Kurzweil K150, K150X User Manual
K150
USER’S MANUAL
Kurzweil Music Systems, Inc.
Waltham, MA
June 1986 version
KMSI P/N: 91002501
Copyright (C) 1986 Kurzweil Music Systems, Inc.
Table of Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How To Use This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Programs, Regions, and Layers . . . . . . . . . 1-1
The Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
The Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
The Built-In Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Selecting Between Programs . . . . . . . . 1-4
Using the K150X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Communicating with the K150X. . . . . . . . . 2-1
The Buttons on the Front Panel . . . . . . . 2-1
The Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
The Channel Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Using the Channel Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Channel Editor Hints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
The Tuning Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Using the Tuning Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Master Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Transposition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Intonation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Reference Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
The MIDI Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Using the MIDI Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
MIDI Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
MIDI Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Mod Wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Velocity Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Loudness Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Program List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
The Program Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Using the Program Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Selecting and Editing Programs . . . . . . . 6-1
F1, F2, and F3 in the Program Editor . . . . . . 6-2
Pitch Wheel and Key-Pressure Bend. . . . . . . 6-3
Soft Pedal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Left and Right Split Points . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Left and Right Region Balances . . . . . . . . . 6-5
The Region Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Using the Region Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
F1, F2, and F3 in the Region Editor . . . . . . . 7-1
The Layer Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Using the Layer Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Selecting and Editing Layers . . . . . . . . 8-1
F1, F2, and F3 in the Layer Editor . . . . . 8-2
Creating and Deleting Layers . . . . . . . . 8-2
Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Transposition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Timbre Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Timbre-Shift Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Timbre-Select. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Timbre-Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Balance Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Balance Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Pitch Bend Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Chorus Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Vibrato Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Equalizer Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
The Chorus Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Using the Chorus Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Detune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Decay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Chorus Editor Assignable Controls. . . . . . . . 9-2
Chorus Editor Hints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
The Vibrato Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Using the Vibrato Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Triangle or Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Symmetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vibrato Assignable Controls . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
The Equalizer Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Using the Equalizer Editor . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
The Control Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
F1, F2, and F3 in the Control Editor . . . . . . 12-1
Using the Control Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
How Assignment is Done. . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Assignable Controls and Switches . . . . . . . 12-3
The Miscellaneous Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1
Using the MISC Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1
The Program List Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1
Using the Program List Editor . . . . . . . 13-1
F1, F2, and F3 in the Program List Editor . 13-1
Intonation Table Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2
Using the Intonation Editor . . . . . . . . 13-2
Velocity Map Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-3
Using the Velocity Map Editor . . . . . . 13-3
Summary of Editable Parameters. . . . . . . . . . A-1
Battery Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Replacing the Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Replacement Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-1
Preface
How To Use This Manual
This manual assumes some knowledge of music theory and terminology, and familiarity with some concepts of electronic
sound generation, the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standard, and other recent advances in music creation and
performing.
Chapter 1 will give you a brief overview of the Kurzweil Model K150X Expander (K150X), and show you how to connect it
to your MIDI controller and start making music right away. SThe manual assumes that your MIDI controller is a piano
keyboard-like controller. However, the K150X will work with any controller which produces standard MIDI signals.
After reading Chapter 1, you should be able to play the K150X’s built-in sounds, and begin to suspect that you can do much
more.
Chapter 2 describes using the K150X in-depth, and gives you an overview of the editors and how to use them. After this
chapter, you should be able to read the chapters on individual editors as you need them.
Chapters 3 through 13 are on individual editors. Within each editor chapter, everything you can do with that editor is
documented, with examples and references to other chapters as needed.
Appendix A is a summary of editable parameters from all the editors.
Appendix B, Battery Replacement, describes how to change the battery in the K150X.
i
Introduction
Introduction
The Kurzweil Model K150X Expander (K150X) has built-in programs you can play directly, and editors with which you can
modify these programs to create an enormous range of sounds and playing/performance options.
In most synthesizers, the sound begins with a simple electronic waveform that is then filtered and shaped to produce the final
tone. The Kurzweil K150X Expander is also a synthesizer. However, instead of starting off with a simple electronic
waveform, the K150X starts with a computer model of an acoustically rich instrumental sound. These models, which we call
voices, are created by a Contoured Sound Model, which produces the rich, authentic tones for which Kurzweil Music
Systems has become famous.
Programs, Regions, and Layers
In addition to the voices, the K150X offers many sound-modifying resources. By using these resources, we are able to
change a basic voice to create a great variety of new tone colors. The resources are referred to as modifiers. A voice,
together with its associate modifiers, is called a layer.
