Kurzweil PC3 SoundEditor User Manual

7.01 Mb

Kurzweil PC3

SoundEditor

User Guide

	Table of Contents
1.	Introduction .......................................................................................................................	5
	Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................	5
	Support...................................................................................................................................	5
	About this Manual...................................................................................................................	6
	Installation/Requirements .......................................................................................................	6
	Before You Begin ...................................................................................................................	6
	An Important Note About SoundEditor ...................................................................................	6
	Overview ................................................................................................................................	7
2.	Starting Up.........................................................................................................................	8
	Getting Connected .................................................................................................................	8
	MIDI Setup .............................................................................................................................	9
3.	SoundEditor Menus ........................................................................................................	11
	Configuring Preferences.......................................................................................................	14
4. Parameter Selection in SoundEditor .............................................................................		15
	Selecting and Adjusting Parameters ....................................................................................	15
5.	Program Banks Window .................................................................................................	19
	Program Banks Window .......................................................................................................	19
	Modes Toolbar .....................................................................................................................	20
	Program Name Display ........................................................................................................	21
	Selecting Program Categories..............................................................................................	21
	Program Toolbar (Editing and File Storage) .........................................................................	22
	Bank Selection and Sorting Options.....................................................................................	23
	Search Options.....................................................................................................................	24
	FOUND Button .....................................................................................................................	25
	Individual Program Options ..................................................................................................	26
	MIDI Channel Display...........................................................................................................	27
	MIDI Channel Toolbar ..........................................................................................................	28
	Modes Toolbar - MIDI Button ...............................................................................................	28
	Modes Toolbar – MASTER Button .......................................................................................	29
	Modes Toolbar - EFFECT Button .........................................................................................	30
	Modes Toolbar - EQ+COMP Button .....................................................................................	32
6.	Editor Organization.........................................................................................................	33
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	SoundEditor Editor Structure................................................................................................	33
7.	Program Editing ..............................................................................................................	34
	Program Common Window ..................................................................................................	34
	Program Common Toolbar (Editing and File Storage) .........................................................	35
	Window Views ......................................................................................................................	35
	IMPORT and REMOVE Buttons...........................................................................................	37
	IMPORT Button ....................................................................................................................	37
	REMOVE Button ..................................................................................................................	38
	Selecting Songs in the Common Settings View....................................................................	39
	Selecting FX Chains in the Prog FX (Program Effect) View .................................................	40
	Layers Overview Panel ........................................................................................................	41
	Layers Window.....................................................................................................................	44
	Layers Toolbar .....................................................................................................................	45
	Layers Name Box.................................................................................................................	46
	MUTE and SOLO Buttons ....................................................................................................	46
	Keyboard Zone.....................................................................................................................	47
	„Views‟ Toolbar .....................................................................................................................	48
	Algorithm Panel ....................................................................................................................	54
	Selecting and Configuring Algorithms ..................................................................................	54
	Selecting an Alternate Input (Cascade Mode) ......................................................................	56
	EDIT ALG WIRING Button ...................................................................................................	57
	Editing an Algorithm .............................................................................................................	58
	FX Edit Window....................................................................................................................	60
	FX Edit Toolbar ....................................................................................................................	61
	FX Overview Panel...............................................................................................................	64
	SELECT Button ....................................................................................................................	64
	MORE Button .......................................................................................................................	65
	FUN Button...........................................................................................................................	65
	KB3 Mode Edit Window........................................................................................................	66
	KB3 Mode Toolbar ...............................................................................................................	67
	„Views‟ Toolbar .....................................................................................................................	68
8.	Channel Mixer Window...................................................................................................	74
	Single Mixer Channel ...........................................................................................................	75
	Selecting Mixer Programs ....................................................................................................	76
		3

RECEIVE and SEND Buttons...............................................................................................		76
9.	Setup Window .................................................................................................................	77
Setup Toolbar.......................................................................................................................		78
Individual Setup Options ......................................................................................................		79
10.	Setup Editing................................................................................................................	80
Setup Window ......................................................................................................................		80
Edit Window .........................................................................................................................		81
Setup Edit Toolbar................................................................................................................		82
Zone Parameter Groups.......................................................................................................		84
11.	Additional Controls .....................................................................................................	90
V-Piano ................................................................................................................................		90
Playing the PC3 from the Computer Keyboard ....................................................................		91
CC Sliders ............................................................................................................................		92
12.	Appendix A - File Extensions .....................................................................................	93
13.	Appendix B - MIDI Setup Options...............................................................................	94
MIDI In Controller .................................................................................................................		94
Virtual MIDI Port ...................................................................................................................		95

1. Introduction

Welcome to SoundEditor! SoundEditor is a full-featured Editor/Librarian and Sound Development tool for the Kurzweil PC3.

