Kurzweil Music Systems K2661 User's Manual

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K 2661

Getting Started Guide

©2003 All rights reserved. Kurzweil ® is a product line of Young Chang Co., Ltd. Young Chang®, Kurzweil ® , V. A. S. T. ®, KDFX®, Pitcher®, and LaserVerb®, KSP8 ™, K2661™, K2600™, K2500™, and K2000™ are trademarks of Young Chang Co., Ltd. SmartMedia™ is a trademark of Toshiba Corporation. ADAT® is a registered trademark of Alesis Corporation. All other products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Product features and speciﬁcations are subject to change without notice.

You may legally print up to two (2) copies of this document for personal use. Commercial use of any copies of this document is prohibited. Young Chang Co. retains ownership of all intellectual property represented by this document.

Part Number: 910388 Rev. A

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CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER

NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated

"dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and

maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the product.

IMPORTANT SAFETY & INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

INSTRUCTIONS PERTAINING TO THE RISK OF FIRE, ELECTRIC SHOCK, OR INJURY TO PERSONS

WARNING: When using electric products, basic precautions should

always be followed, including the following:

1. Read all of the Safety and Installation Instructions and Explanation of Graphic Symbols before using the product.

2. This product must be grounded. If it should malfunction or break down, grounding provides a path of least resistance for electric current to reduce the risk of electric shock. This product is equipped with a power supply cord having an equipment-grounding conductor and a grounding plug. The plug must be plugged into an appropriate outlet which is properly installed and grounded in accordance with all local codes and ordinances.

DANGER: Improper connection of the equipment-grounding

conductor can result in a risk of electric shock. Do not modify the plug provided with the product - if it will not ﬁt the outlet, have a proper outlet installed by a qualiﬁed electrician. Do not use an adaptor which defeats the function of the equipment-grounding conductor. If you are in doubt as to whether the product is properly grounded, check with a qualiﬁed serviceman or electrician.

3. WARNING: This product is equipped with an AC input voltage selector. The voltage selector has been factory set for the mains supply voltage in the country where this unit was sold. Changing the voltage selector may require the use of a different power supply cord or attachment plug, or both. To reduce the risk of ﬁre or electric shock, refer servicing to qualiﬁed maintenance personnel.

4. Do not use this product near water - for example, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool, or the like.

5. This product should only be used with a stand or cart that is recommended by the manufacturer.

6. This product, either alone or in combination with an ampliﬁer and speakers or headphones, may be capable of producing sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not operate for a long period of time at a high volume level or at a level that is uncomfortable. If you experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should consult an audiologist.

7. The product should be located so that its location or position does not interfere with its proper ventilation.

8. The product should be located away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, or other products that produce heat.

9. The product should be connected to a power supply only of the type described in the operating instructions or as marked on the product.

10. This product may be equipped with a polarized line plug (one blade wider than the other). This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact an electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the plug.

11. The power supply cord of the product should be unplugged from the outlet when left unused for a long period of time. When unplugging the power supply cord, do not pull on the cord, but grasp it by the plug.

12. Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.

13. The product should be serviced by qualiﬁed service personnel when:

A. The power supply cord or the plug has been damaged; B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the product; C. The product has been exposed to rain; D. The product does not appear to be operating normally or

exhibits a marked change in performance;

E. The product has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged.

14. Do not attempt to service the product beyond that described in the user maintenance instructions. All other servicing should be referred to qualiﬁed service personnel.

15. WARNING: Do not place objects on the product’s power supply cord, or place the product in a position where anyone could trip over, walk on, or roll anything over cords of any type. Do not allow the product to rest on or be installed over cords of any type. Improper installations of this type create the possibility of a ﬁre hazard and/or personal injury.

RADIO AND TELEVISION INTERFERENCE

WARNING: Changes or modiﬁcations to this instrument not expressly

approved by Young Chang could void your authority to operate the instrument.

IMPORTANT: When connecting this product to accessories and/or other

equipment use only high quality shielded cables.

NOTE: This instrument has been tested and found to comply with the

limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This instrument generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this instrument does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the instrument off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the instrument and the receiver.

• Connect the instrument into an outlet on a circuit other than the one

to which the receiver is connected.

• If necessary consult your dealer or an experienced radio/television

technician for additional suggestions.

NOTICE

This apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

AVIS

Le present appareil numerique n’emet pas de bruits radioelectriques depassant les limites applicables aux appareils numeriques de la class B prescrites dans le Reglement sur le brouillage radioelectrique edicte par le ministere des Communications du Canada.

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Important Safety Instructions

1) Read these instructions

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.

5) Do not use this apparatus near water.

6) Clean only with dry cloth.

7) Do not block any of the ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliﬁers) that produce heat.

9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11) Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

12) Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

14) Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

Warning - To reduce the risk of ﬁre or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or mois-

ture. Do not expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and ensure that no objects ﬁlled with liquids, such as vases, are placed on the equipment.

To completely disconnect this equipment from the AC Mains, disconnect the power supply cord plug from the AC receptacle.

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Kurzweil International Contacts

Contact the nearest Kurzweil ofﬁce listed below to locate your local Kurzweil representative.

Kurzweil Co., Ltd. Daerung Technotown 6th, 306 493-6 Gasan, Gumcheon, Seoul, Korea Tel: (+82) 2-2108-5700 Fax: (+82) 2-2108-5729

A N D Music Corp. P.O. Box 99995 Lakewood, WA 98499-0995, USA Tel: (253) 589-3200 Fax: (253) 984-0245

Young Chang Canada Corp. 250 Victoria Park Ave. Suite # 105 Toronto, Ontario Canada M2H 3P7 Tel: (905) 948-8052

Team Kurzweil Europe Gl. Donsvej 8 6000 Kolding Phone: (+45) 75 56 96 44 Fax: (+45) 75 56 96 55

Ofﬁcial distributors in other countries are listed on the web site.

World Wide Web Home Page:

http://www.kurzweilmusicsystems.com

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Kurzweil International Contacts..................................................................................................................................... iv

World Wide Web Home Page: ......................................................................................................................................... iv

Chapter 1 Introduction

Overview of the K2661 ................................................................................................................................................... 1-1

VAST Synthesis................................................................................................................................................................ 1-2

KB3 Tone Wheel Emulation........................................................................................................................................... 1-2

How the K2661 Works .................................................................................................................................................... 1-3

How to Use This Manual ............................................................................................................................................... 1-3

Do I Have Everything? ................................................................................................................................................... 1-3

Chapter 2 Startup

Quick Startup Checklist ................................................................................................................................................. 2-1

Startup—the Details........................................................................................................................................................ 2-2

Playing the Presets .......................................................................................................................................................... 2-4

The Other Modes............................................................................................................................................................. 2-8

Software Upgrades.......................................................................................................................................................... 2-8

Chapter 3 User Interface Basics

Mode Selection................................................................................................................................................................. 3-1

Navigation........................................................................................................................................................................ 3-2

Data Entry ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3-4

Intuitive Data Entry ........................................................................................................................................................ 3-6

Search................................................................................................................................................................................ 3-7

Renaming Multiple Objects ........................................................................................................................................... 3-7

Mixdown and MIDI Faders Pages................................................................................................................................ 3-9

Quick Song Recording and Playback ......................................................................................................................... 3-10

Chapter 4 The Operating Modes

What the Modes Are....................................................................................................................................................... 4-1

Selecting Modes............................................................................................................................................................... 4-1

Using the Modes.............................................................................................................................................................. 4-3

Chapter 5 Editing Conventions

Introduction to Editing................................................................................................................................................... 5-1

Object Type and ID.......................................................................................................................................................... 5-2

Saving and Naming ........................................................................................................................................................ 5-3

Deleting Objects............................................................................................................................................................... 5-6

Memory Banks................................................................................................................................................................. 5-7

Special Button Functions................................................................................................................................................ 5-8

Chapter 6 Program Mode

VAST Program Structure................................................................................................................................................ 6-2

KB3 Program Structure................................................................................................................................................... 6-4

The Program Mode Page................................................................................................................................................ 6-9

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K2661 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 7 Setup Mode

Chapter 8 Quick Access Mode

Chapter 9 Basic Effects Mode

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9-1

Terminology ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9-2

MAIN Page....................................................................................................................................................................... 9-5

Effects Bus Editor ............................................................................................................................................................ 9-7

Effects Send Page............................................................................................................................................................. 9-8

The CTRL Page ................................................................................................................................................................ 9-9

Bypass and Mute pages.................................................................................................................................................9-11

Chaining Effects............................................................................................................................................................. 9-13

The Structure of Kurzweil Digital Effects (KDFX) ................................................................................................... 9-14

Software Organization.................................................................................................................................................. 9-17

Controlling Effects......................................................................................................................................................... 9-17

Chapter 10 MIDI Mode

The TRANSMIT Page ................................................................................................................................................... 10-1

The RECEIVE Page ....................................................................................................................................................... 10-4

The Channels Page........................................................................................................................................................ 10-7

Program Change Formats ............................................................................................................................................ 10-9

The Soft Buttons in MIDI Mode ................................................................................................................................ 10-14

Chapter 11 Master Mode

The Master Mode Page..................................................................................................................................................11-1

The MAST2 Page............................................................................................................................................................11-4

The Soft Buttons in Master Mode ..............................................................................................................................11-11

Guitar/Wind Controller Mode...................................................................................................................................11-14

Object Utilities ..............................................................................................................................................................11-15

Chapter 12 Song Mode

Getting Started with the Sequencer............................................................................................................................ 12-1

Tutorial: Arrangements .............................................................................................................................................. 12-12

RAM Tracks.................................................................................................................................................................. 12-17

Using Song Mode........................................................................................................................................................ 12-19

Recording Multi-timbral Sequences via MIDI........................................................................................................ 12-23

Song Mode: The MAIN Page..................................................................................................................................... 12-24

Song Mode: The MISC Page ...................................................................................................................................... 12-32

Song Mode: The MIX Page ........................................................................................................................................ 12-39

Chapter 13 Basic Disk Mode

Disk Mode Page............................................................................................................................................................. 13-2

SCSI Termination........................................................................................................................................................... 13-3

Directories ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13-4

File List Dialog............................................................................................................................................................... 13-7

Creating Directories.....................................................................................................................................................13-11

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K2661 Getting Started Guide

The Directory Selection Dialog.................................................................................................................................. 13-13

Disk Mode Functions.................................................................................................................................................. 13-14

Load Function Dialog ................................................................................................................................................. 13-19

Saving Files .................................................................................................................................................................. 13-24

Storing Objects in the Memory Banks...................................................................................................................... 13-34

The Multiple Object Selector Page............................................................................................................................ 13-34

Chapter 14 Sampling and Live Mode

Setting Up For Sampling.............................................................................................................................................. 14-1

Entering The Sampler ................................................................................................................................................... 14-1

Sampling Analog Signals ............................................................................................................................................. 14-2

Sampling the K2661’s Output...................................................................................................................................... 14-8

Sampling Digital Signals.............................................................................................................................................. 14-8

Live Mode..................................................................................................................................................................... 14-10

Chapter 15 Audio Outputs

Audio Conﬁgurations................................................................................................................................................... 15-1

Audio Routing: Programs to KDFX............................................................................................................................ 15-2

Audio Routing: KDFX to Audio Outputs.................................................................................................................. 15-2

Using the Digital Outputs............................................................................................................................................ 15-3

Appendix A K2661 Boot Block

Starting the Boot Block ..................................................................................................................................................A-1

Updating K2661 Software ............................................................................................................................................. A-1

Running Diagnostic Tests.............................................................................................................................................. A-3

Resetting the K2661........................................................................................................................................................ A-3

Appendix B Standard K2661 ROM Objects

Appendix C Contemporary ROM Block Objects

Programs...........................................................................................................................................................................C-2

Keymaps...........................................................................................................................................................................C-3

Program Control Assignments......................................................................................................................................C-4

Controller Assignments: Contemporary ROM Block................................................................................................C-7

Appendix D Orchestral ROM Block Objects

Programs.......................................................................................................................................................................... D-2

Keymaps.......................................................................................................................................................................... D-3

Program Control Assignments..................................................................................................................................... D-4

Controller Assignments: Orchestral ROM Block....................................................................................................... D-7

Appendix E General MIDI

General MIDI Programs................................................................................................................................................. E-2

Standard Mode Controller Assignments .....................................................................................................................E-3

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K2661 Getting Started Guide

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Chapter 1 Introduction

Thank you for purchasing a Kurzweil/Young Chang K2661 instrument.

The K2661 is packed with great acoustic, electric, and synth sounds—combined with some of the most advanced synthesis features available, which you can use to create almost any sound imaginable. The K2661 incorporates most of the features of the K2600, and provides several new features as well.

This manual, along with the Musician’s Guide and Musician’s Reference (provided on the CDROM) will get you started with your new instrument. As you become an advanced user, you will want to spend more time with the Musician’s Guide and Musician’s Reference to make the most of your K2661’s many capabilities.

Introduction

Overview of the K2661

The K2661 is a versatile performance instrument and an invaluable tool for multi-timbral sequencing and recording. Its Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology (V.A.S.T.) lets you build sounds from realistic instrumental samples and sampled synth waveforms—then modify the nature of those sounds through a wide variety of digital signal-processing (DSP) functions. The K2661 also generates its own synth waveforms, which can be combined with the samples or used on their own. Onboard sound ROM includes the Orchestral and Contemporary sound blocks, as well as a ﬁne set of General MIDI (GM) sounds. You can add one or both of the two available option ROMs (Stereo Dynamic Piano and Vintage Electric Pianos), and you can load samples from disk into sample RAM.

Before we get into explaining VAST, here are a few of the features that by themselves make the K2661 an impressive stage and studio machine. It’s fully multi-timbral—different programs can be played on each MIDI channel. It’s 48-note polyphonic, for a full sound no matter how many chords you play. There’s an on-board digital effects processor, providing up to ﬁve simultaneous effects, including real-time effects control, internally or via MIDI.

In addition to the standard stereo audio output pair, there are four balanced analog outputs and eight channel digital output.

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Introduction

VAST Synthesis

For sample memory, your K2661 has one SIMM (single, in-line memory module) installed in a socket that you can reach through the access panel on the bottom of the instrument. If your K2661 does not already have the maximum of 128 megabytes of Sample RAM installed, you can install a larger SIMM using the instructions in the Musician’s Reference. The most important thing for you to know about Sample RAM, however, is that it is not battery-backed; RAM samples are permanently erased from memory when you power down. Fortunately, we’ve made ofﬂine storage a snap.

There’s a SmartMedia slot for 3.3v SmartMedia cards, and also a SCSI port for connecting an external hard disk or CD-ROM drive. You’ll ﬁnd all this storage potential extremely useful for saving and loading samples, which can also be transferred to and from the K2661 using the standard MIDI sample transfer format, or the faster, parallel SMDI sample transfer format (SCSI Musical Data Interchange). See the sample transfers.

The K2661’s battery-backed program RAM can store hundreds of your own programs, or thousands of notes recorded in the sequencer. This sequencer (Song mode) lets you play back MIDI type 0 or 1 sequences, record and play back your own songs, and record multi-timbral sequences received via MIDI. The battery should last for several years; instructions for replacing it are in the Musician’s Reference (provided on CD-ROM).

Musician’s Reference for information about MIDI and SMDI

An optional sampling feature is available, allowing you to make your own mono or stereo samples using analog or digital inputs. With the sampling option, you can also use Live mode, which enables you to take an input signal and route it through the K2661’s VAST algorithms—so you can apply Kurzweil DSP and effects to any sound.

There’s also digital input/output (I/O) in ADAT format, which provides eight channels for digital audio input and output, as well as a stereo digital output in AES/EBU or S/PDIF formats.

And, of course, there’s the incomparable Kurzweil sound. The K2661 comes to you with hundreds of programs (called patches, presets, voices, etc. on other synths). There are also about 200 multi-zone performance setups. Many of these setups use note triggers to play factoryrecorded songs that provide grooves and arpeggiation that make great templates for performance or recording.

VAST Synthesis

Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology gives the K2661 its unprecedented ﬂexibility. While

many other synthesizers offer a ﬁxed set of DSP tools (typically ﬁltering, pitch, and amplitude modulation) the K2661’s Variable Architecture lets you arrange a combination of any ﬁve DSP functions from a long list of choices. The functions you choose deﬁne the type of synthesis you use.

Each layer of every program has its own DSP architecture, which we call an algorithm . Within each algorithm, you can select from a variety of DSP functions. Each function can be independently controlled by a variety of sources including LFOs, ASRs, envelopes, a set of unique programmable functions (FUNs), as well as any MIDI control message. The many different DSP functions and the wealth of independent control sources give you an extremely ﬂexible, truly vast collection of tools for sound creation and modiﬁcation. When you’re ready to jump in and start creating programs, turn to Chapter 6.

KB3 Tone Wheel Emulation

In addition to VAST synthesis, the K2661 offers many oscillator-based programs that give you the classic sound of tone-wheel organs like the Hammond B 3™. KB3 mode, as we call it, is completely independent of VAST, and has its own set of editing procedures. You’ll ﬁnd details in Chapter 6.

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How the K2661 Works

The K2661 integrates three MIDI-driven components: a MIDI controller (the keyboard, or an external MIDI controller, a sound engine, and a global effects processor (KDFX). The sound engine responds to the MIDI events generated by the MIDI controller, and turns them into sounds that are processed within the variable architecture of the algorithms—or by oscillators for KB3 programs. The resulting sound can then be routed through KDFX and to the audio outputs.

How to Use This Manual

This manual describes how to connect and power up your K2661, getting around the front panel, and a brief description of the operating modes. For information on editing and advanced programming features, refer to the Musician’s Guide and Musician’s Reference (provided on the CD-ROM).

When manual text appears in boldface italic ( like this ), you’ll ﬁnd it described in the Glossary in the Musician’s Reference . Only the ﬁrst one or two occurrences of these words are highlighted. The Musician’s Reference also contains brief descriptions of the K2661’s major operating features, and all sorts of useful lists— programs , keymaps , algorithms , effects, control sources , as well as complete speciﬁcations for the K2661.

How the K2661 Works

Introduction

The best way to read this manual is with your K2661 in front of you. By trying the examples we give to illustrate various functions, you can get a quick understanding of the basics, then move on to the more advanced features.

Do I Have Everything?

Your K2661 shipping carton should include the following in addition to your instrument:

• Power cable

• Sustain pedal

• Getting Started manual

• SmartMedia card

• Compact disc with documentation and accessory ﬁles

• Warranty card

If you don’t have all of these components, please call your Kurzweil/Young Chang dealer.

The Accessory Files

The accessory ﬁles included with your K2661 (on SmartMedia and Compact Disc) include the following. Additional ﬁles may be included; see the appropriate README ﬁles for these.

K2661 Base ROM Objects

These provide a backup of the ROM Objects installed in your K2661 at the factory.

You will not normally need to use these, however you should keep them in a safe place in case you need to reinstall this version of the operating system. For example, if you have installed a newer version of the objects (we make new versions available for download from our web site) and you encounter any problems, you might need to go back and install the version on SmartMedia and Compact Disc.

OBJKB contains all of the objects in a stock K2661 without sampling. OBJKL contains the Live Mode objects, which are included in a unit with the sampling option installed.

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Introduction

Do I Have Everything?

When you install a new version of the operating system, you’ll need to load all the object ﬁles for the options you have. This includes the object ﬁles for the SD Piano and Vintage Electric Piano ROM blocks, if you have them. Load the system ﬁles ﬁrst, then all of the object ﬁles, then exit the Boot Loader by pressing the Run System soft button. See Appendix A if you need help with operating the Boot Loader.

K2661 Demos

This includes several directories of demo song ﬁles, which show off some of the capabilities of your K2661. In addition, KDFXTUTR.K26 contains objects used in the tour of Effects mode that starts on page 9-22.

Most song demos can simply be loaded into the K2661 and played from Song mode. However, two demo ﬁles require that your K2661 have the sampling option installed. The demo ﬁles

LMFBDMO1.K26 , and LMFBDMO2.K26 demonstrate internal feedback loops using a chain of

VAST->KDFX->sampler->VAST->KDFX—known as Live mode. Because a Master table is included, your SampleMode settings will be set automatically when you load the demo ﬁle.

after loading these objects. Live-mode programs are inherently unstable when you’re in Live mode and the sampling source (the Src parameter in the Samplemode page) is set to Int . These programs are capable of producing tremendously loud feedback loops with a relatively small amount of gain. In modes where the provided studio is not the active studio, the compressor that keeps these feedback chains under control isn’t operating, and the loop can grow out of control very quickly. If you intend only to listen to the demo, and not to examine the programming, we recommend that you delete the song ﬁle (and its dependent objects) from your K2661 when you are done listening. We also recommend that you go to the SampleMode page and set the Src parameter to Ext or the Mode parameter to something other than LiveIn , to help to avoid any unintended feedback. If you want to look at the program settings, lower the volume on your instrument, and read the more detailed description of Live mode beginning on page 14-41.

Caution : Programs that cause internal feedback can get extremely loud, so it’s important to be careful

K2661 Farm & Extras

This includes over 1000 extra programs and effects, all cultivated from the “farm” where we grow our programs and effects.

The K2500FRM directory contains over 1000 extra programs, organized in ﬁles by type of sound. This set of programs was originally developed for the K2500, hence the name.

The KDFXFARM directory contains two subdirectories. LIVEMODE contains a set of ﬁles containing extra programs using Live mode (which requires having the sample option in your K2500). MOREKDFX contains some FX Presets and a number of Programs that use KDFX, as well as a couple of blank studios.

PIANOFRM contains extra programs that speciﬁcally use the 4-megabyte stereo piano.

VOCODER contains programs and setups that are designed to be used with the Vocoder

feature. You can read about the Vocoder in detail on page 11-4.

The MOREPRGS directory contains several ﬁles of extra programs.

K2600 / K2500 / K2000 Compatibility Files

These ﬁles includes of all the ROM objects in the original K2600, K2500, or K2000. You would use one of the compatibility ﬁles if you have songs created for one of those older object sets. See

Loading Older Setup Versions on page 7-2 for information about using older objects with the

K2661.

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Chapter 2 Startup

If hooking up new gear is familiar to you, and you just want to get going, here’s a quick description of all the basic things you need to cover to get started with your K2661. If you need more information, thorough descriptions of each step follow. In either case, check out Playing the Presets on page 2-4.

Quick Startup Checklist

1. Set the keyboard on a hard, ﬂat, level surface. Make sure to leave plenty of room for ventilation.

Startup

Quick Startup Checklist

2. Four adhesive-backed rubber feet are provided with your K2661. If you want to attach them to the bottom of the K2661, carefully turn the keyboard over, remove the paper backing from the rubber feet and attach them now. There are four pairs of holes on the bottom of the keyboard – a pair in each corner – showing the best places to attach the rubber feet.

3. Connect the power cable.

4. Make sure your sound system is at a safe volume level.

5. Plug in a pair of stereo headphones or run standard (1/4-inch) audio cables from your ampliﬁer or mixer to the MIX audio outputs on the K2661. (Use the MIX L out for mono.)

Start Jamming!

1. Power up your K2661 and check out some of the programs and setups. The K2661 starts up in either Program mode or Setup mode—whichever of the two modes it was in when it was last shut down (or given a soft reset). Press the button labeled Program or Setup to switch modes.

2. If you hear distortion, reduce the gain on your mixing board, or use the pad if it has one.

3. Scroll through the program list with the Alpha Wheel.

4. Press the Quick Access mode button and use the alphanumeric buttons to select from programmable banks of ten programs or setups.

5. If you don’t hear anything, review these steps, or check the Troubleshooting section in the Musician’s Reference.

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Startup

Startup—the Details

This section walks you through the hookup of your K2661. We’ll take a look at the rear panel, then describe the power, audio, and other cable connections.

Before You Start...

Don’t connect anything until you make sure your K2661 is properly and safely situated. Also, if your K2661 has been out in the cold, give it time to warm up to room temperature before starting it, since condensation may have formed inside the K2661. Never block the ventilation openings on the bottom or rear panels; doing so can cause overheating and serious damage. To provide adequate ventilation, the rear panel should be at least four inches from any vertical surface.

Connecting the Power Cable (Line Cord)

The K2661 runs on AC power: 100, 120, 230, or 240 volts at 50–60 Hz. Your dealer will set the voltage switch to match the voltage in your area. The voltage level is set with a selector on the rear panel of the K2661. Unless you are sure it needs to be changed, you shouldn’t adjust this.

When you’ve connected the cable at the K2661 end (as you face the back of the K2661, the power connection is at the left), plug it into a grounded outlet. If your power source does not have the standard three-hole outlet, you should take the time to install a proper grounding system. This will reduce the risk of a shock.

2-2

Connecting the Audio Cables

After you’ve turned down the level on your sound system, connect the K2661’s analog audio outputs to your sound system using a pair of stereo or mono audio cables. Mono cables will always work, but if you’re going into balanced inputs, use stereo cables for a better signal-tonoise ratio. The K2661’s analog outputs are balanced, and generate a “hotter” signal than previous Kurzweil instruments.

You’ll ﬁnd six 1/4-inch jacks near the top of the rear panel. For now, connect one end of each audio cable to your mixing board or PA system inputs, and connect the other end to the jacks marked MIX L and R on the rear panel of the K2661. If you have only one input available, use the K2661’s MIX L output to get the full signal in mono. You’ll ﬁnd more about audio conﬁgurations—including digital output—in Chapter 15.

Connecting MIDI

The simplest MIDI conﬁguration uses a single MIDI cable: either from the MIDI Out port of your K2661 to the MIDI In port of another instrument, or from the MIDI Out port of your MIDI controller to the MIDI In port of the K2661. There are all sorts of possible conﬁgurations, including additional synths, personal computers, MIDI effects processors, and MIDI patch bays. Depending on your system, you may want to use the K2661’s MIDI Thru port to pass MIDI information from a MIDI controller to the K2661 and on to the next device in your system. You can also connect MIDI devices to the K2661’s MIDI Out port, which can send channelized MIDI information from the keyboard or through the K2661 from your MIDI controller. See the discussion of the Local Keyboard Channel parameter on page 10-6.

Page 15

Connecting SCSI

You may not have a hard disk or other SCSI device to connect to your K2661 right away, but if you do, you can connect it to the SCSI port. Please read the following information carefully; it’s very important. Also, there’s a collection of SCSI tips in Chapter 6 of the Musician’s Reference.

Note: SCSI on the K2661 is always terminated. Turn to Chapter 13 and read the section called SCSI

Termination if you require more information. You can lose data if your system isn’t terminated properly.

Switching On the Power

The power switch is on the rear panel. If you’re facing the keyboard, it’s just to the right of the power cable connection.

When you power up, the display brieﬂy show some startup information. The Program mode display then appears. It looks like the diagram below (the programs shown in the diagram don’t necessarily exist).

ProgramMode||||Xpose:0ST|||<>Channel:1||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|998|James|Jams|||||| KeyMap|Info|||||||#|999|Default|Program| |Grand|Piano||||||#|||1|Righteous|Piano| ||||||||||||||||||#|||2|Mondo|Bass|||||| ||||||||||||||||||#|||3|Killer|Drums|||| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|||4|Weeping|Guitar|| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

Startup

Startup—the Details

The ﬁrst time you power up (or after a reset), your instrument will be set to operate on MIDI Channel 1 (as shown in the top line of the diagram). After that, it will power up on whatever channel you were on when you powered down. If you’d rather have the K2661 reset certain parameters to default values when you power up, you can do that, too. See Power Mode on page 10-7.

Set the volume at a comfortable level. You’ll get the best signal-to-noise ratio if you keep the K2661 at full volume, and adjust the level from your mixing board. You may also want to adjust the display contrast and brightness. There are two small knobs on the rear panel of the K2661 for this purpose.