With the K150X, you can combine layers to form a composite tone color, and then assign that combination of layers to a
region. A region is one group of keys into which the K150X divides the incoming MIDI keyboard information. The K150X
enables you to set up one, two, or three keyboard regions.
A complete keyboard setup is called a program. The program tells where the regions are, which layers are in each region,
and which voice and modifier values are in each layer. The programs are numbered from 0 to 255. A given program may be
selected by the K150X’s front panel, or by a MIDI program change command.
Thus, programs are built up like the branches of a tree. The program is the tree itself, the regions are parts of the tree’s
"trunk", and the layers are "branches" that are attached to the trunk. To continue the analogy, you can think of the K150X as
a "forest" of up to 255 trees. The size of the forest is fixed by the amount of memory in the K150X. You can have up to 255
"trees," but if you build up big trees with a lot of "branches" (that is, a complex program with a lot of layers), it will take
more space in the memory than smaller trees with fewer layers, and you will be able to fit fewer than the maximum of 255 in
your "forest" of programs.
The K150X allows you to build up a program of one, two, or three regions, each of which may have up to seven layers. In
working on your programs, you may set up, change, or remove just a layer, a region of layers, or an entire program.
The Voices
Many voices are built in to every K150X. A list of the resident voices is given in Chapter 8 of this manual. In addition,
every K150X contains voice expansion slots into which supplied voice block integrated circuits are inserted. Additional
expansion slots are also supplied so that you can add more voice block integrated circuits later on.
All voices are instantly available for playing. That is, there is no waiting time to play any of the voices that you have
installed within the instrument.
The Modifiers
Modifiers change a voice, or change the manner in which the voice responds to MIDI control signals. Modifiers may be
applied at the layer level, program level, or be instrument-wide. A modifier which is applied at the layer level affects only
that layer, a modifier applied at the program level affects all layers in all regions defined by the program, and an instrumentwide modifier affects all the programs in the K150.
Instrument-wide modifiers include:
• MIDI assignments
• Master transposition, tuning, and intonation
1-1
• Keyboard response adjustments
Program 16
Program 17Program 15
Chorusing
Vibrato Equalizer
Region 1 Region 2 Region 3
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 7
...
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 7
...
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 7
...
Program-wide modifiers include:
• Controller ranges
• Sizes and balances of regions
• Chorusing
• Vibrato
• Equalization
Layer-wide modifiers include.
• Voice selection
• Voice modification
• Layer transposition and tuning
• Layer balancing
Figure 1-1 shows pictorially how you might look at a single program, its relationship to its regions, layers, editors, and its
relationship to the other programs.
The Editors
The modifiers of the K150X are accessible through its editors. By using the editors to create your own programs from
scratch, or to modify the built-in programs, you can create an enormous range of new and different programs. They, in turn,
may be stored in the K150X, or on an external cassette tape.
The following editors are available:
1. (MIDI) Channel editor
2. Tuning editor
3. MIDI Mode editor
4. Program editor
Figure 1-1. Sample Program.
1-2
5. Region editor
6. Layer editor
7. Chorusing editor
8. Vibrato editor
9. Equalizer editor
10. (MIDI) Assignment editor
11. Miscellaneous functions editor
All changes that you make while editing take effect instantly. Thus, you can play the keyboard while you’re editing to hear
the changes as you make them.
The Built-In Programs
The built-in programs are popular playing configurations of conventional instruments, or highlight sound modification
features of the K150X. Program #1, for instance, is a piano. Program #2 combines a piano with a bass: the lowest two
octaves of the keyboard sound like a bass, while the rest of the keyboard remains a piano. You can select and play these and
many other programs, as soon as the K150X is connected to a MIDI controller and an amplifier.
Getting Started
The K150X allows a myriad of connections between itself and other devices through the MIDI interface. We’ll describe a
simple setup with the K150X acting as a MIDI receiver from a MIDI controller, which we’ll assume to be a piano keyboardlike device.
To set up the K150X and one MIDI controller, you will need:
• 110V or 220V AC electrical power
• A MIDI controller
• A MIDI cable
• Headphones with a ¼-inch stereo phone plug (mono or stereo), or a ¼-inch mono phone plug connected to an
amplifier and speaker combination.
