Hello you wonderful Ketron users.

Welcome to the third issue of the NEW KNAT. I am really excited about the wonderful contributors to the new version. I will be including regular contributions from such people as Barry Crane of BCK in Great Britain, Bob Hughes of the Solton/Ketron Club, Ted Kraus of CMC Distributors, better know to many of us as A.J. as well as contributions from various expert Ketron users. Because of the length of this month's material some material is being held until the September issue.

I have a new newsletter delivery service and uploaded all my old email addresses from my earlier service so if you are getting this and don't want it you can go to the link on the bottom of the email and you can delete yourself forever.

The goal will be the same -- to bring you useful tips as well as recent Ketron news.

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In this Issue:
1) An quick word from CMC
2) A third installment on MIDI by Barry Crane
3) Solton/Ketron Club news from Bob Hughes
4) Featured User -- Mel Stewart
5) Intros and endings on the SD5/3 plus Hexadecimal code

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Barry Crane is one of the leading experts in MIDI technology and has very politely agreed to do a series of articles on MIDI. He will de-mystify it for all of us and help us learn to get the most out of our wonderful Ketron products. This highly informative article is also quite entertaining and easy to read.
[Barry's brilliant article on SysEx is worth reading many times. It is the easiest to understand explanation I have ever seen. For a further explanation on Hexadecimal code, the language of SysEx, see the bottom of the newsletter.--Jay Salam]

MIDI Magic Part 3
SysEx – Or System Exclusive if you’re feeling really pedantic!

Just imagine yourself back in the very early Eighties trying to work out a specification for MIDI, OK these were very clever chaps who knew all about how to transmit data to and from computers, but one thing they couldn’t do was to see into the future! Imagine the burden of having to lay down a hard and fast set of rules that would cover all the developments yet to be discovered in the next decades– short of having a crystal ball or employing a soothsayer it was then, and still is, an impossible task.

The basics of note on/off, program change and all the other “must have” goodies must have been simple compared to all the “what ifs”. To compound this, each make and model of instrument using MIDI will have their own exclusive features, which would mean nothing to other instruments without the same features. To cover these eventualities System Exclusive was introduced into the MIDI specification to almost leave a Carte Blanch for whoever wants to use it and future developments.

So “what can it do”? The short answer is it can control almost anything over a MIDI link, this includes remotely pushing any button on your instrument panel or even, taking to an extreme, start your washing machine (in the very unlikely event it was equipped with MIDI).

“How does it work”? There are only 2 parameters that are fixed by the MIDI spec. That is it must start with code F0h and end with F7h, a third parameter usually follows the start byte (that’s the F0h) this byte is the makers unique I.D. Some examples: Ketron is 26h, Yamaha is 43h, Roland is 41h, Casio is 44h, Korg is 42h, Emu is 18h. (looks like the US and Europe got the low I.D. numbers).

The makers I.D. is really an important part of this process as it allows or denies the use of the included data, so if 2 Yamaha instruments are connected and SysEx that contains the Yamaha I.D. is received, the receiver will heed the instructions, conversely if a Yamaha and Ketron are connected, the Ketron would ignore the entire SysEx.

The instruction data is contained in the space following the makers I.D. and before the end byte (the F7h). This data can be absolutely any string of hex codes leaving the makers free to use it however they want to. This becomes a “double edged blade”, on one side it offers total freedom, on the other, a shambolic mess when it comes to deciphering the codes with each design technician using code wherever they feel so inclined.

Let’s take a look at some real examples based on the Ketron XD. Page 108 of the owners manual gives a list of SysEx codes, looks complicated and it is, but maybe after trying a couple of examples it may begin to make sense? First it’s important to choose what you want to do.

For this simple example I want to remotely turn on the one touch button (or tab). As this is a tab, instructions are given at the top of page 108 (in the English manual), to whit, F0H 26H 7CH Code_tab Status F7H. OK let’s break that into sections. The first thing to know is that the H in all code stands for Hex, no need to understand why, just remember to ignore it and never include it in the code. That leaves the first part F0, which if you remember is always the start of all SysEx messages. The next section is 26, the makers (in this case Ketron's) I.D. 7C means that in this example it’s a tab message, now we get to the more complicated part Code_tab. This is explained just under the previous line: Code-tab = 00H to 7FH Tab code (see list).

Look at the list printed below and you will indeed see that the list begins with 00H Piano and ends with 7FH****** (**** means unused). So to continue we must find the code that relates to One Touch, which is 32H, this must be included in the code. Next part is Status, in this case on or off, again this is explained on the line Status = 7FH Tab pressed  Status = 00H Tab released. So as we want the tab on (or pressed) use 7FH. The final part is F7H, which as previously discussed closes all SysEx codes. So putting it all together and leaving out all the H’s we get the following:

F0 (the SysEx Start) 26 (makers ID) 7C (tab message) 32 (One touch tab) 7F (Tab On) F7 (end SysEx).