SmartMedia

You can use 3.3v SmartMedia cards (4 megabyte and larger) for backing up, archiving, and sharing your work. The SmartMedia card slot is on the back panel of the K2661, but it is easily accessible from the front of the instrument. The gold contacts on the card must be facing up when you insert it; the K2661 can’t read a card when it is inserted upside down.

Caution: Do not remove a SmartMedia card while the blue LED is lit. Removing a card while the blue LED is lit can cause data corruption.

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Startup

Playing the Presets

There are three things you’ll want to check out right away: programs, setups and Quick Access banks. In performance situations, you’ll be selecting your sounds using one of these three methods. There’s a mode (and a mode button) corresponding to each method.

Getting Around

In all three of these modes, the bottom line of the display identiﬁes the function of each of the buttons beneath the display. We call these buttons soft buttons, because they do different things depending on what’s currently showing in the display.

In Program and Quick Access modes, you can change MIDI channels with the Chan- and Chan+ buttons under the display. In Program mode, you can also change channels using the Chan/Bank buttons to the left of the display. (In Quick Access mode, the Chan/Bank buttons change Quick Access banks; more about that on page 2-7.) There are two more soft buttons that appear in these modes: Panic and Sample.

The Panic button sends an All Notes Off message and an All Controllers Off message—both to the K2661 and over all 16 MIDI channels. You won’t need it often, but it’s nice to have.

The Sample button takes you to Sample mode (the SampleMode page), which, as you’ve probably guessed, is where you make your own samples—if you have the sampling option in your instrument.

Programs

The K2661 powers up in Program mode, where you can select and play programs stored in ROM or RAM. Programs are preset sounds composed of up to 32 layers of samples or waveforms. If you’ve left Program mode, just press the Program mode button or Exit button to return.

Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the Program-mode display. It gives you some helpful basic information, like the MIDI transposition, what MIDI channel you’re on, and which program is currently selected.

There’s a box at the left side of the display. The info box, as it’s called, displays information about the current program (there’s also an info box for Setup mode). The following diagrams shows how the information differs depending on the type of program you’ve selected.

VAST Programs

First is a “normal” VAST program, which is what most of the factory programs are. They have from one to three layers. In this case, there are two. For programs of up to three layers, the info box contains one line per layer, indicating the keymap used in that layer. The line under the keymap name indicates the layer’s keyboard range. In this case, both layers extend across the entire keyboard (A 0 to C 8).

ProgramMode||||Xpose:0ST|||<>Channel:1||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@||||5|Piano|for|Layers Keymap|Info||||||#||||6|DrkPno^ArakisPno |Grand|Piano|||||#||||7|Honky-Tonk|||||| |Grand|Piano|||||#||||8|Pno&Syn/AcString |||||||||||||||||#||||9|ClassicPiano&Vox %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%$|||10|E|Grand|Stack||| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

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Startup

Playing the Presets

VAST programs with more than three layers are known as drum programs, as shown in the following diagram. Drum programs can use any sound you like, but the most common use for programs with more than three layers is to create a number of different sounds across the keyboard—which is perfect for combinations of percussion sounds (hence the name). For drum programs, the info box simply indicates the number of layers in the program—in this case, 26.

ProgramMode||||Xpose:0ST|||<>Channel:1||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@||48|OG|||||||||||||| Drum|Program||||||#||49|Lowdown|Bass|||| 26|layers|||||||||#||50|SquashStudio|Kit ||||||||||||||||||#||51|Retro|Skins|MW|| ||||||||||||||||||#||52|2|Live|Kits|2|MW %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$||53|Garage|Kit|II|MW Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

KB3 Programs

The architecture of KB3 programs is different from that of VAST programs. KB3 programs don’t have layers; they rely on oscillators that mimic the tone wheels used in many popular organs. Consequently, the info box shows only the waveform used in the program.

ProgramMode||||Xpose:0ST|||<>Channel:1||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|751|Prog|Rock|Organ| KB3|Program|||||||#|752|Syn|Rock|Organ|| |Mellow|Vox|||||||#|753|Dirty|Syn|B||||| ||||||||||||||||||#|754|CleanFullDrawbar ||||||||||||||||||#|755|Loungin||||||||| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|756|MildGrunge|||||| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

Because of their architecture, KB3 programs require different processing within the K2661, and they don’t work on “regular” channels. They require a special channel to handle the KB3 program’s voices. You can choose any of the 16 MIDI channels to be the KB3 channel, but you can have only one KB3 channel, and KB3 programs play only on that channel (VAST programs work just ﬁne on the KB3 channel, by the way).

By default, Channel 1 is designated as the KB3 channel (you can change it in Master mode). If the current channel isn’t the same as the KB3 channel, and you select a KB3 program, you won’t get any sound, because a non-KB3 channel can’t handle a KB3 program.

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Startup

Playing the Presets

In the following diagram, Channel 2 is the current channel, but Channel 1 is the KB3 channel. The info box tactfully lets you know what the KB3 channel is, and parentheses appear around the names of all KB3 programs, to further remind you that KB3 programs aren’t available on the current channel. To get Program 753 to work in this case, you’d have to change the current channel back to Channel 1, or go to Master mode and change the KB3 channel to Channel 2.

ProgramMode||||Xpose:0ST|||<>Channel:2||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|751|(Prog|Rock|Organ KB3|Program|||||||#|752|(Syn|Rock|Organ) |Mellow|Vox|||||||#|753|(Dirty|Syn|B)||| ||||||||||||||||||#|754|(CleanFullDrawba KB3Chan|is|Ch|1|||#|755|(Loungin)||||||| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|756|(Mild|Grunge)||| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

Live Mode Programs

Programs 740–749 are designed expressly for Live mode, a feature that enables you to take a signal from the Analog sampling input (this requires the sampling option, of course), and route it through the DSP algorithms. Programs 740–749 will not play unless you’re receiving a signal at the Analog sampling input. See page 14-10 for more about Live mode.

Setups

Selecting Programs

When you want to change programs, you have several options.

The easiest method is the Alpha Wheel. Turning it left or right will scroll through the program list. You can also change programs using the cursor buttons (the arrow buttons to the right of the display), or the Plus/Minus buttons under the Alpha Wheel. To save time, you can enter the program number directly from the alphanumeric buttonpad to the right of the Alpha Wheel, pressing the Enter button to complete the selection. If you make a mistake, press Clear, then start over.

The K2661 has various settings for responding to MIDI Program Change commands from external sources. These are explained in Chapter 10, so we won’t go into them here. You should be able to change programs by sending Program Change commands from your MIDI controller.

If you don’t hear anything, see the troubleshooting section in the Musician’s Reference. When you’re ready to start doing your own programming, check out Chapter 6.

Setups are preset combinations of programs. Setups can have up to eight zones, each of which can be assigned to any range of the keyboard (overlapping or split). Each zone can have its own program, MIDI channel, and MIDI control assignments.

Press the Setup mode button to the left of the display. Its LED will light, telling you that you’re in Setup mode. Notice that the Setup-mode display is similar to the Program-mode display. If the setup has three or fewer zones, the box at the left shows you the programs assigned to each of the setup’s three zones, and which MIDI channel is used for each program. If the setup is composed of more than three zones, then the box displays a series of horizontal lines illustrating the approximate key ranges of the zones. See page 7-1 for a more detailed description.

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Page 19

SetupMode||||||Xpose:0ST||||||||||||||||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|201*Friday|Gig|||||| Chan/Program|Info|#|202*Bop|Rock|Reggae| 1||||9|Cool|Traps|#|||1|Jazz|Trio||||||| 2|||18|Sly|Acoust|#|||2|All|Percussion|| 3|||22*Izit|Jimmy|#|||3|Heavy|Metal||||| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|||4|To|Sequencer|||| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|||||||||||||

Many setups include arpeggiation and note-triggered songs to create some pretty amazing grooves that you can use as is, or as templates for your own material. As you play with these setups, experiment with the sliders and other controllers for a wide range of effects. Some of these grooves keep playing after you’ve released the keys that got them going. When you want to stop them, select another setup, or press the Setup mode button.

Quick Access

A really convenient way to select programs and setups is to use Quick Access mode, where you select a Quick Access bank from a list of factory preset or user-programmed banks. Each bank contains ten memory slots, or entries, where you can store any combination of programs or setups. While you’re in Quick Access mode, you can select any program or setup in the bank with buttons 0 through 9.

Startup

Playing the Presets

The K2661 comes with a few Quick Access banks already programmed so you can get an idea of how they work. You’ll probably create your own Quick Access banks to help you select programs and setups with a minimum of searching. Press the Quick Access mode button to the left of the display. Its LED lights, to tell you you’re in Quick Access mode. You’ll see a display that looks like this:

QuickAccessMode|||<>Bank:1|For|Show|1|||

Silk|Rhodes|||POLY|TOUCH||||Voice+String NastyTrombone|SINK|MONSTA|||Waterflute|| Soon||||||||||Jazz|Trio|2|||Fretless|Bas ||||||||||||||VELVETEEN|||||||||||||||||

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

|Xpose:0ST|||SINK|MONSTA||||||||Chan:1|| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

The top line of the display tells you which Quick Access bank is selected. Use the Chan/Bank buttons (to the left of the display) to scroll through the banks. The names of each of the ten entries in the bank are listed in the center of the display. Many of their names will be abbreviated. The currently selected entry’s full name is shown near the bottom of the display. The amount of transposition is displayed to the left of the entry name. If the current entry is a program, you’ll see the current keyboard (MIDI) channel displayed to the right of the entry’s name. If it’s a setup, you’ll see the word Setup.

The entries on the Quick Access page are arranged to correspond to the layout of the numeric buttons on the alphanumeric pad. On the page above, for example, the program SINK MONSTA is entry 5, and can be selected by pressing 5 on the alphanumeric pad.

When you’re ready to create your own Quick Access banks, turn to Chapter 8 to learn about the Quick Access Editor.

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Startup

The Other Modes

There are six other modes, ﬁve of which have mode buttons on the front panel (Sample mode doesn’t have a front-panel button). See page 3-1 and Chapter 4 for more detailed descriptions of each mode.

Effects mode Create and modify effects presets, and deﬁne how they’re applied to the

MIDI mode Conﬁgure the K2661 for sending and receiving MIDI information.

Master mode Deﬁne performance and control settings.

Song mode Record and edit sequences (songs); play Type 0 and Type 1 MIDI

Disk mode Load and save programs, setups, samples, and other objects.

Sample mode Edit ROM samples; create and edit RAM (user-deﬁned) samples.

Software Upgrades

Part of the beauty of the K2661 is the ease with which you can upgrade its operating system and objects (programs, setup, etc.) using the boot loader to install upgrades into ﬂash ROM.

K2661’s programs and setups.

sequences.

At Kurzweil and Young Chang, we have a long history of support for our instruments; the K250, K1000, K2000, and K2500 have been repeatedly enhanced, and these improvements have always been made available to instrument owners in the form of software upgrades.

Upgrading your K2661’s software is simple, painless, and—generally—free! As upgraded software becomes available, you can either get ﬁles from your Young Chang dealer or download the new stuff from the Web.

To stay in touch, check out our Web site:

http://www.kurzweilmusicsystems.com/

When you’ve acquired an upgrade, you can install it yourself in a matter of minutes. See Appendix A for details.

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Chapter 3 User Interface Basics

This chapter will show you how to get around the front panel of your K2661. Your interactions can be divided into three primary operations: mode selection, navigation, and data entry. There is also an assignable control section.

User Interface Basics

Mode Selection

The K2661 is always in one of eight primary operating modes. Select a mode by pressing one of the mode buttons — they’re to the left of the display. Each mode button has an LED that lights to indicate the current mode. Only one mode can be selected at a time.

Program mode Select and play programs, and modify them with the Program Editor.

Setup mode Select and play setups (eight keyboard zones with independent MIDI

Quick Access mode Select from a list of preset banks, each containing a list of ten programs

Effects mode Deﬁne the behavior of the on-board effects. Modify the preset effects and

MIDI mode Deﬁne how your K2661 sends and receives MIDI information, and

Master mode Deﬁne performance and control characteristics for the entire K2661.

Rearrange and modify samples in the Keymap and Sample Editors.

channel, program and control assignments), and modify them with the Setup Editor.

and/or setups that can be viewed in the display for easy selection. Modify the preset banks and create your own with the Quick Access Editor.

create your own with the Effects Editor.

conﬁgure each channel to receive independent program, volume, and pan messages that override the normal Program-mode settings.

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User Interface Basics

Navigation

Song mode Use the K2661’s sequencer to record and play back your keyboard

Disk mode Interface with the K2661’s SmartMedia drive, or an external SCSI device

There are two more modes that don’t have dedicated buttons on the front panel: Sample mode and Live mode. In Sample mode, you can create and edit samples (if you have the sampling option). To get to Sample mode, press the Sample soft button in Program, Setup, Quick Access, or Master modes. See Chapter 14 for details.

Live mode lets you route an input signal through the K2661’s DSP algorithms. See page 14-10.

Mode Buttons

The mode buttons are labeled in white. When you press a mode button, its LED lights up to indicate that the mode has been selected. If pressing a mode button does not light its LED, press the Exit button one or more times, then try again.

The colored labeling for each mode button indicates special functions that relate to some of the K2661’s editors. These functions are described on page 5-8.

performance, play Type 0 and Type 1 MIDI sequences, and record multitimbral sequences received via MIDI.

to load and save programs, setups, samples, and more.

Navigation

The navigation section of the front panel consists of the display and the buttons surrounding it. These navigation buttons will take you to every one of the K2661’s programming parameters.

The Display

Your primary interface with the K2661 is its backlit graphic display. As you press various buttons, this ﬂuorescent display reﬂects the commands you enter and the editing changes you make. The ample size of the display (240-by-64 pixels) enables you to view lots of information at one time.

Pages

Within each mode, the functions and parameters are organized into smaller, related groups that appear together in the display. Each one of these groups of parameters is called a page. Each mode has what we call an entry-level page; it’s the page that appears when you select that mode with one of the mode buttons. Within each mode and its editor(s), the various pages are selected with the navigation buttons. There are many pages, but there are a few features common to each page. The diagram below shows the entry-level page for Program mode.

ProgramMode||||Xpose:0ST|||<>Channel:1||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|200*Analog|Jam|||||| KeyMap|Info|||||||#|202*Heart|Strings||| |Grand|Piano||||||#|||1|Righteous|Piano| ||||||||||||||||||#|||2|Mondo|Bass|||||| ||||||||||||||||||#|||3|Killer|Drums|||| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|||4|Weeping|Guitar|| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

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The Top Line

On the top line of most pages, there’s a reminder of which mode you’re in and which page you’re on. Many pages display additional information in the top line, as well. The Program-mode page above, for example, shows you the current amount of MIDI transposition and the currently selected MIDI channel. The top line is almost always “reversed”—that is, it has a white background with blue characters.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is divided into six (sometimes fewer) sets of reversed characters that serve as labels for the six buttons directly beneath the display. These labels—and the functions of the buttons—change depending on the currently selected page. Consequently the buttons that select these functions are called “soft” buttons.

The Soft Buttons

The soft buttons are called “soft” because their functions change depending on the currently selected mode. Sometimes they perform speciﬁc functions, like changing MIDI channels in Program mode. In the Program Editor and other editors, they’re also used to move to different pages of programming parameters. If a soft button’s label is in all capital letters (KEYMAP, for example), pressing the corresponding soft button takes you to a page of parameters. If the soft button is labeled in lower-case or mixed-case letters (Save, for example), the soft button performs some kind of function.

User Interface Basics

Navigation

The Cursor Buttons

To the right of the display are four buttons arranged in a diamond fashion. These are called the cursor buttons. They move the cursor around the currently selected page, in the direction indicated by their labels. The cursor is a highlighted (reversed) rectangle (sometimes it’s an underscore). It marks the value of the currently selected parameter.

Programming the K2661 involves selecting various parameters and changing their values. Select parameters by highlighting their values with the cursor. You can change the highlighted value with any of the data entry methods described in the data entry section below.

The Chan/bank Buttons

To the left of the display are two buttons labeled Chan/Bank. Their function is related to the two small arrows—<|>—that appear in the top line of the display when there are multiples of the current page—for example, the LAYER pages in the Program Editor. When you see these arrows, you can use the Chan/Bank buttons to scroll the values of the parameter that appears to the right of the arrows. In Program mode, for example, they shift through the MIDI channels, showing the program assigned to each channel.

When you’re in the Program Editor, the Chan/Bank buttons let you view each layer in the program. You can see the corresponding parameters in each layer by scrolling through the layers with these buttons. In the Keymap Editor, Chan/Bank scroll through key ranges of the current keymap. In the Setup Editor, the Chan/Bank buttons scroll through the zones in the current setup. In Quick Access mode, they scroll through the Quick Access banks, and in Song mode they scroll through recording tracks.

We’ll let you know, when applicable, what the Chan/Bank buttons do.

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User Interface Basics

Data Entry

The Edit Button

The Edit button activates each of the K2661’s editors, and acts as a shortcut to many pages within the Program Editor. Pressing the Edit button tells the K2661 that you want to change some aspect of the object marked by the cursor. For example, when a program is selected and you press Edit, you enter the Program Editor. If a setup is selected, you enter the Setup Editor.

There are editors accessible from just about every operating mode. To enter an editor, choose one of the modes (mode selection), and press Edit. An editing page for that mode will appear. You can then select parameters (navigation) and change their values (data entry). If the value of the selected parameter has its own editing page, pressing the Edit button will take you to that page. For example, in the Program Editor, on the PITCH page, you might see LFO1 assigned as the value for Pitch Control Source 1. If you select this parameter (the cursor will highlight its value—LFO1 in this case), then press the Edit button, you’ll jump to the page where you can edit the parameters of LFO1. Naturally, you can ﬁnd every page in the current editor by using the soft buttons, but often it’s easier to use the Edit button shortcut.

The Exit Button

Press Exit to leave the current editor. If you’ve changed the value of any parameter while in that editor, the K2661 will ask you whether you want to save your changes before you can leave the editor. See page 5-3 for information on saving and naming. The Exit button also takes you to Program mode if you’re on the entry level page of one of the other modes. If at some point you can’t seem to get where you want to go, press Exit one or more times to return to Program mode, then try again.

Data Entry

The data entry section of the front panel includes the Alpha wheel, the Plus/Minus buttons, and the 14-button alphanumeric pad.

The Alpha Wheel

The Alpha Wheel is especially useful because it can quickly enter large or small changes in value. If you turn the Alpha Wheel one click to the right, you’ll increase the value of the currently selected parameter by one increment. One click to the left decreases the value by one increment. If you turn it rapidly, you’ll jump by several increments. You can also use the Alpha Wheel to enter names when you’re saving objects.

The Plus/Minus Buttons

These buttons are located just under the Alpha Wheel. The Plus button increases the value of the currently selected parameter by one, and the Minus button decreases it by one. These buttons are most useful when you’re scrolling through a short list of values, or when you want to be sure you’re changing the value by one increment at a time. One press of the Plus or Minus button corresponds to one click to the right or left with the Alpha Wheel. These buttons will repeat if pressed and held.

Pressing the Plus and Minus buttons simultaneously will move you through the current list of values in large chunks instead of one by one. Often this is in even increments (10, 100, etc.). Don’t confuse these buttons with the +/- button on the alphanumeric pad. This button is used primarily for entering negative numeric values and switching from uppercase to lowercase letters (and vice versa).

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Page 25

The Alphanumeric Pad

As its name implies, this set of 14 buttons lets you enter numeric values, and to enter names one character at a time. Depending on where you are, the K2661 automatically enters letters or numerals as appropriate (you don’t have to select between alphabetic or numeric entry).

When you’re entering numeric values, press the corresponding numeric buttons, ignoring decimal places if any (to enter 1.16, for example, press 1, 1, 6, Enter). The display will reﬂect your entries, but the value won’t actually change until you press Enter. Before pressing Enter, you can return to the original value by pressing Cancel. Pressing Clear is the same as pressing 0 without pressing Enter.

When entering names, you can use the Left/Right cursor buttons or the <<< / >>> soft buttons to move the cursor to the character you want to change. Use the labels under the alphanumeric buttons as a guide to character entry. Press the corresponding button one or more times to insert the desired character above the cursor. The Cancel button is equivalent to the >>> soft button, and Enter is the same as OK. The Clear button replaces the currently selected character with a space. The +/- button toggles between uppercase and lowercase letters.

There’s also a convenient feature called keyboard naming, which lets you use the keyboard to enter characters in names. See page 5-5.

Double Button Presses

Pressing two or more related buttons simultaneously executes a number of special functions depending on the currently selected mode. Make sure to press them at exactly the same time.

User Interface Basics

Data Entry

In this

mode or

editor…

Program mode

Master mode Chan/Bank Enables Guitar/Wind Controller mode.

Song mode

Disk mode

Program Editor

…pressing these buttons

simultaneously…

Octav-, Octav+ Reset MIDI transposition to 0 semitones. Double-press again to

go to previous transposition.

Chan–, Chan+ Set current MIDI channel to 1.

Plus/Minus Step to next Program bank (100, 200, etc.)

Left/Right cursor buttons Toggle between Play and Stop.

Up/Down cursor buttons Toggle between Play and Pause.

Chan/Bank Select all tracks on any TRACK page in Song Editor.

2 leftmost soft buttons Issue SCSI Eject command to currently selected SCSI device.

Chan/Bank Hard format SCSI device. List selected objects when saving

objects.

Left/Right cursor buttons Select all items in a list. Move cursor to end of name in naming

dialog.

up/down cursor buttons Clear all selections in a list. Move cursor to beginning of name

in naming dialog.

Chan/Bank Select Layer 1.

…does this:

Table 3-1 Double Button Presses

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User Interface Basics

Intuitive Data Entry

In this

mode or

editor…

Keymap Editor

Sample Editor

Any Editor

Save Dialog Plus/Minus buttons Toggle between next free ID and original ID.

…pressing these buttons

simultaneously…

Plus/Minus With cursor on the Coarse Tune parameter, toggles between

default Coarse Tune of sample root and transposition of sample root.

2 leftmost soft buttons Toggle between default zoom setting and current zoom setting.

Plus/Minus buttons Set the value of the currently selected parameter at the next

zero crossing.

Plus/Minus Scroll through the currently selected parameter’s list of values in

regular or logical increments (varies with each parameter).

2 leftmost soft buttons Reset MIDI transposition to 0 semitones. Double-press again to

go to previous transposition.

Center soft buttons Select Utilities menu (MIDIScope, Stealer, etc.).

2 rightmost soft buttons Sends all notes/controllers off message on all 16 channels

(same as Panic soft button).

Left/Right cursor buttons Toggle between Play and Stop of current song.

Up/Down cursor buttons Toggle between Play and Pause of current song.

…does this:

Table 3-1 Double Button Presses

Intuitive Data Entry

Many parameters have values that correspond to standard physical controllers. In many cases, you can select these values “intuitively,” rather than having to scroll through the Control Source list. This is done by selecting the desired parameter, then holding the ENTER button while moving the desired physical control.

For example, on the LAYER page in the Program Editor, you can set the range of the currently selected layer as follows: use the cursor buttons to move the cursor to the value for the LoKey parameter, press (and hold) the Enter button, then press the note you wish to be the lowest note for the currently displayed layer. The note you triggered (it has to be between C 0—C 8) will appear as the value for the LoKey parameter. Repeat the process for the HiKey parameter.

Another example: select Program 199 while in Program mode. Press Edit to enter the Program Editor. Press the PITCH soft button to select the PITCH page. Move the cursor to the Src1 parameter. Hold the Enter button, and move the Pitch Wheel. PWheel will be selected as the value for Src1.

You can also use the keyboard to choose control sources, since most key numbers correspond to a value on the control source list. If you have a certain control source that you use over and over (for example, LFO1), this can be the quickest way to enter its value. To do this: highlight a parameter which uses a value from the control source list, hold down Enter, then strike the key corresponding to the control source you want to choose. LFO1, for example, is assigned to B5. You’ll ﬁnd a complete chart of these keyboard shortcuts at the end of Chapter 4 of the Musician’s

Reference.

Also, for almost every parameter, you can hold the Enter button and move the Data Slider to run through the range of values for the currently selected parameter. This is not as precise as the Alpha Wheel, but much faster.

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Changing the Current Layer in Multi-Layer Programs

Search

User Interface Basics

When editing a multi-layer program (including drum programs), you can quickly switch between layers by holding the Enter button, then striking a key. The K2661 will change the current layer to that key’s layer. If the key is part of more than one layer, subsequent key strikes will cycle through each layer that has that key in its range.

Note: This method for changing the current layer in a multi-layer program will NOT work if the currently highlighted parameter has a note number or control source for its value. In this case, the key you strike will function as described in Intuitive Data Entry, above.

There’s a convenient way to ﬁnd any string of characters within the currently selected list, or range of values. Hold the Enter button and press any of the numeric buttons. A dialog like the one below appears.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||<>KbdNaming:Off

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Search|string:||Soul|Rebels||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Delete|Insert||<<<||||>>>||||OK|||Cancel

Type in the string of characters you want to ﬁnd. For example, if you’re looking at the program list and you want to ﬁnd all programs containing the word “Horn,” you would type h-o-r-n. This function is not case-sensitive; it will ﬁnd upper and lower case characters regardless of what you type.

When you’ve typed the string of characters you want to ﬁnd, press Enter. The K2661 searches through the current list of objects or values, ﬁnds all items that match the string of characters you typed, and displays the ﬁrst one it ﬁnds. Hold Enter and press one of the Plus/Minus buttons to search for the next higher- or lower-numbered object that contains the string of characters.

The string you select remains in memory. You can store and select a string of characters with each of the numeric buttons. Hold Enter and press one of the numeric buttons at any time to select that string for a search. When the string appears, you can change it, or just press Enter to ﬁnd that string.

Renaming Multiple Objects

You can automatically rename multiple RAM objects with one operation, by substituting one string of characters with another.

1. Press the Master mode button to enter Master mode.

2. Press the Object soft button, then press the Name soft button. The NAME page appears, showing a list of all RAM objects.

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User Interface Basics

Renaming Multiple Objects

3. Use the Alpha Wheel or Plus/Minus buttons to highlight objects. When an object whose

4. When you’ve selected all the objects you want to rename, press OK. The following dialog

5. Use your favorite method to enter a slash (/), followed by the string of characters that you

name you want to change is highlighted, press the Select soft button to select the object. Note the asterisk that appears between the object’s ID and its name.

appears. The name you see is the name of the last object you selected.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||<>KbdNaming:Off

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Object|Name:||||Badname||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Delete|Insert||<<<||||>>>||||OK|||Cancel

want to replace. This function is case-sensitive, so you can enter both capitals and lowercase characters. In this example, we’re going to change “Bad” to “Good.”

|||||||||||||||||||||||||<>KbdNaming:Off

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Object|Name:||||/Bad|||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Delete|Insert||<<<||||>>>||||OK|||Cancel

6. When you’ve entered the desired string of characters, press OK, and the dialog changes to prompt you to enter the replacement string. Notice that we entered only the characters B-a-d, and not the entire name of the object. Enter the new string, as shown below.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||<>KbdNaming:Off

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Replace|with:|||Good|||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Delete|Insert||<<<||||>>>||||OK|||Cancel

7. Press OK. The K2661 asks you if you’re sure (unless you have conﬁrmations turned off). Press Yes. The NAME page reappears. Every RAM object whose name contained Bad now contains Good instead.

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Mixdown and MIDI Faders Pages

There are two buttons below the Solo button, labeled Mixdown and MIDI Faders. These call up pages that let you use the sliders to control MIDI Pan and Volume, or any MIDI Controller that you choose. This is useful for real-time control over setups.

Mixdown Page

This page temporarily turns the K2661’s 8 sliders into MIDI pan and volume controls. You can get to this page from any mode by pressing the Mixdown button, located below the Solo button. Press Mixdown, and the display looks similar to what you see on the Song-mode MIX page. However, there are a few differences. On the Mixdown page, the sliders relate to MIDI channels instead of tracks. If you highlight 1-8 for example, moving slider D will affect volume or pan for MIDI Channel 4 while you’re on this page.

