Does the Roland VA series have the equivalent of the Technics multi-pads??

and if so - do they load up new material when you change to a new style or song??

MH

As far as I know only Yamaha and Technics have them. Yamaha's are a little more advanced than Technics. They are a wonderful tool. They can be saved in Registration Memory to load with everything else. They can be synced to the tempo and chord if needed.
DonM

The Korg pa80 has them, too. And, I think the Roland VA7 has some type of multi-pad - but I'm not sure about this.

The roland VA76 has multipads but not the VA7.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene

George or anyone

Aren't the multi pads one way I can play a sequenced passage while staying in arranger mode?? - a passage that does not respond to chord changes - basically a midi file playing over the top of the arranger??

Now if the content of the multi-pads change when you choose a different style or song it would be great.

What is the note storage capacity of the multipad -

Mike H

[This message has been edited by Mike H (edited 02-06-2002).]

Mike,
I don't think multi pads work like a sequencer in regards to length of time and number of tracks. A multi pad plays one sound and can be a one shot or loop of the recorded track. I might be wrong but I don't think you can asign a song (midifile) to a multi pad. Maybe someone who does this can be more specific then I can.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene

George
I think Scott told me once that the Technics multi-pads will store 1800 notes or something like that. If so - that seems to imply that passages are possible - and stuff like out of tempo intros - will have to keep checking - likely someone here knows that functional limits of multi pads and how they can interact with the arranger

mh

[This message has been edited by Mike H (edited 02-06-2002).]

Mike, wow ! what an excellent memory. Even I had forgotten the number of notes, but after re-checking the KN5000 manual, it is indeed 1800 (approx) notes that can be stored. But remember, that is the total capacity. If you use up all 1800 notes up for one pad sequence alone, you would have nothing left over to use for the other 2 'user' banks of 6 pads. Here's how it works:

You set the tempo, measure length, sound that you want to record. You then set the playback mode: 'sync to rhythm (in tempo)' or 'instant start (out of tempo)'. The manual sequencer section also records sustain, pitch bend, mod wheels, etc.

You can record, name, and store different Manual Sequencer Pad setups to load up with a specific song if you like.

Seems to me that the manual sequence pad feature will work for what you are trying to do. The Yamaha's mulitpads work similarly, but don't support the 'sync to rhythm' feature that Technics has. Also don't know the max number of notes supported on the PSR. Hope this answers your questions. - Scott

Thanks Scott
I just got off the phone with the Technics guy - Eddie - pretty knowledgable - and he seems to think the pads are still chord specific - that is - they change as the chords change no matter how long the sequnce is. His feeling is pretty straightforward - in that you either use the arranger or use the sequencer - not both at the same time.He says thats not what the arranger is primarily for.

You know - it seems to me - new as I am to arrangers - that having the capacity to trigger a lick, or a passage - that doesn't switch when the chords do - if you so choose - should be absolutely essential. Some of the beauty of any music or passage is the different sonorous effects that result from playing the same thing against a changing background or vice versa. And while the chords of a tune stay basically the same - its nice to pre-record a little section every now and then which spices it up.

A good example of this is on the Korg Triton and possibly Karma. It is called the RPPR function - and it is basically a way to access a pre-recorded lick triggered by the press of a certain key.

I would think - that via Registrations or something similar - it should be possible to cue up both the arranger and the sequencer - for simultaneous use in some situations - doesn't sound that hard to me.

MH

I really haven't gotten into it, but the PSR2000 allows you to use the sequencer and arranger at the same time. Personally haven't found a use for it, or maybe I'm just lazy.
I just tried it by playing by a midi of Long Train Running, and then starting the arranger on Country 2/4. Is this what you have in mind?
DonM

Eddie is absolutely RIGHT ! When the auto accompaniment is ON, the phrase plays back in the 'same' key you are triggering when you play your auto-accomp chord. I WANT it this way ! I like jazz, but I'm personally not into 'atonal' jazz.

Don

It is certainly one example - and I think that intros are a prime candidate for stand alone sequences used in conjunction with the arranger.

MH

Scott
I certainly see your point - but what about something as simple as wanting to hear and hold a simple interval such as D and G through a series of chords such as C6/9 - Dsus, Asus, Bb 6, Eb M7 - none of those would be particularly atonal - and it would certainly fit??

MH

I believe that there is an option for Multi Pads on the PSR 2000 ( and the 740 before it ) which allows the user to either set the pads up to follow chord changes or to work independently of chord changes. If I remeber right, this can only be done on user created pads.

Korg AJ

As to the VA series

Roland tells me that musical passages are not assignable to the performance pads on the VA76 - who knows

thanks AJ

MH

[This message has been edited by Mike H (edited 02-06-2002).]

