I have a question. I record using the Realtime Record mode. I record a trumpet on Rt1 (Track 1) and an alto sax on Rt2 (Track 2). I play them back and they play as recorded. Then I use the Track Merge feature to merge Tracks 1 & 2 to Track 9. When I play Track 9, the alto sax voice has been changed to a trumpet. Why? What is the sense of having a Track Merge feature if you cannot merge two tracks containing different information (trumpet and sax for example)?

In the days of multi-track tape recorders we could merge tracks containing violins, trumpets, saxophones or whatever and they would be faithfully reproduced on the new track. It makes no sense to me to have a Track Merge feature if it restricts you to a single voice when merging.

Can someone shed some light on this subject? Thanks.

Best Wishes, Chuck

Hi Chuck,
I will try to give you a bit understanding about your 'problem'.
At first: one must realise that the sequencer (as the word 'sequence' says itself) reads the data from 1 to ....(end).
Each data has his own meaning as:
Data1: do that (eg. play a pianosound)
Data2: do that (e.g. play the C-note)
Data3: do that (eg. play the G-note)
Data4: do that (eg. play a violin-sound)
Data5: do that (e.g. set the effect on)
etc. etc.

The best example is to look in the sequencer menu in Record & Edit and than Step Recording. When you let roll along the cursor you will see that each 'asterix' means something.
Mostly it is a note-data. It could be other data, like sounddata (when you have entered a new sound) or Pitchbend-data (when you use the pitchbendwheel or Effectdata etc.
So when the song/track is started the keyboard reads and execute each data in a sequence.
When you have made in track 1 a sequence (and at the beginning the sound is entered as piano), that track can be heared as a pianotrack (unless somewhere you have entered a new sound)
When you have made in track 2 another sequence (eg. a violin) you will hear all the track long the violin.
If you merge those tracks, you have a problem.
It is a new sequence and the Operating System reads the data in sequence and probably on measure 1 he finds a piano almost directly follows by a violin. So this track only let you hear the last data (the violin).
If you whish to repair that, it only can be done manually.
You have to enter the sounds in each note that has to produce a certain instrument, you can imagine a thought job.
So maybe it is simplier to maintain the two tracks (you have 16 tracks).
Hope I clearify the principle of sequencing,
success,
Cees

just a fundamental difference between midi and audio, Chuck, so not an appropriate comparison. Audio merge mixes the audio waveforms of two different instruments to a final track that is the sum of the different waveforms whatever the waveforms were. Midi merge combines the note and other data of two tracks. Since the final midi track can have any instrument applied to play, it can do things your audio merge cannot since once recorded your trumpet and sax in audio they cannot be changed to piano and strings. Each midi track can have one instrument, although you can change instruments through the timeline of the tracks as you go along, you have multitrack sequencers because it is easier to edit with one instrument per track. So it really is a question of apples and pears with different sets of uses and limitations with each method.
Midi merge has many useful functions, you can record left and right hand piano parts separately and then merge the result for instance.

Chuck,

I'm not sure why you want to merge the 2 tracks, when you already have the 2 tracks playing together...which brings me to my question...What is the purpose of Track Merge in Technics format. Isn't 16 enough?



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Larry Hawk
Technics For All

Technicsplayer, I am left confused. What have I gained after merging right and left hand piano tracks? What other useful functions would I get by merging?

I am always open to learn, John C.

Midi merge has many useful functions, you can record left and right hand piano parts separately and then merge the result for instance.[/B][/QUOTE]

you gain a single track from two separate ones, John, thereby freeing up tracks. In creating a realistic guitar style you might play midi guitar. There may be advantages in having strums on one track and picking notes on another since velocity editing for multi-samples would be easier. Combining the result makes it possible to put it into accomp 1 of the composer, leaving the other composer tracks available. Limited only by imagination and the easiest workflow for any given job.

So Track Merge is intended for Midi Files, and not Technic Files ?

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Larry Hawk
Technics For All

Not only for midi, Larry.
TMO it is too handy in practical use to make for instance a own rhythm/style.
In this case one could use multitracking in an effective way. As an example.
Suppose you want to have a nice accomp1-rhytm with a guitar.
You could work as follows (eg. all in 2 measures).
Track 1: record a simple lead-melody
Track 2: add some notes
Track 3: add another single note
Track 4: just another single note.
If all is OK than merge all together and copy the 2-measured sequence to the composer to finish.
The benefits in this way are that, in case of working in one track one can easier delete, change the single notes in track x etc. etc.
Especially for drumtracks it could be a effective way to compose. (unless one uses specific software)
Cees

Hi Larry,

Not necessarily used for only midi files,,,I use the kn7000 sequencer when recording music and save as a technics file....rarely though would I need to merge tracks; for example say I record track 7 and 8, which may be a piano sound but for only one musical staff line, I may have one tracked panned left and another right for more stereo seperation....if I ran out of tracks and wanted to add a 17th, I could merge 7 and 8 which would allow me to sequence another track,,,,have only ran into this problem once or twice as 16 tracks is usually plenty..plus audio data on top of that!

Thanks for the info. But in regards to Chuck's original question concerning merging track 1 and track 2, which is Right 1, and Right 2 Sounds, there would be no point in merging these two tracks in relation with a Technics File because....
I always thought that if you merge 2 tracks (with different parts)into one, only one of those trcks will be merged into the destination track
Example:
If you try to merge:
Track 1 (Right Sound 1)
with
Track 2 (Right Sound 2)
and merge both to
Track 14

Only Track 1 will be included in Track 14, because Track 1 was the upper source track on the Track Merge Screen. Thus the new track is assigned the same part as the upper track. So why do that?

Confused yet ? Well kinda ..



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Larry Hawk
Technics For All