Voice Systems RD-80e Operating Manual

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Manuale Operativo
Operating Manual
RD-80e
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
WARNING! TO REDUCE THE DANGER OF ELECTRIC SHOCK:
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK)
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE
NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL
This simbol is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.
This simbol is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage“ within the product’s enclouser that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electronic shock to persons.
“INSTRUCTIONS PERTAINING TO A RISK OF FIRE,
ELECTRIC SHOCK, OR INJURY TO PERSONS“
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
“INSTRUCTIONS
PERTAINING TO A RISK OF FIRE,
ELECTRIC
SHOCK, OR INJURY TO PERSONS“
IMPORTANT
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING: When using electric products, basic precautions should always be fallowed, including the following:
1) Read all instructions before using the product.
2) To reduce risk of injury, close supervision is necessary when product is used near children.
3) Do not use this product near water – for example, near a batnub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool, or the like.
4) This product, either alone or in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers, may be capable of producing sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not operate for a long period of time in high volume level or at a level that is unconfortable. If you experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should consult an audiologist.
5) This products should be located away from heat sources such as radiators, heat register, or other products that produce heat.
6) The power supply cord of the instrument should be unplugged from the outlet when left unused for a long period of time.
7) Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure of the instrument.
8) The products should be serviced by qualified personnel when:
a. The power supply cord or the plug has been demaged; or b. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the product; or c. The products has been exposed to rain; or d. The products does not appear to operate normally or exibist a marked
change in performance; or
e. The products has been dropped, or the enclosure demaged.
9) Do not attemp to service the product beyond that described in the user-maintenance instructions. All other servicing should be referred to qualified personnel.
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CONTENTS
1. IMPORTANT NOTES............................................................................................................. 53
1.1 Looking after the product ................................................................................................53
1.2 Notes on the instrument ..................................................................................................53
1.3 Notes about the manual ..................................................................................................54
2. MAIN CHARACTERISTCS ....................................................................................................55
2.1 The RD-80e’s structure ...................................................................................................55
2.2 Data format......................................................................................................................55
3. CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS.......................................................................................56
3.1 The front panel ................................................................................................................ 56
3.2 The rear panel ................................................................................................................. 58
3.3 The remote control ..........................................................................................................59
4. THE CONNECTIONS ............................................................................................................ 60
5. PLAYING BACK SONGS ...................................................................................................... 61
5.1 Starting the system..........................................................................................................61
5.2 The sort automatic...........................................................................................................61
5.3 Selecting and performing song .......................................................................................62
5.3.1 Error messages ....................................................................................................... 62
5.4 Volume setup...................................................................................................................63
5.4.1 Seeting the volume mode ........................................................................................64
5.5 Using the [REW] and [FF] keys....................................................................................... 65
6. REAL-TIME FUNCTIONS...................................................................................................... 66
6.1 Track muting ....................................................................................................................66
6.1.1 Mute Setup .............................................................................................................. 66
6.2 Transposing the key ........................................................................................................ 67
6.2.1 Transpose Setup ..................................................................................................... 67
6.3 Adjusting the metronome tempo ..................................................................................... 68
6.3.1 Tempo Setup............................................................................................................68
6.4 Saving changes............................................................................................................... 69
6.4.1 Error messages ....................................................................................................... 70
7. RECORDING SONGS ...........................................................................................................71
7.1 Foreword ......................................................................................................................... 71
7.2 Recording procedure....................................................................................................... 71
7.2.1 Error messages ....................................................................................................... 72
8. MIDI SECTION ...................................................................................................................... 74
8.1 Out Router................................................................................................................. ...... 74
8.2 Sync In ............................................................................................................................ 75
8.3 Sync Out.......................................................................................................................... 76