AJ, so RIGHT you are. On the PSR2000 you can set 'chord match' on/off. If set to off, the phrase will play as recorded, set to on, the phrase will be re-harmonized to match the accompaniment chords. Another PSR2000 multi pad feature is 'repeat'. When it is set to off, the phrase only plays once, when set to on, the phrase repeats continuously till you hit the multi pad stop button. Sounds like the PSR may fit your pad wishes now. I just wonder what the note capacity of the user multipad section of the PSR2000 is. Anyone here know?

If only the PSR keyboards would recognize jazz chord voicings in 'full keyboard mode' like Technics arrangers do. I guess there's still no ONE arranger keyboard which has ALL the cool features I keep hoping the 'next' model(s) will.

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 02-06-2002).]

I think the Multipad memory on the 2000 is limited by the overall Flash Memory. In other words it depends on how many styles, sounds, and songs you have in memory.
I noticed when I started loading external multipads that I ran out of memory pretty quickly.
You could clear everything else from Flash memory and dedicate it all the this I suppose.
DonM

Mike
On the KN6000 there are 3 user banks x 6 performance pads. Pads 1-4 have 2 tracks which can be looped and up to 16 measures. Pads 5 & 6 are solo track. They are chord specific. You can also copy from sequencer to pads.

with respect, the 6/6500 pads are more advanced than yamaha, and can do much more than the 5000 pads.

They are 2 track and all can be switched to either follow the automatic chords, or ignore them as Mike wishes. Also full single/loop and instant/synchro triggering.

There is control of pitch point, various controllers as Scott describes with reverb, chorus, digital effect etc , and full independant parametric equalisation of each track.

Where you wish them to follow the auto chords, the chord following can be programmed with 23 types of note response to chords eg in 7th G to Bb, or C to Bb, natural min, harmonic min etc, and this is programmable for each individual note in the track as well as each track. So you could follow chords but program the top note of a pad to remain constant for various chord changes, while the other notes follow the chord, like the preset patterns. Or just program individual notes of a chord to have different responses to the same chord change in the left hand.

The Solo pads can be programmed with a chord sequence, and therefore take over control of the left hand while they play. This can be done in step programming too. But they can be used in the same way as the other pads too, if you wish, it is all programmable. I'm not sure what John means by chord specific, but I don't believe it is the case since everything is programmable, and the chord sequence will play from whichever starting chord you have in the left hand, so is not specific?

You can copy the existing pads into user and then edit the programming as you wish.

The sequencer copy means that you can merge more than 2 tracks in the sequencer, and therefore effectively have more than 2 tracks in the pad, if you swap voices in the track at the right times (easy in step edit).
Using the sequencer is particulary easy because of the piano roll display like a pc sequencer.

The main difference was on the 9000 I believe the single track pads were polyphonic to a degree, whereas the 2 track pads on the 6000 cut off when you play the next pad.

[This message has been edited by technicsplayer (edited 02-07-2002).]

technicsplayer et al

Thanks for a very thorough explanation of the performance pad possibilities - especially the 6500. I am not sure of the total note storage capacity of the pads in that instrument but I assume that every song/style brought up in registration reloads the pads with whatever you might want to trigger in that particular tune. This could be of good use to me for intros, interludes, and endings. Now to see what the VA76 can do.

BTW - I spoke with a Technics fella for a bit the other day - who said there will definitely be a new model out this year - and supposedly long before the end of the year. - They are not saying anything as of yet.

regards
MH

Hello Mike, here are the Specs (for the Pads) as oulined in the brochure:

6 Pads x 26 Banks
(preset bank x 20, user bank x 3)
Storage Capacity = Approx. 1,800 notes,
Compile Bank x 2, Control Bank x 1,
Functions: Stop, Auto Setting, Real Time Record,
Step Record, Clear & Copy & Setting


Jupitar5

[This message has been edited by Jupitar5 (edited 02-07-2002).]

I'm sure that helps a lot.

Here's the way the PSR2000 style-sync-to-midi works:
"Simultaneous Style & Song Playback Imagine being able to play a MIDI file and a Style at the same time. This keyboard has separate controls for song and style playback. The style will automatically sync to the MIDI file. Maybe you'd like to try one of your favorite songs with a different rhythm. If you are a writer, maybe you'd like to try your song with many different styles to see what it sounds like. If the song has chord data in it (many XG files contain the chord data or you can input it using the keyboard or software programs like XGworks), the style will actually follow the chords in the MIDI file and play a complete instrumental background. It's unique and different and just one of the cool new features of this keyboard."
DonM

Hi Don
The way Yamaha describes that function - Sync Style to Midi is a good description of what I am looking for - doesn't the 9000pro do that also??

MH

No, it doesn't. The 2000 has separate controls for the sequencer and arranger, while the 9000 uses the same controls.
I believe this is a new feature introduced on the 2000.
Don