I notice that many of you use midi songs, rhythms, etc., with your Kn7000 keyboards.

I am a bit confused, in that it has been my impression that MIDI sounds do not have as good a sound quality as the sounds of the KN7000, therefore I have stayed away from MIDI sounds. My sequences all use just the KN7000 sounds, which I have been very satisfied with.

Am I missing the boat somewhere about my understanding of MIDI sounds??

Thanks for you comments.

Larry Gosmeyer

[This message has been edited by larry gosmeyer (edited 04-30-2009).]

Larry, Midi songs with general sounds are not as good as the KN7 sounds. But why not download the general midi file and replace the general midi instrument sounds with Kn7 sounds.

John C.

JOHN C Downloading the midi files then changing the instrument sounds to 7K sounds
begs the question in my mind, why bother to download midi at all?

Like Larry, I too prefer the 7K sounds..

Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,
I find MIDI files very useful in building new styles in the Composer. It's just a matter of putting the file in the key of C and assigning your favorite Technics voices. Then selecting bits and pieces to make a style. I'm not a very good drummer, so the drum part is especially useful.
Frank

[QUOTE]Originally posted by etwo4788:
[B]JOHN C Downloading the midi files then changing the instrument sounds to 7K sounds
begs the question in my mind, why bother to download midi at all?

Like Larry, I too prefer the 7K sounds..

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, My only reason for downloading a midi file is there are parts in almost every song that are unique to that song. In a song like Misty the melody and great chords made the song popular. Try sequencing “In the Mood” with all the original backgrounds sounds. And, the drums are not lost in repetition, they are played with breaks and fills fitting that song.

I enjoy creating a midi file without any outside help, when it is done it is my creation. But if you are playing out, jobs, gigs, the closer you can get to the original arrangement the more it is accepted. We had a man on this forum that created midi files that were so original, his name escapes me now. When he told me that he was living in a beautiful open country area and he had his KN7 at his side I thought, “A dream”. I think his last name was Colin.

John C.

Frank
I have many of your styles. They are great. Could you share your expertise ?

Bernie

I have to agree with Bruno123. If you have Note worthy composer and you download a midi file to it, it prints out separate scores for different instruments. Go to the sequencer and make your own music and it is very close to the original songs. The more it sounds like the original the more people like it.

Hello,

like Larry has already written: the sounds of the KN 7000 are often much better than the GM and GM2 sounds.
Of course I play well Midifiles. But only if I have the midi editing. In Part Setting "I replace the midi sounds with the instruments of KN 7000
For good midi sounds I look at the settings, such as DSP, reverb, multi, etc., then I make new creations of sounds with the KN 7000.

Never mind the sounds of midi files - I use midi files because they provide rhythms which I cannot emulate on the standard styles of the KN7000...such as Lady Gaga numbers. There that's got you thinking 'who's Lady Gaga' well she's a californian singer who is top of the hit parades at the moment.
Rog
p.s. If you load GM/GM2 as NX your midi file uses the Technics sounds...

[This message has been edited by RMepstead (edited 05-03-2009).]

Looks like the MIDI files have a lot of good possibilities if handled properly.

Next question--

Where are there some locations that I can get some good MIDI files to start on??

Thanks again.

Larry Gosmeyer

Hi Larry
Start with www.musicrobot.com and take it from there...that's a search engine for all midis on web sites throughout the world...
Rog

Wow! Guess I asked the right question here!

Frank and John C...Thank you so much for your words... Time for me to do some major exploring of the composer area of my 7K. I will look into finding out about midi files as well...

New questions: Why do so many of you want to sound like the original/popular productions? Why don't you want to bring forth your own unique expressions of the music you enjoy playing?

John C... Could that be Colin Leaney who lives in open country with his 7K at his side?

Hi ETWO - It's called meeting customer expectations...chuckle.

Bernie,
In the next few days I'll try to do an outline for making styles from MIDI files and post as a new subject. I'm a little slow, so give me some time.

Larry,
You play so beautifully, I'm not sure this will be of any value to you. But look at this "Old Time Music" site, you might find it interesting. http://rosemck1.tripod.com/jukebox-nostalgia.html Frank

It greatly depends on the audience ... many 'older' folks enjoy hearing a performer put his/her own interpretation to a song, while most 'younger' people NEED to have the song sound just like original ... IMHO, this 'NEED' is one of the factors that contributed to rise of DJs ... and the rise of DJs helped feed the NEED ...

Back 'in the day' when I had a band in New York City we COULD play any pop song in 'our own style' and the audience enjoyed it ... but that happens less and less with younger audiences ...

t.