User Interface Basics

Mixdown and MIDI Faders Pages

>> shows whether sliders control pan or volume

Mixdown||||<>Prog:|36|DuckWalk||||||||||

|||WXWXWXWX|WXWXWXWX|WXWXWXWX|WXWXWXWX|| |||wxwxC{wx|wxwxwxwx|wxwxwxwx|wxwxwxwx|| >>||z|z}~|z||z|z|z|z||z|z|z|z||z|z|z|z|| ||||_|_|_|_||_|_|_|_||_|_|_|_||_|_|_|_||

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||*****************|||||||||||||||||||| |Pan|||Volume|Ch|1-8|Ch9-16|||||||||Done

Shows which channels are affected by sliders.

On the Mixdown page, pan and volume messages are sent to the internal K2661 sounds, to MIDI Out, or both. All Mixdown-page channels have the same destination (local, MIDI, or both), which is determined by the Control parameter on the MIDI-mode TRANSMIT page. You can assign the sliders to control either volume or pan. The soft buttons at the bottom of the Mixdown page let you select pan or volume control, on channels 1-8 or 9-16, allowing you to temporarily use the 8 sliders as pan or volume faders. Keep in mind that MIDI volume is a channel-speciﬁc message. Therefore, if you have more than one zone in a setup assigned to the same channel, moving any one of the associated sliders will affect all those zones.

MIDI Faders Pages

The button just below Mixdown is called MIDI Faders. The MIDI Faders page allows you to create a preset conﬁguration of any Controller assignment for each slider, along with an initial preset value for that Controller. For each slider, you assign the MIDI channel, MIDI Controller number, and a value. You can enter the value using any normal data entry method, or by moving the corresponding slider on keyboard models. You can also assign several sliders to the same channel, but assign each one to a different Controller number.

Soft buttons for indicating which channels are affected by sliders.

There are four different conﬁgurations (pages 1–4), which you select with the soft buttons. Each conﬁguration remembers the last value you set for each slider. If you want to send those values without moving the slider, press the Send button.

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User Interface Basics

Quick Song Recording and Playback

The available values for the Channel parameter on this page are 1–16 (local and MIDI), 1L–16L (local only, no MIDI), and 1M–16M (MIDI only, no local).

MIDI|Faders:Page1|||||||||||||||||||||||

Chan|:|9|||10||11||12||13||14||15||16||| Ctl||:|6|||6|||6|||6|||6|||6|||6|||6|||| Value:|50||0|||50||0|||50||0|||50||0|||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||\]||}~||\]||}~||\]||}~||\]||}~|||| |||||||_|||_|||_|||_|||_|||_|||_|||_|||| Page1||Page2||Page3||Page4|||Send||Done|

Quick Song Recording and Playback

There are three buttons—labeled Record, Play/Pause, and Stop—below the mode selection buttons. They control the recording and playback of songs from any mode; you don’t have to be in Song mode to record or play back.

Using these buttons affects the current track of the current song—that is, the song and track that were selected the last time you were in Song mode. When you record, the recording track and recording mode are determined by the current settings in Song mode; likewise for the playback mode when you’re playing a song.

When the sequencer status is STOPPED (neither the Record-button LED nor the Play/Pausebutton LED is lit or ﬂashing), press Record to put the sequencer in REC READY status. The Record-button LED lights (red). Then press Play/Pause to start recording. The Play/Pausebutton ﬂashes (green) to indicate the tempo. Any countoff is determined by the current Songmode setting for the CountOff parameter. Press Play/Pause or Stop to end recording and go to the Save dialog, where you can save the song, or trash it.

When the sequencer status is STOPPED, press Play/Pause to begin playing the current song. Press Play/Pause again to pause playback, and again to resume. Press Stop to end playback.

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Chapter 4 The Operating Modes

In this chapter we’ll discuss the theory behind the mode concept, and we’ll describe the basic operating features of each mode. Complete details on the editing features of each mode are provided in the K2661 Musician’s Guide (on the CD-ROM).

What the Modes Are

The modes exist to make the K2661 logical to work with. With as many performance and programming features as the K2661 has, it’s helpful to break them into groups. These groups are called modes. There are eight primary modes (plus Sample mode and Live mode); they’re described brieﬂy in the section called Using the Modes on page 4-3. Chapters 6 through 13 are dedicated to explaining each primary mode in turn. Chapter 14 describes Sample mode and Live mode.

Each mode is named for the kind of operations you perform while in that mode, and each mode’s editor (if any) contains all of the parameters related to editing the type of object found in that mode. In Setup mode, for example, you select setups (and only setups) for performance or editing. All of the setup-editing parameters are grouped together on the Setup-Editor page, which is accessible through Setup mode.

The Operating Modes

What the Modes Are

Selecting Modes

When the K2661 is on, it’s almost always operating in one of the eight primary modes represented by the LED-highlighted buttons beneath the display—or in one of the editors corresponding to the current operating mode. There are two exceptions: Sample mode (and the Sample Editor), and Live mode. Pressing one of the mode buttons selects the corresponding mode. This is the mode’s entry level. At the entry level, the LED of the selected mode is lit. Only one mode can be selected at a time.

From any primary mode, you can get to any other primary mode simply by pressing one of the mode buttons. If you’re in an editor, however, you must press Exit to return to the mode’s entry level before selecting another mode.

All of the modes except Disk mode and Live mode give you access to one or more editors for changing the values of the parameters within that mode. Press the Edit button to enter the editor of the currently selected mode. When you do this, the mode LED goes out.

It’s possible to enter another mode’s editor without leaving the currently selected mode. For example, if you press Edit while in Setup mode, you’ll enter the Setup Editor. The Setup-Editor page will appear, and the LocalPrg parameter will be highlighted by the cursor. If you press Edit again, you’ll enter the Program Editor, where you can edit the currently selected program. While you can edit and save programs as you normally would, you’re still in Setup mode, and you can’t select another mode at this point. When you exit the Program Editor, you’ll return to the Setup-Editor page. Press Exit again, and you’ll leave the Setup Editor, returning to the Setup-mode page.

This method of entering editors works for any parameter whose value is an editable object (program, setup, keymap, FX preset, etc.)

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The Operating Modes

Selecting Modes

The following table lists the procedures for moving between modes and editors. Note that the Exit button won’t always take you where the table says it will; it often depends on how you got where you are. The table assumes that you’ve entered a given editor via its corresponding mode. You’ll always return to Program mode eventually if you press Exit repeatedly.

Current Mode/ Editor Status

Any mode All other modes Press corresponding mode button

Program mode

Program Editor

Keymap Editor

Sample Editor Keymap Editor Press Exit

Setup mode

Setup Editor

Quick Access mode

Quick Access Editor

Effects mode Studio Editor Press Edit

Studio Editor

FX Preset Editor Studio Editor Press Exit

MIDI mode

Master mode

Song mode

Sample mode

Most editors Previous mode or editor Press Exit

Available Modes/ Editors

Program Editor Press Edit

Sample mode Press Sample soft button

Program mode Press Exit

Studio Editor On KDFX page: select Studio parameter; press Edit

Keymap Editor On KEYMAP page: select Keymap parameter, press Edit

Program Editor Press Exit

Sample mode Press the MIDI mode button

Sample Editor Select Sample parameter; press Edit

Sample mode Press Sample soft button

Setup Editor Press Edit

Setup mode Press Exit

Program Editor On CH/PRG page: select LocalPrg parameter; press Edit

Studio Editor On KDFX page: select Studio parameter; press Edit

Song Editor On COMMON page, select Song parameter; press Edit

Sample mode Press Sample soft button

Quick Access Editor Press Edit

Quick Access mode Press Exit

Program Editor Set value of Type parameter to Program; select program; press Edit

Setup Editor Set value of Type parameter to Setup; select setup; press Edit

Previous mode Press Exit

FX Preset Editor Select FX preset block; press Edit

Program Editor On CHANNELS page: select Program parameter; press Edit

Setup Editor On TRANSMIT page: select CtlSetup parameter; press Edit

Velocity Map Editor On TRANSMIT or RECEIVE page: select Veloc(ity)Map parameter; press Edit

Pressure Map Editor On TRANSMIT or RECEIVE page: select Press(ure)Map parameter; press Edit

Sample mode Press Sample soft button

Velocity Map Editor Select VelTouch parameter; press Edit

Pressure Map Editor Select PressTouch parameter; press Edit

Intonation Table Editor Select Intonation parameter; press Edit

Song Editor Select CurSong parameter; press Edit

Program Editor Select Program parameter; press Edit

Sample Editor Select Sample parameter; press Edit

Previous mode Press Exit

How to Get There

4-2

Page 33

Nested Editors

Starting at the Program-mode level, there are three “nested” editors, each related to the parameters that make up different components of a program. The ﬁrst is the Program Editor, which you enter when you press Edit while in Program mode. Programs consist, among other things, of keymaps; they determine which samples play on which keys. Keymaps can be edited as well. The Keymap Editor is entered from within the Program Editor, by selecting the KEYMAP page with the soft buttons, then pressing Edit.

Similarly, keymaps consist of samples, which also can be edited. The Sample Editor is entered from the Keymap Editor, by selecting the Sample parameter and pressing Edit. When you enter the Sample Editor, you’ve worked through three nested levels of editors, all related to the components that make up a program. And in fact, you’re still in Program mode (if that’s where you started from). Pressing Exit while in the Sample Editor will return you to the Keymap Editor. Pressing Exit again will return you to the KEYMAP page of the Program Editor. Once more, and you’re back to Program mode’s entry level.

Note: You can also get to the Sample Editor directly from Sample mode (by pressing Edit). If you’re editing a single sample, this might make more sense, since it’s more direct. If you’re planning on editing a number of samples within a given keymap, however, you’ll ﬁnd it more convenient to enter the Sample Editor through the Program and Keymap Editors, because once you’ve ﬁnished with one sample, you can easily return to the KEYMAP page and select another sample within the keymap.

The Operating Modes

Using the Modes

Finding Square One

If, at any time, you don’t know where you are, and the mode LEDs are all unlit, press Exit one or more times. This will return you to the entry level of whatever mode you were in, and if you press Exit enough times, you will always return to Program mode, the startup mode. If you’ve made any changes, you’ll be asked whether you want to save before leaving any editor. Press the No soft button or the Exit button if you don’t want to save. If you want to save, press the

Rename or Yes soft button, and you’ll see the Save dialog, which is described in Saving and Naming on page 5-3.

Using the Modes

You can play your K2661 regardless of the mode you’re in. In fact, the only times you can’t play it are when you’re in the middle of a disk operation (loading, saving, formatting) or a SMDI sample transfer. With these two exceptions, the K2661’s MIDI response is almost always active. Even so there are three modes that are more performance-oriented than the others. These are Program, Setup, and Quick Access modes. We’ll describe each of the eight modes brieﬂy in this section.

Program Mode

The K2661 starts up in Program mode, where you can select, play, and edit programs. The Program-mode entry-level page shows the currently selected program, as well as a small segment of the program list. Program mode gives you access to Sample mode via the Sample soft button.

The Program, Keymap, and Sample Editors are nested within Program mode. They take you to the core of the K2661’s sound editing parameters. See the K2661 Musician’s Guide (on the CD- ROM) for details.

Setup Mode

Setup mode lets you select, play, and edit setups. Setups consist of up to eight separate zones, split or overlapping, each having its own program, MIDI channel, and control parameters. Setups are great for performance situations, whether you’re playing multiple K2661 programs

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Page 34

The Operating Modes

Using the Modes

or controlling additional synths connected to the K2661’s MIDI Out port. Chapter 7 describes Setup mode .

If you’re using a different MIDI controller, you can make use of Setup mode even if your MIDI controller can transmit on only one MIDI channel at a time. To do this, go to the RECEIVE page in MIDI mode (by pressing the RECV soft button while in MIDI mode), and set the Local Keyboard Channel parameter to a value that matches the transmit channel of your MIDI controller. When you select Setup mode, the K2661 will interpret incoming MIDI information according to the settings for the currently selected setup. See the discussion of the Local Keyboard Channel parameter in Chapter 10 for details.

Setup mode also gives you access to Sample mode via the Sample soft button.

Quick Access Mode

Another feature for live performance, Quick Access mode enables you to combine programs and setups into banks of ten entries. Each of these programs or setups can be selected with a single alphanumeric button. Different banks are selected with the Chan/Bank buttons. There’s a selection of factory preset banks, and you can use the Quick Access Editor to create your own banks and store them in RAM. There’s a full description in Chapter 8.

Quick Access mode gives you access to Sample mode via the Sample soft button. You can also use Quick Access banks as a way to remap incoming or outgoing Program Change commands.

Effects Mode

Effects mode sets the behavior of the KDFX effects processor. The Effects-mode page lets you tell the K2661 how to select preset studios (programmed effects conﬁgurations) when you change programs or setups, or lets you choose a preset studio that’s applied to every K2661 program. The Studio Editor allows you to tweak the preset studios, and create your own. Chapters 9 shows you how. You can also listen to the sounds of various effects while in Effects mode, without selecting different programs.

MIDI Mode

You’ll use MIDI mode to conﬁgure the K2661’s interaction with other MIDI instruments, by setting parameters for transmitting and receiving MIDI. You’ll also use it to conﬁgure your K2661 for multi-timbral sequencing. On the CHANNELS page, you can assign a program to each channel, and enable or disable each channel’s response to three types of MIDI control messages: Program Change, volume and pan. You can also override program output assignments, and adjust overall program gain. See Chapter 10.

Master Mode

Master mode, described in Chapter 11, contains the parameters that control the entire K2661. Global settings for tuning, transposition, velocity and aftertouch sensitivity, and other preferences are adjusted here. You can also get to GM Mode and SampleMode from here.

Song Mode

Song mode enables you to play sequences (songs) stored in the K2661’s RAM, and provides a fully featured sequencer that you can use to record songs. You can also record multi-timbrally via MIDI, or load standard MIDI ﬁles (Type 0 or 1). The Song Editor enables you to modify existing RAM sequences, do step recording, and create arrangements (by linking two or more songs together). See Chapter 12.

4-4

Disk Mode

Disk mode lets you load and save programs and other objects using the K2661’s SmartMedia drive or a disk (or CD-ROM drive) connected to the K2661’s SCSI port. See Chapter 13.

Page 35

Chapter 5 Editing Conventions

Introduction to Editing

Programming (editing) the K2661 always involves three basic operations: mode selection, navigation, and data entry.

First, select the mode that relates to the object you want to edit—a program, a setup, etc. Then select the object you want to edit, and press the Edit button to enter the editor within that mode. An editor contains all the parameters that deﬁne the object you’re programming.

Next, you navigate around the editor’s page(s) with the soft buttons, and select parameters with the cursor (arrow) buttons. When you’ve selected a parameter (its value is highlighted by the cursor), you can change its value with one of the data entry methods. When you change a value, you’ll normally hear its effect on the object you’re editing. The K2661 doesn’t actually write your editing changes to memory until you save the object you’re working on. It then allows you to choose between writing over the original object, or storing the newly edited version in a new memory location.

Editing Conventions

Introduction to Editing

For complete information on the K2661’s editors, refer to the K2661 Musician’s Guide (on the CD- ROM).

What’s an Object?

If you’ve been wondering what we mean by the term “object,” it’s an expression we use for anything that can be named, saved, deleted, or edited. Here’s a list of all the types of objects:

Samples Digital recordings of instrumental sounds or waveforms. Samples

Keymaps Collections of samples assigned to speciﬁc velocity ranges and/or keys.

Programs Factory-preset or user-programmed sounds stored in ROM or RAM.

Setups Factory-preset or user-programmed MIDI performance presets consisting

Songs Sequence ﬁles loaded into RAM, or MIDI data recorded in Song mode.

Studios Factory-preset or user-programmed conﬁgurations of the K2661’s

actually have two separate parts: the actual sample data and the sample header information, which contains start, alternative start, loop, and end points, as well as other information like tuning and volume.

A program is one or more layers of sound, with programmable DSP functions applied to the keymaps within each layer.

of up to eight zones, each with its own program, MIDI channel, and controller assignments, and (optionally) arpeggiation speciﬁcations.

onboard digital audio effects processor.

FX presets Factory-preset or user-programmed data—including effects algorithms,

levels and balance—that deﬁne the nature of studios.

Quick Access banks Factory-preset or user-programmed banks of ten entries each, that store

programs and setups for single-button access in Quick Access mode.

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Editing Conventions

Object Type and ID

Velocity maps Factory-preset or user-programmed curves that affect the K2661’s

Pressure maps Factory preset or user-programmed curves that affect the K2661’s

Intonation tables Factory preset or user-programmed tables that affect the intervals

Master tables The values that are set for the global control parameters on the

Fader tables MIDI Controller assignments deﬁned on the MIDI Faders pages.

Name tables Contains a list of dependent objects needed by the other objects in a ﬁle at

Macros List of disk ﬁles to be loaded into the K2661’s memory at start-up time.

Object Type and ID

response to, and MIDI transmission of, attack velocity values.

response to, and MIDI transmission of, pressure (aftertouch) values.

between the twelve notes of each octave.

Master-mode page, as well as the settings for the parameters on the CHANNELS page in MIDI mode, and the programs currently assigned to each MIDI channel.

the time the ﬁle was saved.

The K2661 stores its objects in RAM using a system of ID numbers that are generally organized into banks of 100. Each object is identiﬁed by its object type and object ID; these make it unique. An object’s type is simply the kind of object it is, whether it’s a program, setup, song, or whatever. The object ID is a number from 1 to 999 that distinguishes each object from other objects of the same type. For example, within the 200s bank, you can have a setup, a program, and a preset effect, all with ID 201; their object types distinguish them. You can’t, however, have two programs with ID 201.

Object Type Object ID Object Name

Program 201 Hot Keys

Setup 404 Silicon Bebop

Velocity Map 1 Linear

Sample 3 Hey Moe

ROM (factory preset) objects have ID numbers in a number of banks. When you save objects that you’ve edited, the K2661 will ask you to assign an ID. If the original object was a ROM object, the K2661 will suggest the ﬁrst available ID. If the original object was a RAM object, you’ll have the option of saving to an unused ID, or replacing the original object.

Objects of different types can have the same ID, but objects of the same type must have different IDs to be kept separate. When you’re saving an object that you’ve edited, you can assign the same ID to an existing object of the same type, but if you do, the new one will be written over the old one. For example, if you assign an ID of 1 to a program you’ve edited, the K2661 will ask you if you want to “replace” the ROM program currently stored with that ID. We’ll discuss this further in Saving and Naming on page 5-3.

5-2

Many parameters have objects as their values—the VelTouch parameter on the Master-mode page, for example. In this case, the object’s ID appears in the value ﬁeld along with the object’s name. You can enter objects as values by entering their IDs with the alphanumeric pad. This is especially convenient for programs, since their ID numbers are the same as their MIDI program

Page 37

change numbers (when you’re using the Extended or Kurzweil Program Change format—see Program Change Formats on page 10-9).

The object type and ID enable you to store hundreds of objects without losing track of them, and also to load ﬁles from disk without having to replace ﬁles you’ve already loaded. See Memory Banks on page 5-7 for more information on object type and ID.

Saving and Naming

When you’ve edited an object to your satisfaction, you’ll want to store it in RAM. There’s a standard procedure for saving and naming, which applies to all objects.

You can press the Save soft button, of course, but it’s easier to press the Exit button, which means “I want to leave the current editor.” If you haven’t actually changed anything while in the editor, you’ll simply exit to the mode you started from. If you have made changes, however, the K2661 will ask you if you want to save those changes. This is the ﬁrst Save dialog. A dialog is any display that asks a question that you need to answer before the K2661 can proceed.

The following diagram shows the Save dialog for the Program Editor. The top line tells you that you got to this dialog by pressing Exit. If you had pressed the Save soft button instead of Exit, you’d see Save in the top line, instead of Exit. If you were in another editor, the top line would indicate that as well.

Editing Conventions

Saving and Naming

EditProgram:Exit||||||||||||||||||||||||

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Save|changes|to|Righteous|Piano?|||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||Rename|Cancel|Yes||||No|||

The best way through this process is to press the Rename soft button. This takes you immediately to the naming dialog, where you assign a name to the object you’re saving. You haven’t saved yet, but you’ll be able to after you’ve named the program.

EditProgram:Rename|||||||<>KbdNaming:Off

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Program|Name:|||Righteous|Piano||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Delete|Insert||<<<||||>>>||||OK|||Cancel

Like the Save dialog, the top line identiﬁes the current editor and function, and also indicates whether the keyboard naming feature is enabled (see Keyboard Naming on page 5-5).

The cursor underlines the currently selected character. Press the <<< or >>> soft buttons to move the cursor without changing characters. Press an alphanumeric button one or more times to enter a character above the cursor. The characters that correspond to the alphanumeric buttons are labeled under each button. If the character that appears is not the one you want,

5-3

Page 38

Editing Conventions

Saving and Naming

press the button again. Press the +/- button on the alphanumeric pad to switch between upper and lower case characters.

Press 0 one or more times to enter the numerals 0 through 9. Press Clear (on the alphanumeric pad) to erase the selected character without moving any other characters. Press the Delete soft button to erase the selected character. All characters to the right of the cursor will move one space left. Press the Insert soft button to insert a space above the cursor, moving all characters to the right of the cursor one space to the right.

Press the Cancel soft button if you decide not to name the object. Press OK when the name is set the way you want to save it.

In addition to the letters and numerals, there are three sets of punctuation characters. The easiest way to get to them is to press one of the alphanumeric buttons to select a character close to the one you want, then scroll to it with the Alpha Wheel. Here’s the whole list:

! “ # $ % & ’ ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

: ; < = > ? @ A through Z

[ \ ] ^ _ ` a through z. (space).

Pressing the Plus/Minus buttons simultaneously is a short cut to the following characters: 0, A, a and (space).

If you’re wondering how we came up with this sequence of characters, it’s composed of ASCII characters 33 through 122.

When you press OK, the ﬁnal Save dialog appears, where you assign an ID to the edited object. If you change your mind about the name, press the Rename soft button for another try.

EditProgram:Save||||||||||||||||||||||||

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Save|Righteous|Piano|as:|ID#200||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Object||||||||||||||Rename|Save|||Cancel

ROM Objects

If the object you started from was a ROM (factory preset) object, the K2661 will automatically suggest the next available (unused) ID as the ID for the edited object. If that’s the ID you want, press the Save soft button, and the object will be stored in RAM with that ID. Otherwise, you can select any ID from 1 to 999. This page also gives you the opportunity to return to the naming dialog (as described in the previous section) or, by pressing the Object soft button, to access the Object Utilities (described in Chapter 13).

If you select an ID that’s already in use, the K2661 will tell you that you’re going to replace the ROM object that’s already been assigned that ID. If you don’t want to do that, you can select a different ID. Or you can press the Plus/Minus buttons simultaneously to toggle between the ID that the K2661 suggested and the original ID. Or press the Cancel soft button to cancel the operation.

5-4

If you decide not to cancel or change the ID, and you press the Replace soft button, the K2661 will write your newly edited object over the existing ROM object. Actually, it only appears that

Page 39

way, since you can’t truly write to ROM. The ROM object will reappear if you delete the newly

(y)

edited object (there are soft buttons in each editor for deleting objects).

RAM Objects

If the original object was a RAM object, the K2661 will assume you want to replace it, and will suggest the same ID as the original object (if it has an asterisk—*—between its ID and its name, it’s a RAM object). As with ROM objects, you can cancel, replace, or change the ID and save to an unused ID. If you replace a RAM object, however, it’s deﬁnitely gone!

Editing Conventions

Saving and Naming

Keyboard Naming

The keyboard naming feature makes naming objects convenient (and musical!). With keyboard naming enabled, you can use the keyboard (or your MIDI controller) to enter the name of the object you’re modifying.

There are three keyboard naming states: Off (disabled), On, and Adv (Advance). When set to On or Adv, the keys (MIDI note numbers, actually) correspond to all the characters shown on page 5-4. There are also equivalents to the cursor movement, insertion, deletion, and

OK (Enter) buttons.

On requires you to move the cursor

to enter each letter, just as you have to do when using the normal data entry methods for naming. Adv automatically moves the cursor one space to the right each time you strike a key, just like a typewriter or computer keyboard. This is the most convenient setting.

When you’re in the Rename dialog, use either of the Chan/Bank buttons to change the keyboard naming state.

Move cursor to start of name

Move cursor left one space

Move cursor right one space

Move cursor left one space

Move cursor right one space

Move cursor to end of name

(Shift)

(Space)

a A

b B

c C

d D

e E

f F

g G

h H

j J

k K

l L

m M

n N

o O

p P

q Q

r R

s S

t T

u U

v V

w W

x X

y Y

z Z

(Space)

(Shift)

i I

Delete; move characters left one space

Insert; move characters right one space

1 !

tch Wheel Absolute Value

2 @

3 #

4 $

5 %

6 ^

7 &

8 *

9 (

0 (zero) )

- (Hyphen) _ (Underscore)

= (Equals) +

(Backspace)

; (Semicolon) : (Colon)

' (Apostrophe) '' (Quote)

, (Comma) <

. (Period) >

/ (Slash) ?

[ (Left bracket) ` (Back quote)

] (Right bracket) \ (Backslash)

(OK, Enter)

Delete; move characters left one space

Insert; move characters right one space

Use the (Shift) keys or Sustain pedal to enter upper-case and special characters

5-5

Page 40

Editing Conventions

Deleting Objects

Within most editors, there are soft buttons for deleting objects. When you want to delete an object, press the Delete soft button, and the K2661 will ask you if you want to delete the object. (At this point in the dialog, you can select another object with any of the data entry methods.) Press OK if you want to delete it, or press Cancel if you don’t. Although it seems that you can delete ROM objects, you can’t actually do it. The K2661 will behave as if it’s deleting the ROM object, but it will still be there the next time you select it. (What actually happens is that the ROM object is copied to RAM as soon as you press Edit, and when you “delete” the ROM object, you’re actually deleting the RAM copy. The original ROM object remains in memory.)

RAM objects, on the other hand, are gone when you delete them! If you’ve “replaced” a ROM object by saving a RAM object with the same ID, the ROM object is invisible, but still there. Deleting the RAM object stored at the same ID will restore the ROM object.

You’ll often delete objects to gain RAM space, or to organize the memory banks before saving objects to disk. To delete multiple objects, use the Delete Objects utility available in Master mode. It’s described on page 11-18.

Dependent Objects

A dependent object is an object that’s linked in memory with at least one other object. For example, if you create a setup that uses a program that you also created, that program is a dependent object of the setup.

When you start to delete an object that has dependent objects, the Delete dialog gives you a choice: Delete dependent objects? If you press Yes , the K2661 will delete the object and all its dependent objects when you execute the Delete function. In our example, if you were deleting the setup you created, and you chose to delete dependent objects, the dependent program would get deleted as well. If you press No at the Delete dependent objects? prompt, the K2661 deletes only the object, but keeps the dependent objects. In our example, the setup would get deleted, but the dependent program would remain.

When deleting objects and their dependents, the K2661 deletes only those dependent objects that aren’t dependent on other objects that you’re not deleting. For example, suppose you have two setups that contain the same program. If you delete one of the setups, and delete dependent objects with it, the setup gets deleted, but the program that’s contained in the other setup remains in memory.

5-6

Page 41

Memory Banks

To help organize the storage of your edited objects, the K2661’s memory is divided into ten banks, each of which stores objects having IDs within a certain range. Objects within the same range of IDs are stored in the same memory bank, regardless of their types. The banks are in increments of 100, that is, objects with IDs from 1 through 99 are stored in the ﬁrst bank, IDs from 100 to 199 in the second bank, and so on. We refer to them simply as the “Zeros bank,” “100s bank,” “200s bank,” etc. If you save an object as ID 203, for example, it’s in the 200s bank.