So this would be written as: F0 26 7C 32 7F F7

To prove this the easiest way to test would be to connect to a computer and insert the above code into the SysEx message bank, then send the message MIDI into the XD, you should see the One Touch button “pop” on just as it would if you pressed the button.

Hopefully you will see from this example that with just a little interpretation, all the information you need is actually in the XD technical tables, all you have to do is to fill in the blanks with the information given below the basic instruction.

Another more useful example would be if say you wanted to perform live a very complex arrangement of which part of it is a MIDI sequence. Perhaps during the performance you may want to change the registration several times but you hands are too busy playing – then let SysEx do it for you, this is how:

At the part of the song you need to make the registration change insert the following SysEx code into the MIDI sequence (page 112) the basic description says F0H 26H 7BH 1EH 00H Numc Numd F7H. The first parts of the code should now be understood, the difficult part is the Numc and Numd, again an example is offered to turn registration 116 on, Numc is the first number either 0 or 1 Numd in this case is from 0 to 99 so for registration 116 you need 1 (Numc) then 16 (Numd), or if you want say reg 89 Numc is 0 and Numd is 89.

For the last example – that is you want to change to registration 89 the complete code reads as: F0 26 7B 1E 00 0 89 F7. If you try entering the SysEx as written here you’ll find your editor will not permit a single 0 entry, it will be 00, but what if the numbc is 1? Will it be 01 or 10? Why not try it for yourself?

Now when you play the MIDI file from the floppy or hard drive, the registration should change at the point of the song where this SysEx is inserted. Actually, you don’t even need a MIDI song to do this, just enter the code and save as say Reg1.mid, Reg2.mid, and so on. By doing this you can use your Jukebox feature to call up and make registration changes by pressing a single button whenever you need them.

We are fortunate that despite the Ketron owner’s manuals being, well, less than good, at least they give very good and complete technical tables of which many other makers don’t. With a little experimenting you may find SysEx codes very useful.

Footnote: It’s kind of ironic that the SysEx code you most commonly use – the GM reset F0 7E 7F 09 01F7 - doesn’t really match the criteria given above as it’s about as exclusive as “bees around a honey pot” and works on all makes and models of GM instruments. It is however a good example of how a feature not considered or required when MIDI was created can be absorbed into the specification, all thanks to SysEx.

Barry Crane is the owner of BCK Products in Britain and distributor of Ketron products and some MIDI files and style disks visit him at: http://www.bck.co.uk/

Bob Hughes has run the Ketron/Solton club for nearly 10 years and is one of the best club moderators around. The club has thrived due almost entirely to the philosophy of musicians helping musicians. It is a great club to belong to. He uses the Midjay in his personal appearances.

This month I have a submission from Bob Hughes written by Don Mason at www.donmasonmusic.com. He reviewed the Midjay and he listed the advantages and each drawback from his point of view. Be sure to read the addendum. We all reserve the right to change our minds! [Jay Salam]

My review of Midjay as arranger, by DonM...............