9. UTILITY SECTION................................................................................................................. 78
9.1 Play Mode........................................................................................................................79
9.2 Disk functions .................................................................................................................. 79
9.2.1 Formatting a disk ..................................................................................................... 80
9.2.2 Copying a disk ......................................................................................................... 81
9.2.3 Error messages ....................................................................................................... 83
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9.3 File functions ................................................................................................................... 84
9.3.1 Copying a file ........................................................................................................... 84
9.3.2 Deleting a file ...........................................................................................................86
9.3.3 Error messages ....................................................................................................... 86
9.4 Control of the optional graphic display ............................................................................ 87
9.4.1 Selectin the type of font ........................................................................................... 88
9.4.2 Selecting the type of spelling................................................................................... 89
9.5 Settings relating to the video interface ............................................................................89
9.5.1 Selecting the font type ............................................................................................. 90
9.5.2 Selecting the colours ............................................................................................... 90
9.6 Vocal Harmonizer ............................................................................................................91
9.6.1 Type of harmonisation ............................................................................................. 92
9.6.2 Setting the harmoniser MIDI reception channels..................................................... 93
9.6.3 Setting the levels ..................................................................................................... 93
10. THE LISTS........................................................................................................................... 94
10.1 Creating a List ............................................................................................................... 94
10.2 Saving the List............................................................................................................... 95
10.2.1 Error messages - Save List ................................................................................... 95
10.3 Performing a List ...........................................................................................................96
10.3.1 Error messages - Play List .................................................................................... 97
10.4 List file management ..................................................................................................... 97
11. ACCESSORY FUNCTIONS................................................................................................. 98
11.1 Factory Settings............................................................................................................. 98
11.2 Displaying the software release.....................................................................................98
11.3 Stand-by function........................................................................................................... 99
APPENDIX ...............................................................................................................................100
Updating the operating system............................................................................................ 100
Sound List............................................................................................................................ 101
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1. IMPORTANT NOTES
1.1 LOOKING AFTER THE PRODUCT
Do not place the RD-80e close to heat sources, in damp or dusty places or close to strong magnetic fields.
Never apply excessive force to the structures or controls (switches, buttons etc.).
Protect the instrument from stresses during both transport and use. The instrument
should be transported in its original packaging or an equivalent.
When possible, do not place the instrument close to units which produce strong interference, such as radios, TV sets, monitors, etc.
Never insert foreign bodies or liquids of any kind inside the device for any reason.
For cleaning, use only a soft cloth or compressed air; never use detergents, solvents
or alcohol.
Do not expose the instrument to direct sunlight.
Always use good quality screened cables. In addition, when disconnecting the cables
from sockets take hold of them by the connector and not by the cable itself; when coiling, do not allow knots or twists to form.
Before making connections ensure that the other units (especially amplification and diffusion systems) you are about to connect are switched off. You will avoid noisy or even hazardous signal peaks.
1.2 NOTES ON THE INSTRUMENT
IMPORTANT!
The RD-80e is equipped with a “direct-to-disk” reading system which plays the song while it is being read from the disk; this considerably reduces the loading times and ensures quicker operation when file playback is started.
However, this reading system requires special care during extraction of the disk when it is being used by the system, to avoid breaks in playback, system errors and damage to the drive reading heads. Users are therefore strongly advised:
NOT TO REMOVE the disk during performance of songs or Lists, during disk formatting, during file reading or writing, or whenever the disk drive LED is on.
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ONLY TO REMOVE the disk when the disk drive LED is off. When the current operation requires extraction of the disk wait for the prompt, which will appear on the display.
In order to obtain the best performance from the instrument, it is important to:
Use only good quality floppy disks. Pay special attention to looking after floppy disks, taking care not to place them close to heat sources or magnetic fields (monitors, speakers, etc.) or in damp and dusty environments. Bear in mind that given the nature of the direct-to-disk system, the instrument must have error-free disks if it is to give the best performance.
Make backup copies of floppy disks periodically, since the direct-to-disk system causes greater wear of the disk’s magnetic medium than other systems.
With regard to the type of files to be used, bear in mind that:
The RD-80e only uses standard MIDI files (extension *.MID) resident on floppy disks formatted in accordance with the MS-DOS
standard. Files with different extensions
will not be processed.