I totally agree with many of the comments about 'customer expectations' - not just as far as the 'younger generation' are concerned!
As well as playing with jazz groups, I also do gigs on KN7000 with a Guitarist/Singer, performing songs from the 60s and 70s, for audiences who were of the 'younger generation' at that time and they expect to hear these songs sounding as they remember them - like the original!!
Most of these songs just don't sound right unless the 'backing' is a reasonably authentic representation of the original. To this end, I spent many hours listening to the accompaniments in these songs and then trying to create styles which produce a good representation of the original song backing.
From the comments we have received during our gigs, it would seem that the effort was certainly worthwhile.

TONY...

Your response answers my questions nicely...

Both my audiences and I are old people...I just would not have any gigs at all if I were playing for younger people...

Some years ago while visiting with my musical daughter, who plays only christian music, and her son who was playing "emo",
my grandson said he really did not like my music.... I told him the same thing. Two different worlds for sure....

FRANK... Thanks for the "Old Time Music" site.... I play all of those good old oldies. So much fun.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by etwo4788:
[B]Wow! Guess I asked the right question here!

Frank and John C...Thank you so much for your words... Time for me to do some major exploring of the composer area of my 7K. I will look into finding out about midi files as well...

New questions: Why do so many of you want to sound like the original/popular productions? Why don't you want to bring forth your own unique expressions of the music you enjoy playing?

John C... Could that be Colin Leaney who lives in open country with his 7K at his side?

Yes,yes,yes that's him, I love his music.

A word about midi files:
1-They are needed – I use them.
2-There is no shortage of midi files, there is a shortage of good ones.
3-I have used the VanBasco.com program both for playing and for the search engine on his site.
4-The Vanbasco program can reset tempo, volume and key on the spot – then it saves the changes the next time you call for the song.

5-Warning) I found that in my effort to put some midi files together I was spending more time on midi files than playing. I have collected hundreds of midi files and use a small handful.
6-(Warning) It is very comfortable playing with a background to a song leaving you with one job, to supply the melody. (For the most part) It is my opinion that your playing skills after a period of time will diminish.

My belief; ----Use all that there is available to you but love only your keyboard.

John C.

Wow!! This is an interesting topic looks like I will have to check this out also
Many thanks to everyone for the comments on this subject

Horses for courses I guess but...
Listen in on monday 11th May from 2.00pm to 3.00pm UK time here http://www.keyboardcapers.com/radio.asp
and hear the wonderful skills of Bill Norrie on his KN7000 playing many Abba hits.
It's just amazing what Bill can achieve using the sequencer and composer features of the KN7000.

JOHN C... I like your summation. There are so many options housed within the 7K. All the additional toys that are available like midi files, the Music Pad Pro, tweaking sounds, changing registrations, setting up programs, composing, sequencing, making CD's, etc. etc. etc.

All that can be done to suit your own and/or the taste/hear of others..... It all
really eats into the playing time, which for me is the ultimate fun whether I am playing for an audience or just for myself.

I agree completely..."...love only your keyboard."

HI John C
Am I right in thinking that in Vanbasco once you have altered say the tempo or the key of a midi you can only save that to the playlist within Vanbasco and not save it elsewhere on your hard disk or to a floppy disk?
Rog

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RMepstead:
[B]HI John C
Am I right in thinking that in Vanbasco once you have altered say the tempo or the key of a midi you can only save that to the playlist within Vanbasco and not save it elsewhere on your hard disk or to a floppy disk?
Rog

Roger, I recently asked the same question. Here are two answer/questions I copied, printing a playlist may be of some use.

Rog, If I find the answer to your question I will get back to you.

John C.

Question: How can I print a playlist?

Answer: You can import a playlist file (*.vpl) into a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel and print from there. Here's how it works in general. (Details my vary, depending on the particular product you're using. For definitive information, please consult the documentation of your spreadsheet program on how to import data from text files.)

Question: Can I print the words of a song using your player?

Answer: You can copy the words to the Windows clipboard by choosing "Copy" from the Karaoke Window's context menu (right-click inside the Karaoke Window to get to the context menu). Then you can paste the lyrics into an empty document in your word processor and print from there.

Roger, Window explorer
My computer / Local disk (C) / Program files / VanBasco program
You will find the playlists, what all the letters and numbers mean is another question.
I did change the settings in one song in the VanBasco window, in the playlist and found that the playlist in the VanBasco folder registered the changes. I changed the Volume to 62 and the Tempo to 63, they registered.

Is this the answer? Hmmmm, maybe, I feel it needs more research.

John C.