You can store up to 100 objects of each type in each memory bank, The number of objects of a given type that can be saved in a memory bank depends on its type. For example, you can store 20 Quick Access banks in each memory bank. As you begin to save objects that you’ve edited, you’ll notice that the IDs suggested by the K2661 sometimes increase in large chunks—from 219 to 300, for example. This is due to the limit to the number of objects of a given type that can be stored in a single memory bank. This limit can be important in terms of organizing your objects for storing to disk. Check out the section called Storing Objects in the Memory Banks on page 13-34 for lists of how many objects of each type can ﬁt into each memory bank.

You’ll want to think about organizing your edited objects in the memory banks when you start using the SmartMedia drive or a SCSI device to store your programs, samples, and other objects. Objects that are stored in the same memory banks can be easily stored in the same ﬁle on disk— which generally is a good idea. You can also store all the banks to one ﬁle by selecting “Everything” in the Disk-mode Bank dialog.

Editing Conventions

Memory Banks

The memory banks work automatically, that is, you don’t have to select the different banks to gain access to the objects stored in them. The K2661 selects the appropriate bank when you enter the object ID you want to work with. To select Program 201 while in Program mode, for example, just press 2, 0, 1, Enter on the alphanumeric pad. The 200s bank is automatically selected, and the program list will show programs numbered in the 200s. If your MIDI controller can send program change commands from 0 to 127 or 1 to 128 only, you’ll probably want to adjust the way the K2661 responds to program change commands. See the discussion of the Program Change Type parameter (ProgChgType) in Chapter 10.

When you do a save operation in Disk mode, you’re creating a ﬁle to be saved to disk or SmartMedia. This will save either individually selected objects or an entire bank of objects from the K2661’s RAM. If you choose to save a complete bank, then all objects with IDs in the range of the selected bank, regardless of type, are saved as part of the ﬁle. For example, if you save the 200s bank (objects with IDs from 200–299), then every object with an ID from 200 to 299 will be saved to the ﬁle.

This system makes it easy for you to keep track of everything you save. The ﬁrst program you save, for example, will have an ID of 200 (unless you specify another ID). The ﬁrst setup you create will also have an ID of 200 (since they’re different types of objects, the IDs can be the same). If you were to save the 200s bank, both your program and your setup would be saved to the same ﬁle.

Saving and Loading Files—Disk Mode

Saving to disk or SmartMedia simply involves selecting objects or a complete bank of objects to be stored as a single ﬁle. All objects with IDs within that range will be saved to the ﬁle. When you load a ﬁle, the K2661 asks you which bank will receive the ﬁle. You can load a ﬁle into any of the ten banks, regardless of the bank it was saved from. The K2661 will automatically reassign the object IDs. A ﬁle saved from the 200s bank, for example will be stored on disk with its objects numbered from 200–299. If you load it back into the 300s bank, its objects will be renumbered from 300–399.

See Chapter 13 for more information on loading and saving ﬁles.

5-7

Page 42

Editing Conventions

Special Button Functions

The Mode buttons and the Chan/Bank Down button have additional functions, depending on the mode or editor you’re in. When you’re in the Program or Setup Editor, they function according to the orange labeling under each button. They also work as track mutes on the MIX page of Song mode.

When you’re in the Sample Editor, the Program, Setup, Q Access, MIDI, Master, and Song mode buttons function according to the orange labeling near each button. The table below describes all of the special button functions.

Button Mode or Editor

White

Orange

Light Grey

Program Mute 1 Zoom-

Setup Mute 2 Zoom+

Q Access Mute 3 Samp / Sec

Effects FX Bypass

MIDI Previous Pg Gain -

Master Mark Gain +

Song Jump Link

Disk Compare

Chan / Bank Layer / Zone

Edit Whenever cursor is highlighting an editable object or parameter, takes you to corresponding editor or programming page

Program Editor (Orange) Setup Editor (Orange) Song Mode Sample Editor (Light Grey)

Mutes Layer 1 of current program, or mutes current layer of current drum program

Mutes Layer 2 of current program, or solos current layer of current drum program

Mutes Layer 3 of current program, or solos current layer of current drum program

Bypasses (mutes) current program’s FX preset (plays program dry)

Successive presses take you back to four most recent editor pages; 5th press takes you to ALG page

“Remembers” current editor page, so you can recall multiple pages with Jump button; asterisk appears before page name to indicate that it’s marked; unmark pages by pressing Mark when page is visible

Jumps to marked pages in order they were marked

Negates effect of unsaved edits and plays last-saved (unedited) version of object being edited

In Program Editor, these two buttons scroll through layers of current program; in Effects Editor, scroll through FX presets; in Keymap Editor, scroll through key ranges of current keymap; in Setup Editor, scroll through zones of current setup; in Quick Access mode, scroll through entries in current Quick Access bank

Mutes Zone 1 of current setup if 3 or fewer zones; mutes current zone of current setup if more than 3 zones

Mutes Zone 2 of current setup if 3 or fewer zones; solos current zone of current setup if more than 3 zones

Mutes Zone 3 of current setup if 3 or fewer zones; solos current zone of current setup if more than 3 zones

Bypasses (mutes) current setup’s studio (plays studio dry)

Successive presses take you back to four most recent editor pages; 5th press takes you to CH/PRG page

Same as for Program Editor; pages common to both editors are marked or unmarked for both editors

Jumps to marked pages in order they were marked

Same as for Program mode; display reminds you that you’re comparing; press any button to return to edited version

On MIX page, mutes Track 1 or 9

On MIX page, mutes Track 2 or 10

On MIX page, mutes Track 3 or 11

On MIX page, mutes Track 4 or 12

On MIX page, mutes Track 5 or 13

On MIX page, mutes Track 6 or 14

On MIX page, mutes Track 7 or 15

On MIX page, mutes Track 8 or 16

Change recording track

On TRIM and LOOP pages, decreases horizontal dimension of current sample in display

On TRIM and LOOP pages, increases horizontal dimension of current sample in display

Toggles between units used to identify location within sample— either number of samples from start, or time in seconds from start

On TRIM and LOOP pages, decreases vertical dimension of current sample in display

On TRIM and LOOP pages, increases vertical dimension of current sample in display

Preserves interval between Start, Alt, Loop, and End points of current sample; press again to unlink

5-8

Page 43

Chapter 6 Program Mode

Programs are the K2661’s performance-level sound objects. They’re preset sounds equivalent to the patches, presets, voices, or multis that you ﬁnd on other synths.

Program mode is the heart of the K2661, where you select programs for performance and editing. The K2661 is packed with great sounds, but it’s also a synthesizer of truly amazing depth and ﬂexibility. When you’re ready to start tweaking sounds, the Program Editor is the place to start. But ﬁrst there’s a bit more general information about Program mode. For complete information on the K2661’s Program Editor, refer to Chapter 6 of the K2661 Musician’s Guide (on the CD-ROM).

In Chapter 2 we brieﬂy discussed the difference between VAST programs and KB3 programs. You’ll remember that VAST programs contain up to 32 layers, each of which contains a keymap, which in turn consists of a number of samples assigned to a particular keyboard range— typically ﬁve or six notes, depending on the samples.

Program Mode

We mentioned drum programs, which are VAST programs with more than three layers. There’s no real difference between “normal” VAST programs and drum programs—consequently this chapter doesn’t make any further distinctions between them. There are also Triple Mode programs, where three layers of DSP information are used for one massive DSP chain.

OK, one further distinction: there’s no keymap information about drum programs in the info box on the Program-mode page—there simply isn’t room for information about more than three layers. If you’re wondering why we even have the concept of a drum program, it’s actually a carryover from the K2000, which had less processing power than the K2661, and required a special channel to handle more than three layers—and you need lots of layers, each with a different sound and keyboard range, to make a convincing drum program. The name stuck.

You’ll also recall from Chapter 2 that KB3 programs use a much different architecture: no layers or algorithms, just a bunch of oscillators that start running as soon as you select a KB3 program. This keeps the K2661’s sound engine rather busy, and that’s why there’s a special channel dedicated to KB3 programs; “regular” channels don’t have the processing ability to generate that many voices on a constant basis. By default, Channel 1 is the KB3 channel, but you can make any channel the KB3 channel (with the KB3Chan parameter on the Master-mode page).

The next two sections give more detailed descriptions of the differences in structure between VAST programs and KB3 programs. Then, since there are several performance features (and a few issues) unique to KB3 programs, we’ll talk about those (KB3 Mode on page 6-4). After that, there are descriptions of the Program-mode features that are common to both types of programs.

6-1

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Program Mode

VAST Program Structure

You might want to take a look at Figure 6-1 on page 6-3, which depicts the hierarchy of a VAST program, from individual samples all the way up to setups, which can contain up to eight programs.

Every VAST program contains at least one layer. A layer consists of a keymap and an algorithm for processing the samples contained in the keymap. Samples are stored in the K2661’s ROM, or are loaded into Sample RAM via Disk mode, MIDI standard sample transfer, SMDI sample transfer, or by your own sampling efforts. Each sample is a separate digital recording of some kind of sound: musical, vocal, industrial, any sound at all. Individual samples are assigned to speciﬁc key ranges (from A 2 to D 3, for example), and are also assigned to be triggered at speciﬁc attack velocities. These assignments constitute the keymap.

When you trigger a note, the K2661 looks to the keymap of each layer of the currently active VAST program(s) to determine which samples to play. The sound engine then fetches the requested samples and generates a digital signal representing the sound of the samples. This signal ﬁrst passes through the ﬁve DSP functions (more in triple mode) that make up the algorithm. It then passes through the KDFX effects processor, and ﬁnally appears—with some level of effects applied to it—at one or more of the audio outputs.

The layer is the VAST program’s basic unit of polyphony, that is, each layer constitutes one of the 48 voice channels the K2661 can activate at any time. If you have a program that consists of two layers covering the note range from A 0 to C 8, each key you strike triggers two voice channels.

6-2

Page 45

Program Mode

VAST Program Structure

Zone1Zone2Zone3Zone4Zone5Zone6Zone7Zone

Eight keyboard zones— each with independent program, MIDI channel, and control assignments

Selected for performance and editing in Program mode; up to 32 layers per program

A keymap processed through an algorithm, modulated by control sources

Figure 6-1 VAST Program Structure

Up to 128 sample roots, assigned to play at programmable key and velocity ranges

Individual digital sound recordings stored in ROM or RAM; stereo samples use two voices of polyphony

6-3

Page 46

Program Mode

KB3 Program Structure

There’s nothing quite like the sound of the classic Hammond™ B-3 tone wheel organ, especially when played through a Leslie™ rotating speaker system. We’ve done extensive testing and analysis with several tone wheel organs, and created our own models to emulate the unique tone wheel sound. We even took into account the way that older organs start to sound different (and arguably better) as their capacitors begin to leak—and we included a parameter that lets you vary the amount of grunge (leakage) in your sound.

We also recruited some very talented organ players to try out KB3 programs, and we’ve used their feedback to make the real-time controls as convenient and realistic as possible.

KB3 programs use oscillators to emulate the tone wheel sound. Each oscillator operates independently, and has its own pitch and amplitude control. You can control how many oscillators are used for a KB3 program. There are two oscillators per voice, for a total of 96. You can use up to 95 of them in a KB3 program (the 96th is reserved to produce key click). Because the oscillators start running as soon as you select a KB3 program, there are always voices available—unlike VAST programs, which start “stealing” notes when you reach the 48-voice polyphony limit. In other words, with a KB3 program, you can play and sustain more than 48 notes, and the K2661 will continue to play then all. With VAST programs, once 48 notes are on (for example, when you play and sustain a four-note chord in a 12-layer program), each new note that you play replaces one of the notes that was already on.

The oscillators—we’ll call them tone wheels from here on—are divided into an upper and lower group. By default, the upper tone wheels use the samples in the K2661’s keymaps (including your own RAM keymaps if you want) to generate sound, while the lower tone wheels use waveforms (like sine, square, or sawtooth). You can switch this around if you like, for even more variety.

KB3 Mode

KB3 programs are different enough from VAST programs that we use the term KB3 mode to describe what’s going on when you play a KB3 program. There are a few important points to consider if you want to get the most out of KB3 mode.

KB3 Channel

As we mentioned in Chapter 2, you can play KB3 programs only on the KB3 channel, which you deﬁne on the Master-mode page. When you’re in Program mode, this means that the current MIDI channel must match the KB3 channel, and when you’re in Setup mode, any zone that uses a KB3 program must use the KB3 channel. If this isn’t the case, the KB3 programs won’t make any sound. If this happens in Program mode, all KB3 program names appear in parentheses, and the info box reminds you that you’re not on the KB3 channel. If it happens in Setup mode, the display looks normal, but if you go into the Setup Editor, the LocalPrg parameter shows the KB3 program name in parentheses in every zone that’s not on the KB3 channel.

Note: If you’re using a Kurzweil PC88 to control your K2661, you shouldn’t use Channel 1 as the KB3 channel. The PC88 sends MIDI Controller 90 on Channel 1 to select effects. In KB3 mode, the K2661 maps Controller 90 to internal controller 90, which controls the emulation of leakage that we mentioned earlier. You probably don’t want your leakage level ﬂuctuating every time the PC88 sends Controller 90.

6-4

Page 47

Real-time Controls in KB3 Mode

You have real-time control over many components of KB3 programs directly from the front panel. The sliders emulate the drawbars that are so essential to the tone wheel sound, while the buttons above them (they’re called the Mute buttons, because they normally mute and solo zones in Setup mode) can control the KB3 effects: Leslie, vibrato, chorus, and percussion (key click).

When you’re in Program mode, the Mute buttons always control KB3 effects. In a setup containing a KB3 program, if you want the Mute buttons to control KB3 effects, you’ll have to edit the setup, because in Setup mode, the Mute buttons mute and unmute zones by default.

1. Go to Setup mode, and select the setup you want to edit. Press Edit.

2. Press either more soft button until you see the COMMON soft button. Press it, and your display should look like this:

EditSetup:COMMON|||||||||||||||All|Zones

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Song||:O|None||||||||||||||||Sync|:Off|| Mutes|:Zone|Mutes||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| <more|||||||||COMMON|ARPEG||RIBCFG|more>

Program Mode

KB3 Program Structure

3. Select the Mutes parameter and change its value to KB3 Control.

4. Don’t forget to save.

Playing KB3 Programs

One of the standard performance features of many tone wheel organs is the set of drawbars for emulating the stops on a pipe organ. Moving the drawbars controls the amplitude of either the fundamentals or the harmonics of the notes (out to increase amplitude, in to decrease it).

The sliders and Mod Wheel serve as the nine drawbars found on most tone wheel organs. Pushing the sliders up is the equivalent of pushing the drawbars in (removing fundamentals or harmonics). The Mod Wheel is the other way around, since you’re probably used to the Mod Wheel being off when it’s down, and on when it’s up. So remember, for the Mod Wheel, down (off) is like pushing the drawbar in (decreasing amplitude), and up (on) is out (increasing amplitude).

Subharmonics Fundamental Harmonics

16'

Slider A Slider B Slider C Slider D Slider E Slider F Slider G Slider H Mod Wheel

/3'

8' 4'

Table 6-1 Standard Drawbar Settings for the Hammond B3

KB3 Mode Buttons (Mute Buttons)

When the Mute buttons are enabled for KB3 control, their LEDs indicate the status of the various effects for the current KB3 program. This status is saved as part of each program. You

2 2/3'

1 3/5' 1 1/3'

6-5

Page 48

Program Mode

KB3 Program Structure

can change the effects in real time by pressing the buttons (or by sending the appropriate MIDI Controller values from your MIDI controller).

In normal operational modes, using the Mute buttons to change a program’s KB3 effects doesn’t affect the program; the effects return to their programmed settings the next time you select the program. If, however, you’re in an editor when you change the effects, you’re actually editing the program. If you like the changes, you can save the program with the new KB3 effects settings. If you don’t like the changes, you can exit without saving, and the program will revert to its previous settings.

The Mute buttons also send MIDI Controller information to the K2661’s MIDI Out port. See Column 2 of Table 6-3 to check which Controller numbers the buttons send.

Of course, you can change the programmed settings for the KB3-mode buttons. For each of the buttons, there’s a corresponding parameter in the Program Editor.

Effect Category

1 Rotary Fast / Slow MISC: SpeedCtl

Vibrato

3 Chorus / Vibrato MISC: VibChorSel Disabled if Button 2 is off

4 Depth 1 / 2 / 3 MISC: VibChorSel Disabled if Button 2 is off

6 Volume Loud / Soft PERC: Volume Disabled if Button 5 is off

Percussion

7 Decay Fast / Slow PERC: Decay Disabled if Button 5 is off

8 Pitch High / Low PERC: Harmonic Disabled if Button 5 is off

Button Name

On / Off MISC: VibChorCtl

On / Off PERC: Percussion

Table 6-2 KB3 Mode Buttons and Corresponding Parameters

MIDI Control of KB3 Programs

When you’re playing a KB3 program from an external MIDI source, there are two things to keep in mind:

• Certain MIDI Controller numbers always control speciﬁc KB3 features

• The value of the LocalKbdCh parameter affects how KB3 programs respond to MIDI Controller messages

Corresponding Page and Parameter

Comments

6-6

Controller Numbers

Table 6-3 lists the MIDI Controller numbers that control KB3 features. The ﬁrst column lists the Controller numbers that KB3 programs always respond to (the K2661 also sends these Controller numbers to its MIDI Out port when you’re using the local keyboard channel—we’ll say more about that on page 6-7). KB3 programs also respond to the Controller numbers in the second column; these are the Controller numbers that the Voce™ MIDI Drawbar Controller uses to control common tone wheel organ features. Whatever kind of external MIDI source you’re using, you can use the MIDI controller numbers in either the second or third column to control the corresponding KB3 feature in the ﬁrst column. For example, to control Drawbar 1, you can send either MIDI 6 or MIDI 12.

Page 49

Program Mode

KB3 Program Structure

KB3 Program Feature

MIDI Controller Number

K2661 Voce

Drawbar1 6 12

Drawbar2 22 13

Drawbar3 23 14

Drawbar4 24 15

Drawbar5 25 16

Drawbar6 26 17

Drawbar7 27 18

Drawbar8 28 19

Drawbar9 1 20

Expression Pedal 4 8

Percussion On/Off 73 N.A.

Percussion High/Low 72 72

Percussion Loud/Soft 71 71

Percussion Fast/Slow 70 70

Rotating Speaker Slow/Fast 68 68

Vibrato/Chorus On/Off 95 95

Vibrato/Chorus Selector 93 93

Key Click Level 89 89

Leakage Level 90 90

Table 6-3 KB3 MIDI Controller Assignments

Local Keyboard Channel

The local keyboard channel enables the K2661 to receive MIDI information on a single channel, then rechannelize that information so you can play and control all eight zones of a setup, even if your MIDI source transmits on only one channel. When you’re in Program mode, the local keyboard channel remaps incoming information to the K2661’s current channel (the one shown in the top line of the display).

The LocalKbdCh parameter (on the RECEIVE page in MIDI mode) deﬁnes the local keyboard channel. When you’re in Program mode, and playing a KB3 program, you may want to leave LocalKbdCh set to None, which is its default value. In this case the MIDI Controller messages for KB3 control listed in Table 6-3 are certain to work.

There are some possible disadvantages to this, however. First, the K2661 doesn’t relay incoming MIDI to its MIDI Out port. Perhaps more importantly, if you change the channel on your MIDI source, the K2661 plays the program on the channel used by your MIDI source—regardless of the K2661’s current channel. For example, if your MIDI source transmits on Channel 1, and you set the K2661’s current channel to 2, you’ll still play the program assigned to Channel 1. If that’s the way you like it, there’s no problem.

You may ﬁnd it more convenient to use the local keyboard channel. In this case, the K2661 remaps incoming MIDI to the K2661’s current channel, so in Program mode, you’ll always play the program on the K2661’s current channel. Incoming MIDI also gets sent to the K2661’s MIDI Out port. On the other hand, in this case your MIDI source’s transmitting channel must match the K2661’s local keyboard channel for anything to work. Furthermore, for KB3 programs, some of the MIDI Controller numbers listed in Table 6-3 won’t necessarily work.

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Program Mode

KB3 Program Structure

Things are a bit different for playing setups. In this case, you must use the local keyboard channel to be able to play and control all of the setup’s zones. Set LocalKbdCh to match the channel your external MIDI source is using (so if, for example, your MIDI source transmits on Channel 1, set LocalKbdCh to 1). All MIDI information that the K2661 receives on the local keyboard channel gets remapped to the channels and control destinations used by the zones in the setup.

The K2661 also remaps certain MIDI Controller messages that it receives on the local keyboard channel, so that they correspond (in most cases) to the default assignments for the K2661’s physical controllers (Mod Wheel, sliders, ribbons, etc.). While this ensures that the physical controllers work in a consistent and relatively standard fashion for most setups and VAST programs, it necessitates a few adjustments to make incoming MIDI Controller messages control the KB3 features listed in Table 6-3. Without these adjustments, some of the KB3 features won’t respond to MIDI Controller messages—this is true when you’re playing programs as well as when you’re playing setups.

To make everything work properly, you need to make sure that all the appropriate physical controllers are assigned for KB3 control. Physical controller assignments are handled by setups, and are deﬁned by parameters on several pages in the Setup Editor. Each zone of a setup has its own controller assignments. Programs don’t have controller assignments, so they “borrow” them from a special setup that’s reserved for that purpose. This setup is called the control setup; it’s determined by the value of the CtlSetup parameter (on the TRANSMIT page in MIDI mode). You can read about control setups in detail on page 6-10.

When you’re playing a setup on the local keyboard channel, each zone that uses a KB3 program must have the appropriate physical controller assignments. When you’re playing a KB3 program, Zone 1 of the control setup must have the appropriate physical controller assignments.

There are two ways to conﬁgure a setup properly for KB3 control:

• Edit an existing setup, adjusting some of the physical controller assignments.

• Use the KB3 setup that we’ve provided for your convenience. It’s in a ﬁle on the SmartMedia card and CD-ROM that came with your K2661.

KB3 Control: A Summary

Whenever you want to play a KB3 program, make sure that the KB3 setup is assigned as the control setup. When you want to play a setup containing a KB3 program, make sure that the zone that uses the KB3 program has the same physical controller assignments as the KB3 setup. When you’re creating a setup that will use a KB3 program, use the KB3 setup as your starting point.

One ﬁnal word—for now—about using the local keyboard channel: all the MIDI information received on the local keyboard channel also gets sent—after being remapped—to the K2661’s MIDI Out port. There’s a discussion of the local keyboard channel beginning on page 10-6.

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The Program Mode Page

ProgramMode||||Xpose:0ST|||<>Channel:1||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|199|Default||||||||| KeyMap|Info|||||||#|209*Dig|it|al||||||| |Grand|Piano||||||#|||1|Righteous|Piano| ||||||||||||||||||#|||2|Mondo|Bass|||||| ||||||||||||||||||#|||3|Killer|Drums|||| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|||4|Weeping|Guitar|| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

The top line of the Program-mode entry-level page shows your location, the present MIDI transposition, and the current MIDI channel.

The info box at the left of the Program-mode page gives you information about the current program. For VAST programs of up to three layers, the info box shows the keymap assigned to each layer (Layer 1 on top, with additional layers below). The line beneath the name of the keymap indicates the keyboard range of that layer. In the diagram above, for example, there’s one layer that extends from C 0 to C 8—the default range. The representation of these layer ranges is approximate; they’re intended to let you know if you have a layered keyboard (lines overlapping) or a split keyboard (lines not overlapping).

Program Mode

The Program Mode Page

For drum programs (VAST programs of more than three layers), the info box shows the number of layers in the program. For KB3 programs, the info box shows the keymap used for the upper tone wheels (or the lower tone wheels, if you have the Upper/LowerSwap parameter set to On).

The info box also tells you if the current program makes use of Triple Mode (see Chapter 12 of the Musician’s Reference.)

Program Names in Parentheses

While you are scrolling through different programs on various MIDI channels, you may occasionally encounter a program that doesn’t make any sound, and whose name is in parentheses. The parentheses tell you that you have selected a KB3 program without being on the KB3 channel. KB3 programs use a different program architecture, and require many more voices to operate. Consequently, they use a special channel with enough throughput to handle those voice requirements. If you select a KB3 program without being on a KB3 channel, the K2661 cannot play the program. As shown in the following illustration, the KB3 channel is 1, while the K2661’s current channel is 2. The selected program is disabled.

ProgramMode||||Xpose:0ST|||<>Channel:2||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|112|(Hammin|Jammin)| KB3|Program|||||||#|113|(Funkie|Munkie)| |Mellow|Vox|||||||#|114|(Le's|Rock)||||| ||||||||||||||||||#|115|(Jimmy,|Jimmy,|) KB3Chan|is|Ch|1|||#|116|(Inagadadavida)| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|117|(Grind|it,|Gran) Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

The Program-mode page illustrates this in two ways: the program names are in parentheses, and the box at the left of the page includes the message “KB3 Chan is Ch 1.” To ﬁx this, you could either change the K2661’s MIDI channel (with the Chan/Bank buttons), or make Channel 2 the KB3 channel (using the KB3Chan parameter in Master mode). You can play any program on the KB3 channel, but you can play KB3 programs only on the KB3 channel. You can play drum programs—up to 32 layers—on any channel.

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Program Mode

The Program Mode Page

Control Setup

The control setup deﬁnes what the K2661’s physical controllers (wheels, sliders, pedals, etc.) do while you’re in Program mode. It’s a convenient way to apply the controller assignments in your setups globally. Just choose an existing setup to be the control setup, using the CtlSetup parameter on the MIDI-mode TRANSMIT page. Then while you’re in Program mode, many of the controller assignments for Zone 1 of the control setup also apply to the programs you play (this is true for MIDI control messages as well, unless you have turned off MIDI control).

If you don’t like the way the physical controllers work in Program mode, you can either select a different control setup, or edit the existing one. Any changes you make to the current control setup will also affect the way that setup works in Setup mode.

There are a few important points to remember about the control setup:

• The current control setup is used by all programs in Program mode.

• You cannot change the control setup from within Program mode.

• The control setup doesn’t affect the sound of a program, only the assignments of certain physical controllers. The samples and keymaps assigned to a program are unaffected by the control setup. While you’re in Program mode, the K2661 ignores the programs assigned to the setup that you choose as the control setup.

• Almost all of the VAST programs in the K2661 are designed to respond to the controller assignments in the default control setup (97 ControlSetup). Therefore you’ll want to use 97 ControlSetup as the control setup in most cases, with two exceptions. When you’re using the local keyboard channel (that is, when the value of the LocalKbdCh parameter is anything but None) and playing a KB3 program from an external MIDI source, use a control setup that’s conﬁgured for KB3 control, as described on page 6-8 (if LocalKbdCh is None, 97 ControlSetup is ﬁne for playing KB3 programs from an external MIDI source). If you want to change the controller assignments for any program or set of programs (either VAST or KB3), use a control setup that has the controller assignments you want.

See page 7-3 for a table listing the parameters that affect Program-mode controller assignments.

The Soft Buttons in Program Mode

The Octav-/Octav+ buttons are a shortcut for quick transposition in 12-semitone increments. You can use them to transpose the entire K2661 as much as three octaves up or down. The top line of the display shows the current amount of transposition (Xpose). Pressing both Octave buttons simultaneously returns the transposition to zero.

The Octave buttons transpose the K2661, as well as any MIDI devices connected to the K2661’s MIDI Out port. Changing the transposition with the soft buttons also changes the corresponding setting on the MIDI-mode TRANSMIT page.

Pressing the Panic soft button sends an All Notes Off message and an All Controllers Off message on all 16 MIDI channels.

Press the Sample soft button to enter the K2661’s sampler. Refer to Chapter 14 for complete information on the sampler.

6-10

Use the Chan– and Chan+ soft buttons to change the current MIDI channel. This changes the MIDI channel the K2661 uses internally, as well as the channel you’re using to send information to other synths connected to the K2661’s MIDI Out port (MIDI slaves). Changing the current MIDI channel with the soft buttons also changes the corresponding setting on the MIDI-mode TRANSMIT page.