Follow this general procedure:
1. The K150X will operate on either 110V or 220V AC power, and indicates on the rear panel which kind of power it is
currently set up for. Make sure the K150X is set for the voltage in your location before turning it on.
2. Connect one end of the MIDI cable to the MIDI OUT jack on the MIDI controller.
3. Connect the other end of the MIDI cable to the MIDI IN jack on the K150X. No other jacks should be used in this
application.
4. Plug the power cord in between the K150X’s AC LINE IN connector and the AC power source.
5. Turn on the K150X by pressing the power switch on the lower right side of the front panel. This insures that when your
MIDI controller is powered up the K150X will receive any setup information which might be sent by your MIDI
controller. After a few seconds, the display will read
KURZWEIL 150X
for a few seconds, and then read
C1 P1 PIANO
meaning that the K150X is ready to go.
1-3
6. Turn on the amplifier, and plug the ¼-inch phone plug into the AUDIO OUT jack on the rear panel of the K150X, and/or
plug the headphones into the headphone jack on the front panel of the K150X.
7. Adjust the volume control on the front panel of the K150X to a low, but audible level, and press a keyboard key. You
should now be getting an acoustic piano sound.
When using headphones, the volume control should be set to a comfortable listening level. However, when using an external
amplifier or speaker, best results are obtained when the volume level is set as loud as your amplifier will allow without
distorting.
Selecting Between Programs
The display should currently read:
C1 P1 PIANO
meaning that Program number 1, with name "PIANO", is active and assigned to MIDI Channel 1. Press INCR, and the
display should read:
C1 P2 ABS/PNO
You should now be able to play Program number 2, which has an acoustic bass voice in the lower part of the keyboard and a
piano in the upper part of the keyboard. To return to Program number 1, press DECR.
You can use INCR and DECR to step through all the currently existing programs and play them. You can also jump between
non-sequentially numbered programs by entering the number of the desired program using the numbered buttons, and
pressing ENTER. You are now ready learn more about the K150X and what it does.
1-4
Using the K150X
In this chapter you’ll be introduced to the button-pads of the K150X, and briefed on what the individual buttons do and how
they work. This will lead into a discussion of the editors and how to use them.
Communicating with the K150X
All your interaction with the K150X is through the front panel button-pad and display.
Using the buttons on the front panel, you tell the K150X what to do. The K150X gives information back to you visually
through its display, and audibly through its audio output, enabling you to listen to changes as you make them.
The Buttons on the Front Panel
From here on, we’re going to divide the buttons on the front panel into 2 halves: the left button-pad and the right button-pad,
as shown in Figure 2-1. Each of these halves is used to perform different functions.
CHANNEL TUNE MIDI LEFT CENTER RIGHT
F1 F2 F3 1 2 3
PROG REGION LAYER
SAVE CANCEL UNDO 4 5 6
CHORUS VIB EQ
INCR DECR CLR 7 8 9
CTRLS MISC NO YES
NEXT PREV EDIT - 0 ENTR
left button-pad right button-pad
Figure 2-1. The Front Panel Buttons.
The Left Buttonpad
The left button-pad is used to select parameters to edit, and to perform various other operations while editing. Although there
are only 12 keys, they perform many operations by doing different things depending on what you’re up to and how you got
there. Sequences of previous button selections can make a difference in what a button does. (Don’t worry, the display helps
you keep track of your button selections.)
On the Buttons. Written on the buttons are names or abbreviations for what they do if you press them directly (i.e. if you
haven’t just pressed the EDIT button), as shown in Table 2-1.
Table 2-1
Left Button-pad Buttons
Button Meaning What It Does
F1
F2
F3
SAVE
CANC
UNDO
INCR
Function #1 changes - we’ll get back to them
Function *2
Function #3
save save the current changes
cancel cancel all changes since the last time save was pressed
undo undoes (re-does) the last value change
increment increment the value (i.e. raise it)
2-1
DECR
CLR
NEXT
PREV
EDIT
decrement decrement the value (i.e. lower it)
clear clear the value (usually to 0)
next advance to the next parameter (i.e. step forward through the options)
previous go back to the last parameter (i.e. step backward through the options)
edit special button, used in sequence with the others above
Above the Buttons. Written above the buttons are abbreviations for the K150X’s different editors. The EDIT button gives
you access to the K150X’s editors. You access the editors by pressing the EDIT button first, and then the button below the
abbreviation. (If you’ve ever used a scientific calculator, in which keys have different meanings depending on whether
you’ve pushed the "function" key, this works the same way.) For instance, pressing EDIT F2 selects TUNE, the Master
Tuning Editor. The editors are summarized in Table 2-2.
