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K.N.A.T

Issue No. 24

Hello everyone and welcome to issue number 24 of Ketron News and Tips (KNAT).
This issue is targeted for June 15, 2003 which this year is Father's day. So happy Father's day to each of you. As some clever person once said, "Everyone either is a father or has one." Last issue we were talking about registrations on Ketron products again. Just a point on how important Ketron thinks it is, my new XD3 came preloaded with 128 registrations using the styles that are on board and designed to complement certain songs. This is a wonderful demonstration of how to adapt a style for a particular song rather than change a song to suit a style.


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Here is some news.

First, I have started a page on my web site that doesn't link to anything. Why? This is for KNAT recipients ONLY. Now here is the deal.
I plan to put some pretty decent stuff on this page and the downloads will be free. However, I absolutely do NOT want anyone other than KNAT members going to this page. This week I put up some of the songs that come on the XD9 and XD3. These are standard MIDI files and are some pretty good sounding things. Also I put in a load of about 48 Patterns that were written for the Korg and converted to Ketron. They should play without conversion on MS, X, and XD instruments. SD1 users will need to use the Convert MS function to get them to play. These are from the 5000 Styles CD that I sell.
Here are the rules: If you receive this newsletter, you are welcome to go to this page and download stuff. As far as I know I am not violating anyone's copyright. You are not to share these files or give the page entry method to ANYONE. Why? Because I want more people to sign up for the newsletter and I want more hits on the web site. This is, in a very small way, a possible profit center for me. If you are familiar with sponsors and web site ranking you know what I mean. If you are not, just believe what I say. If someone wants these files, fine; have them sign up for the newsletter. If I find that my page is being abused, I will put password security on it.
I have not bothered to put security on this page yet so you are all on your honor system.
These files are not exclusive, but in some cases, rare. If you already have these files from another source, I cannot prevent you from sharing them, but I would request that before you do, just have the recipient sign up for my newsletter. I love to share the cool stuff that Ketron puts out and can hardly blame you if you would like to. I do have one advantage in that these files are certified virus free.
I will shortly be adding quite a bit more of rare and cool things including help links related to various computer music things. I am also busy trying to write an expanded users manual for Style Works and am looking for errors to solve.
In relation to that, I have had many requests for persons who want to convert from more recent styles to MS4/5 styles. Although Style Works can convert FROM those patterns it does not convert TO those instruments. It may be time to upgrade from those old wonderful sounding, but no longer supported, instruments.

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More News (Vocal Harmonizer)

As many of you know, the little manuals for the Vocal Harmonizer has not been available for some months. This is distressful and as I told one ranking company person, disgraceful.
I have battles of words on more than one occasion. So here is what I did.
I found someone that had an old Vocalizer manual and copied (scanned) it to an Adobe Acrobat file. I also compressed it using WinZip. It is on my downloads page now for anyone to download and use. Now I do want to say that this is one that came with an early X1 so I cannot say for sure that it is one hundred percent up-to-date. However, it will give you the running start that has been missing for some time. Go to http://www.ketronus.com/downloads.html#manual
and click on the Manual for the Vocalizer link. That should open the file in your Acrobat Reader and you can save it to your computer hard drive or come back to the site to check on things. If and when I get a more recent version I will put it on the site as well if there are any changes.

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As you know, I believe in having many styles and the more variety they have and the stronger they are, the better I like them. In order to find such rare gems, one must go through hundreds and even thousands of styles which is very time consuming. Another source for great styles is Band-in-a-Box software for computers. These styles are very good and many are very adaptable to becoming Ketron styles. They are always 5 parts or fewer, so they even work well on the MS series. It is not simple to convert these styles but well worth the effort if you get a unique style you can use.
I mention all this because I am thinking of becoming a dealer for BIAB and wonder how much interest you, my readers may have. I can promise decent discounts for KNAT members.
Send me an email if you like the idea.

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I have just received a quantity of the Dan O'Neil Video tape on the uses of the X1. I will be offering these for sale on my web site soon. These are not slick production, but have a lot of useful information, especially for those that have difficulty with manuals.

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Mostly Guitar Players Tip

OKAY GUITAR PLAYERS! (There may be some benefit to others as well.)

When you get your X4 or whatever, you will want to set up your equipment to work!
The information is in the manuals, but in so many different places that it is difficult to figure out the proper procedure. Let's do it this way.

You will have a module or keyboard. I will refer to module, but the same applies to the keyboards exactly.

Most, or at least many, guitar players want to trigger the chords with a chromatic set of pedals that look like organ pedals. These are the K8 pedals and they are used to change the chords in the rhythms.

Now there may be a Volume/Tonality pedal. That looks like a big volume pedal with 4 switches: 2 on either side of your foot. These change the kind of chord you are playing. If you play a D note on your K8 it will be a major chord. With your Volume/Tonality pedal you can make it a minor, seventh, minor seventh, augmented or diminished.