Page 53

Chapter 7 Setup Mode

Note: For complete information on the K2661’s Setup Editor, refer to Chapter 7 of the K2661 Musician’s Guide (on the CD-ROM).

In Setup mode, the K2661 can take on the identity of eight distinct instruments and eight distinct MIDI transmitters, each of which can use the setup’s physical controller assignments (or any subset of those controller assignments). For example, you can create a setup that is split into eight different keyboard regions (called zones). Each zone can play its own program, while also transmitting on its own MIDI channel.

Selecting setups in Setup mode is much like selecting programs in Program mode—just use one of the normal data entry methods to scroll through the list of setups. There are, however, some important differences between a program and a setup. A program plays on a single keyboard zone and on a single MIDI channel. A setup enables you to use up to eight keyboard (or MIDI controller) zones, each of which can have its own program, MIDI channel, and control assignments. The parameters you deﬁne for each setup affect programs only while you are in Setup mode. An exception to this is the control setup, which we discuss on page 7-2.

Setup Mode

Press the Setup-mode button to enter Setup mode. You’ll see a list of setups, which you can select with any data entry method.

SetupMode||||||Xpose:0ST||||||||||||||||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|221|Friday|Gig|||||| Key|||||||||||||||#|222|Bop|Rock|Reggae| Range|||||||||||||#|301|MIDI|Setup|One|| Info||||||||||||||#|302|Jazz|Trio||||||| ||||||||||||||||||#|303|Heavy|Metal||||| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|304|To|Sequencer|||| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|||||||||||||

The lines in the info box represent the approximate key range of each zone, and let you know if any zones overlap. In the preceding diagram, the setup has seven active zones (Zone 7 is turned off); Zones 1–4 are at the upper end of the keyboard. Zones 5, 6, and 8, which overlap Zones 1–4, cover the lower two thirds of the keyboard.

For setups containing three or fewer zones, the box displays the MIDI channel and program assignments for each zone, with lines under the Program names to indicate the key range of each zone (as shown in the following diagram). An L or an M next to the channel number indicates that the zone transmits only locally or via MIDI (the default is Local and MIDI). Off indicates that the zone has been turned off completely (when a zone is turned off, no MIDI, program, or key-range information is visible for the zone).

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Setup Mode

SetupMode||||||Xpose:0ST||||||||||||||||

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@|222|Bop|Rock|Reggae| Chan/Program|Info|#|301|MIDI|Setup|One|| 1|||36|Cool|Traps|#|302|Jazz|Trio||||||| 2||676|Sly|Acoust|#|303|Heavy|Metal||||| 3L|122|Izit|Jimmy|#|304|To|Sequencer|||| %%%%%%^%%%%%%^%%%%$|305|MIDI|Setup|Two|| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|||||||||||||

You can transpose the entire setup up or down with the two Octav soft buttons. Press them simultaneously to set the transposition back to zero. When you transpose a setup, the split points between zones remain in place; each program is transposed within its respective zone.

The Panic soft button sends All Notes Off and Reset All Controllers messages to all zones. The Sample soft button provides convenient access to the K2661’s sampler. Refer to Chapter 14 for information on the sampler.

When you select a setup in Setup mode, the K2661 sends a number of MIDI messages, on each of the MIDI channels used by the setup. Some of these include: Program Change commands, MIDI Bank Select messages, Pan and Volume messages, and entry values for physical controllers (entry values are the values that take effect as soon as you select the setup; there are also controller exit values, which are the values of the controllers when you leave the setup—either by selecting another setup or by exiting Setup mode). The values of all these messages depend on the parameters you deﬁne in the Setup Editor.

Loading Older Setup Versions

You can load setups created on the K2000, K2500, or K2600 into the K2661. Setups created on the K2500 or K2600 are the same as those created on the K2661, so they’re fully interchangeable. Since setups created on the K2000 have fewer features (like three zones instead of eight), you have two choices for using K2000 setups on the K2661. You can leave the K2000 setups as they are, and they’ll work for either the K2000 or the K2661—but they won’t have all the K2661 features like eight zones. Or you can edit the K2000 setups to take advantage of the K2661’s expanded features. Once you do this, however, the setups will no longer work on the K2000. If you want to keep using those setups on a K2000, keep backup copies of the original setups.

If you edit a K2000 setup to use K2661 features, you may need to reassign the programs it uses. If your K2000 setup uses a K2000 ROM program, the setup won’t play the same program when you load it into the K2661, because the two instruments have different lists of ROM programs. In this case, you can either select a similar program for the K2661 setup (if one exists), or you can save the programs used by the K2000 setup into the same ROM IDs in the K2661 (this doesn’t really replace the K2661 programs; they reappear when you delete the K2000 programs). If your K2000 setup uses K2000 RAM programs, you won’t have any problems as long as you load dependent objects when you load the K2000 setup into the K2661.

The Control Setup

In addition to zone splitting and layering, Setup mode is a powerful way to take advantage of the K2661’s programmable sliders, ribbon controllers, and assignable buttons. In order to provide some of the same ﬂexibility for Program mode, we created the control setup, which deﬁnes the controller assignments for programs in Program mode.

The default control setup is 97 Control Setup, but you can choose any control setup you want. To do this, go to the MIDI-mode TRANSMIT page and use any normal data entry method to change the CtlSetup parameter. When you reenter Program mode, all programs will now respond to many of the controller assignments deﬁned in Zone 1 of the control setup (Zones 2–8 are not relevant in Program mode, because a program can occupy only one MIDI channel).

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Setup Mode

To edit the control setup, press the Edit button while the CtlSetup parameter is highlighted on the MIDI-mode TRANSMIT page. This brings you to the Setup Editor, which is described in the following sections. The following table shows which control-setup parameters affect controller assignments in Program mode.

Control Setup–Setup Editor

Page, Zone 1

CH/PROG ZoneArpeg, Destination,

KEY/VEL VelScale, VelOffset,

PAN/VOL None

BEND All

COMMON Sync

ARPEG All

RIBCFG All

Continuous Controller assignment pages (SLIDER, SLID/2, CPEDAL, RIBBON, WHEEL, PRESS)

Switch Controller assignment pages (FOOTSW, SWITCH)

KDFX, FXMOD2, FXMOD3, FXMOD4, FXLFO, FXASR, FXFUN

Parameters Affecting

Program Mode

MIDIBankMode

VelCurve

Dest, Scale, Add, Curv Ent and Exit

SwType, Dest, On, Off Ent and Exit

None

Table 7-1 Control Setup Parameters Affecting Program Mode

Physical controller destinations, their curves and states, and the Arpeggiator parameters all deﬁne controller assignments for programs in Program mode. The other parameters have no effect; this keeps Program mode relatively simple. Program mode lets you change values for transposition, MIDI channels, and programs independently of the control setup.

Parameters Not Affecting

Program Mode

LocalPrg, Out, Channel, MIDIBank, MIDIProg, Status, EntryProgChg

LoKey/HiKey, Transpose, NoteMap, LoVel/HiVel

Once you save changes to the control setup, those changes will affect all programs when you are in Program mode. For example, programming the Large Ribbon in the control setup to have three sections will mean that in every program in Program mode, you will have a three-section Large Ribbon.

You may want to program several different control setups, and switch among them for different applications. Suppose, for example, that you’re recording a song, but you don’t want to record aftertouch. You can create a setup with pressure turned off in Zone 1 (on the PRESS page in the Setup Editor, set the value of the Press parameter to Off for Zone 1). Now whenever you want to record without aftertouch, just select this setup as the control setup.

Zone-status LEDs in Setup Mode

Take a minute to scroll through some of the factory setups. As you change setups, you’ll notice that the LEDs in the eight buttons above the programmable sliders go on and off and change color. These LEDs indicate the status of each of the zones in the setup. You may also see the Solo button go on. This means that the setup is conﬁgured to have only one zone playing when you select it.

In Setup mode, each of the eight zone-status LEDs will always be in one of four states:

Off Empty zone—that is, a zone that has no program or MIDI channel associated with it.

For example, if you select a setup and only four status LEDs light up (regardless of

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Setup Mode

their color), the setup contains just four zones. Whenever you’re in Setup mode, the number of lines in the info box matches the number of zone-status LEDs that are lit.

Red Soloed zone. As you might have guessed, only one zone can be soloed at a time. When

a zone is soloed, only that zone plays notes and generates controller information. Other zones, if they’re not turned off, still generate program changes and entry/exit controller values.

Green Active zone. As long as no other zone is soloed, an active zone plays notes— and

generates controller information, program changes, and entry/exit controller values. If another zone is soloed, an active zone is “backgrounded”—it’s status LED remains green, but it doesn’t play notes or generate controller information.

Orange Muted zone. Muted zones don’t play notes or generate controller information, but

they do generate program changes and entry/exit controller values.

In performance situations, the zone-status buttons provide a convenient way to temporarily change the status of one or more zones. This can be very effective for bringing voices and/or controller conﬁgurations into and out of your performance. The best way to get familiar with this technique is to play with the buttons, as the next few paragraphs describe.

Select a setup (look for one with lots of active zones that cover the whole keyboard), and play a few bars. You’ll hear sounds corresponding to each of the active zones (green LEDs). If you see any muted zones (orange LEDS), press their zone-status buttons, and they’ll become active. Play around a bit. Try muting all the zones, then bringing them back one by one until all the zones in the setup are active.

Now press the Solo button. The Solo-button LED lights (it’s always red), and one of the zonestatus LEDs (never more than one) turns red. You’ll now hear only that zone as you play. All the active zones are now backgrounded—they’ll still generate program changes and entry/exit controller values, but you won’t hear anything from them.

Now press one of the zone-status buttons. Its LED turns red, and it becomes the soloed zone. The previously-soloed zone returns to its programmed status. Solo each zone in turn, using the info box in the display to ﬁnd the range covered by the zone. Note that you can solo a zone even if it’s muted. Press the Solo button again, and its LED goes out. The previously-soloed zone returns to its programmed status, and you can hear all the active zones again.

Table 7-2 gives you a quick visual reminder of how zones behave depending on their status.

Data Generated by Zone

LED Color

Red Soloed

Green (no others are red) Active

Green (another is red) Backgrounded

Orange Muted

(Off) Empty

Zone

Status

Notes Controllers

Program

Number

Entry and

Exit Values

✔✔✔✔

✔✔

Table 7-2 Zone Status in Setup Mode

7-4

Remember that any changes you make to zone status in Setup mode are temporary; as soon as you select another setup, that setup’s programmed zone status takes over. To change a setup’s zone status permanently, use the Setup Editor .

Page 57

Chapter 8 Quick Access Mode

In Quick Access mode, you can select programs or setups with a single press of an alphanumeric button (or with the other data entry methods). For example, in the illustration below, you would simply press 5 on the alphanumeric pad to choose FM Harmonica. Notice that your selection becomes highlighted in the list, as well as appearing on the line just above the soft-button labels.

QuickAccessMode|||<>Bank:1|For|Show|2|||

Stage|Piano|||Marimba|||||||Voice+String Honky-Tonk||||FM|Harmonica||Eat||||||||| Memorymoog|4||Jazz|Trio|2|||Fretless|Bas ||||||||||||||Velveteen|||||||||||||||||

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

|Xpose:0ST|||FM|Harmonica|||||||Chan:1|| Octav-|Octav+|Panic||Sample|Chan-||Chan+

Quick Access Mode

Using Quick Access mode involves selecting Quick Access banks from the list of factory preset or user-programmed banks. You can use the bank selection shortcut to do this: press the +/– or Clear button on the alphanumeric pad, and you’ll be prompted to enter a bank number. Type the desired number on the alphanumeric pad, then press Enter. The bank is selected, and you return to the Quick Access-mode page. Or use the Chan/Bank buttons to scroll through the QA banks.

Each bank contains ten memory slots, or entries, where you can store programs or setups in any combination. Any program or setup in the currently selected bank can be selected with the numeric buttons 0 through 9.

The ROM (factory preset) QA banks are organized into useful groupings of sounds that we think you’ll ﬁnd convenient.

You can store 20 Quick Access banks in each memory bank (except the Zeros bank, which can store 75). See Storing Objects in the Memory Banks on page 13-34 for a breakdown of the Quick Access-bank IDs that belong in each memory bank. Press both Chan/Bank buttons simultaneously to quickly move between memory banks.

The MIDI Program Change commands that the K2661 sends when in Quick Access mode can differ from those in Program or Setup mode. This depends on the setting you have for the PChgType parameter in MIDI mode. If the setting is Extended or Kurzweil, the Program Change commands sent are the same as in Program or Setup mode. If the setting is QA Extended or QA Kurzweil, the K2661 sends Program Change commands that correspond to the current Quick Access bank and the entry you select, not the actual program number of the entry. See Program Change Formats on page 10-9.

Everything you need to know about using Quick Access mode for performance is covered in Chapter 2, in the section called Playing the Presets, so we’ll move on to the Quick Access Editor, which you’ll use to create your own Quick Access banks.

The ﬁrst step in editing Quick Access banks is to select Quick Access mode. Then use the Chan/ Bank buttons to select the bank you wish to edit. The currently selected bank is shown in the top

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Quick Access Mode

line of the Quick Access-mode page. Press the Edit button, and you enter the editor, where you can examine each entry in the bank you selected. The Quick Access Editor page looks like this:

EditQuickAccess||||||||||||||<>Entry:9||

||||||||||||||||||||998|Blues|in|CMOS||| Entry:||Type:|||||||999|Default|Program| 9|||||||Program|||||||1|Righteous|Piano| ||||||||||||||||||||||2|Mondo|Bass|||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||3|Killer|Drums|||| ||||||||||||||||||||||4|Elvis|Again||||| Name|||Save|||Delete|Dump|||||||||||||||

The top line gives you the usual mode reminder, and shows you which of the ten entries you’re looking at. The cursor is highlighting the object (program or setup) that’s stored in that entry.

The easiest way to edit the bank is to use the Chan/Bank buttons to scroll through the ten entries. The entry number changes both at the top of the page, and at the left of the page. As the entry number changes, the highlighted objects at the center of the page change as well, showing you what’s stored in each entry. On the page above, for example, entry 9 is the current entry. The Type parameter tells you that the object stored at entry 9 is a program. The cursor highlights the program’s ID and name.

In this example, you could select a different program with your favorite data entry method. If you wanted to store a setup in that entry instead of a program, you would move the cursor to the Type parameter and change its value to Setup. The list of objects would change from the program list to the setup list, and you could move the cursor back to the setup list and select another setup. When you select the Entry or Type parameter, the list of objects at the right disappears, leaving only the currently selected object. This makes it easier to see when it’s not highlighted by the cursor.

When you’ve ﬁlled each entry with the object you want, press the Name soft button if you want to rename the bank, or press the Save soft button to begin the save procedure. Press the Dump soft button to dump the bank via MIDI System Exclusive.

K2661 QA Banks

id bank name id bank name

1 Pianos 13 Percussion 2 E Pianos 14 Solo Brass 3 Organs 15 Section Brass 4 Strings 16 Winds 5 Voices 17 Analog Synths 6 Ensembles 18 Synths Leads 7 Guitars 1 19 Digital Synths 8 Guitars 2 20 Synth Pads

9 Basses 21 Synth Ambient 10 Synth Basses 22 Keys 11 Drums 1 23 More Synths 12 Drums 2 24 KB3

25 Basic QA Bank

8-2

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Chapter 9 Basic Effects Mode

Note: For complete information on K2661 Effects, refer to the K2661 Musician’s Guide and K2661 Musician’s Reference (on the CD-ROM).

Introduction

Effects mode puts the power of an entire studio—equalizers, signal processors, and mixers— inside your K2661. It allows you to deﬁne processing functions, signal paths, and balances, on sounds created by the K2661 and, in Live mode, sounds from any source.

When you’re in Program, Setup, or Quick Access mode, you can take advantage of FX Modulation routings (FXMods, which are preset overrides for studio parameters) for realtime control over any aspect of your studio—either from the buttons, sliders, wheels, and pedals on your K2661, or from any MIDI source at all, like a sequencer or a dedicated controller.

Basic Effects Mode

Introduction

Effects mode provides up to ﬁve individual effects processors. Four of these are designed to operate on their own individual buses, and the ﬁfth, the “Auxiliary” processor, is designed to be global.

When the K2661 is being used multi-timbrally, Effects mode can provide separate processors for each of several instruments. For example, let’s say four K2661 channels are in use, under the control of a sequencer. Each instrument on each channel can have its own processing: ﬂanger for the piano, delay for the sax, compression for the bass, and tight reverb for the drums. Then all of these signals could go through a global Aux processor, where they could be given a room reverb. At the outputs of the K2661, the reverb could show up on one pair, while the other instruments’ dry or processed (prereverb) signals could show up at the others, either in mono or stereo. Or the entire mix, carefully balanced and panned, could appear at a single pair, ready to be recorded or played through a PA.

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Basic Effects Mode

Terminology

Programs

FXBuses (Inserts)

Plate Reverb

Flanger

Multitap Delay

K2500 Outputs

K2661 audio outputs

AuxFX (Global)

Room Reverb

to Mixing

Console or

tape deck

Figure 9-1 A typical KDFX Studio

Alternatively, in a live performance setting, you can use the KDFX in Setup mode as an entire orchestra, with different instruments layered on top of each other and mapped to different parts of the keyboard, all with their own signal processing—and that signal processing can change completely in an instant when you call up a new setup.

These are just two of the huge variety of scenarios possible with KDFX. The structure of KDFX is so ﬂexible that you should never run out of ideas for how it can be used.

Terminology

Before starting to work with Effects mode, take a minute to familiarize yourself with the relevant terms. Understanding the words will help you get the concepts more quickly. Read this chapter ﬁrst, and refer to it later if something isn’t clear.

Studio

A studio is the entire Effects-mode environment, consisting of inputs, FXBuses, an Aux Bus, FX presets, parameter settings, overrides, and outputs. One studio is current at a time in Effects mode. Studios are objects, like K2661 programs, and have a number. They can be linked to programs or setups using the FXCtrl setting. The K2661 comes with a large number of factory studios. You can modify them or create new ones and store them in RAM.

Compressor

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FXBus (also called Insert FXBus)

A signal path with some kind of processing —a delay, reverb, ﬂanger, etc.—on it. It has stereo inputs and outputs, and contains an FX preset that determines the kind of processing to be applied. A studio has four insert FXBuses, each with its own FX preset, as well as a ﬁfth FXBus, known as the Aux bus.

Aux FX Bus (Aux Bus)

A separate bus from the insert FXBuses, which is placed in the signal path after the output of the insert FXBuses, so that it can act as a global processor.

FX Preset

Determines the type of signal processing that is present on an FXBus or the Aux Bus. FX presets consist of an algorithm, plus the settings of the parameters associated with that algorithm. Any number of FX presets can use the same algorithm. The K2661 comes with a large number of FX presets, and you can modify them or create new ones and store them in RAM. Algorithms, however, are stored in ROM, so you can’t change them. Each FXBus and the Aux Bus gets its own FX preset, so up to ﬁve FX presets can be active in a studio at a time.

Basic Effects Mode

Terminology

Algorithm

A speciﬁc type of signal processing, like a hall reverb, plate reverb, chorus, ﬂanger, pitcher, compressor, or rotary speaker, which is at the core of an FX preset. KDFX comes with a large variety of algorithms, which are stored in ROM, and are not user-deﬁnable. Additional algorithms, supplied by Kurzweil, can be loaded in from disk or SmartMedia when they become available. Algorithm parameters (RT60, delay feedback, pitch change, etc.) are user-deﬁnable; the K2661 stores the values of those parameters in RAM as part of an FX preset.

Size/PAUs

How big an algorithm is, in terms of how much processing power it needs to operate. Size is measured in Processor Allocation Units, or PAUs. The simplest algorithms require only 1 PAU, while more complex ones require 2, 3, or even 4. The total number of PAUs available to the four insert FXBuses is 4. PAUs can be allocated automatically as FX presets are assigned to FXBuses, or manually by the user. The Aux Bus has its own set of 3 PAUs, which are not shared with the insert FXBuses.

Parameters

Refers to the user-controlled settings for the different characteristics of an algorithm. For example, the user can set the reverb time (RT60) of an algorithm to 3.5s, or the delay feedback of a delay line to 90%, or the dynamic ratio of a compressor to 10:1. Parameters are stored, along with the algorithm they modify, as part of an FX preset. In certain cases, the parameter settings within a studio can be overridden, either using FXMods or bus overrides.

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Basic Effects Mode

Terminology

FXMods

Bus Overrides (or BusMods)

FXCtrl

FXMods give you real-time control over many of the parameters within a studio. Parameters on any of the pages of the Studio Editor can be controlled by MIDI commands—such as physical controller input or sequencer data—or by internal K2661 functions like LFOs, envelopes, clocks, or key states. FXMods are not part of a studio or FX preset; they’re part of a program or setup.

A program or setup can have up to 18 FXMods, as well as two dedicated LFOs, ASRs, and FUNs for further effects control. The FXMods and the LFOs, ASRs, and FUNs are deﬁned on seven FX pages in the Program and Setup Editors.

Bus overrides allow parameters within an FX preset to be controlled on the FXBus Editor page in the Studio Editor, outside the FX Preset Editor page. Any two parameters in an FX preset can be brought out to its FXBus page. Bus overrides are stored as part of the studio, not as part of the FX preset. They are useful when an existing FX preset is close to what you want, so that you can tweak it without having to create a new FX preset.

The effects mode is determined by the value of the FXCtrl parameter, which is found on the Effects-mode page. It determines how the K2661 selects studios when you change programs or setups, and determines whether you have real-time control over studio parameters—in other words, whether FXMods are active.

If the value of FXCtrl is Setup or Auto, then as you change setups in Setup mode, the K2661 also loads the studio linked with that setup. This activates all the FXMods deﬁned within the setup.

If the value of FXCtrl is Auto, and the value of FX Channel is Current, then when you’re in Program, Setup, Quick Access, or Song mode, programs, setups and songs automatically use their corresponding studios. In Program, Setup, and Quick Access modes, the studio corresponds to the current program or setup. In Song mode, the studio corresponds to the program on the song’s assigned effects channel (which is determined by the value of the EffectChan parameter on the COMMON page in the Song Editor).

If the value of FXCtrl is Master, changing programs or setups does not load an associated studio; the current studio is deﬁned by the Studio parameter on the Effects-mode page. Any FXMods deﬁned in the current program or setup are inactive.

Studio Editor

To get to the Studio Editor, go to the Effects-mode page, highlight the current studio, and press Edit. The Studio Editor contains the following pages:

The INPUT page, where signals coming from the K2661’s four stereo output buses are routed to one or more FXBuses.

The FXBUS page, for assigning FX presets to the four FXBuses, and for deﬁning bus overrides.

9-4

The AUXFX page, for assigning an FX preset to the Aux Bus, and for deﬁning bus overrides.

The OUTPUT page, where the signals coming from the FXBuses and Aux bus are routed to the K2661’s eight physical outputs (analog and digital).

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The FX Preset Editor, which is nested within the Studio Editor, and which contains three pages. The FX Preset Editor is where you select algorithms and set parameters for the FX presets, as well as doing administrative things like naming and saving. You can get to the FX Preset Editor from the either the FXBUS page or the AUXFX page, by highlighting the current FX preset and pressing Edit.

Name, Save, Delete, and Dump, for doing ﬁle management on your collection of studios.

You can also get to the Studio Editor from the Program and Setup Editors, by pressing Edit when the Studio parameter is selected (this is the most convenient method for getting into the Studio Editor). In both the Program and Setup Editors, the Studio parameter is on the KDFX page.

MAIN Page

The KDFXMode:MAIN page gives you a summary view of the current effects conﬁguration, including the current studio, the FX Presets assigned to each of the ﬁve effects buses, and the bypass status of each bus.

KDFXMode:MAIN||||FXCtrl:Auto||||<>Enable

Studio:113|PltEnvFI4T|Plate|||||||Free:0 FX1|||43|Plebe|Chamber||||||||-|||Size:1 FX2|||902|Synth|Env|Filter||||B|||Size:2 FX3|||735|Bap|ba_da_dap|||||||-|||Size:1 FX4|||0|None||||||||||||||||||B|||Size:0 Aux|||103|BigPredelayPlate||||B|||Size:3 MAIN||CTRL|||EQBYP||FXBYP||BUSMUT|Enable|

Basic Effects Mode

MAIN Page

Figure 9-1 Effects mode: the KDFXMode:MAIN page

As with every other page, the top line of the KDFXMode:MAIN page identiﬁes the page you’re on. It also shows you two other important features of Effects mode:

FXCtrl: this is a parameter on the Ctrl page, which is accessible with the CTRL soft

button.

Enable state: Shows whether KDFX is currently enabled or if any part of KDFX is bypassed or

muted.

The second line of the display shows the ID and name of the current studio. When you enter KDFX Mode directly (i.e., not through another one of the K2661’s editors) you can scroll through the displayed list of studios. This allows you to choose a different studio on the KDFXMode:MAIN page. When FXCTRL is set to Master (see page 9-9), you can also do this, even when you have entered KDFX Mode from within another editor.

If you select the studio then press the Edit button, you’ll go to EditStudio:FXBUS page, where you can make changes to each bus within the studio.

The second line also shows the number of PAUs available for the current studio (“Free:” on the right-hand side). This number will be 0–4, since in each studio four PAUs are available for the four insert FXBuses (the AuxFX bus has its own ﬁxed set of three PAUs).

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Basic Effects Mode

MAIN Page

The next ﬁve lines show the IDs and names of the FX Presets assigned to the ﬁve effects buses (insert FXBuses 1–4 and the AuxFX bus). You can’t change these assignments on the KDFXMode:MAIN page; to do that you would highlight the Studio name (line two of this page) then press Edit. This takes you to the Studio Editor, on the appropriate FXBUS page for the ﬁrst bus. Use the Chan/Bank buttons to move between buses.

Each of these ﬁve lines also indicates the bypass status for the ﬁve buses, as well as the number of PAUs used by each FXBus. A dash (-) indicates active/enabled, and B indicates bypassed/ disabled. You can change the bypass status for a bus by moving the cursor to this ﬁeld and changing it with either the alpha wheel or pressing one of the increment/decrement buttons.

The size of each FX Preset is measured in PAUs (processor allocation units). FXBuses 1–4 can all use up to four PAUs, but the studio can use a maximum of four total PAUs. The AuxFX bus can use up to three PAUs independent of the insert FXBuses.

Soft Buttons in Effects Mode

The MAIN button takes you to the KDFXMode:MAIN page, where you can view the current studio and the FX Presets assigned to the ﬁve KDFX buses.

The CTRL button takes you to the KDFXMode:CTRL page, which contains parameters that determine which studio gets selected when you select a program, setup, or song.

Soft Buttons: Conﬁguring Bypasses

You can individually bypass any of the EQ and effects inputs, and also mute any of the FXBuses (the four insert FXBuses and the AuxFX bus). In the enabled state, nothing is muted or bypassed. The K2661 always starts up in the enabled state.

Use these soft buttons to perform bypasses and muting:

EQBYP Displays EQ Bypass page, where you can bypass the EQ on each individual

input bus.

FXBYP Displays FX Bypass page, where you can bypass the effects on individual

FXBuses.

BUSMUT Displays the BusMute page, where you can mute the output of individual

FXBuses.

BypAll/Enable Toggles between enabled state and default bypass state (all buses bypassed,

none muted). If you have created a custom bypass scene, BypAll resets it to the default bypass state. See page 9-11 for information on creating a custom bypass scene.

You may also use either of the Chan/Bank buttons to toggle between enabled and bypassed states. This will often be preferable, since Chan/Bank, unlike BypAll, does not reset the bypass state to the default (all buses bypassed, none muted). Instead, Chan/Bank toggles between the enabled state and any custom bypass scene you may have created, allowing you to audition a studio with and without bypasses.

