K.N.A.T

Issue No. 1

Hello everyone and welcome to the first issue of Ketron News and Tips (KNAT).
This issue was targeted for July 1, 2002 and I hope to put out an issue each month and sometimes two per month.

This one is late due a computer virus. Also since I had to rebuild my email list, I hope no one is getting the newsletter without permission. If you don't belong on this mail list or wish to unsubscribe, follow the removal directions at the bottom.

Also if your name or email address is weird and you would like to continue to receive this newsletter, drop me a reply and let me know.

Since KNAT is late this issue, let me take the time to wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July this year.

Everyone is anxiously awaiting the XD series. I hope people will not be disappointed in that these new keyboards and module are not designed to be better than the X series. They are to be an upgrade replacement for the MS60 and MS40. The exciting part about the Vega is that the Vega is reportedly not just a XD9 with some Eastern patterns. It was (I have been told) designed for the Oriental/Middle Eastern market pretty much from the ground up. I will know when they get here.

In many ways they will definitely be an upgrade. First, the MS40/50/60 could not have a hard drive and the XD series can. Of course you users of the MS100 can turn up your noses at the rest of us because you got the first arranger keyboard ever with a hard drive built in. Also the Vocal Harmonizer is an option unlike the MS series. They also have more styles and I believe that a pattern memory upgrade will be available. I am curious to see how well the MS style conversion works. However, these keyboards are less expensive and they still offer a lot.

The other day I was looking at an old 1997 price list for Solton. The MS60 listed for $2750.00 while the new XD9 will list for about $140.00 LESS while including the hard drive and Vocal Harmonizer. AWESOME.

Some of the things they have left off appear to be Sampler and 16 track Sequencer. Not much of a problem for me cause I believe the only sequencers worth using are on your computer even though I still have some older Roland stuff that works well. As far as sampling goes, there are very few samples that haven't been done with better equipment than I own.

Well I guess it's enough of the gabby stuff and on to the tip part. This tip will also appear on the web site soon.

Visit me at www.ketronus.com.

*Remember: Everything you have ever done in your entire life has combined to bring you to this moment in time. Thank you for sharing this moment with me.

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The "Jump" button

This may not generate much excitement from you advanced Ketron users, but I have known some pretty hot players that didn't know much about the "Jump" button. All of the newer Ketron keyboards and modules have the "Jump" button and it is a cool little button.

If the button is off, you can change your arrangements (A-D) normally. If you play a fill, you get no change. However, if the "Jump" button is on, pressing a fill causes the arrangement to change. (with some exceptions) On the "X" and the "SD" series, pressing fill 1 or fill 2 button causes the arranger to move from A-B, B-C, C-D, D-A and around and around. I think of it going in a "clockwise direction". Fill 3 causes the arranger to move in the opposite direction (C-B etc.). The "break" fill is one exception and it causes no change.
Here is another cool function. If the "Jump" button is off, the Intros and Endings work normally. However if the "Jump" button is on, they work in reverse. So that in the middle of a song you could hit Intro/Ending 1,2 or three and the Intro would play. This is sometimes a nice interlude to a song and give a nice flow and sense of dynamics to the music.

If you are using a FS6 or FS13 footswitch, You can assign "Jump" to one of the switches and get rid of two arrangements on the switches. So instead of using four switches for arrangements A, B, C and D you can set A and D or A and C, and then you are only one fill away from the other arrangement if the "Jump" function is turned on.
On the older "MS" series the principle is the same. You just have one fewer fill so the "back jump" is on fill 2 instead of fill 3.

If anyone has any other cool tricks on the "Jump" button they would like to share, send an email with a complete description and I will be happy to pass it along with full credit (of course) to whoever sends it in.