Table 2-2
Button Sequences for Editors
Word or Abbreviation
Above Button
CHAN
TUNE
MIDI
PROG
REGION
LAYER
CHORUS
VIB
EQ
CONTROLS
MISC
Abbreviation
For
Channel
Tune
MIDI
Program
Region
Layer
Chorus
Vibrato
Equalization
Controls
Miscellaneous
Buttons Sequence
to Press
EDIT F1
EDIT F2
EDIT F3
EDIT SAVE
EDIT QUIT
EDIT UNDO
EDIT INCR
EDIT DECR
EDIT CLR
EDIT NEXT
EXIT PREV
Meaning
Selects the Channel Assignment Editor
Accesses the Master Tune Editor
Selects the MIDI Editor
Accesses the Program Editor
Selects region to edit
Accesses the Layer Editor
Accesses the Chorus Editor
Accesses the Vibrato Editor
Accesses the Graphic Equalization Editor
Accesses the MIDI Control Editor
Accesses the Miscellaneous Editor
The Right Button-pad
There are numbers printed on most of the buttons of the right button-pad. You use these buttons to enter values after you’ve
selected parameters to change with the left button-pad. The new values don’t take effect until you press the ENTR button.
Three of the buttons, ENTR, 0, and -, have special meanings:
ENTR
You’ll be using the ENTR button often. Pressing ENTR means different things at different times:
• enter a selected editor
• indicate you’re finished entering a value; Use ENTR after entering a number to let the K150X know you’re
finished. If you’ve used a computer before, think of ENTR as the RETURN button of a computer when used in
this context. If nothing seems to be happening, try pressing the ENTR button. (Don’t worry, you can always
press undo to undo the change.)
0
The 0 button serves 2 different purposes:
• enters 0 for numeric values
• answers "Yes" to K150X questions (the sign button, - is "no".)
- (The sign button)
2-2
Pressing the sign button means different things at different times:
1 2 3 4 5
• it starts entry of a negative number. When you intend to enter a negative number, press - first.
• it steps through 4-way signs. Some K150X values can be positive (+), negative (-), starting positive (±), or
starting negative (-/+). Pressing - steps through these 4 values.
• it answers "no" to K150X questions. ("No" is printed above the button.)
Left, Center, and Right
The words "LEFT, "CENTER", and "RIGHT" appear above the 1, 2, and 3 keys. These meanings are significant only in the
Region Editor. They allow you to quickly select which region of the keyboard you want to edit.
The Display
The K150X communicates back to you visually using the display, which is capable of displaying up to 16 alphabetic and/or
numeric characters. The display gives you the information concisely, using abbreviations and information Fields to show
you what’s happening. The location of a number or abbreviation within the display is important. It can be divided
approximately into 5 fields, as shown in Figure 2-2.
Figure 2-2. Fields of the K150X Display
When you’re using the Program, Region, or Layer Editors, the number of that program, region, or layer appears in Field 1.
Outside of these editors, Field 2 usually moves over into this field.
The name, or an abbreviation for the name of the parameter being edited appears in Field 2.
When applicable, the sign of the value in Field 4 appears in Field 3. This can be +, −, and sometimes ± or -/+.
The value for the parameter in Field 2 appears in Field 4.
An abbreviation for the units of the value in Field 4, when applicable, appear in Field 5. Table 2-3 shows the abbreviations
the K150X uses in Field 5 and their meanings:
Table 2-3
Units in the K150X Display
Abbreviation Unit Meaning
C cents 1 cent = 1/100 of a semitone
ST semitone 1/2 of a whole tone (50 cents)
dB decibels a measurement of loudness
ms milliseconds 1 millisecond = 1/1000 of a second
Hz Hertz cycles per second - frequency
kHz kiloHertz Hertz x 1000
For example, consider the following displays:
2-3
C1. TUNE -58C
The Center Region, Layer #1 is being edited. The parameter being edited is TUNE (tuning), whose present value is -58C.
This layer is tuned down -58C (it is 58 cents flat).
P1 250 HZ +5 dB
Program #1’s equalizer is given +5 dB of emphasis at the 250Hz point.