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Effects Bus Editor

The FXBus Editor lets you create effects Preset chains on any of the four stereo effects buses. See page 9-13 for more information about chaining effects.

EditStudio:FXBUS|Size:3|Free:0|<>FXBus:1

|||||qWWWWT||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| FX1|!kRvrb©!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!h| |||||CVVVVB||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| FX:|1|NiceLittleBooth||||||||||||||||||| Wet/Dry|||:42%wet||||||||||||||||||||||| Out|Gain||:0.0dB|||||||||||Alloc:Auto||| <more||INPUT||FXBUS|||Add||Remove||more>

Figure 9-2 Effects Bus Editor display -- single effect

EditStudio:FXBUS|Size:1|Free:0|<>FXBus:1

|||||qWWWWT|||qwwwwt|||qwwwwt|||qwwwwt|| FX1|!kRvrb©!!!kChorg!!!kDly|g!!!kFlngg!h |||||CVVVVB|||CVVVVB|||CVVVVB|||CVVVVB|| FX:|1|NiceLittleBooth||||||||||||||||||| Wet/Dry|||:42%wet||||||||||||||||||||||| Out|Gain||:0.0dB|||||||||||Alloc:Auto||| <more||INPUT||FXBUS|||Add||Remove||more>

Basic Effects Mode

Effects Bus Editor

Figure 9-3 Effects Bus Editor display -- four chained effects

The Add and Remove buttons allow you to deﬁne your own chains of effects using up to four FX Presets. The Add button creates an effects block (shown as a box) to the right of the current cursor position in the effects chain. You can use a total of four effects in any studio, so if you create a four-block effects chain on a bus then you won’t be able to use any effects on the other buses in that studio. Your K2661 keeps track of effects usage for you, and won’t let you add an effects block to a bus if you’re already max’ed out.

The Remove button deletes the effects block that the FXBUS editor cursor is on. Adding and deleting effects blocks may cause audio glitches in any signal path and should not be done during critical listening.

Each FX Preset in an effect chain has two “override” parameters (BusMods) that are displayed when that FX block is selected. By selecting the name of an override parameter (e.g., Wet/Dry), you can scroll to choose from any other available parameter.

Each effect also has its full complement of real time modulators as deﬁned and displayed in the Program and Setup editors.

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Basic Effects Mode

Effects Send Page

The FXSEND page lets you send the output of each stereo effects bus to the stereo mixdown and auxiliary buses.

EditStudio:FXSEND|||||||||||||<>FXBus:1|

|||||!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!h

||||||0wwwwt||||||||||0wwwwt||||||||| ||||||KAux|1||||||||||KMix|1||||||||| ||||||CVVVVB||||||||||CVVVVB||||||||| |||||||Aux|Lvl:0.0dB|||Mix|Lvl:0.0dB|||| |||||||Aux|Pan:0%||||||Mix|Pan:0%||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| <more||FXSEND|AUXFX|OUTPUT|||||||||more>

Figure 9-4 Effects Bus Send display

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The CTRL Page

The CTRL page is where you set a variety of important parameters for KDFX, including the Effects Control Mode (FXCtrl) for the current studio.

The CTRL page is also where you set the FX Channel for the current studio.

KDFXMode:CTRL||||FXCtrl:Auto||||<>Enable

Studio:49|Sndboard|Room|Hall|||||||||||| FXCtrl:Auto||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| FXChan:Current|||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| MAIN||CTRL|||EQBYP||FXBYP||BUSMUT|Enable

Figure 9-5 Effects Control page

Effects Control Mode (FXCtrl)

FXCtrl determines how the K2661 selects studios as you change programs or setups, and determines whether you have real-time control over studio parameters—in other words, whether FXMods are active.

Basic Effects Mode

The CTRL Page

If the value of FXCtrl is Program or Auto, then as you change programs in Program mode, the K2661 also loads the studio linked with that program. This activates all the FXMods deﬁned within the program. If the value of FXCtrl is Setup or Auto, then as you change setups in Setup mode, the K2661 also loads the studio linked with that setup. This activates all the FXMods deﬁned within the setup. If the value of FXCtrl is Auto, and the value of FX Chan is Current, then when you’re in Program, Setup, Quick Access, or Song mode, programs, setups and songs automatically use their corresponding studios. In Program, Setup, and Quick Access modes, the studio corresponds to the current program or setup. In Song mode, the studio corresponds to the program on the song’s assigned effects channel (which is determined by the value of the EffectChan parameter on the COMMON page in the Song Editor).

If the value of FXCtrl is Master, changing programs or setups does not load an associated studio; the current studio is deﬁned by the Studio parameter on the Effects Mode page. Any FXMods deﬁned in the current program or setup are inactive.

Effects Control in Embedded Editors

In the parlance of V.A.S.T., an embedded editor is an editor that you enter while you are already in another editor. An example of this would be entering the KDFX Studio Editor while you are already in the Program Editor. In this sort of situation, an editor may function differently than if you had entered it directly from a performance mode.

When you enter the KDFX Studio Editor from within another editor (for example, you are already in the Program Editor when you press the Effects button), KDFX will revert FXCtrl to Auto and FXChan to Current if you attempt to perform an operation that the software doesn’t support. For example, you cannot change a program’s assigned studio by pressing the Effects button to enter the KDFX Editor while you are already within the Program Editor. If you set FXCtrl to Master you will be able to audition different studios, but the software will not let you change a studio. The correct way to change the studio used by a program is to press the KDFX soft button from within the Program Editor.

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Basic Effects Mode

The CTRL Page

Effects Channel (FX Chan)

This parameter is closely linked to the FXCtrl parameter—the values available for FX Chan depend on the setting for FXCtrl. FX Chan affects both studio selection and real-time control of KDFX—again, depending on the value of FXCtrl.

When FXCtrl is Master

The effects channel is irrelevant when FXCtrl is Master. KDFX is under the control of the studio you select with the Studio parameter. No FXMods apply.

When FXCtrl is Program

The available values for FX Chan are Current, and 1–16. When FX Chan is Current, studio selection is determined by whatever program is assigned to the current K2661 channel (as shown in the top line of the display in Program mode or Effects mode). That program’s FXMods are also enabled, and they respond to MIDI Controller messages received on the current channel.

When FX Chan is any value from 1 to 16, studio selection is determined as follows: in Program mode it’s determined by the program assigned to that channel; in Setup mode, it’s determined by the program in the zone assigned to that channel. FXMods respond to MIDI Controller messages as follows: in Program mode, the FXMods of the program on the channel speciﬁed by FX Chan respond to messages on that channel; in Setup mode, the FXMods of the program in the zone using the channel speciﬁed by FX Chan respond to messages on that channel.

The Studio parameter disappears, since studio selection is under program control.

When FXCtrl is Setup

The only available value for FX Chan is None, since studio selection and FXMods are determined by the program in Zone 1 of the current setup. The FXMods of the program in the zone using the channel speciﬁed by FX Chan respond to MIDI Controller messages on that channel. The Studio parameter disappears, since studio selection is under setup control.

When FXCtrl is Auto

The available values for FX Chan are Current, and 1–16. When FX Chan is Current, studio selection and FXMods are determined as follows: in Program mode, it’s determined by the program assigned to the current K2661 MIDI channel; in Setup mode, it’s determined by the program in Zone 1 of the current setup; in Song mode (or during song playback regardless of mode), it’s determined by the program on the channel designated as the song’s effects channel— as speciﬁed by the EffectChan parameter on the COMMON page in the Song Editor. FXMods respond to MIDI Controller messages as follows: in Program mode, the FXMods of the program on the K2661’s current channel respond to messages on that channel; in Setup mode, the FXMods of the program in Zone 1 of the current setup respond to messages on the channel used by Zone 1.

When FX Chan is any value from 1 to 16, studio selection is determined as follows: in Program mode it’s determined by the program assigned to that channel; in Setup mode, it’s determined by the program in Zone 1 of the setup (ignoring the FX CHan setting). FXMods respond to MIDI Controller messages as follows: in Program mode, the FXMods of the program on the channel speciﬁed by FX Chan respond to messages on that channel; in Setup mode, the FXMods of the program in Zone 1 of the setup respond to messages on that channel (again, ignoring FX Chan).

9-10

Studio

When FXCtrl is Master, the Studio parameter selects the studio for the entire K2661. When FXCtrl is Program or Setup, this parameter is unavailable, since setup selection and FXMods are determined by program or setup selection. When FXCtrl is Auto, setup selection and FXMods

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are under program or setup control, but the Studio parameter is still available; its value reﬂects the studio assignment for the program or setup that was current before you entered Effects mode. You can change the value of the Studio parameter while in Effects mode, so you can hear how different studios affect the current program or setup, without having to enter the Program or Setup Editor. Any changes you make here revert to their previous settings when you exit Effects mode.

Bypass and Mute pages

You can bypass effects buses, inside or outside of an editor, by pressing the Effects button followed by either the BypAll soft button or one of the Chan/Bank buttons. Although similar, the two methods are slightly different:

• The BypAll soft button globally bypasses all effects buses, and also resets the default bypass state to bypass all buses. When you press this soft button it changes into the Enable soft button, allowing you to toggle between the state where all buses are bypassed and the state where all are enabled.

• Either Chan/Bank button toggles between the enabled state and the current bypass state. The current bypass state is either the default (all buses bypassed) or the custom bypass scene you have created. See the next section for information about creating a bypass scene.

Pressing the Effects button again, or pressing Exit, puts you back where you were.

Basic Effects Mode

Bypass and Mute pages

Creating a Custom Bypass Scene

You create a custom bypass “scene” (e.g., effects bypassed on one bus, but not on the other three) by using the soft buttons on the EQBYP, FXBYP, and BUSMUT pages to isolate sounds or effects. You can then toggle between an all-enabled state and your custom scene by pressing either of the Chan/Bank buttons (to the left of the display) while in KDFX Mode.

The system indicates whether anything at all is bypassed or muted by showing “Bypass” at the far right of the top line on the display; if nothing is bypassed, this ﬁeld shows “Enable.” Any settings from the FXBYP page are also indicated on the KDFXMode:MAIN page as either a “B” (bypassed) or a “-” (enabled). EQ Bypass and Bus Mute settings, however, are not indicated on the KDFXMode:MAIN page. If you exit this mode with anything bypassed, the Effects button's red LED stays lit to remind you that something is not active.

The EQBYP Page

KDFXMode:EQBYP|||FXCtrl:Auto||||<>Enable

Studio:113|PltEnvFI4T|Plate||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| EQ|A|||LoShelf-HiShelf||||||||||||||:In| EQ|B|||LoShelf-HiShelf||||||||||||||:Out EQ|C|||Lopass1-HiShelf||||||||||||||:In| EQ|D|||Hipass1-Lopass1||||||||||||||:In| MAIN||EQ|A|||EQ|B|||EQ|C|||EQ|D|||||||||

Figure 9-6 EQ Bypass Page

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Basic Effects Mode

Bypass and Mute pages

The MAIN soft button takes you to the KDFXMode:MAIN page. The soft buttons EQ A, EQ B, EQ C, and EQ D toggle the bypass/active status for the EQ on the corresponding input buses.

The EQBYP page looks a little different when there are mono inputs to the studio. In this case, press the L/R soft button to toggle between left and right mono inputs for a bus.

KDFXMode:EQBYP|||FXCtrl:Auto||||<>Enable

Studio:113*PltEnvFI4T|Plate||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| EQ|A/L|LoShelf-HiShelf||||||||||||||:In| EQ|B|||LoShelf-HiShelf||||||||||||||:Out EQ|C|||Lopass1-HiShelf||||||||||||||:In| EQ|D|||Hipass1-Lopass1||||||||||||||:In| MAIN||EQ|A/L|EQ|B|||EQ|C|||EQ|D|||L/R||||

Figure 9-7 EQ Bypass Page with Mono Inputs

The FX Bypass Page

KDFXMode:FXBYP|||FXCtrl:Auto||||<>Enable

Studio:113|PltEnvFI4T|Plate||||||||||||| FX1|||43|Plebe|Chamber||||||||||:Active FX2|||158|Soft|Chorus|||||||||||:ByPass FX3|||2|Stereo|Echoes|||||||||||:Active |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Aux|||31|Platey|Room||||||||||||:Active| MAIN||FXBus1|FXBus2|FXBus3||||||||AuxFX|

Figure 9-8 FX Bypass Page

The MAIN soft button takes you to the MAIN page. The FX1–FX4 and AuxFX soft buttons toggle Bypass/Active status for the effect on the corresponding bus.

The Bus Mute Page

KDFXMode:BUSMUT||FXCtrl:Auto||||<>Enable

Studio:113|PltEnvFI4T|Plate||||||||||||| FXBus1||43|Plebe|Chamber|||||||||:Active FXBus2|158|Soft|Chorus|||||||||||:Muted| FXBus3|||2|Stereo|Echoes|||||||||:Muted| FXBus4|||---|||||||||||||||||||||:Active AuxFX|||31|Platey|Room|||||||||||:Active MAIN||FXBus1|FXBus2|FXBus3|FXBus4|AuxFX|

Figure 9-9 Bus Mute Page

The MAIN soft button takes you to the KDFXMode:MAIN page. The soft buttons FXBus1– FXBus4 and AuxFX toggle the mute/active status for the corresponding input buses.

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Chaining Effects

One of the most powerful features in KDFX is effects chaining, which allows you to send a signal through four consecutive KDFX effects. The screen below shows an example of this:

EditStudio:FXBUS|Size:1|Free:0|<>FXBus:1

Figure 9-10 Effects Bus Editor display -- four chained effects

Effects chaining allows the 4 PAUs of processing shared among Buses 1-4 of a Studio to be used in series. You can chain one FX Preset into another, into another, up to four in a row, until you run out of PAUs. This is done by removing processing “blocks” from one bus, and adding them to another. As no effect is less than 1 PAU, and only 4 PAUs are available across Buses 1-4, any Studio may have a maximum of 4 blocks, arranged however you please, in which to select Presets (not counting the Aux bus which is unaffected by chaining).

Basic Effects Mode

Chaining Effects

The FXBUS page shows chained effects at the top of the display (underneath the top menu line). As an example, start from Program Mode, press the Effects button, then select Studio 700 Flanger Trio:

KDFXMode:MAIN||||FXCtrl:Auto||||<>Enable

Studio:700|Flanger|Trio|||||||||||Free:0 FX1a||180|Ned|Flangers||||||||-|||Size:1 ||1b||172|Sweet|Flange||||||||-|||Size:1 ||1c||181|Wispy|Flange||||||||-|||Size:1 ||1d||40|SmallDrumChamber|||||-|||Size:1 Aux|||108|Roomitizer||||||||||-|||Size:2 MAIN||CTRL|||EQBYP||FXBYP||BUSMUT|Enable|

You can see that this studio has three ﬂange effects, followed by a reverb. The effects are numbered 1a through 1d to indicate that they are all part of FXBUS 1, instead of four separate effects buses. Now press Edit to go into the Studio Editor. The top of the display shows the four effects chained together. Each block contains an abbreviation based on the algorithm used by the Preset:

EditStudio:FXBUS|Size:1|Free:0|<>FXBus:1

|||||qWWWWT|||qwwwwt|||qwwwwt|||qwwwwt|| FX1|!kFlng©!!!kFlngg!!!kFlngg!!!kRvrbg!h |||||CVVVVB|||CVVVVB|||CVVVVB|||CVVVVB|| FX:|180|Ned|Flangers|||||||||||||||||||| Wet/Dry|||:42%wet||||||||||||||||||||||| Out|Gain||:0.0dB|||||||||||Alloc:Auto||| <more||INPUT||FXBUS|||Add||Remove||more>

The name of the FX Preset for the currently highlighted block is now shown underneath the signal path graphics. In this example, you will see the FX Preset Ned Flangers if the ﬁrst block is highlighted. You still have 2 Bus Overrides (or Bus Mods) per block, which appear just below the name of the Preset.

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Basic Effects Mode

The Structure of Kurzweil Digital Effects (KDFX)

Use the left and right cursor buttons to select each block. When a block is selected, move the alpha wheel or press the + or - buttons to select a different FX Preset (you can also change the Preset by cursoring to the full name of the Preset after the FX: label).

Notice that the unhighlighted blocks have a box around them. This shows they are active. Since this studio has 4 blocks, each block can use only 1 PAU. If you select an effect that uses more than one PAU, one of the blocks will become inactive and the box surrounding that block will disappear. For example, if you change the ﬁrst block to FX Preset 183 NarrowResFlange, the box around block 4 disappears. The top line of the display shows you this FX Preset uses 2 PAUs. As in the past, if the Allocation parameter is set to Auto, the lower number blocks have precedence, so block 4 is the one that becomes inactive. If you highlight block 4 at this point, you will see the FX Preset shown in parenthesis, again showing it is not active.

The Chan/Bank buttons move you through the four FXBUSes. Since no effects are available in this case, you will see a line with no blocks on them if you look at any bus except FXBUS 1. You can still use a bus to send another signal to the AUX without the chain, by the way, since KDFX has been designed to offer you maximum ﬂexibility.

Gain Staging in Effects Chains

When chaining Presets together, it is sometimes necessary to adjust the levels between blocks, most often to pad the level going into the next block to prevent unwanted clipping. While most algorithms have both an In Gain and an Out Gain parameter, In Gain is not selectable as a Bus Mod. In fact, any Preset beyond the ﬁrst in a chain cannot use In Gain, and will display the value inside the Preset in parentheses. We suggest, when necessary, choosing Out Gain as a Bus Mod to adjust the output level of an effect, instead of trying to pad the input of the following effect. Of course, you can always edit FX Presets directly and customize them for your chain.

Checking Out Some Chains

For examples of studios with chains, check out studios 700-719. By setting the FX Ctrl parameter (KDFXMode:CTRL page) to Master, and the OutPair parameter (MIDIMode:Channels page) to KDFX-A, you can scroll through Programs on a given MIDI channel and audition these studios as they were intended to be heard, with a variety of input source material.

The Structure of Kurzweil Digital Effects (KDFX)

The Studio

All Effects-mode functions are contained in a studio. Only one studio is active at a time.

Each studio has four stereo or eight mono inputs. The sources for these inputs are the four output pairs available in two places: the Pair parameter on the OUTPUT page in the Program Editor, and the Out parameter on the CN/PRG page in the Setup Editor. In both cases, the available values are KDFX-A, KDFX-B, KDFX-C, and KDFX-D. Instead of going directly to the K2661’s physical outputs, these program outputs go to the inputs of a studio. Only after going through the studio does the audio output appear at the physical outputs. The inputs to the studio can come from one multi-layered program, or from several programs, or from the K2661’s own sample input when the instrument is in Live mode.

The input signals pass through an input routing system, as speciﬁed by the settings on the INPUT page in the Studio Editor. Here, the signals go through individual two-band equalizers, or EQs. Then each input, mono or stereo, is routed to any two of the four FXBuses.

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Basic Effects Mode

The Structure of Kurzweil Digital Effects (KDFX)

Each of the FXBuses contains its own signal-processing program, called an FX preset. Each FX preset has a set of parameters: for example the RT60 value on a reverb, or the Feedback level on a delay line. These parameters can be ﬁxed as part of the FX preset, or they can be externally controlled, from one of two different places. The four FXBuses are also called Insert FX, because in a conventional studio, that’s where they would be found: in the insert loop of a mixer, between the channel input and the Mix bus.

There is also a ﬁfth FX preset, which is located on the Auxiliary FX Bus (the Aux bus). The Aux bus follows the four main FX presets in the signal path, and is normally conﬁgured as a global processor.

Each FX preset consists of an algorithm, modiﬁed by user-deﬁnable parameters. An algorithm is a processing function, like a reverb, ﬂanger, or compressor; or a combination of processing functions in a particular order, like a ﬂanger followed by a delay followed by a reverb. The algorithms themselves are ﬁxed in ROM, like Kurzweil ROM samples, but you can change the values of their operating parameters.

Each algorithm requires a certain amount of processing power, which is expressed in Processing Allocation Units (or PAUs). Simple algorithms require 1 PAU, while more complex algorithms require up to 4 PAUs. The amount of processing power available in each FX preset is set by its Allocation parameter. When you are selecting an FX preset for an insert bus, the number of PAUs its algorithm requires appears on the display, so you can keep track of how many PAUs are in use.

PAUs are shared among the four insert buses. There is a limit to the total number of PAUs that the insert buses can use, and that limit is four. PAUs can be manually preassigned to speciﬁc FXBuses, or using “Auto” mode they can be assigned automatically as FX presets are assigned to the buses. The Aux bus has a separate set of PAUs—three of them—which are not shared with the insert buses.

Finally, the outputs of the FX presets are passed through to an output routing system—as speciﬁed by the settings on the OUTPUT page in the Studio Editor—where they are sent to the physical outputs of the K2661.

The following equation summarizes studio structure:

Studio = EQs + Input-page settings + FX presets + Output Editor settings

The next page shows a schematic overview of studio structure.

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Basic Effects Mode

The Structure of Kurzweil Digital Effects (KDFX)

program outputs

output A output B output C output D

EQs

Level

Balance/Pan/

Width

All signal paths are stereo unless noted

FX Presets

FX1

Pre FXBus2

FXBus2

FX2

FX3

Pre FXBus3

FXBus3

If input is mono, each channel has its own eqs and sends

FX4

Aux

effect

Level

Balance

FXBus4

Pre FXBus4

9-16

FXBus1

Pre FXBus1

physical outputs

Figure 9-2 KDFX structure

Mixer

Mix

output A output B output C output D

Aux

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Normal Studio Structure

Many of the studios provided in ROM follow an overall organizational plan, which uses Effects mode’s resources efﬁciently and clearly. While you’re by no means required to follow this structure when creating your own studios, it’s a good idea to get familiar with it, to see how Kurzweil’s own engineers have approached the issue of studio organization.

Inside the ROM programs and setups, the outputs KDFX-A through KDFX-D are assigned based on the type of effects processing that would most likely be appropriate for that sound.

• Input A/FXBus1 contains a relatively simple reverb with a low Size requirement.

• Input B/FXBus2 contains an effect that does not increase the “length” of the sound (that is, no reverb or delay), something like chorus, ﬂange, distortion, pitcher, or EQ.

• Input C/FXBus3 contains effects that take up lots of time, such as delays, and delays with reverb.

• Input D/FXBus4 is dry.

• The Aux bus contains a larger reverb (Size:3), a compressor, or a graphic EQ.

Software Organization

Basic Effects Mode

Software Organization

Like K2661 programs, the software user interface of a studio is organized in a “top-down” way: A studio is an “object” in K2661 terms, and the FX presets within a studio are also objects, “dependent” to the studio, the way a keymap is to a program. Studios and FX presets that you modify or create are stored in program RAM. A studio contains up to ﬁve FX presets. The same way that one keymap can be used in multiple programs, a particular FX preset can be used in multiple studios.

Like ROM samples in the K2661, effects algorithms are stored in ROM and you cannot modify them. Each FX preset contains one algorithm. Just as you can use the same sample in more than one keymap, you can use the same algorithm in as many FX presets as you like.

Controlling Effects

Studios can be called up from the front panel, or they can be assigned to speciﬁc K2661 programs or setups. If you set the FXCtrl parameter on the Effects-mode page to Program, Setup, or Auto, then changing a program (if the current channel agrees with the FX Channel) or setup will select the studio associated with the new program or setup. Of course, just as you can use the same keymap in multiple programs, you can use the same studio in multiple programs or setups. Setting FXCtrl to Master means that the studio does not change with the program or setup.

Studio parameters are set in the Studio Editor and are initially set up with ﬁxed values, but they can be also be controlled in real time by a wide range of control of sources, including K2661 onboard knobs, sliders, and ribbon; various internal software functions; and external MIDI commands like those coming from a sequencer or a dedicated controller.

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Basic Effects Mode

Input mixer

algorithm # (in ROM)

parameters

Studio #

FX Preset # Output mixer

Program or

Setup #

KDFX and

FXMod pages

real-time

control

Controlling Effects

Figure 9-3 KDFX Software organization

Controlling Effects with a Sequencer

A useful technique for sequencer users is to set up the program controlling the studio parameters to be a dummy program with no keymaps but with all of the FX Mods you need in place—this program produces no sound by itself, and exists only to control the studio. That way you can use a dedicated MIDI channel for studio control. See page 12-21 for more information.

Controlling Effects with SysEx messages

You can also control KDFX by sending MIDI system-exclusive (SysEx) messages to the K2661. See Appendix B in the Musician’s Reference for speciﬁc information.

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Chapter 10 MIDI Mode

Press the MIDI-mode button to enter MIDI mode. There are three pages in MIDI mode:

• TRANSMIT (XMIT soft button)

• RECEIVE (RECV soft button)

• CHANNELS (CHANLS soft button)

You’ll use these pages to determine what MIDI messages the K2661 transmits, and how it responds to the MIDI messages it receives—as well as how each MIDI channel behaves.

When you enter MIDI mode, you’ll see one of the three available MIDI-mode pages. When you exit MIDI mode, the K2661 remembers which page you were on. The next time you select MIDI mode, that page appears.

MIDI Mode

The TRANSMIT Page

Press the XMIT soft button, and the TRANSMIT page appears. Use these parameters to control how the K2661 sends MIDI information to its MIDI Out port. These settings to some extent affect the K2661’s response to its own keyboard and controllers, but they primarily affect the responses of other MIDI devices that are receiving MIDI from the K2661 on the channel speciﬁed with the Channel parameter on this page.

It’s important to remember that many of the settings of the TRANSMIT page are in effect only when a program is selected, either in Program mode or in Quick Access mode. If a setup is selected, in Setup mode or in Quick Access mode, the setup’s MIDI settings override the corresponding settings on the TRANSMIT page. The TRANSMIT page looks like this:

MIDIMode:TRANSMIT|||||||||||||||||||||||

CtlSetup:97|Control|Setup||||||||||||||| Channel|:2|||||||||||||||ProgChng|:On||| Transpos:0ST|||||||||||||Buttons||:Off|| Control|:Both||||||||||||ChgSetups:KeyUp VelocMap:1|Linear||||||||||||||||||||||| PressMap:1|Linear||||||||||||||||||||||| XMIT|||RECV|||CHANLS|PrgChg|RsetCh|Panic

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MIDI Mode

The TRANSMIT Page

Control Setup

Parameter Range of Values Default

Control Setup Setup list 97 Control Setup

Channel 1 to 16 1

Transposition ±60 semitones 0

Control Both, MIDI, Local Both

Velocity Map Velocity Map list 1 Linear

Pressure Map Pressure Map list 1 Linear

Program Change Off, On On

Buttons Off, On Off

Change Setups Immed, KeyUp KeyUp

This is where you select the current control setup, Zone 1 of which sets the physical controller assignments for all programs while you’re in Program mode. Refer to Chapters 6 and 7 for more information on the control setup.

Note: The control setup is responsible for many of the settings that each had separate parameters on the K2000 and K2500. If you’ve worked with one of these instruments, you’ll need to relearn how MIDI transmission controls are deﬁned. Instead of setting a number of parameters on the MIDI TRANSMIT page, you’ll simply select a control setup. Zone 1 of that setup then determines the controller assignments (as speciﬁed on the SLIDER, RIBBON, WHEEL, and other pages in the Setup Editor).

Channel

This deﬁnes which MIDI channel the K2661 uses to transmit MIDI messages. The value for this parameter matches the current MIDI channel displayed on the top line of the Program-mode page. If you change the current MIDI channel while in Program mode, the setting of this parameter changes accordingly, and vice versa.

Transpose

This parameter affects the transposition that’s applied to the MIDI data stream. Adjusting this parameter transposes the K2661’s notes, as well as notes on slaves receiving from the K2661. This transposition setting is not overridden when you use Setup mode, but is added to the transposition settings for the currently selected setup.

Control

Here you determine where the K2661 sends MIDI information. A value of MIDI sends the MIDI signal to the K2661’s MIDI Out port, but not to the K2661 itself. This is also known as Local Control Off.