Due to the Topic Midi Songs I remembered a CD that was given to me some time ago now with over 7500+Karaoke songs and software (not into Karaoke) first time I looked at it yesterday
MIDI is all new to me but as an experiment did manage to rename the kar to mid file then transfer it on to a floppy fascinating to see the various instruments used and the sound was excellent. The only problem I found was when the music was playing back I could not seem to transpose it into the right key sig to match the sheet music I was playing from if that makes sense.

Is there a tutorial about how to use Midi files etc, with the KN7000 very little info in the “Getting the most from your KN7000”
Regards

To transpose a midi sequence :
1. Load the file to the sequencer and determine how many Semitones up or down, you wish to transpose.
2. Play the sequence through to determine the number of measures in the sequence file.Call this value 'N'
3. Press Program Menus > Sequencer > Range Edit > Transpose.
4. Set TRACK to ALL : FIRST MEASURE to 1 : LAST MEASURE to 'N' +1
5. Set TRANSPOSE to the number of Semitones Up or Down, as determined in step 1
6. Press OK and then YES.
7. Press EXIT once and then TRANSPOSE to return to the previous screen.
8. Set TRACK to 10 (Drum Track) and TRANSPOSE to the same number of Semitones as in step 5, but with the opposite sign - ie if you set TRANSPOSE to +2 in step 5, then Set it to -2 in this step.
9. Press OK and then YES.
10. Your file in the sequencer, has then been transposed to your desired key signature. You can save back to Disk or SD Card as desired.

Steps 7 through 9 are necessary to correct the DRUM track (usually Track 10 in a midi file) since this track will have been transposed during steps 3 - 6 and all the drum instruments will have been changed, which will make a total 'nonsense' of the drums, if not corrected

Thanks Bill will have to sit and study this one
Often wonder! you must sit for hours playing with your keyboard hope you have an understanding wife LOL

I have found the KN7000 sequencer quite superior and easy to add and subtract measures, add repeats, etc. I have several notation editors, but find myself doing a lot of this in the KN7000. It is so easy.

Bernie

Frank
Thank you for your offer of a style tutorial. However long it takes is fine. For those of you that don't know it, Frank is tops in this area, and has been for years.

Bernie

Bernie, I must agree with you, the KN7 has a good sequencer I miss it. I will be moving over to Sonar to work on the Sequences – it will be a good size learning curve. At my age I find I do not remember what I did the day before. (Grin)

Bill, is it possible to set your Bank memory #1 to transpose?
Go to the beginning of the Sequence ---
Transpose up or down –
Memorize the change in the bank memory,
and then Place that bank memory in the beginning of the Sequence.This is from my fading memory.

John C.

Hi John,
In answer to your question - it depends why you wish to transpose
If you just wish to change the 'pitch' of the keyboard, so that you can sing along with the entire MIDI sequence, (because the sequence does not match your vocal range) but not play the keyboard following 'the dots', then yes, your method will work fine.
However, our friend Casarosa implied that he wanted to play along with the MIDI file and using your method would not work in that scenario. Using the Transpose buttons on the KN7000 front panel, just shifts the actual 'pitch' of ALL the notes played on the keyboard, be they live or sequenced - it does not actually Transpose the sequence in the true sense of the word.

With no Transpose buttons active, if you press a 'C' on the keyboard, you will hear a true 'C' being played. Use the Transpose buttons to lift the 'pitch' by 2 semitones, press the 'C' key again and you will hear a note pitched at 'D' although you are still actually pressing the 'C' key. This is perfectly OK if you are just playing live and even following 'the dots' but will not work if you wish to play along with a sequence, which has been recorded in a different key, to your written part.

For instance, assume that you have a sequence which has been recorded in the key of 'D major' but your written part is in the key of 'C Major'. If you just use the Transpose buttons to shift the pitch of the KN7000 down by two semitones, this will certainly lower the PITCH of the sequence to 'C Major', but, when you try to play along with the sequence, following the written part (ie playing the notes in the key of 'C Major') the sequence and the parts you play, will still be two semitones apart, which won't sound too good

The only real solution to this particular problem is to truly Transpose the entire MIDI sequence as described above, to match the key of your written part, unless of course you are really clever and can transpose and play the written part on sight!! Now that IS clever

Bernie, I also agree with you - the editing facilities provided in the KN7000's Sequencer, Composer and Sound Editor are second to none. Trying to do operations, which are so easy in the KN7000, on say a Tyros - Non starter........

Hello,

I would like to thank the contribution of Bill (Transpose) with a more complete picture.

Review here: http://www.kn7000.net/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=450