K.N.A.T

Issue No. 7

Hello everyone and welcome to issue number 7 of Ketron News and Tips (KNAT).
This issue is targeted for October 1, 2002. Judging by the response, you are enjoying my little newsletters. If you have a question to ask or a tip to submit, please let me know at jay@ketronus.com. Also I love your comments so don't hesitate to let me have a response.

First an Apology: (and an explanation) I want to apologize to those who have sent emails requesting special information on various aspect of the Ketron instruments and not gotten a response from me. My ideal scenario is that no email go unanswered or technique go unexplained.
When I started the newsletter, I never expected such an overwhelming response to my efforts. So much so, that I find time is lacking in getting some things done. So I am being forced to prioritize. At least for now here is how I will try to handle the requests.
First call on my time will go to those who have purchased their instruments from me. (This is not a non-profit business -- I hope.)
Second will be the questions that are most common. I will try to answer those and even use them in the tips and tricks portion of the web site.
Then I will try to answer the other questions that have come to me. In that category, I will try to answer first the questions on issues that are not clear in the manual. If you haven't read your manual, you should!

Special Item: I had a request for a text only newsletter so that it may be more easily printed. If enough people want that, I will try to take the time to create two versions, but both with the same basic content. Let me hear from you regarding your preferences.

A hearty welcome to all the new people who have gone to the web site www.ketronus.com and opted-in to this news letter. I can't believe how the lists are growing. I have been getting a steady stream of wonderful people. Thanks!
If you are on this mail list by mistake 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.

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Something Basic

I had a couple of inquiries from people who either did not know that their hard drive contained lots of information or from people who didn't understand how to access the info.

First, here is what is contained on all the newer instruments with the hard drive (Except the Vega).
The hard drive comes with 4 folders already installed. This is a small percentage of the capacity of the hard drive so you still have lots of room left. Your hard drive can hold up to 99 folders. Each folder can contain up to 999 files of various types. How you arrange you files and folders is up to you.
In the first preloaded folder are both styles and sounds. Styles end with the extension .PAT and sounds end with .SND. The styles in Folder 1 are song styles. Look at the name and you will see names like YMCA or Hotel Cal. Well guess what! These styles have the right patterns and intros and endings for those songs! They can be used for other songs, but they are perfect for those songs. You still have to play the chord changes just like you would on any other style, but you will find that they make the task of doing so much easier because they have the hard part done. We will get to sounds another time.

To load a style so you can play it, do this:
Press the Disk button.
Press the Hard/Floppy keys until the window says Hard [ 01 Folder_1 ]. (if you see something like [ Hard 09 Folder_9 ] then press the number keys 0-1 and you will get to the correct folder.

To select a pattern or patterns to load:
Highlight the desired pattern or style by using the cursor keys +/-. When the desired pattern is highlighted, press F10 (Select). A small triangle will appear next to the pattern. You can then move the cursor to another pattern and select it in the same manner. After you have selected the patterns you wish to load,
Press F2 (Load)
Four choices will appear in the window.
F5 Escape -- If you change your mind and decide not to load at this time.
F8 Clear All and Load -- This option will unload any patterns that may be already in memory and load the ones you have selected.
F9 -- Automatic This option will load your selected patterns in the first available slots without removing any patterns already in memory.
F10 Execute -- This will load just the one pattern showing in the window. If you choose this you can select which empty slot you want the pattern to be loaded in by using the cursor keys. You cannot choose a slot with a pattern already loaded.

Now that the patterns are loaded you want to play them.

Press the Disk button again to leave the Disk area.

You are back to the previous menu.

Press the Pattern button to activate the pattern memory slots and then choose the patterns just like you do the styles normally. That is all there is to it.

Folder 2 contains all the styles (99) that were normal for the MS100.
Folder 3 contains all the styles (99) that were normal for the MS40/50/60.
Folder 4 contains 148 of the most popular styles that were originally sold at $25.00 per disk with 8-10 styles per disk. Over $350.00 worth of styles in just that one folder.

