Load the .ALL file LESSON4 from your “WORKING DISK” into the keyboard and save this lesson to your “TUTORIAL BACK-UP DISK” (See DISK PROCEDURES Loading an .ALL file, Saving an .ALL file)
This file contains the Song “Arthur”, on song pattern button 32 Bossa, and the opening chord is Cm. Press [START] to hear this song play. You can play along using the full octaves of the keyboard with voice GRANDP.
In this example Song “Arthur”, we shall transpose Tracks [B] [C] [D] up 2 semitones (the Drum Track [A] must not be transposed). Track [E] does not contain any sequence data, it is a “free” track for you to play along, in the key the Song is transposed to, therefore it is not necessary to transpose this Track.
Press [SONG PATT]
Press [BOSSA] 32 = Arthur’s Theme Press [GLOBAL] in the Edit Section
LCD reads = GLOBAL 32: section type page 1/7 Press [+PAGE] twice
LCD reads = GLOBAL 32: section transposer page 3/7 [A]= 00 [B]= 00 [C]= 00 [D]= +12 [E]= 00
Press [B], dial ALPHA DIAL to +02 Press [C], dial ALPHA DIAL to +02 Press [D], dial ALPHA DIAL to +14 Press [ENT] twice
The opening chord of the song is now Dm, to play along with the song you will NOW have to play in the key it has been transposed to.
Alternatively, if you transpose Track [E] up 2 semitones, you can play along in the original key, your opening chord being Cm.
LESSON CHECKING THE MEMORY AVAILABLE IN THE KEYBOARD
There are several ways of checking the available memory, this is one of them:- Press [REC]
Press [C] = COPY Press [ENT] once
LCD reads Mem = 64% (available memory) Press [ESC] twice
LESSON MIDI
MIDI INTRODUCTION
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), is a means by which information can be exchanged between different musical instruments, computers, data file players etc, in a compact representation.
Beginners often assume that the ‘music information’ is an audio signal travelling down the MIDI cable from one instrument to another. This is not the case.
An analogy of MIDI signals or information is that of an electric equivalent of the paper scroll that controls an old electric piano or fair-ground organ. The paper scroll simply instructs the piano when, and what note, to play.
Of course MIDI information is more advanced than the paper scroll and contains a lot more than just note data. Other signals such as note velocity (how hard the key was pressed), after-touch (how much pressure was applied after the initial key press), Timing, voice or program change. Just to mention a few.
To enable you to control more than one instrument as in the above example, MIDI channel information is attached to MIDI data such as note and program changes, as shown below.
The MIDI specification provides a total of 16 MIDI channels. This could be used to control up to 16 separate instruments or a number of separate voices or sounds in a multitimbral instrument (this is an instrument than can sound more than one voice such as the WS). MIDI In MIDI Out ? ? ? ?
MIDI Cable MIDI Data
Note C2 Note E4 Program Change Note C2 Program Change Note F5 Note =A2 Ch. =1 Note =F#3 Ch. =2 Note =F#3 Ch. =1 ? ? MIDI Data
MASTER & SLAVE INSTRUMENTS
In the basic of instrument setups, you have a master ‘controller’ keyboard or instrument. This is where you generate the note and other information, this is then passed onto other ‘slave’ instrument(s) via the MIDI cable.
Even the WS keyboard can be thought of as a master keyboard and ‘built in’ sound expander. Each can be controlled separately using the LOCAL On/Off controls on the MIDI menu page 5/7 as shown in the below diagram.
WS MIDI CHANNELS
The WS has five tracks, each of which can be controlled independently either directly from the keyboard (WS keyboard owners), and/or via MIDI. Each track can be assigned a different MIDI channel (as default track A=MIDI Channel 1, through to E=MIDI Channel 5) or the same MIDI channel for layered sounds.
In addition, a MIDI Common channel is provided to enable you to control all five tracks from one MIDI channel (this enabling such things as layered sounds etc). Also, the MIDI Common channel is used to provide note information to the automatic accom- paniment (if you do not set this up correctly, you just get the drums sounding), and the external remote control of WS Globals using the MIDI program change 0-127 messages.
