Does anyone here have a PA2x? And if so, could you check if the MIDI to STYLE software on this page from Korg http://www.korgpa.com/pa_root/en/products/pa1xelite_soft.html?en works with the PA2x? It is listed on the PA1x page and not on the 2x for some reason. If I'm going to buy the Korg however, I need to know that I will have the ability to convert MIDI using this software.

Thanks, Chony

Chony,

I do have a PA2.
I am not the expert on this, but the way I understand it is: You take a Chord variation (from the PA1 or PA2) and can convert it to SMF file... then tranfer it to and modify it on your external sequencer program (Sonar etc)... then transfer it back using this utility. Thus making mods on the sequesncer instead of the PA. I know this is also supported on the PA2, because it is on page 135 of manual. It says the standard MIFI file must be progammed as if it was one of PA2's chord variations.

The way I understand it it DOES NOT make use of a SMF SONG file to create styles from it.
Wish it did.

Try this forum for any detailed Korg Arranger Questions: http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewforum.php?

Hope this helps you.
Lee

[This message has been edited by leeboy (edited 05-25-2008).]

[This message has been edited by leeboy (edited 05-25-2008).]

[This message has been edited by leeboy (edited 05-25-2008).]

[This message has been edited by leeboy (edited 05-25-2008).]

Hi Chony,
you shouldn't need it.
My PA800 imports & exports midi file style parts onboard.
ie
If you're trying to use a song based midifile for variations, you'd have to make sure there are" no chord changes" in the part you want to use for your variations
ie it doesn't transpose automatically, you'd have to manually transpose to get rid of chord changes in the section you want to use.
For intro's & endings chord changes are ok.

If you're actually creating your style from scratch, but prefer to do it in a pc sequencer rather than onboard

For variations you have 2 options

1. Record your variation based on the
maj7th chord.
After recording, save as midifile type 0 & use the import function in the style record section of the keyboard. Then set your note transposition table to i series. etc etc
This way you can get away with doing
1 cv ( 1 chord variation type) for each of the 4 variations.
Similar to recording for PSR's.

Option 2
If you have a really complex style,
you can record a cv for maj parts, min parts, 7ths etc (up to 6 seperate chord types).
Each of these cv's have to be imported as midifiles into the style record section seperately.
Sounds like a lot of work, but one you get the hang of it, it's really quite simple.

For Intro's & endings, if they have a chord progression, it is recommended to do a Maj, & a Minor cv.

There are 2 cv's available for intro's, endings & fills.

There are up to 6 cv's available for variations.

If you have a style that you wish to edit in a pc sequencer ( rather than onboard) you use the export function. This saves the style part as a midifile.

For simple editing , I normally just do it onboard. It has an event list editor. Plus some other functions like changing velocities on a track, cutting bars from a track, deleting note data. It's not bad.

The onboard sequencer has a few more functions than the style editor, including copying. I had to lengthen, some of my variations, so I exported the style part as a midifile. Loaded it into the onboard sequencer. Used the copy functions to add additional bars. Saved as a midifile & imported it back into the style section.

It's basically a workstation.

You can even copy pads into style tracks & vice versa.

I've literally converted some of my
psr 1500 styles ( no megavoices) to PA800 format by just changing the .sty extension to .mid
Chopping it up into individual style parts & importing them as individual midifiles into the style record section of the pa.

If there's xg drums involved, I transpose them to GM mapping in Powertracks 12.
befor chopping them into invidual style parts.
PT12 will split a drum track into seperate tracks for each type of drum note, ie all bass drums on 1 track, snares on the next etc etc
Makes altering velocities & note types easy.
Instead of editing notes individually, I can do all the snares in one go, then bass drums etc.

I don't have an expensive pc sequencer, just xgworks, PT12 & OMB.

best wishes
Rikki


[QUOTE]Originally posted by chony:
[B]

Hi Rikki,

I was just in Sydney for three weeks - should have come over to get a demonstration!

What I've been doing for the Yamaha is as follows: I bring in a drummer and sit him down on a set of Roland V-Drums. I then get him to play a few sets of 20 minutes each and record it MIDI to Cubase. I then add bass and chords on Cubase using the T2. Each recording is about 2000 measures long. Then I take Jorgen Sorenson's Midi2Style software and select from which measure to which measure will be each of the intros, endings, variations, etc, and wallah! the style is ready.