If you’re using your K2661 with a MIDI sequencer and have a MIDI loop (K2661’s Out to sequencer’s In, and vice versa), you’ll need to select a value of MIDI when your sequencer’s Patch Thru feature—also known as Play Thru, and Soft Thru—is on. This will prevent the K2661’s MIDI signal from looping back on itself, which can cause problems. If you deactivate your sequencer’s Patch Thru feature, set the Control parameter’s value to Both, and the K2661 will play normally. Also, you may want to set the value of the LocalKbdCh parameter to None when you have a MIDI loop, because you can have problems with doubled notes and MIDI overload. You won’t have problems, however, as long as the channels transmitted by the K2661 are all different from the incoming MIDI channel.

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A value of Local disables the MIDI Out port. Use this setting when you want to play the K2661, but not to send any MIDI information to other MIDI instruments (local control only). A value of Both (the default) enables you to play the K2661 and send MIDI information from its MIDI Out port.

Velocity Map—Transmit (VelocMap)

The transmit velocity map affects the way the K2661 sends velocity information to its MIDI Out port. Different maps generate different velocity values for the same attack velocity—that is, they apply different curves to the attack velocities the K2661 receives and remap them to new velocities before transmitting them to the MIDI Out port.

Important: The MIDI velocity maps affect only those MIDI velocity values transmitted via the K2661’s MIDI Out port, and are used exclusively to adjust the response of MIDI devices connected to the Out port. If you have a DX7 connected to your K2661, for example, and the DX is distorting, selecting a transmit Velocity Map like Hard2 should handle the problem. Changing the velocity map on this page does not affect the response of the K2661’s sound engine to its own keyboard, or to an external MIDI controller. That’s done on the RECEIVE page. See Chapter 18 of the Musician’s Guide if you’re interested in editing velocity maps.

Also important: Both the transmit and receive velocity maps should be left at values of Linear unless you really need to change them. The linear maps give you the most consistent results.

Keep in mind that the setting of the Veltouch parameter in Master mode also has an effect on the transmit velocity map.

MIDI Mode

The TRANSMIT Page

Pressure Map—Transmit (PressMap)

This is like the VelocMap, but it controls the aftertouch values sent by the K2661 to its MIDI Out port. Use this exclusively to adjust the response of MIDI devices connected to the K2661’s MIDI Out port. Changing the pressure map on this page does not affect the response of the K2661’s sound engine to its own keyboard, or to an external MIDI controller. That’s done on the RECEIVE page. See Chapter 18 of the Musician’s Guide for information about editing pressure maps.

Program Change (PChng)

When On, the K2661 sends program change commands to its MIDI Out port when you select programs or setups from the front panel or from your MIDI controller. Select a value of Off when you want to change programs on the K2661 but don’t want to send program change commands to the MIDI Out port. This parameter doesn’t affect the type of program change command that’s sent; it just determines whether any command is sent at all. (The type of program change command is determined by the settings for three parameters on the CH/PRG page in the Setup Editor.)

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MIDI Mode

The RECEIVE Page

Buttons (Bttns)

If you set the value of the Buttons parameter to On, the System Exclusive (SysEx) messages generated by your button presses are sent to the MIDI Out port. This enables you to do two things: control a remote K2661 (or earlier model), and record sequences of programming button presses to a sequencer or SysEx software package.

If you have the MIDI In port of another K2661 (or K2600, K2500, or K2000) connected to the ﬁrst one’s MIDI Out port, the second instrument will respond to every button press on the ﬁrst instrument, just as if you were pressing the buttons of the second one. Keep in mind that both devices must be in exactly the same state (the same page in the same mode, with identical lists of RAM objects) when you start. Otherwise the button presses you make on the ﬁrst instrument may execute other functions on the second instrument.

Much more useful is to send streams of button presses to your sequencer. When you dump them from your sequencer back to the K2661, the K2661 responds as if the buttons were actually pressed. This enables you to set up a variety of “macros,” which are strings of commands that can be executed all at once by a single initial command. For example, you can record a sequence of button presses that enters Disk mode, selects a speciﬁc SCSI device, and loads one or more banks of samples while you do something more entertaining. Again, it’s important to keep in mind that the state of your K2661 must be identical to its state when you recorded the sequence of button presses. If you’ve added or deleted any objects stored in RAM, for example, the sequence of button presses will select different objects when you play back the button press sequence.

Note: Make sure this parameter is set to Off before you initiate a SysEx dump of any kind. If this parameter is On when you start a dump, the buttons you press to begin the dump will also generate SysEx messages.

Change Setups (ChgSetups)

This parameter determines the exact timing of setup changes when you select a different setup—either by a normal data entry method or via MIDI program change commands. Choose KeyUp to indicate that you want setup changes to take place only when you’ve released all currently held notes. Choose Immed to indicate that you want such changes to happen immediately when you select the setup.

The RECEIVE Page

Press RECV to select the RECEIVE page, where you deﬁne the K2661’s response to incoming MIDI signals (with one exception pertaining to Quick Access mode, which we’ll explain later).

MIDIMode:RECEIVE||||||||||||||||||||||||

BasicChannel:1|||||||||SysExID:|||0||||| MIDI|Mode|||:Multi|||||SCSI|ID:|||6||||| AllNotesOff|:Normal||||BendSmooth:On|||| ProgChgType|:Extended||LocalKbdCh:None|| VelocityMap:|1|Linear||BankSelect:Ctl|32 PressureMap:|1|Linear||PowerMode|:User|| XMIT|||RECV|||CHANLS|PrgChg|RsetCh|Panic

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Parameter Range of Values Default

Basic Channel 1 to 16 1

MIDI Mode Omni, Poly, Multi Multi

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Parameter Range of Values Default

All Notes Off Normal, Ignore Normal

Program Change Type Program Change Type List Extended

Velocity Map Velocity Map list 1 Linear

Pressure Map Pressure Map list 1 Linear

System Exclusive ID 0 to 127 0

SCSI ID 0 to 7 6

Bend Smooth On, Off On

Local Keyboard Channel None, 1 to 16 None

Bank Select 0 only, 32 only, Ctl 0, Ctl 32 Ctl 32

Power Mode User, Demo User

Basic Channel

The basic channel determines which channel will always be available to receive MIDI information. Depending on the MIDI receive mode (below), the Basic channel may be the only receiving channel, or one of several.

MIDI Mode

The RECEIVE Page

MIDI Receive Mode (MIDI Mode)

The MIDI Mode parameter determines the MIDI receiving capabilities of the K2661. When set to Omni, the K2661 responds to incoming MIDI events on all MIDI channels, and plays them on the current channel. This is normally used for diagnostic purposes only.

At a setting of Poly, the K2661 responds only to events that are sent on the same channel as the K2661’s current MIDI channel (the one displayed on the top line of the Program-mode page). In Poly mode, the currently selected channel is always the basic channel, so if you change channels, the basic channel changes accordingly.

With a value of Multi (the default), the K2661 responds to events on all active channels. This is the mode you’ll use when you’re driving the K2661 with a sequencer, since you can play a different program on each channel. At this setting, you can turn individual channels on and off (on the CHANNELS page, described later in this chapter).

All Notes Off

If this parameter’s value is set to Normal, the K2661 responds to All Notes Off messages received over MIDI. Ignore causes these messages to be ignored. If you’re using a Roland product as a MIDI controller for your K2661, you’ll want to set the value of this parameter to Ignore. This is because some older Roland products occasionally send an All Notes Off message when no keys are held down—even if you’re sustaining notes with a pedal. You might ﬁnd all your sustains missing from your sequence, for example, if you’re driving your K2661 from one of Roland’s hardware sequencers. Setting this parameter to Ignore takes care of this problem.

Regardless of the setting for this parameter, the K2661 always responds to its own Panic button by shutting off all active notes and controllers.

Program Change Type (ProgChgType)

This determines how the K2661 responds to program change commands received via MIDI. See Program Change Formats on page 10-9 for an explanation of the various values available for this parameter.

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MIDI Mode

The RECEIVE Page

Velocity Map—Receive

Pressure Map—Receive

System Exclusive ID (SysExID)

The velocity map applies a preset curve to incoming velocity messages. It maps incoming velocity levels to new levels that correspond to the eight dynamic levels used by the VTRIGs and keymaps for velocity level selection. See Chapter 18 of the Musician’s Guide . Normally you’ll leave this set to 1 Linear. Adjust this parameter’s value only when you need to alter the K2661’s response to the velocity messages from a MIDI controller, for example, if you’re getting too much or too little volume when you play, or when a sequencer is driving the K2661.

Like the velocity map, this determines how the K2661 responds to incoming pressure (aftertouch) messages.

The SysExID parameter differentiates between more than one MIDI device of the same model. You won’t need to change the default setting of 0 unless you have multiple K2661s (or K2600s, K2500s, or K2000s) receiving SysEx messages from a single source. In that case, make sure each instrument has a different SysExID. Then you can direct SysEx messages to the appropriate K2661 with the SysExID byte that’s included with every SysEx message. A value of 127 speciﬁes “Omni Receive.” That is, at this value, a K2661 responds to a SysEx message regardless of the SysEx ID of the message (as long as the manufacturer and device IDs match—see Chapter 7 of the Musician’s Reference for more information about System Exclusive messages).

SCSI ID

Use this parameter to change the SCSI ID of your K2661. You can ignore this parameter unless you’ve connected a SCSI device (external SCSI disk or CD-ROM drive) to the K2661’s SCSI port. You can use the SCSI port to chain up to seven SCSI devices to the K2661 (a total of eight devices can be chained together); just be sure to set each one to a different SCSI ID. Most SCSI devices available today make it easy to change their SCSI IDs, so you may not have to adjust this parameter even if you have several SCSI devices connected. See Chapter 13 for more information about using SCSI devices.

Bend Smooth

This parameter can improve your K2661’s performance when you’re driving it from a MIDI guitar controller. Its default value is On.

You may ﬁnd that pitch bending seems to carry over from the previous note to the next note, causing it to start on the wrong pitch. This is probably due to the automatic pitch smoothing provided by the K2661. If this is happening, try setting the BendSmooth parameter to a value of Off.

Local Keyboard Channel (LocalKbdCh)

Changing the setting of the Local Keyboard Channel parameter is useful only when your K2661 is receiving MIDI information from an external source—maybe you have a favorite MIDI keyboard that you use to control all the gear in your studio, or you use a lot of outboard sequencing. If you’re using the K2661 as a standalone music workstation or performance keyboard, you can ignore this parameter.

10-6

If you do need to change the setting of the Local Keyboard Channel parameter, refer to Chapter 10 of the K2661 Musician’s Guide (provided on the CD-ROM).

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Bank Select

BankSelect allows you to choose between having the K2661 respond to Controller 0 or Controller 32 or both. The reason for this is that various manufacturers have chosen one method or the other. The four possible values for this parameter are:

0 only Responds to controller 0 only.

32 only Responds to controller 32 only.

Ctl 0 Responds to 0 or 32.

Ctl 32 Responds to 0 or 32.

Power Mode

Power Mode has two possible values: User and Demo. When set to User, the user’s parameter settings are retained. When set to Demo several parameters are returned to default values when the unit is powered up. The default value for the Power Mode parameter is User.

The following parameters are reset when Power Mode is set to Demo.

Master mode: KB3 Channel resets to 1

MIDI Transmit: Control resets to Both; Channel resets to 1; Transpose resets to 0 ST

MIDI Mode

The Channels Page

Effects mode: FX Mode resets to Auto, and FX Chan resets to Current

Disk mode: Current Disk resets to SMedia

The Channels Page

Press the CHANLS soft button to select the CHANNELS page, where you can deﬁne numerous parameters for each MIDI channel independently. Use the Chan/Bank buttons to select the MIDI channel you wish to work on.

The CHANNELS page is very useful when you’re doing multi-timbral sequencing, with programs assigned to numerous MIDI channels. The CHANNELS page lets you set several control characteristics for each MIDI channel. This makes it easy to adjust the playback of the sequence without editing the sequence itself. For example, you might turn off the Enable parameter for one or more channels to mute the tracks on those channels. You could also set the VolLock parameter to On, to ignore any MIDI volume messages the K2661 receives on a given MIDI channel.

MIDIMode:CHANNELS||||||||||<>Channel:2||

Enable|:On|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Program:1|Concert|Piano|1||||PrgLock:Off Pan||||:64|||||||||||||||||||PanLock:Off Volume|:127||||||||||||||||||VolLock:Off OutPair:Prog|||||||||||||||||||||||||||| OutGain:Prog|||||||||||||||||||||||||||| XMIT|||RECV|||CHANLS|PrgChg|RsetCh|Panic

Parameter Range of Values Default

Enable Off, On On

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MIDI Mode

The Channels Page

Enable

Program

Parameter Range of Values Default

Program Program list Program ID 1

Pan 0 to 127 64 (centered)

Volume 0 to 127 127 (maximum)

Output Pair Prog, KDFX-A to KDFX-D Prog

Output Gain Prog, –12 to 30 dB in 6 dB increments Prog

Program Lock Off, On Off

Pan Lock Off, On Off

Volume Lock Off, On Off

Use this parameter to turn the currently selected channel on or off. When on, the channel will receive MIDI information, and the settings of the parameters on the MIDI CHANNELS page will be in effect. When off, the channel will ignore all MIDI information.

Use this parameter to assign a program to the currently selected channel. The channel will still respond to program change commands received via MIDI, unless the PrgLock parameter (described below) is set to On.

Pan

This offsets the pan position of the current program as set on the OUTPUT page in the Program Editor. A value of 0 is maximum offset to the left, 64 is no offset, and 127 is maximum offset to the right. Changing the value of this parameter is like inserting a MIDI pan message. MIDI Pan (MIDI 10) messages will change the value of this parameter, unless the PanLock parameter (described below) is set to On.

If the Mode parameter on the OUTPUT page in the Program Editor is set to Fixed, changing the value of Pan on the CHANNELS page in MIDI mode has no effect.

Volume

This sets the volume for any program assigned to the currently selected channel. A value of 0 is silence, and a value of 127 is full volume. The value of this parameter will change in response to MIDI Volume (MIDI 07) messages, unless the VolLock parameter (described below) is set to On.

Output Pair (OutPair)

This parameter sets the audio output group for the program assigned to the currently selected channel. The default value of Prog means that the output group is determined by the program’s value for the Pair parameter on the OUTPUT page in the Program Editor. In this case, the channel’s output group changes depending on the program assigned to it, with the output group being routed on a per layer basis within the program. Values of KDFX-A, KDFX-B, KDFX-C, or KDFX-D ﬁx the output group regardless of the program that’s assigned to the channel.

Output Gain (OutGain)

OutGain boosts or cuts the level at the audio outputs for any program assigned to the currently selected channel. This allows you to make a program louder or softer without having to edit the program.

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Program Lock, Pan Lock, Volume Lock

When the parameter locks are set to On, the three parameters they control do not respond to their respective MIDI controller messages. In that case, you could change the Program, Pan, and Volume settings from the front panel, but not via MIDI.

Program Change Formats

The K2661 can store more programs than the MIDI program change speciﬁcation can handle (MIDI lets you send program change numbers from 0 to 127 or 1 to 128 only). So we’ve designed a system that makes program selection more ﬂexible. This is true whether you’re selecting programs from the K2661’s front panel, or via MIDI.

Program Change Type For Use With:

Extended Other K2661s (or K2600s, K2500s or K2000s) similarly set, plus all

Kurzweil K1200s, and 1000s with version 5 software

0–127 Older MIDI devices that transmit program change commands in the

QA Bank E Other K2661s (or K2600s, K2500s or K2000s) similarly set, when in

QA Bank K K1200s and v5 1000s, when in Quick Access mode

QA 0–127 With the K2661 in Quick Access mode, when using it with older MIDI

MIDI Mode

Program Change Formats

other instruments that use the Bank Change controller

range from 0–127 only.

Quick Access mode

devices

First of all, the K2661’s programs (and all of its objects) are numbered and grouped according to a decimal system, that is, in multiples of ten. This is much easier to keep track of than the binaryoriented groupings of many synths, which feature banks of 8, 16, or 64 programs.

Next, the K2661 gives you 999 program change numbers to work with. These are organized into ten banks of 100 each (the memory banks). A program’s object ID is its program change number, as discussed on page 5-2. This makes it easy to keep track of your programs. The K2661 can use several different formats for interpreting program change commands. The value for the ProgChgType parameter on the RECEIVE page determines which format is used, and the one you should select depends on your MIDI system.

If you expect you’ll always change programs from your K2661’s front panel, you can ﬁnish this paragraph and skip the next few sections. In this case, selecting programs is as simple as entering the program change number (the program’s object ID) on the alphanumeric pad, and pressing Enter. Even program numbers above the usual MIDI limit of 127 can be selected this way.

Extended and Kurzweil Program Change Types

In the early days of MIDI, most instruments had small numbers of memory locations, usually 32, 64, or 128. As instruments began to have more memory locations, however, users ran against the limitation of only 128 values for program changes in the MIDI spec. Because of this, Bank Change Controller was added, allowing users to switch between banks of up to 128 programs per bank.

Previous to the addition of the Bank Change Controller, Kurzweil had developed their own method of switching banks by using two program changes, one to switch the bank, the second to call up the program within the bank (as described below). The K2661 can respond to either

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MIDI Mode

Program Change Formats

the Bank Change controller or the double-program-change method. In a nutshell, the difference between the Extended setting and the Kurzweil setting is this: In Extended, the K2661 will receive and respond to the Bank Change controller. When set to Kurzweil, the K2661 will receive only the double-program-change method.

Extended Program Changes

If you’re controlling your K2661 from a MIDI device that can handle the MIDI Controller 0 or 32 program-change format, you’ll have the greatest ﬂexibility if you set the ProgChgType parameter to a value of Extended (or QA Bank E, but that explanation comes later).

When you’re using the extended program change format, then depending on the value of the BankSelect parameter on the RECEIVE page in MIDI mode, the K2661 will respond to either MIDI Controller 0 or 32 program change commands for bank selection (Zeros through 900s), and standard program change commands for program changes within the current bank. Different values have different results, as shown in the following table:

Program Change Command Type

MIDI controller 0 or 32 (MC 0 or MC 32)

Standard (PCH)

Value of Message

0 to 9 Selects memory bank zeros–900s

10 to 127 Ignored

0 to 99 Selects correspondingly numbered program in current

100 to 127 Selects correspondingly numbered program in next-

Result

memory bank

highest bank

If your K2661 is already in the memory bank you want to use, you can send it single PCHs from 0 to 99, to select programs within that memory bank. The K2661’s response depends on the setting for the MIDIBankMode parameter on the CH/PRG page in the Setup Editor. If you want to change the memory bank, the K2661 must receive either an MC 0 or 32 message with value 0–9. The next PCH in the range 0–99 will select the correspondingly numbered program in the newly selected bank. The following table of examples should help make it clear.

Bank Change Command Received

MC 0 or 32: value 0 PCH: value 99 Program 99 (0s bank, 99th program)

MC 0 or 32: value 1 PCH: value 42 Program 142 (100s bank, 42nd program)

MC 0 or 32: value 1 PCH: value 120 Program 220 (200s bank, 20th program)

MC 0 or 32: value 9 PCH: value 0 Program 900 (900s bank, 0th program)

MC 0 or 32: value 9 None

MC 0 or 32: value 10 PCH: value 99

Program Change Command Received

Result

900s bank selected, no change in current program (bank selection is pending for next PCH)

MC 32 message ignored; 99th program in current bank selected (for example program 199 if in 100s bank)

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Kurzweil Program Changes

When you use the Kurzweil program change format, you’ll use PCH messages to select different memory banks, followed by a second PCH command to change the program within the current bank, as the following examples demonstrate. You’ll want to use this format if you’re controlling your K2661 from a Kurzweil 1000- or 1200-series instrument.

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MIDI Mode

Program Change Formats

1st Program Change Command Received

PCH: value 39 None 39th program in current bank selected

PCH: value 99 PCH: value 27

PCH: value 102 PCH: value 16 Program 216 (200s bank, 16th program

PCH: value 105 PCH: value 44 Program 544

PCH: value 109 PCH: value 0 Program 900

PCH: value 127 PCH: value 99

PCH: value 127 PCH: value 104

2nd Program Change Command Received

0-127 Program Change Type

You may be controlling your K2661 from an “old” MIDI device—one that was built before the MIDI Controller 0 program change format was developed. If your MIDI controller is one of these (if its manual doesn’t mention MIDI Controller 0 program changes, it’s an “old style” machine), you might want to set the ProgChgType parameter to a value of 0–127. This will enable you to select programs 0–127 from the controller. This limits your range of program selection, but it conﬁgures the K2661 to respond predictably to the controller. (You’ll have to select higher-numbered programs from the K2661’s front panel) Of course, you could use the Kurzweil format, but in many cases you’ll have to send two program change commands to get the program you want.

Result

27th program in current bank selected (99 is selected, then overridden by 27)

99th program in current bank (1st PCH is ignored, since it’s above 109)

No change in current program; 400s bank is selected pending next PCH

Quick Access Banks—Extended (QA Ext)

Using this setting is similar to using the Extended program change format, but it goes one step further. Incoming program change commands are interpreted just as they are in the normal Extended format. But the resulting program change number, instead of selecting a program, selects a Quick Access bank entry (you must be in Quick Access mode for this to work). There are two advantages to using this format. First, it allows you to select both programs and setups using program change commands, without having to switch between Program and Setup modes. Second, you can remap incoming program change commands to select programs or setups with different IDs. This is handy if the sending unit can’t send program change commands higher than 127.

First, a brief review of Quick Access bank structure. Each Quick Access bank can store ten entries, each of which can be a program or a setup. Each of the K2661’s 10 memory banks can store 20 Quick Access banks (except the Zeros bank, which can store 75). Therefore when you’re in Quick Access mode, you have access to 200 (or 750 in the Zeros bank) programs or setups without leaving the currently selected memory bank. The QA Ext program change format lets you select any one of those programs or setups via MIDI. If you select another memory bank, you have a different set of 200 programs and setups at your disposal. When you’re using this format, the K2661 will respond to MC 0 or 32 messages for selecting QA banks, and to PCHs for selecting entries within the current bank. PCHs select entries according to their “chronological” listing within the QA bank (not according to their IDs).

Command Type Value Range Result

MIDI controller 0 or 32 (MC 0 or MC 32)

Standard (PCH)

0 to 7 Selects QA bank 0n, 1n, 2n, 3n, 4n, 5n, 6n, 7n in current memory bank 8–127 Ignored 0–99 Selects last digit (n above) of QA bank, and entry within that bank 100–127 Ignored

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MIDI Mode

Program Change Formats

Depending on the QA bank entry you want to select, you’ll send the K2661 either a PCH (value 0 to 99), or a MIDI Controller 0 or 32 message (value 0 to 7) followed by a PCH. Sending a single command will let you select from a range of 10 QA banks and select an entry within that bank (see the table below). To select a different range of QA banks, send an MC 0 or 32 message followed by a PCH.

The MC 0 or 32 messages selects the range of QA banks (0s through 70s), while the PCH selects the bank within that range, as well as the entry within that bank. Neither the MC 0 or 32 nor the PCH selects a different memory bank (Zeros through 900s). In fact, you can’t change the memory bank via MIDI when using this format. All program and setup selections are made within the currently selected memory bank. You’ll know which memory bank is selected by looking at the ID of the currently selected Quick Access bank in the top line of the Quick Access-mode page. Several examples follow.

If the Zeros Memory Bank is Currently Selected

Bank Range Command

MC 0 or 32: value 0 PCH: value 6

None PCH: value 9 Entry 9 in current QA bank

MC 0 or 32: value 0 PCH: value 32 QA bank 3, entry 2

MC 0 or 32: value 1 PCH: value 4 QA bank 10, entry 4

MC 0 or 32: value 1 PCH: value 28 QA bank 12, entry 8

MC 0 or 32: value 2 PCH: value 44 QA bank 24, entry 4

Bank / Bank Entry Command

Resulting Selection

No change (K2661 interprets this as QA bank 0, entry 6. There is no QA bank 0. Lowest valid PCH value in this case is 10, which would select QA bank 1, entry 0)

Remember that in the Zeros memory bank, the Quick Access bank IDs go through 75. So if the Zeros memory bank is the current memory bank, you can send MC 0 or 32 values as high as 7 for the bank range command. And you can send PCH values as high as 99 for the bank/bank entry command. (When you’re in the other memory banks, you can send MC 0 or 32 values of 0 or 1, and PCH values of 0 to 99.)

If the 200s Memory Bank is Currently Selected

Bank Range Command

None PCH: value 44 QA bank 204 or 214; entry 4

MC 0 or 32: value 0 PCH: value 6 QA bank 200, entry 6

MC 0 or 32: value 0 PCH: value 32 QA bank 203, entry 2

MC 0 or 32: value 0 PCH: value 99 QA bank 209, entry 9

MC 0 or 32: value 1 PCH: value 4 QA bank 210, entry 4

MC 0 or 32: value 1 PCH: value 28 QA bank 212, entry 8

MC 0 or 32: value 2 PCH: value 44 No change; MC 0 or 32 value 2 is invalid in 200s bank.

Bank / Bank Entry Command

Resulting Selection

10-12

Quick Access Banks—Kurzweil (QA Kurz)

This works almost exactly like the QA Ext format. The only exception is that within the QA Kurz format, the K2661 expects the bank range command to be a PCH, and not MC 0 or 32. MIDI Controller 0 or 32 messages are not recognized. The K2661 expects to receive PCHs of

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value 0–99 to select a bank and entry, or a pair of PCHs, the ﬁrst having a value of 100–107 to select a different 10-bank range.

QA 0–127

Finally, there’s the QA Bank format for use with older MIDI devices (program change commands 0–127 only). It works similarly to the other QA formats, but the allowable range of values is limited to 0–107.

QA Formats and MIDI Transmission

If you’re in Quick Access mode and you’re using one of the QA formats for the program change type, selecting QA banks or bank entries from the K2661 (with the alphanumeric buttonpad, the cursor buttons, the Alpha Wheel, the Plus/Minus buttons, or the Chan/Bank buttons) also sends corresponding program change commands to the K2661’s MIDI Out port. The nature of these commands depends on the value of the ProgChgType parameter. The K2661 sends either an MC 0 or 32 message followed by a PCH (when ProgChgType is QA Ext), or a pair of PCHs (when ProgChgType is QA Kurz) or a single Program Change command (when ProgChgType is QA 0–

127). The following tables give speciﬁc examples.

MIDI Mode

Program Change Formats

Current QA Bank

100 0 0 0

105 9 0 59

110 9 1 99

117 7 1 77

119 9 1 99

Entry From Alphanumeric Pad

10010

19019

20020

29029

99099

10 0 1 0

19 9 1 99

20 0 2 0

29 9 2 99

75 9 7 59

Commands Sent

MC 0 or 32 PCH

Table 10-1 QA Extended Program Change Examples

Current QA Bank Entry From Alphanumeric Pad Commands Sent

1 0 100 10

1 9 100 19

2 0 100 20

2 9 100 29

9 9 100 99

10 0 101 0

Table 10-2 QA Kurz Program Change Examples

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MIDI Mode

The Soft Buttons in MIDI Mode

Current QA Bank Entry From Alphanumeric Pad Commands Sent

19 9 101 99

20 0 102 0

29 9 102 99

75 9 107 59

100 0 100 0

105 9 100 59

110 9 101 99

117 7 101 77

119 9 101 99

Table 10-2 QA Kurz Program Change Examples

The Soft Buttons in MIDI Mode

The ﬁrst three soft buttons select the three MIDI-mode pages. The PrgChg soft button lets you send a program change command on any MIDI channel. The RsetCh soft button lets you return all channel parameters to their default values. The Panic soft button sends an All Notes Off and an All Controllers Off messages to the K2661 and on all 16 MIDI channels.