The system supports up to 16 tracks. If a format 1 MIDI file exceeds the permitted number of tracks, an error will be shown on the display . However , for optimum system performance, use of type 0 SMF files is recommended.
The RD-80e recognises the format of any lyrics on the song, identifying the copyright of the MIDI file producer, and displays it on the TV, by means of the video interface, or on the remote display (both optional). It is therefore important to use the permitted types of Karaoke without converting the format. In addition, do not use
more than one
text coding mode within the same file.
1.3 NOTES ABOUT THE MANUAL
Take good care of this manual. Read all the information provided carefully; you will avoid wasting time and obtain the best performance from the instrument.
Codes in square brackets ([]) indicate the names of the buttons on the instrument’s panel or the connectors on the rear.
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2. MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
2.1 THE RD80e’S STRUCTURE
The RD-80e is a MIDI Data Filer, meaning a device capable of reading MIDI files and playing them back in audio format thanks to its own internal sound generator.
For a clearer idea of how it works, we can divide the RD-80e into two sections: a file management section, which from now on we will call the
Data Player
, and a generation
system, called the
Sound Generator
.
The
Data Player
section reads the data saved on the floppy disk and sends them to the
Sound Generator
section or to the [MIDI OUT] port. As well as this, this section manages all the device’s internal programming, including the functions for management of the songs and of the sequences of songs contained on the floppy disk, and all the functions for editing the songs themselves, such as their deletion, memorisation and modification.
The
Sound Generator
section, on the other hand, converts the data received from the
Data Player
section into audio signals, and thus into music, bearing in mind the timbre and dynamic of every single note. This section is able to reproduce 353 sounds and 17 Drum Kits, and is poly-timbric on 16 parts (16 different timbres can be played simultaneously) each distributed on one track, meaning one MIDI channel. The maximum polyphony (the number of notes which can be played simultaneously) is
32. What’s more, the
Sound Generator
section has a multieffects unit containing ambient
effects (reverbs and echoes) and modulation effects (Chorus and Flanger).
2.2 DA TA FORMAT
The RD-80e floppy disk driver is able to take 3.5” floppy disks in DD (720 KByte) and HD (1.44 MByte) formats, formatted in accordance with the MS-DOS standard. If the files contained in these two sections are to be interpreted by the instrument during reading, they must comply with the MIDI file (*.MID) Standard in formats 0 and 1. During recording of MIDI data from an external source, the result will be saved in the form of MIDI Standard Files in format 0.
In order to be interpreted correctly by the instrument, MIDI files must belong to the GENERAL MIDI standard.
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3. CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS
3.1 THE FRONT PANEL
1. FLOPPY DISK DRIVER: the LED displays the reading/writing status of the floppy disk. Press the button to extract the disk from the drive. Never extract the disk when the LED is on.
2. THREE-FIGURE NUMBER DISPLA Y : this display will show all the information relating to the status of the system, the selection of the songs and the RD-80e function values.
3. CONTROL KEYS: these keys, each with two functions (except for the [PAUSE] key),
allow the user to check the performance or recording status of the song. The second function is shown in yellow above the button.
[REW] (DISABLE): allows fast backward shift to a specific bar or disables the menu functions recalled by the [MIDI] and [UTILITY] keys.
[FF] (ENABLE): allows fast forward shift to a specific bar or enables the menu functions recalled by the [MIDI] and [UTILITY] keys.
[STOP] (STAND-BY): stops performance or recording of the song; pressed for about two seconds, it switches the device to stand-by mode (low power consumption).
[PLAY] (MEAS.): starts performance of the song, or if pressed for about two seconds, it provides display of the bar reached.
[PAUSE]: stops performance or recording temporarily.
[REC] (SAVE): enables the recording mode (pressed together with the [PLAY]
key), the function for saving changes to a song or saving of a List.
4. REMOTE CONTROL RECEIVER: this contains the infrared receiver for use of the remote control. For correct operation of this device, take care not to cover this area
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with objects or stickers.