From the time I open the Midi2Style software, to the time I have a full and ready style, is about 10 minutes. Its a very quick and accurate procedure.

Does something this easy exist for the Korg? And would it be possible to load a 2000 measure MIDI file into Korg and say for example that I want from 1750 to 1758 to be Variation-1?

Thanks, Chony

Hi Chony,
actually moved up the coast, 2 hours away.
Might have been a bit far. haahaa Were you actually working, or holidaying??

Actually there is no free software available for the Korg that does what One Man Band, Midi2style or Michaels Stylemaker software does. ie put a complete style together from a midifile.
EMC's style conversion software does song to style, but at the moment it doesn't support PA800/PA2x. Even then I don't know how good a job it does, I used to prefer using OMB for midi to style..

The software you mentioned for the korg PA1x , as far as I'm aware, is what
the korg pa800/PA2x now does internally import & export midifile parts.
ie
by part I mean a complete style part
major intro (cv1) includes all the styles tracks drums, bass, chords
Then if you record a minor version of the intro ( cv2) you have to import it into the style seperately.
Same thing goes for the variations & fills.
If you can get away with recording your bass & chords based on a maj7th chord, you should be able to get away with just the one (cv1) for each of the 4 variations .
The beauty of the system is though, if you don't want the same repetative drum & bass, chord tracks playing when you hit a maj chord or a minor chord or a diminished chord etc, you could program the additional 5 cv's to play a slightly different pattern. Then when playing the style, depending on what chord type you hit, you'll get that slight variation.
Admittedly requires a fair bit more work, but could be worth it in the long run.
Another thing, the fills aren't fixed at 1 bar. You can have different tempo's in the style parts ie vari1 96 bpm, vari2 84 bpm etc . you can even have different time signatures in each of the style parts ie a 2/2 for vari 1, a 3/4 for vari 2, a4/4 for vari3 . Bit extreme, but just shows what it's capable of.


The closest I've come to trying anything near what you're talking about is using Band in a Box.
I set up a song file ie Intro, 128 bars of variation, plus fills & ending. The variations & fills had to be based on a single chord.I chose cmaj.
I saved it as a midifile.
I then had to choose the bars I wanted for my intro, deleted the rest. Save as a midifile, then I had to do the same for each of the variations etc. And then import them one by one into the korg style record section.
Certainly not as straight forward as using midi2 style.

I think the largest file a korg variation will load is 32 bars.
you'd really have to do your cutting in a pc sequencer.

The easiest way really would be to record in bars of 32.

The PA2x manual is available for download on the Korg site. If you have a look at the stylemaking section, there's a diagram on how a korg style is made up. ie all the different cv's etc.

They're a far more complex structure than a psr style.

best wishes
Rikki






[This message has been edited by rikkisbears (edited 05-26-2008).]

Here is another option, maybe..

I recently purchased Ableton Live software. This sequencing program allows you to take MIDI files and assign markers wherever you like then assign the locations to the computer keyboard or to an external MIDI trigger unit. YOu can assign the verse as one point, chorus as another, bridge...etc. This way you can have the actual MIDI file of a song but break up the performance and say, repeat a chorus several times, or whatever...

Hope this helps...

Jeff

Hi Rikki,

I just saw your response. Could you please send me your email address? Mine is cmilecki(a)yahoo.com. I'm seriously considering the switch from T2 to Pa2x, but I'm nervous about some of the features.

Thanks,
Chony

Hi Chony,

I also have a Pa2x, (upgraded from the PA1x) I owned the PA1 from abouth the 2nd week they were available in Australia.

If you have questions about anything EXCEPT style creation I can maybe help you as well..When it comes to style creation on the PA series, Rikki is really about the best person on any of the forums I have seen.

Cheers
Dennis

Hi Chony,
my email is
rikkisbears@hotmail.com

As Dennis said, with style creation functions I may be able to help,but
if it's keyboard use in general , ie the songbook or the sequencer or performance related functions etc
the guys who use them for performing would be of much more help than me.

Dennis has one, Zuki has the PA800, Stephen, Al, Graham have PA2x's

They're all members of this forum.

best wishes
Rikki