Hi George

I have a question that you are the ideal person to answer for me, if you will.

My current keyboard is a Roland VA-76. I bought it solely because of it's ability to set up a patch (performance, arrangement, call it what you will) enabling you to have fully configured, split, two-handed live parts to play over a specific midi file, then store these settings TOGETHER WITH A LINK TO THE RELEVANT MIDI FILE under a user panel preset.

The point being that, when the particular user panel preset is recalled, you get the right midifile together with all the settings you chose for the live parts you wanted to play over it. It is then possible to set up a complete playlist for the nights gig with all the right files and all the right live settings instantly available.

My question is, can the Korg PA-1X be persuaded to do something similar without a lot of compromises or hassle? If so, how is it done?

Reason for asking is that I only chose the Roland for this one specific must-have feature. I never liked it much otherwise & want to get rid of it as soon as I can find a better alternative that still has this same ability.

I much prefer Korgs sounds, styles, and general musicality to any Roland I have heard (including the G-70). It's only this one issue that is keeping me with the VA-76.

Any advice on hoe the PA-1x handles this specific point (or doesn't, as the case may be) would be appreciated.

[This message has been edited by MikeTV (edited 05-28-2005).]

sorry for butting in george, but i was just cruising the forum, and saw this..hope you dont mind me throwing in an answer

hi mike, it most certainly can..load the midifile, make all your keyboard tweaks, all 4 of your keyboard sections with all your DSP EFX, even the microphone TC-Helicon Setting, press the "Songbook" button, tick the "save current resources" and there it is.You can also save these songbook settings with details such as artist, genre, speed, style etc etc..AND you can even link specific text files to each song, for example you could, on your PC, write a txt file with chord prompts for a particular song transfer it to a folder on the Korg HDD and then have it linked to your song..this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what this machine will do...
hope that helps.
dennis

peace, out

[This message has been edited by manic2257 (edited 05-28-2005).]

Dennis,
Thanks for answering the question. I would have had to look this up in the owners manual and you already knew the answer.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

Hi Dennis

Thanks for taking the trouble to help me with this one.

What you are describing sounds very promising. I had a suspicion that the songbook aspect may make it possible to do what I am looking for.

Just to expand on this, what actions are needed to retrieve a midifile + live parts Songbook entry to make it ready to play?

With the Roland, I use the User Panel Preset button bank to store entries for each song I am planning to do on a gig. I store them in the order I expect to play them - effectively creating a playlist.

Gig starts with the first song stored under preset one. Then, when this song ends, I just select the next preset in the bank, kick a footpedal, and the following song on my playlist is recalled with all required live part settings, and the midifile starts playing immediately.

This is great on stage where I am always performing with a singer and lead guitarist. Makes for a very slick performance with no awkward gaps between numbers. However, it is still possible to take a breather between two songs - say, for a bit of audience chat when needed - as the "playlist" doesn't step through automatically.

With the PA1x, can I get at the required Songbook entries with similar ease & control in a gig situation?

Regards - Mike



[This message has been edited by MikeTV (edited 05-30-2005).]

I can do this same thing on the psr 2100.
I can load a midi file, choose which voices I want to use and then save them together. Next time I load that midi file the saved voices come up with it. It also saves the vocal settings and any other setting I would imagine. Any setting that can be transmitted via midi file. It will set up my footswitch settings etc. whatever configurations the board is in when I save the file.



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The old Newb

hi mike,
once you have the entry saved in the songbook, its as simple as just presseing the select button when the song you want is highlighted, thats it, everything stored with the song is automatically loaded in (in about 2-3 seconds too!)...the other feature is the jukebox in which you can store many "setlists" and recall them instantly..then all you need to do is press the physical button on the PA assigned to "next song" and the same thing occurs, your song complete with midi file lyrics live keyboard settings etc etc is instantly recalled...it really is so easy and quick...just what you want when playing live...i use my pa in a live band (i play keyboards and keyboard bass) and as a solo playing midifiles and styles, and i have all sorts of setups, with each one being able to be recalled at the touch of a button....if you have any further questions mike, just fire away .........oh i should also add that with the dual sequencer you can actually do a crossfade between sequencer 1 and sequencer 2, very cool! particularly with dance/hiphop stuff...you can even have an mp3/audio file setup on sequencer 1 and crossfade to a midifile on sequencer 2, or you cna have 2 midi files playing at the same time by having the fader in the centre...mind you, i havent really done this yet, had no need to...just thought i'd add this info for you..
cheers
dennis

peace, out

[This message has been edited by manic2257 (edited 05-30-2005).]

[This message has been edited by manic2257 (edited 05-30-2005).]

Hi Dennis

Thanks for that. It sounds like it does what I want, just in a different way. Time to go and try this out at my local Korg dealer, I think.

Quote:

oh i should also add that with the dual sequencer you can actually do a crossfade between sequencer 1 and sequencer 2, very cool! particularly with dance/hiphop stuff...you can even have an mp3/audio file setup on sequencer 1 and crossfade to a midifile on sequencer 2, or you cna have 2 midi files playing at the same time by having the fader in the centre

Now that is always an aspect of the PA range that had me puzzled since the PA-80 first came out. Two sequencers. Running them together sounds like a recipe for one of the following:

- Schizophrenia
- Avant Garde jazz
- Turkish music

......just kidding guys (before someone jumps down my throat)!