Program Change (PrgChg)

When you press this soft button, a dialog appears:

Send|Program|Change:|||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| On|Channel||2,|Send|Program|||0||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Chan-||Chan+||Prog-||Prog+||Send||Cancel

This dialog lets you send program changes out the MIDI Out port, but does not change internal programs. The Chan/Bank buttons, the Up/Down cursor buttons, and the Chan– and Chan+ soft buttons can all be used to change the channel on which the program change command will be sent. The Left/Right cursor buttons, the Plus/Minus buttons, the Alpha Wheel and the Prog– and Prog+ soft buttons can all be used to change the program change number that will be sent. When you’ve set the channel and the program change number, press the Send soft button to send the program change command. Or press the Cancel soft button if you don’t want to send it. You can change the channel and the program number as many times as you want before you press Send. You also can use the alphanumeric pad to select a program number directly.

Reset Channels (RsetCh)

When you press this soft button, the K2661 asks if you want to reset all channels. If you press Yes, all settings on the CHANNELS page will return to their default values. For example, you may have set several MIDI channels to route their audio to Output Group B for a special project. When the project’s over, you can reset the Channels to restore the audio routing to each individual program (a value of Prog), rather than selecting each channel’s page and setting the Pair parameter back to a value of Prog. Press No if you decide not to reset the channels.

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Panic

Panic sends All Notes Off and All Controllers Off messages to the K2661 and all MIDI channels.

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Chapter 11 Master Mode

Press the Master mode button to enter Master mode, which contains parameters affecting the K2661’s overall performance.

The Master Mode Page

On the Master-mode page you’ll ﬁnd parameters for setting the overall tuning and transposition of the K2661, the MIDI channel to be used for KB3 programs (explained below), and for several keyboard and programming adjustments. You can also enter the sampler from the Master-mode page.

Master||||||Samples:8192K|||Memory:485K|

Tune||||||:0ct|||||||||||||||||||||||||| Transpose|:0ST|||||||||||||||||||||||||| KB3Chan|||:1|||||||||||||||||||||||||||| VelTouch||:1|Linear||||||||||||||||||||| PressTouch:1|Linear|||||Confirm||:On|||| Intonation:1|Equal||||||IntonaKey:C||||| Object|Delete||Util||Sample|||GM|||MAST2

Master Mode

The Master Mode Page

Tune

Parameter Range of Values Default

Tune ± 100 cents 0

Transpose ± 60 semitones 0

KB3 Channel 1 to 16 1

Velocity Touch Velocity Map list 1 Linear

Pressure Touch Pressure Map list 1 Linear

Intonation Intonation Table list 1 Equal

Conﬁrm On, Off On

IntonaKey C–BC

Adjusting the value of this parameter tunes every program in the K2661 by the amount you specify. Tuning can be adjusted up or down 100 cents (one semitone) in one-cent increments. This parameter is useful for getting in tune with recordings and acoustic instruments. Adjusting the tuning in Master mode does not change the settings on the PITCH page of individual programs, but will be added to any adjustments you make there. Master-mode tuning adjustments affect only the K2661’s notes, and not notes sent via MIDI.

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Master Mode

The Master Mode Page

Transpose

Like the Tune parameter above, Transpose affects every K2661 program, but not those notes sent to the MIDI Out port. You can adjust the MIDI transposition on the TRANSMIT page in MIDI mode.

KB3 Channel

The architecture of KB3 programs is completely different from the architecture of regular VAST programs. KB3 don’t have layers containing keymaps and samples that get played with each keystrike. Instead, they have an array of oscillators that are constantly running, which requires a different kind of processing (and more of it). Consequently, a KB3 program won’t run on a “normal” MIDI channel. It has to have a special channel that processes note information differently. And that’s what the KB3 Channel parameter does.

There can be only one KB3 channel, although you can set it to be any of the 16 MIDI channels. It’s like saying “OK, I want Channel 1 to be the channel that plays KB3 programs. All the other channels are for regular programs and other stuff.”

Any program can play on the KB3 channel, but KB3 programs can play only on the KB3 channel. If you’re on a keyboard channel that’s not the KB3 channel, and you select a KB3 program, the program’s name appears in parentheses in the display, and you won’t be able to trigger any notes on that channel. In this case the box at the left of the display reminds you which channel is the KB3 channel.

Velocity and Pressure Touch (VelTouch and PressTouch)

If you change the setting of the VelTouch parameter, remember that it also has an effect on the transmit velocity map (which is on the MIDI-mode TRANSMIT page).

Intonation

Most modern western music uses what is known as equal temperament. This means that the interval between each semitone of the 12-tone octave is precisely the same as every other interval. Many different intonation intervals have evolved over the centuries, however, and the K2661 supplies you with 17 different intonation “tables” to choose from. (There are also a few extra “tables” listed, which we’ll describe in a moment.) By changing the value for this parameter, you select from among the intonation tables stored in the K2661’s memory. Each of these tables deﬁnes different intervals between each of the semitones in a single octave.

Scroll through the list of Intonation tables, and listen for the differences between semitones. Some of the intervals between semitones may be quite different from equal intonation, but you’ll notice that all notes are precisely tuned with notes that are an octave apart. This is because the intonation tables set the intervals within a single octave, and apply those intervals to each octave. If this doesn’t make sense, the explanation of the Intonation Table Editor, in Chapter 18 of the Musician’s Guide will help clarify things. If you’re hoping to create fully microtonal tunings by editing intonation tables—sorry, that’s not possible. But you can create microtonal tunings using the Keymap Editor; see Chapter 14.

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Master Mode

The Master Mode Page

Determining the Version Number of Your ROM Objects (Intonation Tables 18–22)

As you’re scrolling through the list of intonation tables, you may notice a listing for an eighteenth intonation table with a name such as 18 Obj vn.nn. This isn’t really another intonation table. Rather, this is where the K2661 stores the version number of some of your ROM objects. If you ever need to ﬁnd out what version of ROM objects you’ve got loaded, this is where you look. Simply go to the Master page, then scroll the Intonation parameter until 18 is displayed. If you have more than one block of ROM objects installed, you’ll see additional “tables,” up to and including 22. And don’t forget to return to your correct intonation table when you’ve checked the version numbers of your ROM objects.

List and Description of Intonation Tables

1 Equal No detuning of any intervals. The standard for modern western

music.

2 Classic Just Tunings are deﬁned based on the ratios of the frequencies

between intervals. The original tuning of Classical European music.

3 Just Flat 7th Similar to classic Just, but with the Dominant 7th ﬂatted an

additional 15 cents.

4 Harmonic The perfect 4th, Tritone, and Dominant 7th are heavily ﬂatted.

5 Just Harmonic

6 Werkmeister Named for its inventor, Andreas Werkmeister. It’s fairly close to

equal temperament, and was developed to enable transposition with less dissonance.

7 1/5th Comma

8 1/4th Comma

9 Indian Raga Based on the tunings for traditional Indian music.

10 Arabic Oriented toward the tunings of Mid-Eastern music.

11 BaliJava1 Based on the pentatonic scale of Balinese and Javanese music.

12 BaliJava2 A variation on 1Bali/Java, slightly more subtle overall.

13 BaliJava3 A more extreme variation.

14 Tibetan Based on the Chinese pentatonic scale.

15 CarlosAlpha Developed by Wendy Carlos, an innovator in microtonal

tunings, this intonation table ﬂats each interval increasingly, resulting in an octave with quarter-tone intervals.

16 Pyth/aug4 This is a Pythagorean tuning, based on the Greek pentatonic

scale. The tritone is 12 cents sharp.

17 Pyth/dim5 This is a Pythagorean tuning, based on the Greek pentatonic

scale. The tritone is 12 cents ﬂat.

18–24 Obj vn.n Not an intonation table; indicates version number of K2661

ROM objects.

In general, you should select a nonstandard intonation table when you’re playing simple melodies (as opposed to chords) in a particular musical style. When you use intonation tables based on pentatonic scales, you’ll normally play pentatonic scales to most accurately reproduce those styles. An excellent reference source for further study of alternative tunings is Tuning In: Microtonality in Electronic Music, by Scott R. Wilkinson.

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Master Mode

The MAST2 Page

Conﬁrm

Intonation Key (IntonaKey)

Conﬁrmations are special displays that the K2661 shows you when you are about to alter memory permanently. The conﬁrmations ask if you really want to do what you’re about to do, and give you another chance to cancel the operation you’re about to execute. With the Conﬁrm parameter set to Off, these prompts do not appear. You’ll still be alerted before doing something that might cause you to lose your work, but your margin of error is slimmer with conﬁrmations turned off.

This sets the tonic, or base note from which the currently selected intonation table calculates its intervals. If you select G as the intonation key, for example, and the intonation table you select tunes the minor 2nd down by 50 cents, then G# will be a quartertone ﬂat relative to equal intonation. If you change the intonation key to D, then D# will be a quartertone ﬂat. If you use nonstandard intonations, you’ll want to change the intonation key as you change the key you’re playing in. If the Intonation parameter is set to Equal, changing IntonaKey has no effect.

You can also set the intonation key from an external MIDI device. Note On events at C -1 through B -1 (MIDI note numbers 0 through 11) will set the intonation key at C through B, respectively.

To trigger notes in the range required to set the Intonation key, you can transpose the K2661 temporarily from its front panel, or from your MIDI controller if it has the ability. Alternatively, you could create a setup with just the lowest octave transposed down two octaves, then select it when you want to change the Intonation key. If you’re driving your K2661 from a sequencer, you could simply insert the appropriate note events anywhere in the sequence to change the intonation key.

The MAST2 Page

Press the MAST2 soft button to reach the MAST2 page:

Master2||GM|Samples:8192K|||Memory:485K|

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Vocoder|||:Off|||||||||||||||||||||||||| View|Mode|:List||||||||||||||||||||||||| Digital|Output|Format:|AES|||||||||||||| Digital|Output|Length:|24|Bit||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Reset||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||MAST1

The MAST2 page enables you to perform a hard reset of your instrument (this deletes everything in RAM, so be careful!), and to turn the vocoder feature on and off.

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The Vocoder

Vocoding is a special feature that allows you to use an input signal to control another audio (slave) signal. Typically you would use a synthesizer for the input signal, although in fact you can use any sound source. You must have the sampling option to be able to use the vocoder.

Cables and Connections

Using the K2661 for Both Input and Slave Signals

You’ll need an insert cable (Y cord) with a 1/4-inch stereo (Tip/Ring/Sleeve) plug (male) on one end and 2 mono jacks (female) on the other end. The right side mono jack should be 1/4-inch. The left side can be either 1/4-inch or XLR. (You will be plugging a Mic into the left side, so if the insert cable has a 1/4-inch jack, you’ll need an adapter from XLR to 1/4-inch.)

1. Plug the stereo side of the insert cable into the 1/4-inch stereo Sample Input.

2. Connect a microphone to the left mono jack of the insert cable. It must be the left input.

3. Connect the B Right output of the K2661 to the right mono jack of the Insert cable.

Using the K2661 for Input Signal and External Source for Slave Signal

There are two setup methods for this conﬁguration. Here’s the ﬁrst:

Master Mode

The MAST2 Page

1. Plug the stereo side of the insert cable into the Stereo Analog Input of the sampler.

2. Connect a microphone to the left mono jack of the insert cable. It must be the left input.

3. Connect the output of your external sound source to the right mono jack of the insert cable.

The second method:

1. Connect a microphone into the left low impedance input (XLR) of the sampler.

2. Connect your external sound source to the right low impedance input (XLR) of the sampler.

Final Audio Output

You must have audio cables connected from the A outputs on the K2661 to your mixer or amp. Don’t use the Mix outputs.

MIDI

If your external slave is a rack (or it is a keyboard but you want to use the K2661’s keyboard to control the slave), connect a MIDI cable from the MIDI Out port of the K2661 to the MIDI In port of the slave.

Setting Up the K2661

1. Go to Sample mode (press the Sample soft button in Program, Setup, or Quick Access mode).

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Master Mode

The MAST2 Page

2. Set the Input parameter to a value of Analog.

3. Set the value of the Source (Src) parameter to External (Ext).

4. Set the value of the Mode parameter to LiveIn.

5. Verify that mic signal is on the left side only. Adjust the Gain parameter as needed, to get a good signal level.

6. Verify that your sound source (either the K2661 or external source) is on the right side only.

7. Go the Effects-mode page and make sure that the FX Mode parameter is set to Auto and the FX Chan parameter is set to Current.

Enabling Vocoder Mode

1. Load the ﬁle VOCODER.K26 into any bank. It’s provided on the CD-ROM and SmartMedia card. See Chapter 13 if you need help loading a ﬁle.

2. Go to Master mode.

3. Press the MAST2 soft button.

4. Set the value of the Vocoder parameter to On.

5. Exit from Master mode (press any of the other Mode buttons).

Note that enabling the vocoder activates special software, which replaces the software used for the SHAPE2 and AMP MOD OSC functions in the F3 block of an algorithm. Therefore any programs that use SHAPE2 and AMP MOD OSC in the F3 block will sound different while the vocoder is active. Turning the Vocoder parameter Off will restore those DSP functions and disable vocoding.

Using the Vocoder

Go to Setup Mode and select one of the setups in the memory bank where you just loaded the vocoder ﬁle. If you are using an external sound source for your slave, choose the setup Vocoder-

ExtSlave. If you are using the K2661 as the input source for the slave, then you can choose either Vocoder-22 Band or Vocoder-20 Band. The 22-band vocoder will allow you to play up to 4

voices of polyphony on the slave program; the 20-band vocoder will allow you to play up to 8 voices of polyphony on the slave program.

Play a note or chord on your keyboard and speak into the microphone. You should be able to hear what you are speaking, but the sound will be a string sound (assuming you are using the K2661 as the slave source), pitched to the note or chord you are playing.

Try moving Sliders A, B, and C, and listen for changes in the sound. Since the setups contain entry values for these sliders, you may have to move the slider across its full range before it begins to take effect.

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Effects Issues and Output Issues

The studio assigned to the vocoder setups is conﬁgured in the following manner: If you are using the K2661 for the slave signal, the slave program (in zone 3) has its output assigned to KDFX-B, which is being routed to the FXBus2, with no effect. On the OUTPUT page in the Setup

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Master Mode

The MAST2 Page

Editor, Output B is set to FXBus2, thereby sending the signal from the slave program to the B outputs and from B Right into the right side of the sample input.

The slave program has its output panned hard right within the program, so if you decide to try using a different slave program, you will probably want to edit the program itself to pan its output hard right, so you get 100% of the signal. You don't need to worry about setting the output pair within the program, because the Out parameter on the CH/PRG page of the Setup Editor is set to KDFX-B in zone 3, thereby overriding any settings from within the program.

The vocoder programs themselves are assigned to KDFX-A, which is being routed to FXBus1. On the OUTPUT page in the Setup Editor, Output A is set to Mix. So the ﬁnal output of the vocoder programs is run through the effect and then comes out the A Outs and the Mix Outs. Don’t use the Mix audio outputs, however, or you’ll hear the slave program along with the vocoder.

If you choose to change the effects, you may ﬁnd it easier to edit the vocoder studio, and try changing the effects assigned to FXBus1, FXBus2, and AuxFX. But if you want to change to a different studio, you will need to make sure the following parameters are set correctly: on the FXBUS page, for FXBus2, set the Level parameters for both Aux and Mix to Off, and on the OUTPUT page, set Output B to FXBus2.

How Vocoding Works

A vocoder is a device that analyzes the time-varying audio spectrum of one signal (the master) and imposes that spectrum as a ﬁlter on a second signal (the slave.) The method we use is an emulation of the traditional analog technique involving banks of bandpass ﬁlters and envelope followers.

The master signal is what you send from the microphone, and the slave signal is what you send from an external synthesizer or other sound source, or a program from the K2661.

The master signal is sent to a number of bandpass ﬁlters in parallel. The center frequencies are spaced to cover the most useful frequencies. The lowest frequency ﬁlter is a low pass rather than a bandpass, which groups all low-frequency components together. Likewise, the highest ﬁlter is a high pass. The outputs of all these bandpass ﬁlters go into individual envelope followers, which detect the level of signal present in each band. The output of the envelope follower is then used as a control for the slave signal.

The slave signal is also sent to the same number of bandpass ﬁlters. These generally have the same center frequencies as the master bandpasses. The output signals from the slave bandpasses are multiplied, one by one, by the outputs of the envelope followers (from the master signal). The resulting products are all added together for the ﬁnal output.

Since each band requires two layers (one for master and one for slave), the largest number of bands you can have for vocoding is 24. (24*2=48, which is your maximum polyphony.) The programs in the Setup called Vocoder-ExtSlave use 24 bands. If you want to use the K2661 to generate your slave signal, then you have to use either the 22- or 20-band vocoder setups, which have fewer bands, and therefore leave 4 or 8 voices of polyphony available for the slave signal program.

Since 48 (or 44 or 40) layers are used, and a drum program has a maximum of 32 layers, we use two 24 (or 22 or 20) layer programs, on different MIDI channels, that are combined in a setup.

Each of the setups has 3 zones. In the 22- and 20-band vocoder setups, the ﬁrst two zones are used for the vocoding programs and the third zone plays the internal program that is used for the slave signal. In Vocoder-ExtSlave, the third zone is set to transmit via MIDI only, on Channel 1. (This allows you to play your external sound source, but won't play a K2661 internal program.)

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Layers are grouped in pairs, with the master signal going to the ﬁrst layer, and the slave to the second. All odd numbered layers are master and all even numbered layers are slave. If you look at the algorithms in the vocoding programs, you will see that the ﬁrst two DSP blocks (after PITCH) of each layer are a bandpass ﬁlter (or low pass or hi pass ﬁlters for the ﬁrst and last bands). The ﬁrst layer then has a DSP called MASTER, while the second layer has a DSP called SLAVE. These stages are then followed by an AMP stage. These DSP blocks perform the function of an envelope follower and gain multiplication.

The signal ﬂows from the odd numbered (master) layer to its associated even numbered (Slave) layer (for example, from layer 1 to 2), which is something that does not happen in other algorithms. The low pass frequencies controlled by the third time slot for each layer set the response speed of the envelope follower. They are normally set to the same frequency. The master layer controls the frequency of one pole of low pass ﬁltering, and the slave layer controls two more poles.

The AMP page on the master layer does nothing. There is no output from this layer, so any settings on the OUTPUT page don't matter. The slave layer's AMP page does do an actual amplitude control. The output pages for slave layers are active, and can be used to choose the output group and set the step panning.

All of the master layers use the LiveIn Left keymap and all of the slave layers use the LiveIn Right keymap. That is why you must plug the microphone into the left side of the sample input and the slave source into the right side.

As is always the case with Live mode, a note message is required in order for an incoming signal to be processed through VAST. Therefore, the two layers in the setup assigned to the vocoding programs have Pswitch2 set to generate a C4 with a velocity of 127, as soon as the setup is selected. That note remains on until you select a different setup. The setups are edited so that none of the notes on an 88 note keyboard are assigned to either of the two vocoding programs

Real-time Control of the Vocoding Programs

The most important control parameter is the envelope follower speed, set by the third time slot low pass parameters. These are set to C 6 on all the layers for the initial level. Slider A (MIDI 6) lowers the cutoff up to 8 octaves (9600 cents). Therefore, the higher you raise the slider, the slower the envelope follower speed. C 6, as a ﬁlter cutoff, has a time constant on the order of one millisecond. This is generally too fast. For best results, this should be lowered about 4 octaves to C 2 (half the range of the Data Slider), to a time constant of 16 milliseconds. Too slow and the vocoder will not respond to quick transients, like consonants, and too fast will result in a jittery sort of sound, as the envelopes follow every little ﬂuctuation. At the fastest possible setting, the envelopes follow the master audio signal itself, and an extremely harsh intermodulation is heard between master and slave. The vocoder setups have an entry value of 64 for this slider, so when the setup is selected it is the equivalent of having the slider halfway up.

Slider B (MIDI 12) is used to control the width of the band pass ﬁlters (for all bands except the lowest and highest). The vocoder setups have an entry value of 10 for this slider, the equivalent of having the slider at the ﬁrst dot above the bottom.

Slider C (MIDI 13) transposes the center frequencies of all the slave bandpasses upward together. It gives you the same result as pitch shifting the master signal up. Vocal formants will be munchkinized as you bring the slider up. The vocoder setups have an entry value of 0 for this slider, the equivalent of having the slider at the bottom.

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Additional Notes and Programming Suggestions

The classic application of a vocoder is to make instrumental sounds talk/sing. The slave signal has to have a lot of high frequency content, or the consonants will not be heard clearly. However, there is no rule set in stone that you must speak words into the microphone. Using the vocoder

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just as a timbral control can be just as interesting. You can get very expressive results by using your voice to control a lead line, doing the articulation and ﬁlter control by talking, singing, or just making various vocal sounds. You can get some of the same types of results you would by using a breath controller. It’s a little like having a 24-band graphic equalizer, but instead of controlling it with your hands, you use your voice.

Furthermore, you don't even have to use a microphone as the master. You can send a signal from anything else that has varied timbral content and get interesting results. For example, the master signal could be a drum loop or some other recorded sound that changes timbres regularly.

The analog sample inputs on the K2661 are line level, not mic level. This means you have to boost the gain on the sample page to get a good signal. But this also increases the general noise level of the input signal. If you have a mic preamp, or plug the mic into a mixing board before sending the signal to the K2661, you can lower the Gain parameter and start with a much cleaner signal. This is highly recommended.

In addition, you will ﬁnd you get better results if you run the preamped mic signal into a compressor before sending it to the K2661. This can also be done for the slave signal. Using compressors will give you a much more even dynamic result, making it easier to play and control your sound. This is because the dynamic range of the master and slave signals is added together. For example, let’s say both the master and slave signals have a dynamic range of 20 dB. The resulting signal will have a dynamic range of 40 dB, giving you a very wide range between the softest and loudest signals you can produce.

One way to improve intelligibility is to mix in a little of the master signal into the ﬁnal audio output. This can be done in a couple of ways. If you run the mic into a mixer, you can split the signal, sending it both to the K2661 as well as to your ﬁnal mix.

A second way is to include it in the vocoder program. You can do this by editing one of the programs in the 22- or 20-band vocoder setups. You would want to add a layer to the program (it doesn't matter which one of the two programs you edit). Set the Keymap for the layer to LiveIn L and choose Algorithm 1 with the DSP function set to NONE. You could then control the amount of the signal by editing the Adjust parameter on the F4 AMP page (or even assign a control source to vary the amount).

You could then try various algorithms and DSP functions to further modify the signal. Running the signal through a high pass DSP to emphasize vocal articulations is one obvious example. Just make sure that you don't use the SHAPE 2 or AMP MOD OSC DSP functions. In that case, the master signal won't be output.

If you are using the K2661 for the slave signal, try editing the slave vocoder program. A simple thing to try is to choose a different keymap. The AMPENV in this program has been set to User, with a lengthy decay, so you can even choose decaying sounds such as guitar, and get interesting results. And of course, you can choose other programs as the slave.

And of course, you should try making some of your own programs to use as a source. Just edit the setup and change the program in zone 3 to your new program. For example:

• Use an LFO to modulate the center frequencies of the slave bandpasses, or the master bandpasses.

• Try panning alternate bands of the slave layers to L and R to create a “fake stereo” program.

• Try different center frequencies from the ones used in the preset programs.

• Currently the center frequencies of the slave layers match the master layers. Try scrambling the slave frequencies relative to the master frequencies.

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• If you are using the K2661 for the slave signal and need more polyphony, you can delete some of the layers in the vocoding programs. Make sure to delete matching sets of master and slave layers. You will probably want to readjust the frequencies and widths of the remaining layers accordingly.

More applications

Instead of using a microphone or other external source for your master, you could use the K2661 to generate both the master and slave signals. There are two ways you could set this up. You can either edit the setup to add another program on a 4th zone, or you could edit the slave source program to add more layers. Then split the keyboard so that one side plays the master zone/ layers and the other side plays the slave zone/layers. On the OUTPUT page, make sure all the master layers are assigned to B and panned hard left and the slave layers assigned to B and panned hard right. You will then have to alter the wiring setup described at the beginning of this document so that the B Left jack is going to the left side of the stereo sample input.

If you edit width of the master layers so that they are extremely narrow, and set the frequencies to a speciﬁc scale pattern, then if you sing into the microphone, you will only hear sound as you sing the speciﬁc pitches in that scale.

If you edit the width of the slave layers so that they are extremely narrow, then you will get a very pure tonal sound, hearing only very speciﬁc pitches depending on the harmonic content of the master.

Another possibility for using very narrow width master layers: Edit the slave layers so that instead of using a series of bandpass ﬁlters, each slave layer uses different DSP functions in the F1 and F2 slots (remember that the F3 slot still needs to be set to LPCLIP in order for the vocoding function to work—you can change algorithms as long as the algorithm allows LPCLIP to be selected for the F3 slot). Now, if you sing various pitches, the slave signal will be played through the various corresponding VAST algorithms.

It is actually possible to use samples in RAM (or ROM) instead of the Live Mode In for either the master or slave signals (or even both of them). Just change the Keymap parameter on the KEYMAP Page. (Remember that you need to edit the Keymap parameter on all master and/or slave layers.) In this case, the keymap would be playing a single held sample, so you will want to use a looped sample. Loops with changing harmonic content will work best. The note used in the setups is C 4, so you would want the sample root at C 4 to hear it back without transposition. You will need to edit the layers, save the programs, and reselect the setup before you will hear the change. If both the master and slave layers call up samples in the unit, then as soon as you select the setup, you will hear sound without even touching the keyboard! You might want to assign a slider to the F4 AMP page on the slave layers to control the amount of output. If the master and slave layers are loops of slightly different lengths, then you will hear a continually changing sound that could appear to go in indeﬁnitely without changing.

Continuing with the previous suggestion, you could set the slave layers to different keymaps, each layer assigned to a different sample loop. Edit the DSP functions on the slave layers so that F1 and F2 are set to NONE, or some other DSP function. Set the master layers to very narrow widths. Now, as your master signal changes frequencies you will hear different sample loops fading in and out.

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View Mode

Change the View Mode parameter on the MAST2 page to Large to set the view mode to large format; change it to List to return to normal view. The large-type view affects Program, Setup, and Quick Access modes. When you’re in these modes, program names, setup names, and Quick Access-bank entry names appear in large, easy-to-read type.

Kurzweil Music Systems K2661 User's Manual

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Contents

Introduction

Overview of the K2661

VAST Synthesis

KB3 Tone Wheel Emulation

How the K2661 Works

How to Use This Manual

Do I Have Everything?

The Accessory Files

K2661 Base ROM Objects

K2661 Demos

K2661 Farm & Extras

K2600 / K2500 / K2000 Compatibility Files

Quick Startup Checklist

Startup

Start Jamming!

Startup—the Details

Before You Start...

Connecting the Power Cable (Line Cord)

Connecting the Audio Cables

Connecting MIDI

Connecting SCSI

Switching On the Power

SmartMedia

Playing the Presets

Getting Around

Programs

VAST Programs

KB3 Programs

Live Mode Programs

Setups

Selecting Programs

Quick Access

The Other Modes

Software Upgrades

User Interface Basics

Mode Selection

Navigation

Mode Buttons

The Display

Pages

The Top Line

The Bottom Line

The Soft Buttons

The Cursor Buttons

Data Entry

The Edit Button

The Exit Button

The Alpha Wheel

The Plus/Minus Buttons

The Alphanumeric Pad

Double Button Presses

Intuitive Data Entry

Changing the Current Layer in Multi-Layer Programs

Search

Renaming Multiple Objects

Mixdown and MIDI Faders Pages

Mixdown Page

MIDI Faders Pages

Quick Song Recording and Playback

What the Modes Are

The Operating Modes

Selecting Modes

Nested Editors

Using the Modes

Finding Square One

Program Mode

Setup Mode

Quick Access Mode

Effects Mode

MIDI Mode

Master Mode

Song Mode

Disk Mode

Introduction to Editing

Editing Conventions

What’s an Object?