In the next newsletter I plan to address the sounds and how to use them.

Programs

For the past couple of KNATs we did some things using programs. This week I want to show you something in the Trio Mode of Programs.

Be sure to first go through the program settings and write down the ones you don't like or will not have a use for. We are going to change some so don't lose the ones you like although you can get them back usually. This Trio Mode function dates all the way back to the MS series and is a great feature that is almost impossible to find on other keyboards and modules. This is a way to set up a program in program mode that does the following when you play a 3 note chord. One note will be played by one instrument, the second note by a different instrument and the third note by yet another different instrument.
(By the way, each Ketron model has a different way of handling the playing of the Trio mode. You will need to experiment with your model to see how it responds.)

Try it! You'll like it.

Here's how:
Go to one of the programs you don't want to keep. Press exit (if you are on the XD9/XD3/SD1) until you get the normal split screen.
Press F8 "Program Edit"
In the new screen pressing F1 highlights the instruments. You can have up to 3 instruments for the Trio. (You can have four, but don't confuse yourself and your machine.)
Set the first instrument to Clean Guitar--volume 63
Set the second instrument to Piccolo--Volume 38 to 44
Set the third instrument to Sax--Volume 55 to 60

I chose these instruments because of the completely different sounds they have. It will be easier to hear which instrument is playing which note.

As in any other Program, F1 sets the instrument and F2 sets the volume for each instrument. Be sure you are in the first screen of Program Edit Mode.

Make sure the "tune" and "shift" all are showing the flat line.
Press the "Page+" button to go to the effects page.

Press the "Page+" to go to the next page. Depending on your instrument, you may have to press once more. Look for the square on the bottom left of your screen.

The second screen is for setting the effects, which is very useful when layering instruments. The third screen allows you to choose a number of settings for each instrument, but the setting we are concerned with at the moment is the setting on F5. Pushing F5 repeatedly and looking in the bottom left corner of the window, you can change from "Off" to "Duet", "Trio", "Morph" and "Steel".

If you choose the "Off" setting all three instruments will play on every note you play. However, if you choose the "Trio" setting you will get Clean Guitar if you play one note. If you play a 3 note chord each note will be played by a different instrument.

Save by pressing "Save/Enter" and rename this to something you can remember like "Trio" and press F10 to execute.

Play with this sound a bit and then you can go back and tweak it. Add effects, change voices, mix and match instruments, change pitches and a lot more.

This type of setting also works for instruments that blend well; a good example would be a Sax section where you have an Alto Sax for one note, a Tenor Sax for a second note and maybe a different tenor sax for yet a 3rd note. This is the way a real band would sound, so you are able to get a reality with Ketron that you are not going to get with any other brand.

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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Special Tip: This tip is from Jose Parra who was having trouble on the velocity send to his Ketron module. He was not getting velocity control on his right hand and I could not figure out his problem from far away. He writes:

"Just in case you are interested I found the solution to the velocity problem. The accordion mode was active and thus conflicting with the proper function of the piano. Some arranger functions were prevented as well. Now it is all fine. It's funny because that was the first thing I made after plugging the thing in on the first day..."

I especially appreciate tips from Ketron users that may help other people. Thanks Jose!
One additional tip in this regard--Once you have set the correct mode in your MIDI section, be sure you save it by pressing Save/Enter and completing the "save". Otherwise the next time you turn on the instrument it will revert to the previous setting.

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

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*Remember: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."-Will Rogers

And for those of us old enough to remember Chapaquiddick "Though I disagree with Senator Kennedy, I certainly understand his reluctance to cross ANY bridge, whether he thinks he has come to it or not."-Wayne Cottrell

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

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*Remember: ". . . Federal Funds . . .a Washington D.C. euphemism for the billions of dollars extracted from taxpaying people."-Richard Prather

"Happiness can only come from within. Pleasure, gratification and much more may come from outside ourselves, but we must find our own happiness. -- Clerd Farnsworth

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