I had sold my Roland XP-80 (along with other stuff) to help pay for an Yamaha ES7. But there was a feature about the XP-80 that I loved!

I could go ito a Layered Performance and turn on and off individually any of the 16 parts. Basically I could start with a strings sound, hit a part button and piano was then layered in. I could hit a part button to remove the strings (piano keeps playing), I could hit another part button and pads are now layered with piano. I could hit two buttons simulataneiously (1 to turn off the piano and 1 to turn on the organ) and then I'd be playing a layered organ and pad. Hit two buttons simultaneiouly again (1 to turn off organ and turn on origina string patch again). Now I'd be playing pad and strings. then turn off the pad and outro the song on strings the same way I intro'd the song.

All live, while I was playing the xp-80. The part buttons are right up front right in the middle of the keyboard. easy to see and touch with the left hand while the right hand keeps playing music.

So I got this ES7 and it can not do that. I can create a 4 part performance and fade in and out parts but that's not as clean or easy.

So I'm thinking of a device, a midi controller that has a midi in and a midi out. Basically it would process 16 parts. I might have to make this device somehow. I would turn local off in the ES7, run midi out of ES7 to midi in of device. The device needs to be small so it can sit on a key board. Maybe 10" x10". It needs to have 16 buttons. each button could be assigned a receive channel and a transmit channel (programmable). So all 16 part buttons could be set to recieve channel 1. The ES 7's keyboard would transmit on channel 1. But each button would be assigned a cooresponding channel for tranmision. ie part1 button recieve channel 1 send channel 1. part2 button recieves channel 1 sends channel 2, etc...
The midi out of this device goes to midi in of the ES7. I turn local off on the ES7. So the es7 in essence transmits to the device, the device splits the transmitted midi messages into 16 buttons, reassigning the channels then gets routed back into the ES7 to use it's multitimbral properties.

Does device with this capability exist?. I desribed it very simply. A device like this could also include a programmable slider slider for each part so that things like volume could be further controller.

If one doesn't exsist. I would like to know if anyone knows of a ny good resrouces, webpages, that could help me create such a device.

Peace
Bob
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PS. A device like this would make many keyboards/synths/stage pianos (older ones too) much more useful.

[This message has been edited by RW (edited 10-22-2004).]

Dont know of any device (of hardware) currently made that is able to cut only parts from individual channels, live, on the fly, without having to first be programmed to do as such for any particular MIDI track...interesting. I can surely see usefulness in this described tool. Go for it! I'd buy one!