

The Play soft button plays back any recorded data when pressed while the song status is

STOPPED. Playback will begin from the bar and beat specified in the Locate parameter. When the

Song Status is REC READY, pressing the Play soft button will begin recording.

The Play soft button functions as a Pause button, but only when the Song Status is PLAYING or

RECORDING. Pressing Play while the song is playing will stop the playback, and the location remains at the current bar and beat, allowing you to continue from that location by pressing

Play

again.

Pressing Pause while recording will stop the recording process as if you had pressed Stop.

The Stop soft button halts the playback or recording, and resets the song’s location to either the default Bar 1, Beat 1 value, or to whatever location you defined with the Locate parameter. If the location is defined as something other than Bar 1, Beat 1, press Stop twice to reset to 1:1.

Pressing Stop when the Song Status is RECORDING will always prompt the “Save changes to this song?” dialog (described below), and provides you with the opportunity to listen to the new song and compare it with the old, previously saved, song before answering Yes or No.

Additionally, the PC3 has dedicated front panel buttons for Record, Play/Pause, and Stop.

You’ll find them just below the eight mode buttons.

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The

Load, Save, and Export Soft Buttons

The Load soft button calls up a scrolling list from which you can quickly locate and load a sequence. You can select a sequence using either the Alpha Wheel or -/+ buttons, or you can enter a sequence’s ID number.

The Save button calls up the “Save As” dialog.

The Export button exports the current song to a memory card as a Standard MIDI File.

The

NewSng and ClrSng Soft Buttons

The NewSng soft button creates a new song using the Default Sequence (specified on Page 2 of

Master Mode) as a parameter template. Pressing this button is the same as selecting 0*New

Song*

.

The ClrSng soft button creates a new song whose parameters are set to the default values listed

in the table beneath this section’s header (Song Mode: The MAIN Page). Keep in mind that the

selected program for the new song will be the currently selected program.

The Save Changes Dialog

The following dialog appears after you have recorded a track and pressed Stop, or if you have entered the Song Editor and made changes, then pressed Exit, or if you press Save in the Song

Editor.

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PlayOld

appears along with the PlayNew soft button in the Save Changes dialog after the recording process has been stopped. Pressing PlayOld will play the current song, minus the last, but not yet saved, recorded data. You can toggle between Play Old and Play New without restarting the song by pressing either button while the song is playing.

PlayNew

/Play soft buttons allow you to play all of the recorded data, including data on the track(s) you have just recorded.

Stop

halts the playback of either the Old or the New version of the song you are currently auditioning. Press the Stop soft button to stop the playback or recording, and reset the song’s location to either the default Bar 1, Beat 1 value, or to whatever location you defined in the Locat parameter.

Yes

saves the data on the track(s) you just recorded. Whatever was played back when you pressed PlayNew will be the version of the song to be saved when you press Yes. The “Save

New Song?” Dialog (shown below) will be displayed.

No

returns you to the Song-mode page in which you were last recording, without saving any unsaved changes to the current song.


Song Mode: The BIG Page

Song Mode: The BIG Page

On the BIG page, the PC3 displays—in a large font, thus the page’s name—the current time/ location of the “playhead” of the sequencer in a Bar : Beat : Tick format (like the Riff time/ location display). Also displayed is the current status of the sequencer, and the BIG page’s six parameters.

Parameter

(Current Position)

Time In

Time Out

Song End

Loop

Punch

Metronome

(Bar)

(Beat)

(Tick)

(Bar)

(Beat)

(Tick)

(Bar)

(Beat)

(Tick)

(Bar)

(Beat)

(Tick)


Depends on Time Signature

0 to 959

1 to 4

0 to 959

1 to 4

0 to 959

1 to 4

0 to 959

(----), Loop

(-----), Punch

Rec, Always, Off

Default

0

0

0

0

(----)

(-----)

Rec

Time In

The Time In parameter determines the start time for Loop or Punch In recording (more on this below).

Time Out

The Time Out parameter determines the stop time for Loop or Punch In recording.

Song End

The Song End parameter determines the end point for the song. Note that when Time Out and

Song End are set to the same location, changes made to Song End are reflected in Time Out.

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Song Mode: The FX Pages

When recording beyond your initially specified Song End point, you’ll notice that the Song End location automatically moves and rounds to the next bar, so as to always be ahead of the playhead. It is possible to move the Song End point to a location before other MIDI events (i.e., in the middle of the current song)—the sequencer will ignore (but not delete) events after this point.

Loop

With the Loop parameter set to Loop, the sequencer will loop the segment of the song between

Time In and Time Out.

Punch

With the Punch parameter set to Punch, the sequencer (in RECORDING mode) will record events only between Time In and Time Out.