While the PC3 is fully editable from its front panel controls, SoundEditor greatly expands the editing experience by displaying every PC3 parameter in a series of logical, easy-to-use graphical interfaces. SoundEditor allows you to create, edit, organize, and store PC3 Programs, Setups, Songs and Effects.

Through a standard MIDI connection (DIN or USB), SoundEditor can receive and transmit individual Programs, Setups or Effects, or entire banks to the PC3. All Program, Setup and Effect parameters can be displayed and edited. Programs can be assigned to any of 20 Categories to assist in organizing, sorting and creating custom program banks. SoundEditor can also be used as a teaching tool to learn the inner details of the factory Programs.

This manual, both a user guide and handy reference, is designed to get you up and running quickly.

We hope you enjoy using SoundEditor for your Kurzweil PC3!

Acknowledgements

SoundTower Software gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following individuals for their support and assistance during the development of this product:

Hal Chamberlin	Paul Rumberg
Ricardo Garcia	Helmut Schiltz
Philip Hartman	Michael Shonle
Greg Kist	Jeff St.Pierre
Mark Lanos	Tim Thompson
Mike Raffa	John Teele
John Richmond	Dave Weiser
Francisco J. Rodriguez

Support

Online support for this product is available at: http://www.soundtower.com/kurzweil

About this Manual

Throughout the manual, screen shots of the SoundEditor application are shown for illustrative purposes. These views are based on SoundEditor for the Macintosh, although similar views will be observed if you are using SoundEditor on a PC. When any significant variation in the appearance or operation of SoundEditor occurs between the Mac and PC platforms, the differences will be described.

Throughout this document you will see icons that provide additional information:

- This icon indicates an important note concerning the operation

- This icon indicates a helpful or productive tip.

Installation/Requirements

No special software installation is required. SoundEditor is a standalone program designed to run on Windows XP or Vista, or a Macintosh (OSX 10.3 or higher).

The SoundEditor application requires:

-20 MB Hard Drive space

-256 MB RAM (min.)

-1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution (1400 x 900 recommended)

-MIDI interface or USB connection

Before You Begin

To get the most out of this program you should be familiar with the operation of the PC3. The PC3 is complex musical instrument with an amazing array of programmable features. The PC3

Musician‟s Guide is the principal resource for descriptions of the instrument and its operation; this document is recommended reading for all PC3 users. Although SoundEditor can be an invaluable resource to aid in the understanding the PC3, it is not a substitute for reading the Kurzweil documentation.

An Important Note About SoundEditor

While using SoundEditor, the PC3 must not be in Edit Mode. Failure to observe this precaution can result in unreliable editing and improper operation, including the possibility of locking up the PC3 (should this happen, you‟ll need to cycle the power to reset the PC3).

Overview

This User Guide will take you through the steps to configure SoundEditor to work with your PC3. The Starting Up section should be followed first to get the hardware properly connected and running with the SoundEditor application. From there you can freely explore, audition and edit Programs or Setups, or create new Programs, Setups, or Effects.

The PC3 is an incredibly deep and complex instrument with many programming options. SoundEditor has been designed to make the programming and editing process as simple and easy to use as possible while providing all of the functional control needed to adjust every PC3 parameter. A few of SoundEditor‟s editing windows are shown below.

2. Starting Up

Getting Connected

This chapter describes the steps to connect and configure SoundEditor on your computer.

Set up the PC3 according to the PC3 Musician‟s Guide (Chapter 2). Connect the PC3 to the computer using either USB or the MIDI IN and MIDI Out DIN connectors, but not both. SoundEditor will work with either connection.

