Hi !

I have jut got a new KETRON SD2 and I want to use it for live music.

I started to develope a new software to play with KETRON SD2 for the live playing.

(Change sounds by sound category nicely presented, transpose, octave, split, pianist, manual bass, second voice, and more to come...)

Do someone need it?

Ask me for any testing and suggestions...

Dan

Sounds like a good project.

Especially if you can get the tonewheel organ AND the rotary effect to work from it.

Rotary requires sysex send.

Do you have some webspace where you intend to post this software or what?


--Mac

Hi Dan,
sounds very interesting.
best wishes
Rikki

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DAN.2000:
[b]Hi !




[This message has been edited by rikkisbears (edited 01-02-2009).]

Since editing of the SD2 is about the only complaint, along with accessability, I think it would be great.

Thank you for your encouragement

Here a print screen of the first version
http://dan.zeitoun.free.fr/sd2/ketron1.jpg

I am waiting for your comments...

Dan

*Add drawbars and other controls for the built in tonewheel organ.

*Include at least Slow, Fast and Off for the rotary speaker effect.

EDIT -- Just noticed the "Drawbars" tab. EXCELLENT! Would love to see that screen...

Would you like beta testers?

I'm available.


--Mac

[This message has been edited by --Mac (edited 01-02-2009).]

Great idea Dan, this is exactly what the SD2 is lacking. It would be great if you could incorporate a feature that would display the sysex message that is being used to make the edited changes...Thus sysex messages could be copied to sequences...........Good Luck.......

Hi Mac

For now, I was just sending every drawbars to the FULL value.

I am working on a simple visual interface, just to make the editor working. (we will see later for advanced graphics)

I just finished the 8 drawbars. but when you change values while the sound is playing you can hear a small clik

the rotor effect can be access only by sysex
I am trying to send it. Slow/fast/off

what about the 2 types of percussion. What do u think is the best? 1 knob for the volume and a switch for 4 - 2 2/3?

Dan

Hi!

I just finished to implement the control of the tonewheel organ !

Look at the new screen :
http://dan.zeitoun.free.fr/sd2/ketron2.jpg

The rotor fast and slow effect is working and give a life to the sound.

Also 2 clicks volume can be controled...

Maybe we have to make presets...

Hammond did not introduce the so-called "silent" drawbar until the mid-50s. If you ever owned a B2 or early B3, that click is there also. I think I could live with that. Besides, there is nothing we can do about that, as it is likely hard coded into the way the SD2 works.



Here is a copy and paste of the info I received directly from engineers at Ketron Italy about the use of rotor effect and drawbars that may be of assistance to you (forgive the translation errors, the fellow did a pretty good job considering, I think)



You've apparently already got the drawbars figured out, but I'll include what he sent me anyway, might make for a good crosscheck for you or the like:






I think slider is easier to use while playing than a mouse-controlled knob, but either would work. The original B3 Perc has only Soft and Normal toggle. The Trek II add-on percussion kit on my B2 has a volume slider instead. I like that feature.

The Hammond B3 has a rocker switch that selects between the two Percussion types, 4 or 2-2/3 --on the real B3 they are labeled as Third or Second, referring to the Harmonic. You could label your virtual switch the same, I should think.

The B also has a Decay switch, which changes the time the percussive note sounds. I don't think we have that on the Ketron.

HTH,

And you've got mail from jinglesmith. Me.


--Mac


[This message has been edited by --Mac (edited 01-05-2009).]

[This message has been edited by --Mac (edited 01-05-2009).]

Thank you for your usefull help.

I read your information in your previous post, and this helps me to make it working.

I will send you a beta version

First you have to download the microsoft .net framework
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detai...&displaylang=en

If this works, I'm getting me an SD2. Keep up the good work Dan.

I'm alpha testing for this project, things are looking good to date, can't say when he'll be finished though, that's up to him.

Gotta make a list of suggestions for this week, most now are centered around the tonewheel organ and how to control it without touching a mouse if possible, plus sending Dan some presets for it that sound good and would be desirable to others to have. I'll be sending him that list in a day or two. The thing is that the settings I've always used on the real B3 don't necessarily translate directly to the SD2's internal tonewheel organ generator directly. Some need a bit of tweaking to sound authentic. That is taking some time here, but hey.


--Mac

Hi ! Thanks to your support.

Mac, I will send you a new version with more sound editing features for the SD2. (ADSR, filters, effects , LFOs...)

I also started to implement the aibility to play auto acompagniment styles like in hardware arrangers.