Metro

The Metro parameter determines the recording modes in which the metronome will play. With

Metro set to Rec, the metronome only plays while recording is in progress. With Metro set to

Always

, the metronome plays during playback and recording. With Metro set to Off, the metronome doesn't play at all.

Song Mode: The FX Pages

The four Song mode FX pages—FX, AUXFX1, AUXFX2, and MASTFX—work the same way as the Effects mode pages—CHANFX, AUXFX1, AUXFX2, and MASTER. See the Effects mode chapter for information on editing these pages.

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Song Mode: The MIXER Page

Song Mode: The MIXER Page

The MIXER page shows the initial settings for the program number, panning, and volume of each track (in groups of 8). The bottom part of the screen displays information about the currently selected track. To change the currently selected track, use the Chan/Layer buttons, or use the Trk parameter in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. The current track number, as well as the range of tracks displayed on the page, are displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Remember, all but the bottom line of the MIXER page show the initial settings for the displayed and current tracks. The bottom line shows the current settings—which may change throughout the course of the sequence—for the current track. Below is an example MIXER page:

Parameter

Initial Pan

Initial Volume

Initial Program

Selected Track (Trk)

For Selected Track

(Initial Program)

Initial Volume

Initial Pan

Current Program**

Current Volume**

Current Pan**


0 to 127

0 to 127

Program List

1 to 16

Program List

0 to 127

0 to 127

Program List

0 to 127

0 to 127

Default

None

None

None

1

None

None

None

(Current Program)

127

64

**Uneditable


These soft buttons function as described in The Rec, Play, and Stop Soft Buttons on page 12-5.

The Keep Soft Button

Pressing the Keep soft button captures the current settings for each track’s program, panning, and volume as the initial settings. Remember to save if you want these change to be permanent!

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Song Mode: The METRO Page

The Done Soft Button

If no changes were made in the MIXER page, pressing the Done soft button calls up the MAIN page. If changes were made, pressing the Done soft button calls up the “Save Changes” dialogue.

Song Mode: The METRO Page

All of the parameters affecting the sequencer metronome are on the METRO page. Like the other pages in the Song Editor, you can save changes made in this page.

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Parameter

Metronome

Count Off

Program

Channel

Strong Note

Strong Velocity

Soft Note

Soft Velocity


Off, Rec, Always

Off, 1, 2, 3, 4

Program List

1 to 16

0 to 127

0 to 127

0 to 127

0 to 127

Default

102

127

104

100

Rec

1

998 Click Track

16

Metronome

This parameter determines the recording modes in which the metronome plays. With

Metronome set to Off, the metronome never plays. With Metronome set to Rec, the metronome only plays during recording. With Metronome set to Always, the metronome plays during playback and recording.

CountOff

This parameter determines the number of measures the PC3 will count off before recording. The

PC3 will only count off if you start recording at 1 : 1 : 0.

Program

This parameter determines the program with which the metronome is played. If you wanted a piano for a metronome, for instance, you could set Program to a piano program. The default program is 998 Click Track.


Song Mode: The METRO Page

Channel

This parameter determines the MIDI channel to which the metronome program and events are sent.

Strong Note

This parameter determines the MIDI number of the note played by the metronome for the downbeats (the “1” of each measure).

Strong Vel

This parameter determines the velocity of the note played by the metronome for the downbeats

(the “1” of each measure).

Soft Note

This parameter determines the MIDI number of the note played by the metronome for the upbeats (the “2,” “3,” and “4” of each measure).

Soft Vel

This parameter determines the velocity of the note played by the metronome for the upbeats

(the “2,” “3,” and “4” of each measure).




If no changes were made in the METRO page, pressing the Done soft button calls up the MAIN page. If changes were made, pressing the Done soft button calls up the “Save Changes” dialogue.

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Song Mode: The Filter Pages (RECFLT and PLYFLT)

Song Mode: The Filter Pages (RECFLT and PLYFLT)

On the RECFLT and PLYFLT pages you can specify what event are ignored during, respectively, recording and playback. Both pages have the same parameters with the same ranges of values, but you would use the RECFLT page to configure recording event-filtering, and the PLYFLT page to configure playback event-filtering.

Below is the RECFLT page.

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Parameter

Note Filter

Controller Filter

Notes

Low Key

Hi Key

Low Velocity

Hi Velocity

Controllers

Controller

Low Value

Hi Value


On, Off

C -1 to G 9

C -1 to G 9

0 to 127

0 to 127

On, Off

ALL, MIDI Control Source List

0 to 127

0 to 127

On, Off

On, Off

On, Off

On, Off

Default

127

On

ALL

0

On

C -1

G 9

0

127

On

On

On

On

Pitch Bend

Program Change

Mono Pressure

Poly Pressure

Notes

With Notes set to Off, all notes are ignored during recording/playback. With Notes set to On, only the notes within the specified note range with velocities within specified velocity range are recorded/played.