The display which appears when the K150X is turned on, showing the MIDI channel and program number currently active,
indicates that you are in the Channel Editor, the top-level editor. Any time you want to return to this editor, press EDIT F1.
The display will show the Channel and Program currently active:
C number P number program-name
This is the K150X’s top-level display. C stands for CHANNEL and P stands for PROGRAM. From here, you can use INCR
and DECR to step through the Programs, or NEXT and PREV to step through the Channels.
Using the Editors
It is through the editors that you display and change parameters in the K150X. Press EDIT to indicate you want to select an
editor. Then select the editor you want by pushing the button below its abbreviation. For example, EDIT F1 selects the
Channel Editor while EDIT UNDO selects the Layer Editor.
Once you are in the editor, the display will identify the program, region, and/or layer that you are editing, the name of or an
abbreviation for the parameter (e.g., .V-DEPTH for vibrato depth) and the current editable value, which will be flashing. To
change a numeric value, simply enter the new value using the numeric button-pad and press ENTR, or use INCR and DECR
to step through the numbers. (Note that flashing stops when you start entering a new value.) The NEXT and PREV buttons
are used to step through the various parameters in that editor.
All changes that you make while editing take effect instantly. Thus, you can play the instrument while you are editing to
hear the changes as you make them.
The Editing Buttons
Once an editor has been selected, the buttons of the left button-pad take on the meanings printed on them.
F1, F2 and F3
These buttons are active only in certain editors, and have special functions which depend on the currently active editor, as
outlined in Table 2-4. These functions are discussed in detail the chapters on individual editors.
Table 2-4
F1, F2 and F3 in Various Editors
Editor F1 F2 F3
Channel Read Cassette Memory Space
Program Rename Program Copy Program Delete Program
Region Delete Region Copy Region Replace Region
Layer (selecting) Delete Layer Copy Layer Insert Layer
Layer (using) Change Layer (up) Change Layer (down) Mute Other Layers
Controls Jump to Beginning of List Jump to Chorus Controls Jump to Vibrato Controls
Program List (Misc) Jumps 16 Entries Insert Program Delete Program
SAVE and CANC
2-4
The SAVE and CANC buttons can be used at any time during editing. SAVE will cause all changes that you have made to
be stored in the K150X’s non-volatile RAM memory. This memory is used to initialize the machine when it is turned on.
CANC will cancel all changes that you have made since the last time SAVE was pressed.
UNDO
If you are in the middle of a numeric entry (no flashing) UNDO cancels the entry (i.e., the display will begin flashing again).
Otherwise, UNDO cancels the last change that you made to the current parameter. Pushing UNDO again will re-do the
change. Thus, UNDO can be used to switch back and forth between two values.
INCR and DECR
These buttons can be used to increment and decrement the current parameter value or entry value. If you use them after
entering a value but before pushing ENTR they just increment and decrement the entered value. If the current parameter
value is displayed (flashing) then INCR and DECR will alter that value directly. For example, if the current value of Master
Tune is 20, pushing INCR is equivalent to pushing 2, 1, ENTR.
The INCR and DECR buttons will repeat at a rate of ten times a second if held down for more than one second.
CLR
If you are in the middle of making a numeric entry (flashing has stopped), CLR just sets the entry value to 0. Otherwise, it
sets the the current parameter value to 0 (the equivalent of pushing 0, ENTR ). For parameters for which 0 is not a legal
value, CLR sets the parameter to the lowest allowable value. For a parameter where a number is not a legal value, CLR sets
the parameter to the default value.
NEXT and PREV
These buttons allow you to step thru the parameters associated with the current editor. If you have started making a numeric
entry, but haven’t pressed ENTR, pressing NEXT or PREV completes the entry for you.
Like INCR and DECR, these buttons repeat if held down for more than one second, but at a slower rate (twice a second).
EDIT
In general, you can use EDIT Fn at any time to select a different editor. Press EDIT EDIT to return to the previous editor
you were in. Since each editor remembers what it was doing when you exited from it, you can bounce back and forth
between editors with little difficulty.
If you have started making a numeric entry, but haven’t pressed ENTR, pressing EDIT completes the entry for you.
To return from all editors, press EDIT and any key on the right button-pad. The display will show the CHANNEL and
PROGRAM number currently active:
C number P number program-name
This is the K150X’s Channel Editor display: C stands for CHANNEL and P stands for PROGRAM. From here, you can use
INCR and DECR to step through the Programs, or NEXT and PREV to step through the Channels.