By default, SoundEditor will check to see if a USB connection is in place when the program starts. If no connection exists, it will default to the MIDI DIN connectors.

After insuring that the connections between the PC3 and your computer are in place, power up the PC3, then launch SoundEditor. As the SoundEditor program starts, a splash screen similar to the one below will appear briefly:

By default, SoundEditor will check to see if a USB connection is in place when the program starts. If no connection exists, it will default to the MIDI DIN connectors.

You do not have to specify the type of connection in advance.

A few seconds later, the splash screen will be replaced by SoundEditor‟s „PC3 Editor‟ window. By default, this window will display the Program Bank view as shown below, but you can chose between „Program Bank‟ or „Setup Bank‟ as the startup view (see Configuring Preferences, page 19)

The first time you launch SoundEditor, some of the information fields may be blank.

MIDI Setup

If you are working with SoundEditor for the first time, you‟ll need to configure the program for

MIDI communication with the PC3. Once you do this, SoundEditor will remember the configuration until you change it.

Click on the MIDI menu and select „MIDI Setup‟:

The MIDI Setup window will appear, displaying the available MIDI Port connection options on your computer:

1.Your MIDI Setup window will likely show different MIDI Input and MIDI Output Port information.

2.The Virtual MIDI Ports‟ tab only appears in the Macintosh version of SoundEditor.

In the MIDI Setup window, select the MIDI IN and OUT ports that the PC3 is connected to, and set the MIDI Channel to match the MIDI channel on the PC3. Once the proper ports and MIDI channel are selected, you should see the current PC3 software version at the top of the MIDI Setup window as shown. This confirms that SoundEditor is communicating with the PC3.

After making the appropriate MIDI connections, click on the DONE button to dismiss the window. You can safely ignore the MIDI In Controller and Virtual MIDI Ports tabs for now. Information on the use and configuration of the MIDI In Controller and Virtual Ports is provided in Appendix B.

3. SoundEditor Menus

The menus in SoundEditor allow you to select various windows and views, file storage options, editing commands, MIDI configurations, and much more. A description of the menus in SoundEditor appears below:

PC3SE (PC3 SoundEditor):

The PC3SE menu is where you select Preferences, get information About, and Hide or Quit the SoundEditor application.

Information on configuring Preferences appears later in this chapter.

FILE:

The FILE menu allows you to Load or Save PC3 Data files. PC3 Data Files include all of the data currently loaded in the SoundEditor application (all Programs, Setups, FX Chains and User Algorithms), and thus represents the complete state of soundEditor. PC3 Data files have the „.kp3‟ extension.

EDIT:

The EDIT menu provides controls for Copy and Paste, as well as Write and Rename operations.

MODE:

The MODE menu allows you to select the PC3 Mode you would like to work in:

Program Banks or Program Edit, Setup Bank or Setup Edit, Master or MIDI. Menu items that display a right-facing arrow indicate that a flyout submenu is available for additional selections. Some items from this menu duplicate Toolbar buttons found in the Editor window (Program Banks, Setup Banks, Master and MIDI).

For information on Program Banks, see Chapter 5.

For information on Program Editing, see Chapter 7.

For information on Setup Banks, see Chapter 9.

For information on Setup Editing, see Chapter 10.

See also information on Master operations, page 35.

See also information on MIDI Settings, page 34.

MIDI:

The MIDI menu allows you to access the MIDI Setup window to configure MIDI operations, as well as Receive and Transmit various types of PC3 data.

For information on MIDI Setup, see Appendix B.

EFFECTS:

The EFFECTS menu allows you to access the Master Effects and EQ + Compressor functions. Selecting items from this menu is the same as clicking on the MASTER and EQ+COMP toolbar buttons found in the Editor window.

Information on the Master Effects and EQ + Compressor functions begins on page 30.

OPTIONS:

The OPTIONS menu allows you to display a virtual keyboard (V- Piano) and virtual CC Sliders control window that you can use to remotely play and adjust PC3 Programs. You can also play the PC3 from the computer keyboard.

For information on the V-Piano and CC Sliders, see Chapter 11.

HELP:

The HELP menu allows you to access additional assistance.

Configuring Preferences

SoundEditor offers several options for specifying the startup condition and program operation. These options are found under the PC3SE/PREFERENCES menu.