LoKey

LoKey determines the lowest key that is recorded/played back when Notes is set to On.

Hi

The Hi to the right of LoKey determines the highest key that is recorded/played back when

Notes is set to On.


Song Mode: The Filter Pages (RECFLT and PLYFLT)

LoVel

LoVel determines the lowest note on/off velocity that is recorded/played back when Notes is set to On.

Hi

The Hi to the right of LoVel determines the highest note on/off velocity that is recorded/played back when Notes is set to On.

Controllers

With Controllers set to Off, all controllers are ignored during recording/playback. With

Controllers set to On, controller data only of the specified controller and only within the specified value range are recorded/played.

Controller

The Controller parameter determines which controller(s) is/are recorded/played back when

Controllers is set to On.

LoVal

LoVal determines the lowest value for the specified controller that is recorded/played back when Controllers is set to On.

Hi

The Hi to the right of LoVal determines the highest value for that specified controller that is recorded/played back when Controllers is set to On.

PitchBend

This parameter enables/disables pitch bend events to be recorded/played back.

ProgChange

This parameter enables/disables program changes to be recorded/played back—this includes

Controllers 0 and 32 (bank change).

MonoPress

This parameter enables/disables monophonic key pressure events to be recorded/played back.

PolyPress

This parameter enables/disables polyphonic key pressure events to be recorded/played back.



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Song Mode: The MISC Page


If no changes were made in the RECFLT/PLYFLT page, pressing the Done soft button calls up the MAIN page. If changes were made, pressing the Done soft button calls up the “Save

Changes” dialogue.

Song Mode: The MISC Page

The MISC page contains five miscellaneous (but very important and useful) sequencer parameters. The MISC page appears below:

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Parameter

Control Chase

Quantize

Grid Resolution

Swing

Release Quantization


On, Off

Off, 1 to 100%

1/1 to 1/480

-100% to 125%

Yes, No

Default

On

Off

1/8

0

No

Control Chase

A common shortcoming of many older sequencers is that when you start a sequence at some point in the middle of sequence, the controllers remain at their current levels until the sequencer comes across a controller event. Control Chase remedies this (generally) undesired behavior.

When Control Chase is On, all non-note MIDI events from the beginning of the song up to the current time are computed, and the most recent non-note MIDI event is sent out before starting playback. This ensures that the volume, panning, program changes, and other controllers for the song are correct, regardless of where you start the song. With Control Chase set to Off, the sequencer behaves as previously described.

Quant

The Quantize parameter determines the amount of real-time quantization (if any) applied to the sequence during recording. The percentage specified for this parameter is the amount of quantization the sequencer applies to the grid for each Note event recorded.

Note that using real-time quantization has the same effect as recording normally, and then using the Quantize Track Editing operation.


Song Mode: The STATS Page

Grid

The grid parameter determines the resolution of quantization and the position of the grid points.

Swing

The Swing parameter determines the amount (in units of percent) of “swing” applied during quantization.

Release

The Release parameter determines whether or not note-off events are quantized.

Song Mode: The STATS Page

The STATS page is a display-only page that shows the status of the PC3 event pool. The event pool is used by all the sequences loaded at a given time in the system. These include: the current song, the compare song buffer, and up to 16 riffs.

The STATS page shown below is the state of the PC3 event pool with 0*New Song* selected, and no other user objects loaded in any other modes:

The events in the PC3 are similar to events of other sequencers with a single major difference: the Note events are stored as a single big event, i.e., one PC3 Note event is comprised of the note-on and note-off events. All other events are stored as single events on the PC3.

The fields on the STATS page are:

•

Max

– the maximum number of notes/events in memory.

•

Used

– the total number of notes/events being used.

•

Free

– the number of notes/events that are free.

•

Part.

– the number of partitioned events, which are events for which space in memory is allocated. This is technical information of importance only to engineers (and maybe a few power users).

•

Song

– the total number of events (including notes) in the current song.

•

Temp

– the total number of events in the temp buffer (the temp buffer is used when grabbing events from a different song).

•

Riffs 1–16

– the total number of events in each riff.

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The Song Editor

The Song Editor

In general, you’ll get to the Song editor pages by pressing the Edit button any time you’re in

Song mode. There’s one exception: if the Program parameter is currently highlighted on the display, you’ll enter the Program editor when you press Edit.