Question to everyone : How many $ should be a right price for you?

I for one would like to see you offer TWO versions:

1) Basic Patch Selector for the SD2. No Auto-Accompaniment feature and offered at a lower pricepoint for the performing musician who just needs to access those patches in the fashion you have done.

2) Full Featured with AutoAccompaniment.


There is a need for both, I think. Guys like me don't typically want nor need autoaccompaniment but we do need access to the SD2 sounds in the organized fashion you are doing.


--Mac

"I also started to implement the aibility to play auto acompagniment styles like in hardware arrangers."

DAN, can you elaborate,,,
you mean have the software play SD5 styles via computer, no SD5, just SD2 ??

Exactly.

DAN

i would be very interested...



[This message has been edited by leezone (edited 03-24-2009).]

Hey DAN!

I'm a new happy owner of SD2, and can't wait for even the weakest and buggiest beta of your software ) How it's going? How's the progress?

Hi,

Here some news.

I started to implement the auto accompagniment functionnality. My software can read Yamaha styles. played with the Ketron SD2 sounds.

Because yamaha styles are recorded to be played with yamaha sounds, the final result need some adjustment, to play well with SD2.

I am developping a way to make the adjustements for you. You just load a style, and it sound well with the SD2.

After this long developping period, working with the yamaha style format, I start to realise what wonderful feature, if I can play the Ketron paterns with the SD2.

That way, the Ketron SD2 will become a full amazing arranger to play live (and to have fun...)

I tried converted styles from Ketron to Yamaha with StyleWorks, but it was not sounding good as the original.

So, I started to break my brain on the Ketron format. It's very hard to understand how ketron styles are binary coded, but after many days, I can say that I surrely be able to play Natively Ketron styles .... with every params well tuned (effects, volumes, sounds...)

I have an SD1. So I am working with Ketron SD1 styles. (I will look at SD5 styles later, who is the same sound engine than SD2)

For Alpha testing, please send e your email address.

DAN,

you're amazing! my e-mail is:
sm00001@gmail.com
I'll wait for alpha soft!!!!

I am waiting a OS upgrade of the SD2 from Ketron. I will probably get it this week.

This will permit to assign well the drums 1 and drums 2 to the right channels.

I am trying a beta version, but there is still a bug.

PS: there is still a coding form who resist to me in the ketron format grrrrr !

Dan,

how about the progress? anything new?

just send please to:

sm00001@gmail.com

thanks!!

Very good news soon...
I am myself so excited...
after years of work...

Thanks, Dan! Looking forward to try new thing...
I'm in US, paid $369.00 for a new one, then sold it, bought an SD4, tried it for a week,
selling it now here on eBay(anybody wish to buy??? welcome! )
and plan to buy another SD2.

[This message has been edited by sm7x7 (edited 05-01-2009).]

sm7x7

what's reasom for selling SD4, and now back to SD2? just curious

Just a word of support. I am not techically proficient enough to contribute, but will be interested in the software upon completion.

Bernie

leezone,

sd4 is too much for me. sd2 has all the functions I use.

DAN,

How's the things are going? I'm excited to try your editor!

Things are going very good.

I will be soon able to play chords and hear the auto accompagniments sounds...

Hi Dan,
just spotted your post on the SD2.

I've been pretty tied up with my Korg PA800,
and haven't done much else.

Just sold my Ketron SD1+, hoping to be able to convert some of the styles for use with my korg/sd2 setup.

I've had a bit of experience with converting to psr format. EMC doesn't always do a terribly good job.
The few I did do was from a midifile I recorded on my sd1, then created psr style from midifile.

Don't know how well you'll go with SD5 Rom styles. I tried to convert some for a group member who was selling his sd5 to go back to an X1. I ended up with a number of missing instrument tracks. Could have been to do with the riff function, not sure. Anyway not terribly succesful.

best wishes
Rikki

My software is now able to play natively all Ketron styles from X1 to SD5,

it works with RIFF too...

And with the SD2 it sound amazing....

Hi Dan,
you're saying your software loads actual Ketron styles??

I was initially using my SD2 with One Man Band software. Loads & plays psr format styles.
A bit of a hassle as I had to try & convert the psr xg drums to suit SD2 drum mapping.
Couldn't just load a psr style & play without editing.
If I used EMC to convert SD style to psr, it would mess up the drums.

Are you also considering some sort of a style editor??
Again, I was trying to use EMC ( with plus package) to try & edit my SD1 styles. This version of EMC had an event list editor ( of sorts) I could delete data, but I couldn't add notes or controllers. Also if I loaded an sd rom style into EMC for editing , it removed controller 11 on the first beat of bar 1. Messed certain styles up.

