Jay's Cool Tip #2

This tip is valid for SD and XD series keyboards

The Interactive Arranger

This is one of the coolest functions I have ever seen on an arranger keyboard.

If you ever played in a live band you have probably had the terrible experience of having someone else play over the top of your solo. Or maybe just be too loud when your are trying to sing or do a solo. This is one fine reason for using professional arranger keyboards or well designed sequences for accompaniment on jobs. But up until the Ketron SD1 and more recently the XD and Vega series, arranger keyboards had a similar problem because they didn't know when to get out of the way. So the solution has always been to use patterns and styles that didn't have a lot of fill stuff to get in the way of your music. Now comes the Interactive Arranger feature.

Up until now, when you are using a pattern or style that is very dense musically, or you may call it "busy" or even just cluttered, the only option we had was to eliminate parts or re-balance or any one of those little tricks that we all have learned to use. Now the "lock" function on the SD1 and XD series has given you a new approach. If you turn on "lock", which is just to the left of "Key Start" You get a screen unique to the SD1. On the XD and Vega you need to press the button Left Control and then push the button next to "Interact". On the left are the lock functions that perform just like the X series. The new part is on the right.

This is the Interactive Arranger and here is how it works.

The default setting for each function key, F6 through F9, which corresponds to Chord 2 through Chord 5 of each style, is "Off". If you set any or all of these to "On" here is what happens.
When you play a note in the right hand, any parts that are being played on chords 2 through 5 that you have set to "On" will drop out of the pattern until you release your right hand. Then they will resume the next time the pattern cycles.

You can choose which sections of music you would like to have drop out. If you find that the section that usually clutters the most, on the styles you like to use, is chord 3 for example, you can save that setup by getting it the way you like and then press "Save/Enter" and then F3 (Power On Setup) and then when you turn on your SD1 it will be in that state normally.
If you are in a song or style during which you do not want the Interactive Arranger to work, simply press lock and then F10 which will make the function go inactive without destroying your settings.

For the Interactive Arranger to do anything you must press the corresponding function key. The box will then change from "Off" to "On".
The lower box will automatically change from "Inactive" to "Active".

Just for fun turn all four to "On".

The window will automatically change back to your performance screen after a few seconds.

Now pick a busy pattern and use the "D" arrangement. Usually "D" is busier than "A", "B" or "C".

Play the pattern and very softly play a key in the upper section of the keyboard. Notice how a lot of the parts drop out.

Remove you finger from the key and the parts return at the appropriate time. That's all there is to it.

Now you experiment with which Chord Trace or Traces you like to affect and have fun.

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