There are a few conventions shared by all of the Song editor pages. Displayed at the top of each

Song editor page is the name of the page and the currently selected track (1–16, or all tracks). All of the values for the parameters found in any of the Song-editor pages are saved in the song object.

Song Editor: The COMMON Page

Press the Edit button on the front panel of the PC3 to display the COMMON page and begin editing a song. This is where you will find parameters common to all tracks, such as tempo and time signature, control parameters for effects, and soft buttons for switching to other Song editor pages.

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Parameter

Tempo

Time Signature

FX Track

Drum Track

MIDI Destination

(Numerator)

(Denominator)


0 (external), 20.00 to 400.00 BPM

1 to 99

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64

1 to 16

–, D

–, L, M, U

Default

–

L

4

1

120

4

The top line of this page displays the selected track or tracks. Select the available current track for editing by using the Chan/Layer buttons.

Although the current track information is displayed on the top line, the COMMON page’s parameters are global settings for the song and do not directly affect individual tracks.

Tempo

This is another place where the song’s initial tempo can be set or modified.


Song Editor: The COMMON Page

TimeSig

Affects the click, playback looping, and locate function as well as some editing operations. Does not change the recorded data, though it does change the way data is displayed on the screen.

FX Track

The PC3 uses the channel of the track specified for FX Track as the Aux FX channel.

DrumTrack

Any of the song’s tracks can be defined as Drum Tracks so that their Note events do not get transposed when a transposition is applied in riffs and setups.

This feature is particularly useful when a drum kit program (or any other non-pitched program) is used in a song, and you want the sounds produced by each note number in that program to be preserved in each transposition. If in the song being used as a step in an riff or setup (NOT the riff or setup song itself), there is a (D) designating the track playing the drum program as a

Drum Track, the originally recorded Note events on that track will remain unchanged.

The Drum Tracks’ settings do not have any effect on edits made on the TRACK page in the Song

Editor. Any tracks defined as Drum Tracks are transposed when a transposition is applied to these tracks from the TRACK page.

MidiDst

The MIDI data on each track has a destination assignment selectable with the TrackDest parameter. There are four possible indicators:

L =

Local. The track’s MIDI data will be transmitted locally only, to the PC3’s internal sound generator. None of the track’s MIDI data will be sent to the MIDI Out port.

M

= MIDI. The track’s MIDI data will be transmitted only to the MIDI Out.

U

= USB MIDI. The track’s MIDI data will be transmitted only to the USB port.

––– = None.

Pairs and groups of the above letters indicate that MIDI is being sent to each letter’s corresponding destination.

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Song Editor: The TRACK Page

Soft Buttons on the COMMON Page

TRACK

– calls up the TRACK page. This page accesses useful track based edit functions. There is a selectable edit function that can be applied to the selected track or all tracks in your song.

The TRACK page is described on page 12-18.

EVENT

– calls up the EVENT page, an event-list style editor. On the EVENT page in the Song

Editor, you can scroll through, modify, add, or delete any or all of the tracks’ MIDI events. The

EVENT page is described on page 12-28.

Rec, Play,

and Stop – function as described in The Rec, Play, and Stop Soft Buttons on page 12-5.

Save

– calls up the “Save as” dialogue.

Song Editor: The TRACK Page

This page allows you access to useful track-based edit functions. These functions are:

Erase

Copy

Bounce

Insert

Delete

Quantize

Shift

Transpose

Grab

Change

Remap

For each function, there is a set of parameters to control how the function operates, and on what region of the selected track(s). As usual, the top line of this page displays the selected track or tracks. Select the available current track(s) for editing by using the Chan/Layer buttons. Press both of the Chan/Layer buttons together to select All tracks.

Below is an example of the TRACK page for the Bounce function.

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You will notice that the page is divided into two halves, with the right half being a separate box

This is called the Region/Criteria box. The parameters in this box are used to select the range of events (from a start Bar and Beat to and end Bar and Beat) for modification, as well as which types of events function will affect.

The parameters in this box will generally be the same for most functions. For some functions, however, some parameters may not apply. For example, Quantize and Transpose apply only to notes, while Remap applies only to Controllers. In addition to the Region/Criteria box parameters, the Locate parameter is also found on each function.



Since these parameters are common to most Track functions, we will define them first. Then we’ll describe the individual functions along with the parameters specific to each, which are normally found on the left side of the page. The function Quantize has unique parameter in its

Region/Criteria boxes. We’ll describe those parameters along with the functions.

Once you’ve chosen a function and set the parameters to your liking, press Go. This executes the editing function. You can then play the sequence to hear the results of your edit. If you don’t like your edit, simply exit the editor and press No when you are asked if you want to save. If you do like your edit, you can press Done and then Save, or just exit the editor and save the changes.