You may have an FS13 or FS6 pedal as well. This can be used for changing the arrangement inside the rhythm from simple to more complex, or it may be used for intros or endings or fills. There are a lot of other things these pedals can do as well. As an alternative to these pedals, there is the MS9 switch that is designed to mount on a guitar and be triggered with the hand.

HOOKUP

The K8 has a MIDI output and a little power transformer fondly referred to as a "wall wart".
The wall wart goes into the wall electrical outlet of course and the MIDI cable goes into the funny looking socket with 5 holes. You will become familiar with MIDI hookups if you are not already.
Plug the small end of the power transformer into the K8 socket provided and the MIDI cable into the MIDI output jack. The other end of the MIDI cable must go into the IN2(KYBD) jack in the MIDI section of your module.
If you are using the Volume/Tonality pedal the wire with the computer like plug goes into the matching socket on the back of your module and the other plug, the one that looks like a guitar plug, goes into the jack marked "Volume".
If you are using an FS6 or FS13 it plugs into the computer like socket on the back of the module UNLESS
you are using both the FS6 or FS13 AND the Volume/Tonality pedal, then the V/T pedal goes into the module and the FS pedal plugs into the side of the V/T pedal.

SETUP
Now turn on the module and when the power-up cycle is complete be sure you are on the split screen for XD and SD users. The X series will automatically come up to that screen. If you are using one of the others, pressing the Exit button a few times will get you there.
When in the split screen, press F6 "MIDI"
Press F10 "Utility"
Now be sure the top box on the left side of the screen labeled MIDI IN1 says "GM". If not press F1 until it does.
Now be sure the second box on the left labeled IN2/COMP says "Keyboard".
Look for the box that is labeled "Local" and be sure it says "ON".
Press F5 "Escape"
Press F2 "Channel Receive"
Press F10 until it says "General2". This may take several presses.
Be sure the list on the left says:
Right 1
Left 2
Global 15
Registr. 16
Vocalize --
Change the Global 15 to 2
Change the Left to -- if you don't want the single note the lower plays on the new instruments.
Then press the Save/Enter button on the module and you will get the screen that says "Save MIDI Setup" at the top.
Press F10 "Save"
You will be taken back to the "Channel Receive" screen.
Press F5 "Escape"
You will be taken back to the MIDI starting screen.
Press the Exit button and you will be taken back to the split screen.
Press Save/Enter again to save this as your Power On Setup. Otherwise the MIDI settings will default to a different page which is usually either General1 or Accordion1.
You can also save these same settings in one of the User pages and keep the General pages as they are.
One additional setting you must know. If you do as I do and use your module in many ways including hooking it to your computer for file transfer, you know that the computer setting must be set to either to PC or MAC for the file transfer to work. HOWEVER, it must be set to OFF for the pedals to work. This setting is found in MIDI (F6), Utility (F10) and Computer (F6).

SETTING THE TOP
Be sure that the Keystart button is pressed. The little red light will be lit.
Be sure that the Pianist button is NOT pressed. The little red light will be dim.
Be sure that the Hold button is on. The little red light will be lit.

HOOKING UP TO AMPLIFIER
Use a couple of guitar type cables to come out of the unit into a sound system or amplifier. On most of the units you have four outputs. Use the two that say "Left" and "Right" or just use the "Left" if you want to run in Mono and not Stereo. Make sure your sound system is on.
You can also hear the module using a decent quality headset plugged into the "Headset" jack and the main volume control of the module will control the headset volume.
Be sure your main volume control is not full up and press one of the keys on the K8 pedalboard.
A rhythm style should start to play. If you don't hear anything turn up the volume gradually. If you see the little boxes/bar on the screen moving and you don't hear anything check your amplifier connections.
If your little boxes/bar isn't showing movement and you don't hear anything, press "Start" and see if anything happens. If it does, go back and check all your MIDI connections and your proper key presses.

Have fun and let me know if I left anything out.


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As you may know, I put out this newsletter free of charge and I hope to continue to do so. However I am not independently wealthy and I am forced to derive an income from somewhere. I am a Ketron dealer and I hope to be able to sell to you, my Ketron friends, the products and accessories that you need. I can promise you that no one will beat my price and still maintain the level of service and support that I try to give. To this end you will be my sponsors in what I hope will be a informative and fruitful endeavor for many years to come.

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

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QUOTE SECTION
(Sometimes funny, sometimes thought provoking, but always worth the time)

"He may be a coach, a pastor or a teacher, but the true father relationship has very little to do with genetics." -- Clerd Farnsworth

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." -- Anon

"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong." -- Charles Wadsworth
"My father hated radio and could not wait for television to be invented so he could hate that too." Peter De Vries

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