When PREFERENCES is selected, the Preferences Window appears as shown below. This window allows you to specify how you wish to work with SoundEditor. Two preference tabs are provided here: „Start Up‟ and „Editor Controls‟.

When the „Start Up‟ tab is selected, you can choose the screen that will first appear when you launch SoundEditor, and also whether or not the program will test for a USB MIDI connection when the program starts:

When the „Editor Controls‟ tab is chosen, you can choose how the Mouse scroll wheel will function in SoundEditor, and set the parameter label slide resolution and type of knob value adjustment:

4. Parameter Selection in SoundEditor

SoundEditor relies on different methods to select and adjust parameter values in edit screens. These methods include selecting from drop-down menus, moving sliders, rotating knobs, dragging to increment/decrement values, etc. In this chapter, we will describe the various ways to select and manipulate PC3 parameter values in SoundEditor.

The methods described here apply to all SoundEditor windows.

Selecting and Adjusting Parameters

In any window, any parameter selection with a downward facing arrow indicates that there are usually two or more choices available for that parameter or function. If just two are available, clicking on the parameter toggles between the two choices:

If three or more choices are available, clicking on a parameter will produce a contextual menu. When you encounter this type of selection method, simply move the cursor down through the menu and click to make a selection.

Occasionally, a given parameter may have more options than can fit into a simple pop-up window. Such is the case with the Keymap parameters in the Layers Edit window. Since the PC3 offers hundreds of keymaps to chose from, SoundEditor displays a dedicated Keymap selection window as shown below. Buttons to the right of the Keymap window allow you to select from groups of keymaps, and a scroll bar is used to move through the available choices in each group of keymaps on the left. After making a selection in this type of window, clicking on the red CLOSE button in the title bar will exit the window.

PERFORMANCE TIP: Any list in SoundEditor can be navigated using either the scroll bars or the scrollable mouse wheel. For efficiently navigating through long lists, try combining both methods: use the scroll bars to quickly navigate to the general area where the desired item is located, then use the mouse wheel to pinpoint the exact item.

If a parameter consists of a numerical value, you adjust the value by clicking inside the value field and dragging the cursor to the right to increase the value, or dragging to the left to decrease the value:

Slider controls are adjusted simply by clicking and dragging the slider in the direction you wish to go. Knobs, however, are adjusted by clicking on the desired knob and dragging the cursor around the knob in a rotary fashion:

NOTE: An alternate method of knob control („VERTICAL‟) is available in SoundEditor‟s „Preferences‟ pane. When VERTICAL control is selected, clicking on a knob and moving the cursor up or down will rotate the knob to the left or the right. In either CIRCULAR or VERTICAL mode you can also use the mouse wheel to make fine knob adjustments.

LED controls are simply toggled ON or OFF by clicking on them. The LED will appear lit when ON, and dimmed when OFF:

To adjust the keyboard zone of a Layer, click and drag on either of the orange bars that appear immediately below the keyboard image. Dragging the cursor to the left or right will change the range, and the note number fields will reflect the new values:

An alternate method is available that allows you to adjust the note range from the PC3 keyboard. For more information, see „Keyboard Zone‟ page 47.

In the Layer Edit window, Envelope parameters (Attack, Decay and Release) can be changed by clicking inside the desired parameter value field and dragging the cursor left or right (described previously), by clicking on a parameter field and entering a value, or by grabbing and dragging the associated parameter handle in the envelope display as shown:

The „grab and drag‟ method only applies to envelopes that have handles.

The overall shape of an envelope can be expanded, contracted, raised or lowered using the adjustment sliders that appear on the bottom and right side of the Envelope displays (applies to the Amp Envelope and Envelopes 1 & 2):

In the Algorithm section of the Layer Edit window, DSP functions are chosen by clicking on the desired DSP block and selecting from the contextual menu:

5. Program Banks Window

This chapter will describe the Program Banks window and cover the navigation and parameter selections available.

Program Banks Window

When you launch SoundEditor for the first time, the program starts by displaying the Program Banks Window view (you can also choose to start-up with the Setup view as described in the Configuring Preferences section on page 20).