Or, you can go to another edit function. Keep in mind though, that if you choose to perform more than one edit without saving, and you are not satisfied with one of the changes you make, you will have to exit the editor without saving and then redo each of the changes you made.

That’s why it’s usually best to save after each successful edit.

Common Parameters for Edit Song: Track Functions

Locate

This parameter is available for every function on the TRACK page. It appears at the lower left hand corner of the page.

The Locate bar, beat, and tick will change in real time during playback and recording to reflect the song’s current position. It can be set to any bar, beat, and tick, including negative values.

Playback begins at, and Stop resets the song to the Locate bar, beat, and tick.

Region/Criteria Box Parameters

From and To

From and To are available in most TRACK edit functions to define a range of time on the selected track(s).

The From value defines the first bar, beat, and tick in a range of time selected for editing. The To value defines the final bar, beat, and tick in a range of time selected for editing.

Events

Any and all types of MIDI events are available for editing, selectable in this parameter. Some events will provide you with settings for a range of values, or other MIDI event specific criteria.

Available Values are: All, Notes, Controllers, MonoPress, PitchBend, ProgChange, PolyPress.

When Events is set to ALL, all MIDI events on the track(s) you are editing, that occur in the region of time between the From and To settings, will be affected by the edit function.

When Events is set to Notes, note number and velocity ranges can be set for Note events.

LoKey

Determines the lowest note in a range of notes to be affected. This can be set to any

MIDI note value; the default is C-1.

High Key (Hi)

Determines the highest note in a range of notes to be affected. This can be set to any

MIDI note value; the default is G9.

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LoVel

An attack velocity range can be specified as criteria for selecting Note events for editing.

The LoVel parameter sets the lowest velocity a Note needs to have in order to be edited.

Notes on the selected track(s) with a attack velocities lower than the LoVel will not be affected by the edit. The available values are 1–127; the default is 1.

High Velocity (Hi)

The Hi parameter sets the highest attack velocity a Note needs to have in order to be edited. Notes on the selected track(s) with attack velocities higher than the value of Hi are not affected by the edit. The available values are 1–127; the default is 127.

When Events is set to Controller, the Controller(s) and a Controller value range can be set for

Controller events.

Controller

The Controller parameter selects the Controller (if any) or all Controllers to be affected.

LoVal

You may further specify a particular range of values to edit by setting a high and low value. LoVal will define the lowest modifiable value in the selected controller’s recorded data. Value ranges are not definable when Ctl is set to All. Available Values are 0–127.

High Value (Hi)

Hi defines the highest modifiable value in the selected controller’s recorded data. Value ranges are not definable when Ctl is set to All. Available Values are 0–127.

Soft Buttons on the TRACK Page

FromTo

is a quick way to define the region of time you intend to edit. There are a couple of ways to use this feature when the sequence is playing back in real time, and both ways will set the temporal boundaries of the region.

One way is to first position the cursor over the From parameter in the Region/Criteria box and then press the Play soft button. During playback, every time you press FromTo, the PC3 updates the value of From to match the current playback location. Position the cursor over the To parameter to change the value of To in a similar fashion.

If you haven’t selected either the From or To parameter, pressing FromTo during playback updates From or To—or both—depending on the current playback location (the value of the

Locate parameter) at the time you press FromTo. If you press it while the Locate value is earlier in the song than the current To value, the PC3 updates the From value. If you press FromTo again (without stopping playback) while the Locate value is later than the current From value, the PC3 updates the To value.

Play

will start the playback of the song from the Bar and Beat set in the Locate parameter. When the song is playing, this soft button functions as a Pause button.

Stop

stops the playback of the song and return to the Bar and Beat set as the Locate value.

Go

performs any of the Track-based edit functions described above.

Done

will return you to the EditSong : COMMON page.

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Song Editor: Track Functions

Song Editor: Track Functions

Erase

This function erases specified events from a region of time, but it doesn’t delete the region of time. The result is like erasing a section of recording tape. If you want to completely remove a segment and shorten the length of the track, you can do it with the Delete function.

Copy

Use the Copy function to duplicate the selected events from the current track and place them in the same track or on another track, either merging with or overwriting existing data.

If you do not want to copy all of the MIDI events in the defined range of time on the current track, use the Events parameter in the Region/Criteria box to select a specific MIDI event type you would like the edit function to affect. Some event types provide you more criteria selection parameters. It is often a good idea to set Events to Notes when copying, and then add any necessary controller or other data to the track at a later time.

DstTrack

: 1 to 16 / All

Select a destination track for the copied events with the DstTrack parameter. All selected events described in the Region/Criteria box will be placed in the destination track(s) at any Bar and

Beat you specify.