5. SELECTION / CONFIRMA TION / REAL TIME FUNCTION / ACCESSORY FUNCTION KEYS
[SONG] and [LIST] keys: these buttons are used to select the type of file the user wishes
to perform.
[SONG]: for selecting individual songs (*.MID files);
[LIST]: for selecting Lists (pre-arranged sequences of songs).
[TEMPO] – [MUTE] – [TRANSP.] keys: these buttons can be used to enable / disable the functions for real-time changes to songs (i.e. during performance). Prolonged pressure on these keys gives access to regulation of their respective functions. For further information, consult section 6.
[TEMPO]: for regulating the tempo of the song;
[MUTE]: for excluding one or more tracks from the performance;
[TRANSP.]: for transposing the key of songs.
[VOLUME] key: allows regulation of the overall volume of the RD-80e. Prolonged pressure on this key in stop condition allows selection of the MIDI message (NRPN or CC) for controlling the volume. For further information, consult section 5.3
[MIDI] and [UTILITY] keys: these buttons provide access to the menus of the device’s MIDI and accessory functions. For further information, consult sections 8 and 9.
[DEC] and [INC] keys: these buttons allow selection of songs, selection of options in the Utility and MIDI menus and variation of the values of the functions.
[DEC]: selects the song or function before the one shown on the display, decreases the value displayed.
[INC]: selects the song or function after the one shown on the display, increases the value displayed.
[ESC] (NO) and [ENTER] (YES) keys: these buttons are used to confirm or abort the procedure when requested by the system.
[ESC] (NO): abort.
[ENTER] (YES): confirm.
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3.2 THE REAR PANEL
1. [AC ADAPTER] connector: connect the connector leading from the adapter supplied
to this socket.
2. [POWER] switch: instrument on/off switch.
3. [JOY PORT] connector: this connector can be used to connect the optional
peripherals such as the video interface, the vocal harmoniser and the additional graphic display to the RD-80e. This connector can also be used to equip the instrument with a MIDI IN port using a Joy Port-to-MIDI cable. Consult the connections section for further details about this.
4. [MIDI OUT] connector: output port for the MIDI data generated by the RD-80e.
5. [FOOT SW] (foot-switch) connector: allows connection of a foot-switch pedal with
start / stop function. To avoid damage to the internal components of the RD-80e it is important to
use only
pedals with normally open contact
.
6. AUDIO OUT section: the section contains all the signal outputs generated by the internal sound card of the RD-80e.
[PHONES]: socket for connection of a pair of stereophonic headphones. It is
important to use headphones with impedance of at least 100Ω.
[R] and [L/MONO]: connect the cables leading from your amplification system to
these sockets. If a monophonic signal is used, use only the [L/MONO] socket.
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3.3 THE REMOTE CONTROL
The RD-80e is equipped with a remote control for control of the main functions from a distance. The functions of the buttons are identical to those of the buttons of the same name on the device’s front panel. See point 3.1 for the detailed description of the buttons, and the various sections for descriptions of the functions.
CAUTION!
To ensure the remote control operates correctly, it is important not to obstruct the part of the front panel underneath the number display with objects or stickers; this part contains the sensor which allows reception of the remote control signal.
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4. THE CONNECTIONS
CAUTION!
ü
The Joy Port-to-MIDI adapter must be equipped with an internal photocoupler.
ü
If the adapter carriers a Joy Port resend, never use this for connecting additional peripherals.
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5. PLAYING BACK SONGS
5.1 STARTING THE SYSTEM
After making all the connections, switch on the RD-80e using the [POWER] switch on the rear panel. The display will first show the software loading video page:
and then a moving central dash, instructing you to wait for the system to start up. When the setup procedures are complete, the display will show:
if the floppy disk is not inserted (or inserted but not compatible, see point 5.3.1) or:
i.e. the song selection video page (which from now on we will also call the Main Page), confirming that the first song saved on the floppy disk has been selected (see Automatic Sort in point 5.2).