For the more advanced users, three more MIDI channels are provided in the WS which enable you to control the Effects 1, Effects 2 and Sequencer Song selection using a program change 0-127 on the appropriate channel.
*MIDI : section local off page 5/7
on
on
on
on
on
WS Sound Expander WS Sound Expander WS Sound Expander WS Sound Expander WS Sound ExpanderTrack A Track B Track C Track D Track E
? ? ? MIDI IN ? ? ? MIDI OUT WS Keyboard ? ? ? ? ? ? Local On/ Off Local On/ Off Local On/ Off Local On/ Off Local On/ Off
*MIDI : channel section sel. page 1/7
1
2
3
4
5
*MIDI : common midi ch. page 2/7
com=16
ef1=6
eff2=7
seq=10
copy=off
A Typical MIDI setup is shown in the below diagram. As you can see, when using the WS MIDI module, the ‘right hand’ is normally set to MIDI channel 1, the ‘left hand’ is normally set to MIDI channel 2 and the bass pedals is normally set to MIDI channel 3.
As your left hand also normally plays chords, this is also where we should set up the common channel. However, an Accordion is a small exception in that the chord and bass buttons can normally send out on different channels and thus, the common channel should be set to the chord button MIDI channel.
MIDI LOCK
If you set the MIDI LOCK this will do two changes. Firstly, it will ‘lock’ the MIDI channels setup in all Global memories, so that when you subsequently load a new ALL file, the channels will remain as they were. Secondly, it will Turn on the COPY ON function. This COPY ON function is used to simultaneously copy any subsequent changes made to the MIDI channels, to ALL 128 Globals memories. However, these will ONLY take place if you change a MIDI channels. To ensure that all your channels are set up the same and on all globals, I would suggest that you change EVERY track and common channel, even if this means changing from the default and then back to the default. This will then copy the default to all 128 globals memories.
It may sound complicated but it is not!. Remember that once you have setup your MIDI channels to save your setup to disk for future use. A MEMORY PUFF will restore the factory settings of ALL parameters and that includes the MIDI channels!.
CHECKING YOUR MIDI CABLE.
Right Hand On MIDI Ch. 1 Bass Buttons On MIDI Ch. 2
Chord Buttons On MIDI Common Channel No. 3.
If you suspect a possible problem with your MIDI cable, it is possible to easily check the cable using just your WS. Simply connect the cable to both the MIDI in and MIDI out of your WS, then ensuring that you have ANY Common channel set (it is not set to OFF), press the [Page+] button.
You should notice that where as normally the Global number will increment up one at a time, it is now incrementing in greater steps. This is because each time you press the [Page+] button, your WS send out a special Control message. As you have ‘looped’ the MIDI out and in, this signal is passed back into the WS whereby it does another page plus. If you unplug the MIDI cable you should revert to single page steps. One great thing about the WS is the ability to totally 'electronically' separate the keyboard from the Sound expander using the local on/off function and so, alternatively you could turn local off and then, notes played on the WS keyboard would be sent out of the MIDI out and back into the MIDI in to the WS expander.
EDITORS NOTE:
We hope this Tutorial Guide has helped you to understand the many features available on this very versatile workstation and at the same time have had some fun with it.
The basis of this tuition was to make it as “friendly” as possible, and with this in mind the lessons were structured to enable you to follow them successfully.
The WS allows you to create your own Songs, Styles, Voices. So now you know how to do it, why not send your compositions for inclusion in the disk library of the GemWorkS User Group, without which this Tutorial Guide could not have been written.
To compliment this tutorial. GemWorkS also run a series of WS Roadshows or Workshops, which enables you to have 'hands on' tuition together with other WS owners. If you would like one-to-one tuition, the authors Carol & Christeen are able to offer this in the south and can be contacted on Portsmouth (0705) 376700.