If the currently selected track is All tracks then the destination track will be All tracks as well.

No matter what channel the current track (source track) is set to when you use the copy function, the events will be played on the destination track’s channel.

Location

: Bars : Beats : Ticks

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Specify a bar, beat, and tick location in the destination track where the copied data will be placed with the Location parameter. If the length of the copied region extends from the Location point beyond the song’s existing End point, a new End point is defined.

Mode

: Merge/Erase/Slide

The Mode setting determines whether the copied events merge with, or erase existing events on the destination track from the location point to the end of the copied region. With Mode set to

Slide

, the sequencer creates space for the new events, and slides the existing events to uniformly later times in the song.

Times

: 1 to 127

The value selected for the Times parameter determines how many copies of the selected region are placed, one after another, in the destination track.

Bounce

Use the Bounce function to move the selected events from the current track to another track, either merging with or overwriting existing data on the destination track. The Bounce function differs from the Copy function in that the original data is not preserved in the original track. As on a multi-track tape recorder, Bounce will always put the data in the same timeline on the new track that it was on the old track.

DstTrack

: 1 to 16

Select a destination track for the events to be moved to with the DstTrack parameter. All selected events described in the Region/Criteria box will be placed in the destination track at the data’s original location.

No matter what channel the current track (source track) is set to when you use the bounce function, the events will be played on the destination track’s channel.

Mode

: Merge/Erase

The Mode setting determines whether the bounced events merge with, or erase existing events on the destination track from the location point to the end of the copied region.

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Insert

The Insert function is used to add blank time to the current song, modifying the song’s End point appropriately. The Insert function will affect all tracks. This is similar to splicing a piece of blank tape to an existing segment of recording tape.

Location


The insertion point for the blank time being added is selected as a Bar and Beat Location value.

Events that occurred at or after this Bar and Beat, before you insert time, are not erased when you perform this function, rather they are offset by the length of the blank time being added to a

Bar and Beat later in the song.

Amount


The length of the blank time being added is defined as a number of Bars and Beats in the

Amount parameter.

There are no Region/Criteria parameters available for the Insert function.

Delete

The Delete function is used to remove a region of time from the current song. This function is different from the erase function because not only does it remove the events from the selected time, it will delete the entire selected range of time from the song, modifying the song’s End point appropriately (on all tracks). This is similar to cutting a section out of a tape and splicing the ends.

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Quantize

Use the Quantize function to adjust the timing of Note events. Keep in mind that only Note events are quantized; other types of events, such as controllers, are not quantized.

Quant

: Off/1 to 100%

The Quantize parameter determines how much the selected Note events are moved towards grid locations. If set to Off, no aligning of previously recorded notes to grid locations will occur.

If set to 100%, every recorded Note event will be aligned to the closest grid location, defined by the Grid setting. Notes will be moved to a position half way between the grid location and the original Note-event location if Quant is set to 50%.

Grid

: 1/1 to 1/480

This setting determines the size of the Quantize grid, expressed as a fraction of a Bar with a 4/4 meter. Set Grid to 1/1 for whole note grid, 1/16 for sixteenth notes. All of the standard note durations and every fractional Bar divisions in between are available as the size of the Input

Quantize grid.

Swing

: -100 to 125%

The Swing percentage is applied to the quantize grid. 0% swing is straight time, 100% produces a swing feel (triplet feel). A positive Swing value determines how close every other grid location is moved to a point 1/3 of the way towards the next grid point. Negative Swing moves every other grid location closer to a point 1/3 of the way towards the previous grid point.

Release

: Yes/No

Set the Release parameter to Yes if you would like each quantized Note event’s Note Off message to be aligned to the grid location nearest to the time the key was originally released.

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Shift

The Shift function allows you to offset the existing MIDI events forward or backward in time any number of ticks (1/480th of a Beat) and beats. This function only affects the End point if any of the shifted events are after the End point of the song.

Events can not be shifted beyond the End point or before Bar 1 : Beat 1 : Tick 0. The events can be shifted only as far as these temporal boundaries. All events that can’t be shifted the full Ticks amount will be placed at the boundary location.

Amount


The Ticks parameter specifies the number of bars, beats, and ticks that the MIDI events, from within the selected region, are moved forward (for positive values) or backward (for negative values) in time relative to their original locations.

Mode: Merge/Erase

The Mode setting determines whether the shifted events merge with, or erase existing events on the destination track from the location point to the end of the shifted region.

Transpose

Use the Transpose function to change the MIDI Note numbers of the selected Note events.

Semitone

: -128 to 127 semitones

An increment of one semitone represents a change of one MIDI Note number. You can transpose

Note events only within the range of MIDI Note numbers 0 to 127.