5.2 THE SORT AUTOM ATIC
Whenever a floppy disk is inserted in the drive, the RD-80e performs the automatic sort function; in other words, it arranges the songs in rising alphabetical order (on the basis of the ASCII code). This means that the first backing track on the disk will be the one with the name which comes first in alphabetical order , and the last one the one with the last name.
Bear in mind that the name of a file may also consist of numbers, which in the ASCII alphabet are placed before the letters, so: “2worlds.mid” will be placed before “myway .mid”.
The character placed last in the ASCII alphabetical order is the underscore (_), so files whose names start with this character will be placed last in the order.
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A disk which has not been correctly formatted in accordance with the MS-DOS standard has been inserted. Extract the floppy disk and reformat it. If this video page appears again after formatting, the disk might be damaged.
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The RD-80e uses the underscore to place the files it creates itself (using the functions for saving the songs recorded, see point 7.2) at the end of the list.
5.3 SELECTING AND PERFORMING SONGS
To select the song of your choice (if it is not the first in the list), use the [INC] and [DEC] keys. The [ENTER] key will start to flash, while [ESC] key will illuminate with a steady light. Once the name of your chosen song has appeared, press [ENTER] to confirm: the LED of the Disk drive will light up until the song has been loaded. Loading a song normally takes only a very short time; however, longer waiting times are possible in case of format 1 Midifiles and especially with files containing Lyrics metaevent texts.
You can also press the [ESC] key to abort the operation and return to display of the last song loaded.
To start playback, press the [PLA Y] button: the LED of the key will light up and playback of the song will start. Pressing the [STOP] key will stop playback of the song, or you can press the [PAUSE] button for a temporary halt in playback. When you press [PAUSE] again, performance of the song will restart from the point where it was interrupted.
A song can also be selected while another is being played: in this case, select the song using the [INC] and [DEC] keys, press [ENTER] and the new song will be performed automatically, with no need to confirm with the [PLAY] button. Pressing [ESC] will abort the new selection.
If you wish to display the number of the bar reached, either during playback or in stop or pause status, keep the [PLAY] button pressed for about two seconds. To return to the song selection video page, press the [ESC] button.
5.3.1 ERROR MESSAGES
FLOPPY DISK NOT VALID OR NOT INSERTED
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The file selected does not belong to the Standard MIDI file code, or is a format 1 SMF with more than 16 tracks. The song cannot be played.
N.B.
In view of the special features of the “Direct-to-Disk” reading system, disks in perfect condition should be used; any errors inside the file may cause sudden breaks in performance. Never remove the floppy disk during playback.
5.4 VOLUME SETUP
To adjust the volume of the songs being played back, press the [VOLUME] key. The display will show the value in a range 0-100 (if the volume is being controlled by means of CC) or 0-127 (if the volume is being controlled by means of NRPN):
Refer to point 5.3.1 for setting of the volume mode.
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SONG NOT PLA YABLE
NO FILE
The floppy disk does not contain Midifiles.
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5.4.1 SETTING THE VOLUME MODE
The volume can be adjusted in two ways:
NRPN: by means of the NRPN message associated to the volume of the internal
sound generation card.
CC: by means of a percentage modulation of the Control Change 11’s in the backing
track.
If the volume mode is set as NRPN, at each switch-on or adjustment the system will transmit the value of the volume NRPN to the internal sound generation section. This mode should always be used for better volume control when playing songs using the RD80e’s internal sound generation system.
When CC mode is selected, the CC11’s in the song are modulated on a percentage basis: the data in the track undergo relative editing, in order to keep the variations in volume set originally unchanged. This mode should be used to control the volume of an external sound generation device (such as an expander) for playback of the backing tracks whose data are transmitted by the RD80e.
To make the selection, keep the [VOLUME] button pressed in stop mode: the display will show the volume mode currently set.
Use the [DEC] and [INC] keys to make the selection required. Then press the [ENTER] button to confirm the changes or [ESC] to abort them. In both cases, the song selection video page will be displayed.
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CAUTION!
Before starting playback of a backing track, make sure that the instrument’s volume is not set on high values, to avoid damage to the diffusion system.