"I have extensively tested using the Ketron Midjay with a controller keyboard for live performance and thought some might want to hear my opinions.
After taking a day or so to learn the operating system, which is MUCH simpler and more intuitive than the SD1, I began setting up the MJ to suit my style. I first hooked it up to my PC, just a matter of plugging in a USB cable. The MJ appears as another drive on the computer. I then added a hundred or so Ketron styles, in addition to the ones already there. From playing the SD1, I knew there were certain ones I had to have.
I put all the styles in a subfolder of the default Style folder. Then I "tweaked" the styles where necessary. You can easily change style-part instruments and volumes, then either save over the original or save to a new style.
After getting the styles the way I wanted, I then began making Registrations. Again, this is easily accomplished by merely calling up the style and lead sounds you want, setting any parameters such as tempo, transpose mic settings, split, etc., and saving to a registration. You can name the registration on the MJ by using the row of buttons across the top, or you can do it by computer. You can sort the registrations (or any files) by number or alphabet. In addition to styles, the Registrations can call up Midifiles, MP3s, WAV files and Sound Effects/Loops. All can be mixed together as you wish in live play by adjusting the dedicated sliders for each part. In all, I set up around 60 registrations in a couple of hours. At my first performance using it I had some requests for which I didn't have registrations set up of course. I found the appropriate style, set the tempo and played the request THEN before I went on I saved the setup as a registration in case I ever needed it again. For a controller keyboard, I used the Casio WK3000 which I already had. It transmits on Omni 1, and the it is easy to set the MJ to receive on Omni 1. I even found the Piano button on the Casio calls up the Grand Piano sound on the MJ. Other sounds can also be called up, but were dependant upon which Bank and page of sounds had been selected on the MJ. A truly dedicated controller can easily be programmed to call up all your favorite sounds. Sounds can be called up directly from the MJ buttons by pressing Sound and either scrolling or entering the number of the Sound you want. This takes only a second or so, but is slower than directly accessing the sound from the controller kb. Also, while the Sound screen is open, it uses the same buttons as the Style screen so you can't change style settings while in the Sound screen. You can control the style parts from the footswitch though. More on that below. There are some excellent sounds on the MJ, including a really nice Strat guitar than is totally different from the one on the SD1. There are some sounds that are not as good as well, for instance Violin and/or Fiddle. There is no Growl Sax, but there is a "delicious" Liscio Sax.
The MJ which I have borrowed for these tests belongs to HankB, and I want to thank him so much for allowing me to experiment with it. Hank's MJ doesn't have the Vocal Harmonizer installed. From what I've been told and have read, the options on the MJ VH are limited to three voices, which are either all on or all off. These seems to be a glaring weak spot to me, unless I've been misinformed. Anyway, I hooked up a Digitech VH to do vocal harmony. I ran a midi cable to it from the Thru jack on the MJ, so the chords were recognized by the VH as I played them on the Casio. I ran my mic into the MJ and used the dedicated Mic Out to send the signal to the VH. This allows me to use the Mic slider on the MJ to balance the vocal volume with the other volumes. The Mic processor in the MJ is quite good, with Reverb and Echo available, along with 3-band Mic e.q.
The MJ also has overall 2-band e.q. plus effects. The Midjay can associate lyrics with both styles and midifiles. You can "teach" the MJ to automatically scroll the lyrics with the midi file as it plays. Of course, it also can handle midi-karoake files. In addition you can place all the lyrics you want into the MJ and call them up when you wish. You can associate them with a style or registration. They must be in TXT format. The MJ doesn't read MS Word. I didn't take the time to load all my lyrics into the MJ, but I did test this function and it works well.
I used my A-frame kb stand and simply lowered the top tier and tilted it toward me until the MJ almost touched the kb. It was almost like part of the kb and was easily reached and accessed. The overall package is extremely light, with the MJ around 9 pounds, the controller kb 6-20 pounds depending on what you use. A very important feature of the MJ is the Recorder. It records to the hard drive everything that is happening on the MJ. I set a style, picked a sound and played and sung. Everything was recorded exactly as it was played. A touch of the Wav button and it plays back. Then you can set up a new recording, play back the one you just did and record whatever else you want along with it, maybe a vocal harmony, other kb parts, sound effects, an external guitar or instrument through the aux in, a midi file, an MP3-whatever! You have in effect a multitrack digital recorder with virtually unlimited tracks! The songs are stored in WAV format on the hard drive and can easily be transferred to PC via the USB connection. Of course you can convert them to MP3 and put them back into the MJ to save HD space if you wish.
After I became comfortable with the MJ, I took it on a series of three jobs. I was pretty comfortable with it, although I did miss some of the buttons on the SD1, such as layering sounds (this may be accomplished on the MJ only by creating a sound with the layers you want, up to four). My audiences could not tell any difference in my sound between the MJ and SD1 I normally use.
I have a 6-button footswitch for the SD1 that plugs into the MJ as well. I set it to call up style variations, fill-in and break. The fill-in on the MJ is different from the SD1. The MJ has only one fill-in button, but plays a different fill depending on which variation you are using. The intros and ending work the same way. I believe in most ways that it is a better system than the way SD1 does it.
I have listed many great aspects of the Midjay. There are some drawbacks, at least for me.
These include:
1. Not as easy to access sounds.
2. There is no Rotary effect for organs. The organs sound really good but either are a rotating sample or not, you can't speed up and slow down.
3. Not as easy to mute or adjust style parts in real time.
4. The display is pretty small if you want to read lyrics. I'm spoiled by my big ol' laptop screen. Also lyrics, MP3s and Midifiles are easier to search on the laptop. This is only a factor if you have thousands (which I do).
5. The weak vocal harmonizer means carrying an external unit, meaning more cables, more setup, more expense. But also more control and great vocal sound. 6. It uses an external power supply. I prefer standard ac cord.

As you can see, the list of drawbacks is quite short!

To sum up a long story, the Midjay would be great in live performance for many people. I have no real problems using it. If I didn't already have an SD1, I would buy one in a minute. However, since I DO have an SD1, I think I will stick with it for now and see how soon Ketron brings out a new one. I reserve the right to change my mind at any time! Excuse the long post, but I thought my thoughts might be valuable to some."