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Grab

Grab is similar to the Copy function, except that the Grab function allows you to copy selected data from tracks that exist in other songs in memory.

SrcSong

: Song List

The Source Song parameter is set to the ID and name of the song in memory that contains the desired track data you wish to grab in order to use it in the current song. The source track is determined by the Track parameter displayed on upper right hand side of the page, selectable with the Chan/Layer buttons.

DstTrack

: 1 to 16/All

Select a destination track for the grabbed events with the DstTrack parameter. All selected events from the source song and track described in the Region/Criteria box will be placed in the destination track(s) at any bar, beat, and tick you specify.

If the currently selected track is All tracks then the destination track will be All tracks as well.

No matter what channel the current track (source track in the source song) is set to when you use the grab function, the events will be played on the destination track’s channel.

Location


Specify a bar, beat, and tick location in the destination track where the grabbed data will be placed with the Location parameter. If the length of the grabbed region extends from the

Location point beyond the song’s existing End point, a new End point is defined.

Mode

: Merge/Erase/Slide

The Mode setting determines whether the grabbed events merge with, or erase existing events on the destination track from the location point to the end of the grabbed region. With Mode set to Slide, the sequencer creates space for the new events, and slides the existing events to uniformly later times in the song.

Times: 1 to 127

The value selected for the Times parameter determines how many copies of the selected region are placed, one after another, in the destination track.

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Change

The Change function is used to modify attack velocities, release velocities, or the values of any existing controller data on the current track. A static change of values can be made as well as having the change take place over a region of time.

Change can not modify or add data that doesn’t exist on the current track. If you hear Note events played back on a track, then you know there is an attack and release velocity value for each one, and the effect of the Change function can usually be easily detected. Controller values are sometimes more difficult to change since there can be inconsistent gaps of time between each controller event.

Scale

: 0% to 20000%

The selected velocity or controller events’ values can be changed to a percentage of the original values determined by the Scale parameter. A setting of 100% has no affect. Values are scaled lower with a Scale percentage set from 0% to 99%. Low values can be set higher using a Scale percentage above 100% on up to 20,000%, although the maximum value of 127 can not be exceeded for any velocity or controller type.

Offset

: -128 to 127

Offset can be used alone or in conjunction with Scale to add or subtract a set amount to or from the original (or scaled) values. Values for velocities can not be less than 1 or greater than 127.

Values for controllers can not be less than 0 or greater than 127.

As an example, to set all Velocities to a value of 55, you would set Scale to 0% (multiplies all original values by zero) and set Offset to 55 (adds 55 to the product of the Scale parameter).

Mode

: Constant/PosRamp/NegRamp

Set Mode to Constant to have values modified in a uniform fashion, as determined by the Scale and Offset settings, for the entire selected region of time and range of values.

When the Change function is applied with Mode set to PosRamp, the selected velocity or controller values will gradually change over the region of time, defined by the locations set for the From and To parameters, from the original value to the new value determined by the Scale and Offset settings. The first events being modified within the region will have little or no change from their original values. The amount of Scale and Offset applied will increase as the song approaches the Bar and Beat defined in the To parameter, where the full amount of described change will occur.

You can set Mode to NegRamp to achieve the opposite dynamic effect of PosRamp. NegRamp works in the same way, but the amount of Scale and Offset applied will decrease from the full amount of change described by Scale and Offset to little or no change as the song approaches the bar, beat, and tick defined in the To parameter.

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Song Editor: The EVENT Page

Remap

Use the Remap function to apply the values of any one type of controller data, already recorded on a track, to another controller type. The effect the real time changes of the “Old” controller had will be replaced by the effect the “New” controller has by using the exact same controller values.

Old

: Control Source List (0 to 120)

The “Old” Controller is set to the Controller type that you wish to remap. This Controller data must already exist on the current track in order to apply it to the “New” Controller type.

New

: Control Source List (0 to 120)

The “New” parameter is set to the Controller code you wish to have use the existing values, once used by the “Old” Controller, to produce a different effect.

Song Editor: The EVENT Page

Every type of recorded MIDI event is visible from this page. You can view and change these events if necessary.

Location Bar:Beat:Tick

Event Type and Value

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To scroll through the events, make sure the location (Bar and Beat, in the first column) is highlighted. Use the Alpha Wheel, the Up and Down cursor buttons, or the Plus/Minus buttons. As you scroll through the events, each event is executed by the sequencer. In the case of

Note events, you will hear the note played, although the duration will be short. If you have scrolled through a Sustain (MIDI Controller 64) message with an On value then you will hear the note sustain as if the sustain pedal was depressed. The note will continue to sustain until you scroll through a Sustain message with a value of Off.

