Ketron U.S. -- Main Page

Hello everyone and welcome to issue number 14 of Ketron News and Tips (KNAT).
This issue is targeted for January 15, 2003 which incidentally is my birthday. If you feel the need to get me a birthday present, I can always use money and I am ashamed to tell you my clothes size.

I can't believe how the interest in Ketron seems to be growing. I am also very gratified with the response to the new Style Works software. I am in the process of getting a new shipment. It just goes to show that there can never be too many good styles available

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Ketron in Italy has come out with an announcement which I am reprinting here for those SD1 owners that have not been to that site recently. This is the type of thing that no one in the industry except Ketron would do. Check it out.

"New sounds, new styles and new features! These are the components that make up a new keyboard, right? With this latest software soon to be released (OS 4.0a), your current SD1 will be transformed into an entirely new keyboard all together.

Rather than updating functions and improving upon existing operations (as we've usually done), we decided to take most of the suggestions from our customers and, by efficiently utilizing the internal FLASH memory, we've been able to fine-tune existing sounds and ROM styles, to include a package of new exciting sounds and drum sets, new audio loops, and graceful FLASH styles to accompany the sounds.

We went a step further to also incorporate features from other KETRON products and ensure compatibility between the SD1 and all other models including the XD-series.

Once installed, this software package will totally renovate existing SD1 keyboards. One can say we did come close to building an entirely new keyboard all together - or maybe we just did!

This software will soon be available on our web-site for downloading.

It will be for our Ketron customers who wish to obtain a 'new' keyboard ... for free!!"

How about that sports fans!!! That Ketron is one awesome company.

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It's all about styles
Style Works 2000 is in stock and being shipped.
There are still both versions (Solton/Ketron and Universal) in stock although the stock is getting smaller. I have been playing with my own version and think that it is great. Yes it will take some study just like any good software, but the results are excellent. I hope to be able to include a couple of styles that I am building sometime in the next few issues.
You can download a demo version of Style Works from the German web site. The address is
http://www.emc-musicsoftware.de
The demo is not fully functioning but you can get a good idea of how well it works.

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On the Ketron U.S. web site you can download the manuals for the SD1 and the XD9/3 for free. A lot of people are asking for the download for the X1. I am sorry people, but Ketron has not fashioned an electronic version of manuals for the X1/4.
There now two choices, both of which will cost money. The printed version of the factory manual is available. Cost is about $32.00 including shipping and handling.

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General theory of style building

Creating your own styles or modifying the styles you have, is one of the truly creative things you can do besides just play your Ketron instrument.
You can create styles that are many measures long and perform like a song. I know one guy that built his own 12 bar blues style that had the chords built right into the style and all he had to do was hit one note and he could play the blues as long as he wished. When he hit a different note it was still the full song, but in a different key! Now that is a different application of an arranger keyboard. However, it does point out that your Ketron instrument can take you as far as your imagination will allow.
When you first start building styles follow some of these simple rules.
Decide what type of style you are building. Decide how many measures it will have before it loops. (It is a good plan to not make your styles too long at first.) Decide what the tempo should be. (You can do your playing at a slower speed and then speed up the style.) Make sure you set the time signature. Most of the above things fall under "Parameter" in the Pattern Edit section. Then go to the "Record" part.
Start with Arr. A.
First build a drum trace that gives you good sub beats. For instance your are building a rhythm that is is strict eighth or sixteenth notes. Build a drum trace that you can keep very good time with. Put in all the sixteenth notes even if that is not what will be the final drum trace. Think of this as a guide trace that will be replaced later.
Now come back and lay down the Bass trace. Do it until you are really happy with it. You can record it and then clear it if you don't like it. After you think you are happy with it, save it and try playing a song that has a lot of different types of chords. Try at least major, minor, seventh, diminished and augmented. If you can, also try chords like major 7th and minor 7th. More advanced chords like Dm7/G or C9-5 etc can tell you if you have written a bass part that will get messy in some songs. This does not always matter. For example you are building a rock-a-billy pattern and you know that it will never be used with anything other than major and 7th chords with maybe a quick minor once in a while. Your bass part then does not need to conform to jazz chords.
Ok now you've got your bass part. It is time to lay on a keyboard part. This can be piano, electric piano, organ, vibes, harpsichord or clavinet or almost anything like this. Remember that most musical styles had some sort of keyboard as part of the ensemble. Play the part until you are really happy with it and then test it like you did the bass part.
Now you have two parts that you are happy with. At this point you may wish to go back and redo the drum trace to the exact thing you want or you want to lay some more traces first. It is very important to get a good set of rhythm instruments before laying down other parts.
If you are like most musicians, at this point you will say, "$%^&*_@*& this is a lot harder than I thought." If you have trouble with your styles, maybe you are like I was when I first started to learn to sequence years ago. For example I had worked with some really good drummers who kept perfect time, but they were not exciting to play with. I had also worked with some drummers who kept perfect time and they were loads of fun to work with. And after many years as a professional musician I did not know why drummers who kept perfect time should feel so different. I promise you that anyone who has gigged around for several years with different players has had similar experiences. The differences may be very small, but they are there. One thing that makes a difference is accents. How does a drummer balance his set sound? Does the hi-hat have a good dynamic range? Is the foundation sound (bass drum and snare) steady and pulsing? Every time a drummer hits a drum or cymbal the sound will be a little different. Every time a great drummer does it, it will be on purpose and the differences will be very musical.
It is no different with bass parts and piano parts. Or any other parts.
The reason for pointing this out is to let you know that building styles is a learning experience. For most of us, you learn more about music this way than any studying you have ever done. Another reason is to let you know that if your first styles don't come out as good as you think it should to not be discouraged. We all go through that. I mean we ALL go through that.
Once you get Arr. A completed you get to start on Arr. B which is the first variation. If you listen to the Ketron styles you may notice several things that they have in common or at least most of them do.
Arr. A is the most simple. Arr. B has heaver drums. C may be more like A, but with the addition of strings horns or something like that. D will be the most complex with bigger drums AND string and horns etc.
Intro/ending 1 will usually be shorter. Intro/ending 2 & 3 will be longer and more complex. These simple guidelines are useful to know even when you are just playing the styles and not building.
A simple shortcut is copying which I will try to get into in the next KNAT. The trouble is that the procedure is slightly different for the different models and it is really hard to write it so it makes sense. I will keep trying.
If you are having trouble with a pattern, you can email it to me and if time permits I will try to help.

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Have fun and let me know some of the ideas you come up with on your own. If they are good I'll just put them in the newsletter and give you credit. See Below:

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Visit me at www.ketronus.com. Or email me at jay@ketronus.com

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"As tax time rolls around again I am reminded of how God created the creatures of earth: He made a dung beetle for practice and then created the IRS agent." -- Clerd Farnsworth

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." -- Sir Winston Churchill

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