While using SoundEditor, the PC3 must not be in Edit Mode. Failure to observe this precaution can result in unreliable editing and improper operation.

Modes Toolbar

The Modes Toolbar allows you to select editing views in SoundEditor, and provides you with displays to view and adjust PC3 global parameters.

Pressing the PROGRAM or SETUP buttons changes the editing view inside the PC3 Editor window. Pressing either of these buttons is the same as selecting these same options from the MODE menu. Pressing the MIDI or MASTER buttons will produce a drop-down window where you can change the MIDI or Master global parameters. Pressing the EFFECT or EQ+COMP buttons will produce a window displaying the controls to adjust the global Effect or EQ/Compressor parameters. The figure below shows examples of both the MIDI drop-down window and the EQ+COMP window. Detailed information on all Toolbar Modes appears later in this chapter.

Program Name Display

The Program Name Display shows the name of the currently selected Program (in the example here, „Standard Grand‟), the location of the Program (bank Base 1, location 001), and the category of the Program („Piano‟):

The Program name can be changed by clicking inside the display and typing a new name up to 16 characters in length. Clicking on the OK button will write the new name to SoundEditor and to the PC3:

When you change the Program name, the new name is automatically written to the PC3.

Selecting Program Categories

There are two ways to assign a category to a Program. This can be done from the Program Name Display, or from the Program Bank list.

To assign a category from the Program Name Display, click in the Category section of the display (the lower left of the Display window). This will produce a contextual menu of categories to select from:

You can also select a category from the Program Bank list by right-clicking in the Category field. This will produce the same contextual menu as shown above. Either method will immediately update the PC3 with the new Category assignments.

NOTE FOR MAC USERS: If your mouse does not have a right-click button, you can also use the CTRL key combined with a single click to produce the contextual menu shown here.

Program Toolbar (Editing and File Storage)

The Program Toolbar allows you to access the Edit, File & MIDI functions associated with the Program Window. A description of each Toolbar button function follows.

EDIT:

Pressing the EDIT button opens the Program Common window, allowing you to edit the current Program. Program Editing is covered in Chapter 7.

FILE:

The FILE function allows you to Load a new Program Bank to the current Bank, Save the current Program Bank, or Initialize the current bank. Selecting either Load or Save will result in a dialog box asking you to either select a file (to Load) or name a file (to Save).

For a list of the file extensions associated with Program Banks and other files, see Appendix A.

MIDI:

The MIDI function allows you to Receive or Transmit the current bank. The

„Receive Program Names‟ option does not include layers (only Program Common settings), but is much faster.

Bank Selection and Sorting Options

The buttons on the right side of the Program Window allow you to select how PC3 Programs will appear in the Program List window.

Pressing the ALL PROGRAMS button will display every PC3 program from every Bank in SoundEditor, organized numerically from memory locations 1 to 2048. Locations that do not contain Programs will be empty.

When a Bank button is selected, the Program list window will display all 128 Programs in that Bank. The selected Bank name will be displayed in the Program list title bar:

When a Category button is selected, the Program list window will display every Program in every Bank that has been assigned to that Category:

To sort any list alphabetically, press the A-Z button:

Search Options

The SEARCH button in the lower right corner of the Program Banks Window allows you to quickly identify and locate a Program from any Bank.

When you locate the desired Program, pressing Return or Enter on the computer keyboard will send the appropriate MIDI Program Change command to the PC3. The newly selected Program then will appear in SoundEditor‟s Program display, along with the Bank, memory location, and category information:

Another way to locate a Program is to use the Search drop-down list. Clicking on the right arrow in the search name field produces a scrollable list displaying the name of every Program in every Bank in SoundEditor:

To make a choice here, simply scroll through the list and click on the desired Program. SoundEditor will send the appropriate MIDI Program Change command to the PC3, and the newly selected

Program will appear in SoundEditor‟s Program display, where it can be edited or modified.

To dismiss the search name field, click on the

SEARCH button a second time.

When you click on the SEARCH button, a name field appears that allows you to enter the name of a Program to search for. Place the cursor in the name field and begin typing the name of the desired Program. SoundEditor will display the PC3 Programs that match the letters you type.