Regards - Mike

[This message has been edited by MikeTV (edited 05-31-2005).]

Hi,

Sorry for jumping in unannounced, but….

For what it's worth, the Genesys series can accomplish this task as well. Each song stored on the internal hard drive, CD-R or a floppy disk, can contain up to 8 Song Performance Presets that store not only sounds for you left and right hands, but also the sounds assigned to each sequence track, volumes and effects settings for live and sequenced tracks, vocal harmonizer settings and vocal effects, pedal and wheel assignments, etc. BTW, the Genesys has 32 tracks available so when a SMF is loaded (16 tracks) there are 16 additional tracks that can be used for more sequencing or for live. Both sequencer and live tracks have full editing capabilities including keyboard range. So if you want to layer many sounds and split them across the keyboard for live play on top of a sequence, the possibility is there. Layer several saxophones and some brass to create your own big band ensemble, etc.

It is also very easy to let the sequencer make the performance changes automatically as the song progresses so you don't have to worry about pressing a button at a certain point within the song.

Dave


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Wm. David McMahan
Nat'l Product and Support Manager
Generalmusic USA
GEM Community Forums

Hi Dennis,

can You tell me some more details about writing txt files with lyrics+chords and transfering on Korg's HD? I did not find this tip in user manual. On which page is it? ;-))

Igor

in reply to dave (hi dave btw!) the genesys, i dont believe, can load up 2 midifiles at the same time, for instant playback of another either midifile mp3 or CD audio file...please correct me if im wrong dave! an example of how i use this is to assign the jukebox to sequ 1, and then as im finishing the midi file on sequencer 2, i just fade in the jukebox list song for my breaks, its a very smooth and seamless transition..this is just one way i use it.

in response to igor, you just open any text editor and type in the chords and/or lyrics (making sure you use a reasonably small font size) save it as a text file and store it on the HDD of the PA...in the songbook under songbook edit page 2, you associate the txt file with the song...then when playing press the lyrics tag and there it is...on op sys2.5 you can apparently add marker tags whilst in song book edit to allow scrolling...but i have yet to fully investigate this, so i can let you know when i do, if in fact this is what it does.
btw igor you will need to d/l the update manual fro the korg site...you need op sys 2.0 for the txt functions..
hope that helps
dennis

peace, out

Dennis

Just another quick question on the PA1x.

I know that it has a "Bass Follow" setting available so that - when switched on - the bass line is always the lowest note of any LH chord you play.

On my old Korg i3, this setting could be saved differently for each arrangement, so that it always came back the way you wanted it for each new song. When I later bought a Korg i30HDD, I found - to my horror - that this function could only be saved as a GLOBAL function. i.e. Always on, or always off, by default.

This meant that, when you called up the preset you had saved for each new song, you still had to check - and maybe change - the setting of this ONE button before starting to play. If you didn't check, sods law would could GUARANTEE it would be set the wrong way round for the next number!

As I frequently play LH chords that are in an inversion, rather than 1st position, this often left you with a totally inappropriate bass line until you realised what the problem was & flicked the damn switch again, part way into the song (dead professional - I don't think). As an example, imagine playing "Whiter Shade Of Pale", immediately followed by a Hard Rockin' straight twelve bar blues - but now with the wrong bass root.......

Totally dumb design - and one of the (many) reasons I ditched the i30HDD and went back to using the older i3.

When the PA80 came out, this "feature" remained like it was on the i30HDD. On it's own, this one aspect ruled the PA80 out for any further consideration - no matter how good the rest of the instrument.

What is the situation on the PA1x?

Regards (and thanks for your help) - Mike

[This message has been edited by MikeTV (edited 06-03-2005).]

hi mike, sorry about delay in answering...to be honest ihave never used the "bass follow" control..what i HAVE noticed is that with the new (in opsys 2.5) korg named "expert chord recognition" i now have no problems with any bass lines in any styles, as i also change from chords in root to 1st and 2nd inv, also chords in the "power" style ie no 3rds, even slash chords are no problem any more...another small thing that i like, although it may not affect anyone else..is that you can now get a minor 6th happening without having to play a fistful of notes, very handy, particularly on songs above andante...anyhoo, i am still running thru my manuals on this one, bit i have a suspicion the expert chord recognition feature is what you require..
dennis

peace, out

......Just found the answer to my own question in the most recent version PA1x user manual.

The "Bass Inversion" (Bass Follow, or whatever you want to call it) can be saved at various levels, including as part of a user panel preset (arrangement, or whatever). It can also by saved as part of other patches, such as songbook entries, or individual user style parameters.

This is excellent news. However, I think this may have come in with one of the more recent operating system upgrades, as I have a feeling that I looked at this when the instrument first came out and found this facility missing.

Out of interest, I also checked the latest PA80 manual, as this instrument offers a lot for the price. Unfortunately, the PA80 still only allows the Bass Inversion setting to be saved globaly. Shame - I might have saved myself some cash!

Regards - Mike

does the va-76 have the "arpeggiator" thing ?

No, the VA76 does not have an arpegiator.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

George, I just bought a new B stock VA-76. What do you think about the arranger itself ? give me some information please.

George ?

I want to buy a Yamaha Motif ES7. give me some advices.