Addendum: It is a year later, and I now own and use the Midjay almost nightly. I have an Edirol PC800 controller that easily calls up the sounds I need, and controls pitchbend and modulation. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it call up style parts, endings and intros. It SHOULD work, but so far I'm still working on it. I did purchase and install the Ketron harmonizer. It is strictly a vocoder. In other words whatever notes you are holding on the keyboard are the notes the harmonizer will sound. It can be assigned to either left or right hand. There are no bells and whistles, and I find it far preferable to continue using an outboard vocal harmonizer. I tried installing the latest operating system BUT when I did this I lost the ability to associate lyrics with styles in the Registrations. AJ said that in the new OS the memory was allocated for other things. I couldn't see any advantage to the new OS, so I reloaded the old one and restored my lyric/style associations. Nothing else on the market rather than the Roland G70/E series even approaches the live sound of the Ketron drums and bass. I used the G70 for several months, but it's just too heavy for me to lug around every night. Anyway, I think the MJ sounds better!

Don Mason www.donmasonmusic.com

Intros and endings on the SD5/3
by Jay Salam

A few years ago Ketron came out with it's super workstation intelligent arranger, the fabulous SD1. It had one feature that has been the most requested feature of all for new keyboards and modules. The feature was a button labeled "To End". When you pressed that button, basically you would get a one or two measure fill to a ending chord.
The new SD 5/3 keyboard and module do not have the "To End" button, BUT they have simplified endings on the Ending1 button. In the majority of cases Ending1 gives you the logical simplest ending that would be available if you wanted a real ending, but short. That is to say that most endings sound like an ending and not just a stop, yet they are logically short. Some of the Unplugged styles are simply the sustained chord. Others have a one or two measure drum fill that almost anyone can follow. An experienced musician would be able to follow most of these endings even never having heard them before.
Now the disclaimer. There are 202 styles on the SD 5/3 and of that number I counted 32 that were complex first endings. These are endings it would be prudent to memorize. That leaves 170 with the "To End" type of ending. Surely enough to satisfy most people. I know that people will be clamoring for these styles to be converted back to work on the X4's and XD3's, but conversion is likely to be rather unsuccessful in most cases. Maybe a way will appear later. However, it is true that you can't even successfully copy a style that has the "Riff" feature. When you save it as a pattern, the Riff disappears. If there is a successful way to do this, I haven't found it yet. Still, we don't give up easily do we.
My best advice is for the people who have been clamoring for 1)better sounds 2)better styles 3)more memory 4)more realism--just break down and buy the most exciting keyboard or module to come out in many years.
Just a word about the Intros as well. Just as the Ending1 has been simplified, the Intro1 is more generic and usable for a large variety of songs in most cases.

Hexadecimal Code
System Exclusive or SysEx is written in hexadecimal code. Boy that sounds complicated doesn't it. Especially when you start by explaining that is a base 16 technique. Wow!
It just isn't that hard. In fact I will teach you a trick for converting with no effort.
What Hex is, is a method of expressing 256 values using only 2 characters. Our normal counting system goes from 0 to 9 and then adds a number so then you can to from 10 to 99 and then add a number and so forth.
In Hex you simply go from 0 to F. Like this: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F.
In this manner 0 is equal to 0 and F is equal to 15 (this gives you 16 total values). So you can see if you want to express the number 16 you would express it 10. FF is a number representing 255. (This gives 256 values since 0 is a valid value.) It is the conversion that gets tricky.
Here is a trick that should help.
In the Windows operating systems for the past several versions, a calculator is included. It is usually found in Accessories.
Open the calculator.
One the calculator menu, click "View".
In the resulting drop down menu click "Scientific".
The calculator will expand into a scientific calculator. In the first box under the number display you will see buttons for Hex, Dec, Oct, Bin.
Be sure the Dec is chosen and put 255 in the display area. Now simply choose the Hex button. The display will change from 255 to FF. Press the Dec button and you are back to 255.
Now let's give a pretend example. Pretend you are setting your reverb amount using SysEx and you would like to set it about halfway. That is going to be in the area of 125 to 130 (actually 127) in numbers, but what is it in Hex? Lets use 130 as a value and put it in the calculator as described above. Once you have converted 130, you will have a Hex value of 82. That will be the number you will use in your SysEx code. See, that isn't so hard.
This is an extremely handy technique for accessing the functions of the incredibly popular SD2. It doesn't have buttons for that so this is a good way to get to the many MIDI functions available.
Computer geeks will find this explanation and method boringly simple, but for the rest of us (not everybody is a computer geek), it is a handy trick to know. If you don't understand this, let me know and if enough people are having trouble I will write a even more thorough explanation next time.

We welcome your feedback. Send all notes to knat@ketronus.com. We would like your comments, suggestions and ideas for future articles.
Sincerely,
Jay Salam and friends.