You can also jump directly to a specific bar and beat by typing the bar number and beat number, then pressing Enter. Keep in mind if you have controller or program data previous to the point that you jump to, those events may not have been executed and you may hear unexpected results. For example, if you have program changes at bar 1 and bar 8, then if you jump from bar

1 to bar 9 any notes you scroll through will be played with the program change from bar 1.

The channel of the selected event is displayed on the top line of the page. Use the Chan/Layer buttons to select an active track to view and edit the MIDI events recorded on it. As you scroll through each event, the track and channel for the selected event appear in the top line of the display.

Location

The first column represents the Bar and Beat Locations of the different events in a song. Scroll through the events on the selected track(s) with the Alpha Wheel or enter in a specific Bar and

Beat on the alphanumeric button pad to jump to events occurring on that Beat. A quick way to jump to the End point in a track is to press 9999 and then Enter on the alphanumeric button pad.

Bar, Beat, and Tick

Bar, Beat, and Tick are editable parameters for each event. They determine when an event happens relative to the other events within the song.

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Event Type and Value

The Event Type and Value region displays the MIDI event type (and related information) at each

Event-list location in the song. Different event types display different kinds of information, and have different editable values.

The Event type is left-most field. You can highlight this field and change the Event type. Note events are denoted by a “>” followed by the note name. The “>” is effectively the Controller type, and to change the Controller, highlight the “>.” To change the note, highlight the note name.

Table 12-1 lists the ranges of the editable event values.

Event Type

Program Change (PCHG)

Pitch Bend (BEND)

Mono Pressure (MPRS)

MIDI Note Events (>)

MIDI Controller Events (CTRL)

Values

0 to 127

-8192 to 8191

0 to 127

Note events have four editable values: Note Name, Attack

Velocity (indicated by a “v”), Release Velocity (indicated by a “^”), and Note Duration.

Note NumberC -1 to G 9

Attack Velocity

Release Velocity v1 to v127

^1 to ^127

Note Duration Bar : Beats : Ticks

Controller events have two editable values: Controller Type and Controller Value. Defined controllers are referred to by their names.

Controller Type

Controller Value

Control Source List (0 to 127)

0 to 127

Table 12-1 MIDI-event Value Ranges

Soft Buttons on the EVENT Page

Cut

: Removes the currently selected event from the Event list and temporarily stores it in a memory buffer so that you can immediately paste it into a new location.

Copy

: Makes a duplicate of the currently selected event and temporarily stores it in a memory buffer so that you can immediately paste it into a new location.

Paste

: Inserts the most recent cut or copied event into the Event list at the currently selected

Bar : Beat : Tick location. The pasted event will share the same location with the event that

already existed at that location in the Event list, but it will appear before the pre-existing event.

New:

Inserts a new event by duplicating the current event.

Done

: On the View page, returns to the EVENT page. On the EVENT page, returns to the

COMMON page.

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Song Mode and the Song Editor. Kurzweil PC3x, PC3

Chapter 12

Song Mode and the Song Editor

Getting Started with the Sequencer

What is a Sequencer?

Song Mode: The MAIN Page

Current Song (CurSong)

Tempo

Fractional Tempos

Recording Track (RecTrk)

Program

Channel (Chan)

Volume (Vol)

Pan

Mode

Location (Locat)

Mode Indicators (+ and x):

Activity Indicators

Track Status Indicators

Track Channels

Soft Buttons on the MAIN Page

The Rec, Play, and Stop Soft Buttons

NOTE:

Song Status is REC READY, pressing the Play soft button will begin recording.

The

Load, Save, and Export Soft Buttons

The

NewSng and ClrSng Soft Buttons

The Save Changes Dialog

Song Mode: The BIG Page

Time In

Time Out

Song End

Loop

Punch

Metro

Song Mode: The FX Pages

Song Mode: The MIXER Page

**Uneditable

The Rec, Play, and Stop Soft Buttons

The Keep Soft Button

The Done Soft Button

Song Mode: The METRO Page

Metronome

CountOff

Program

Channel

Strong Note

Strong Vel

Soft Note

Soft Vel

The Rec, Play, and Stop Soft Buttons

The Done Soft Button

Song Mode: The Filter Pages (RECFLT and PLYFLT)

Notes

LoKey

Hi

LoVel

Hi

Controllers

Controller

LoVal

Hi

PitchBend

ProgChange

MonoPress

PolyPress

The Rec, Play, and Stop Soft Buttons

The Done Soft Button

Song Mode: The MISC Page

Control Chase

Quant

Grid

Swing

Release

Song Mode: The STATS Page

The Song Editor

Song Editor: The COMMON Page

Tempo

TimeSig