FOUND Button

The FOUND button is used to remove empty memory locations that appear in a listing of PC3 Programs. For example, clicking on the ALL PROGRAMS button will produce a list of all memory locations in all banks (2048 locations total). Some locations may be empty, resulting in a large Program „gaps‟ as you scroll through the list. Clicking on the FOUND button eliminates these gaps by removing all empty locations from the list.

An example is shown below. The view on the left shows a series of empty memory slots starting at location 962. The view on the right shows the same list after clicking on the FOUND button; the empty memory slots are eliminated from the list.

Clicking the FOUND button only eliminates the empty memory slots from a list; it does not re-order Program locations in SoundEditor (notice the jump from location 961 to 991 in the example above).

Individual Program Options

Right-clicking on any Program in the Program List Window will produce a contextual menu displaying the options for the selected Program:

When the „Copy‟ option is chosen, SoundEditor will copy the selected Program and all layers.

Selecting the „Paste‟ option will allow you to paste the previously copied Program to the current location. When pasted, the Program is automatically written to the PC3 at the current location. Note

that the „Paste‟ option is only available if a Program has already been copied. If no Program has been copied previously, the „Paste‟ option does not appear.

Selecting the „Rename‟ option will allow you to rename the selected Program in the Program

Display field at the top of the Editor window.

When the „Load/Write Program from File‟ option is selected, a „Load Program Data‟ window will appear. You will need to navigate to and select a Program to load. Note that valid Program files have a „.3pr‟ extension in the file name. Make a selection and click OPEN. The selected Program will be loaded into SoundEditor and automatically written to the PC3.

When the „Save‟ option is selected, a „Save Program Data‟ window will appear. The name of the PC3 Program will appear in the „Save As‟ name field, but you have the option to change it prior to saving. Make any desired changes and then select the destination location where the file will be stored. Click SAVE to save the file.

The „Delete‟ option is used to delete the selected Program in SoundEditor. It does not delete the Program on the PC3. When „Delete‟ is selected, you will be prompted with a dialog box asking you to confirm this operation. In the dialog box, click YES to proceed, or click the CANCEL button to cancel the operation.

MIDI Channel Display

The left side of the Program Window contains the MIDI Channel Display and related controls. The MIDI Channel Display shows the PC3 Programs that are assigned to each of the sixteen MIDI channels.

MIDI Channel Toolbar

The toolbar above the MIDI Channel Display allows you to view the Channel Mixer window and access related file transfer commands for the MIDI Channel assignments:

Clicking on the MIXER button opens the Channel Mixer Window (see Chapter 8). Clicking the RECEIVE button fills the MIDI Channel Display with the Programs assigned to the PC3‟s sixteen MIDI

Channels.

The WRITE button allows you to select a memory location where the currently selected program will be written. Clicking the WRITE button produces a window like the one shown below, allowing you change the name of the Program, select or change the category assignment, and chose the new memory location:

Modes Toolbar - MIDI Button

The MIDI button in the Modes Toolbar corresponds to the physical MIDI button on the PC3, allowing you to adjust the parameters for the PC3‟s MIDI operation.

Clicking on SoundEditor‟s MIDI button (or pressing the F8 key) produces a drop-down window displaying the MIDI Settings parameters. Here you can configure the parameters for transmitting and receiving MIDI, including the selection of the PC3 control setup, transposition, velocity and pressure mapping, and other related MIDI functions.

Note that for any changes to take effect, they must be written to the PC3 using the WRITE button. After writing the changes, click on the OK button to exit, or click on OK at any time to simply abandon any changes and exit the window.

Modes Toolbar – MASTER Button

The MASTER button in the Modes Toolbar corresponds to the physical MASTER button on the PC3, which allows you to access the Master Mode parameters that control the entire PC3.

Clicking on SoundEditor‟s MASTER button (or pressing the F7 key) produces a drop-down window displaying the all of the Master mode parameters as shown below. Here you can adjust global settings for tuning, transposition, velocity and aftertouch sensitivity, as well as access the GM mode and set the sample rate for the PC3‟s digital output:

In the Master drop-down, clicking in the Intonation field produces a scrollable Intonation Select window that allows you to select a master tuning preference. Clicking the MIDI button in this window allows you to update the list with intonation data from the PC3. To make a selection,

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