Use the [DEC] and [INC] buttons to modify the value of the volume at which the songs will be played back. When the [VOLUME] or [ESC] key is then pressed, the new value will be saved automatically and the display will return to display of the Main Page.
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5.5 USING THE [REW] AND [FF] KEYS
The [REW] (Rewind) and [FF] (Fast Forward) keys can be used to find a given bar number inside the selected song.
These keys work in exactly the same way as the keys with the same names found on an ordinary tape recorder; the [FF] key provides a forward search, while the [REW] performs a backward search.
When either of the keys is pressed, the display will show the number of the destination bar; when it is released, three luminous dots will appear on the display. Any playback in progress will be stopped temporarily and the system will continue with the search for the selected bar number.
Once the destination bar is reached, playback of the song (if any) will restart automatically and the display will return to display of the number of the song. Note that the time taken to reach the destination bar depends on the characteristics of the song (file format, number of tracks, presence of lyrics, etc.).
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6. REAL-TIME FUNCTIONS
The RD-80e makes some important functions available in Real T ime. In other words, they can be activated during playback of a song, thus giving the considerable advantage of very quick application, of great help when making temporary changes to the songs being performed. To make the modifications permanent, use the procedures described in section 6.4.
6.1 TRACK MUTING
The Mute function allows performance of one or more tracks to be eliminated from the performance during playback of a song. This means that any note events on the track to be eliminated will be filtered, i.e. the instrument assigned to them will not be heard.
To activate or deactivate the function, press the [MUTE]) key quickly: the relative LED will display its status. T o access the setup video page, keep the key pressed for a few moments.
6.1.1 MUTE SETUP
The Mute Setup function allows the user to set which tracks will be disabled when the Mute function is activated.
If the [MUTE] key is pressed for about two seconds in stop condition, the display will show the Mute condition relating to track 1, i.e. MIDI channel 1:
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As the illustration shows the display contains three dots, showing that the track is in Mute condition. The [DEC] and [INC] section keys allow selection of the track, while the [REW] and [FF] keys (which provide the Disable and Enable functions in this video page) disable and enable the mute function on the track displayed.
This means that one or more MIDI channels (or tracks) can be set in Mute status, and whenever they are selected their status will be displayed on the basis of the current condition (Mute on the channel enabled or disabled).
If the [ENTER] key is pressed, the new setup will be saved and can be enabled or disabled by pressing the [MUTE] button quickly . T rack n. 4, normally attributed to the song’s melody line (Lead), is set in Mute status by default. Pressing the [ESC] key will abort the changes. In both cases, the display will return to display of song selection.
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6.2 TRANSPOSING THE KEY
This function allows the user to change the key of the song being played, or in other words to transpose the notes being played on all the tracks (the MIDI channels) by a number of semitones which can be set by the user, except for the drum kit track.
In the Midifile standard, the drum track is MIDI channel n. 10; it must not be transposed as this may cause the playing of drum timbres different from those originally envisaged, which might interfere with the beat of the musical backing.
As for the other Real Time functions, pressing the [TRANSP.] key quickly activates (LED on) or deactivates (LED off) the current transposition. Naturally, with the LED of the [TRANSP.] button off, the song will be played in the original key envisaged in the file.
6.2.1 TRANSPOSE SETUP
We have seen that the transposition can be activated by pressing the [TRANSP.] button quickly . The TRANSPOSE SETUP function allows the user to set the number of semitones by which the song will be transposed when this function is active. When the [TRANSP.] key is kept pressed for about two seconds, the display will show:
NOTES
ü
Any chords displayed together with the lyrics of the song by means of the remote video interface or the additional graphic display (optionals) will be unaffected by the transposition.
ü
If the transpose function is set at 0, the song will not undergo any transposition, even if the function is activated.
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The [INC] and [DEC] keys can be used to vary the transposition value in a range of ± 12 semitones.
Press [ENTER] to save the new value or [ESC] to abort the operation (the original value of the transposition will be left unchanged).
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