Anyway,please keep us informed about your software. i'm definately a potential customer.
If I can be of any help, please let me know.

best wishes
rikki

best wishes
Rikki





[This message has been edited by rikkisbears (edited 05-26-2009).]

Yes, my software can load and play any Ketron styles.
This is the results of YEARS of work and decoding......
Now we don't have to convert Ketron styles to Yamaha styles with tools that are not always what we want and time consuming.
The reason that part of styles are badely converted is also because yamaha format is different that ketron format (some things for the more and some for the least) So you have to truncate the data...

My approch is to decode every bit inside the style and play it as if you own a Ketron keyboard and not to convert it to another style format, and the sounds is here !!!

For now I am finishing the part of the software, playing ketron styles.

Sound selection, Midi controlling, Sound editing, Layering many sounds, Drawbars... are also coming soon.

After that I will think about style editing....but it's the last step of my software...

I hope that I can kill the time to finish faster !!!!!



Dan

Here the last version screenshot
http://dan.zeitoun.free.fr/sd2/ketron3.jpg

Hi Dan,
that is truly awesome, being able to load & play actual Ketron Styles.

I know of at least 2 PSR style players
Livestyler & One Man Band & heaps of "user" style editing software. I don't know anything about software programming, but I can only assume it is easier to program for psr style format considering the amount of software available.

I can do without style editing ( though it would be brilliant if you could come up with a style editor in the future) the new EMC XT , can do a bit.
Really look forward to trying out your software. Awesome.

best wishes
Rikki
riginally posted by DAN.2000:
[B]

Hi !

THe yamaha style format is based on the midifile format. This format is standard and some informations are avaible on Internet.

The Ketron format is proprietary, and there is no informations avaibles. That's why my software is very unique today.

The pricing will be around 349€.

I can send you a Alpha Demo version if you send me an email at realvision@gmail.com

Just to confirm...is that 349 Euro? coz thats about $650 AUD..pretty expensive.

Hi all,

I am using a Ketron SD2 in conjunction with LiveStyler Plus to be able to play with Yamaha styles. Now the accompianment is not always sounding correctly from different styles. I assume that it those are XG styles (versus the SD2 which is GM compatible). Maybe I am wrong; please correct me if so.

Anybody here knows a tool to convert those XG styles to GM format, fitted for SD2?

Greetings, Henry Kompagnie.

Hi.

The latest Alpha Demo version of the Virtual Arranger is avaible here :
http://dan.zeitoun.free.fr/sd2/vArranger2017.zip

Best regards,

Dan

Hi Dan,
What a password is for the vArranger2017.zip

Mario.

Hi Mario,

Because every day, I improve more and more the software, please ask me the last version by email.

Regards,

Dan

I ask you , but don't have any reply

Mario.

Sorry to everyone, I am just adding a new nice feature and then I will send it to u.

dan

Thank you Dan for the vArranger2.

Mario.

Hi DAN,

Are you still alive ??

I send you an email but NO RESPONS

I didn't get any email from you...

Hi DAN,

I send you this mail on 23-06
Maybe there is something wrong.

I am a technician and a ( hobby ) Delphi programmer.

I own a SD2 and the new AUDYA ( change my 8 years old SD1 )

Please make it possible to be a beta tester of your software.

I be curious to manage the Audya with this software.

My regards from the netherlands

If I have to mail you, please send me a mail, so i can reply.

I don't know why your emails where in my gmail spam box.

I will answer you now bye bye

Dan

Hello,

Just to let you know that this project is on the right way.

If you own a Ketron SD2 or a Ketron SD4, it transform it into a full arranger workstation.

I created a website to present the software.
http://www.varranger.fr

I need someone help to translate french to english, if someone want to help me?

It plays realtime all Ketron Styles (not audya) with chord recognition.

Special New features :

-Play with 2 Keyboards with one SD2
-400 nice layered presets are included (drawbars preset also)
-You can split the keyboard, and choose 2 different sounds (from 1 to 5 layers per sound) to play at left and right of the split point.
-On this splitted configuration, you can plug 2 Sustain pedals, if your keyboard permit it. And control the 2 sounds sustain, like if you are playing with 2 keyboards.
-All functions are MIDI controllable easyly, by Midi Learn.
-More to come...

-The software is always updated, to add new features.

Please send me any suggestion for new features.

Dan

Dan, everything beautiful. But where is the demo version for download