2-5
A Block Diagram of the K150X
Figure 2-3 shows the relationships between the various K150X parameters and modifiers, and how they interact to achieve a
certain result. Although reasonably complex, the diagram will become clearer as you become familiar with the K150X and
its operation. It is supplied here only for reference; you don’t need to study it in order to use the K150X.
(large, complex, hardly readable, original diagram not included)
Figure 2-3. The K150X Expander Effects Processing Chart.
2-6
The Channel Editor
The Channel Editor lets you assign programs to individual MIDI channels.
If the instrument is in Omni mode, changing the channel number in the Channel Editor also changes the basic MIDI channel
number. In addition, changing the channel will also change the currently selected program (see program editor below),
unless there is no program assigned to the channel or the currently selected program has been changed.
Using the Channel Editor
Enter the Channel Editor by pressing EDIT F1, and the display will show:
C xx P xxx program name
Where Cxx is the currently active channel, and Pxxx is the currently active program number.
To change the channel, enter the new channel number with the numeric button-pad and press or use the NEXT and PREV
keys to step through the numbers 1 through 16. If a number greater than 16 is entered using the numeric keypad, the channel
number will be set to the previous channel number when ENTR is pressed.
To de-activate a channel, use CLEAR or 0 ENTR.
Channel Editor Hints
The Channel Editor will not allow you to assign a non-existent program to a channel. In particular, the INCR and DECR
keys will skip over non-existent program numbers.
3-1
The Tuning Editor
The Tuning Editor lets you specify instrument-wide tuning, set a master transposition value, and activate the programmable
intonation table.
Using the Tuning Editor
Select Tuning Editing by pressing EDIT F2. (The abbreviation TUNE is printed above the F2 key on the button-pad.)
The parameters shown in Table 4-1 can be edited. One will appear in the display; the others can be selected by using NEXT
and PREV.
Table 4-1
Tuning Editor Parameter
Display Reads Parameter Adjustable Values *
(use INCR and DECR)
MAST TUNE
TRANSPOSE
INTONATION
REFERENCE KEY
* If the value is numeric, you can also enter the value directly with the right button-pad and press ENTR.
Note that you can specify tuning and transposition values for individual layers with the Layer Editor (see Layer Editing).
See the sections on each parameter later in this chapter.
Master Tuning
Transposition
Intonation Switch On/Off Switch for intonation parameters.
Reference key Entire Musical Scale Sets a reference key for intonation.
±0-125C
±60ST
What it Does
Tunes the entire instrument.
Transposes the entire instrument.
Master Tuning
When the display reads MAST TUNE, the pitch of the K150X may be tuned by ±125C.
Enter a value using the numeric button-pad and press ENTR, or use INCR and DECR to change the value by 10 cent
increments.
If a value greater than 125 is entered using the numeric button-pad, the value will be set to 125 when ENTR is pressed.
This tuning is in addition to any tuning specified for a particular layer with the .TUNE parameter in the Layer Editor. For
example, if the Master Tuning for the K150X is set at +3C, and a layer is given a tuning of +2C, the layer will have a +5C
tuning relative to the natural pitch.
Transposition
When the display reads TRANSPOSE, the K150X can be transposed from 0 to ±6O semitones.
Enter a value using the numeric button-pad and press ENTR, or use INCR and DECR to change the value by 1 semitone
increments.
If a value greater than 60 is entered using the numeric button-pad, the value will be set to 60 when ENTR is pressed.
This transposition is in addition to any transposition specified for a particular layer with the .TRANS parameter in the Layer
Editor. For example, if the master transposition for the K150X is set at +3ST, and a layer is given a transposition of +2ST,
the layer will have a +5ST transposition relative to the natural tone.
Intonation
4-1
Used in conjunction with the Intonation Table Editor, which allows you to adjust the micro-tonal distance between individual
intervals, this parameter determines whether the values specified with that editor will be active or not.
When the display reads INTONATION, you can change the value of the switch. Use INCR and DECR to change the value
between off and on. The default is off.
Reference Key
Used in conjunction with the Intonation Table Editor, which allows you to adjust the micro-tonal distance between individual
intervals, this parameter allows you to specify which key you will be playing in so that the intervals will be properly adjusted
for that key. The default key is C.
When the display reads REFERENCE KEY, you can change the key. Use INCR and DECR to step through the musical
scale.
4-2
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