User manual M-AUDIO KEYSTAT F

[. . . ] See the "Advanced MIDI Features in Edit Mode" section of this User Guide for instructions on how to change the MIDI transmission channel in order to control any M-Audio GM Module channel. KeyStudio 49i User Guide | 15 Using the M-Audio GM Module as a Plug-in M-Audio GM Module works as a plug-in with many applications such as Pro Tools (RTAS), Cubase (VST) as well as Logic and GarageBand (Audio Units) When running the GM Module software as a plug-in, your host application's MIDI input settings determine the MIDI information received by GM Module Some host applications can only address the first of the 16 channels when using GM Module as a plug-in Load multiple instances of the M-Audio GM Module in several tracks of the host application to overcome this limitation Some host applications allow a single instance of a plug-in to be used with multiple MIDI channels but require additional configuration steps to achieve this We recommend making these additional settings since this method of operation is far more CPU efficient when compared to the use of multiple instances of the plug-in within several tracks Consult your host application's documentation for details Global Settings The functions explained in this section affect all 16 channels of M-Audio GM Module Load/Save Clicking the area above the Load and Save buttons produces a drop-down list of any user-defined presets stored in the M-Audio GM Module default preset folder (General MIDI Module Patches) This folder can be found within the General MIDI Module Data folder defined during installation To load a preset from this location, select it from this drop-down menu To save a preset, click the Save button Saving your custom preset within the default preset folder will add it to the drop-down menu accessible by clicking in the area above the Load and Save buttons To load a preset stored in any other location than the default preset folder, click the Load button and then browse to the folder that holds the preset The number of presets that can be stored is virtually unlimited and only restricted by available hard drive space Fine Tune Click and hold the Fine Tune control, and drag up or down to fine-tune the pitch of all voices produced by M-Audio GM Module Transpose Click and hold the Transpose control, and drag up or down to change the pitch of all voices produced by the M-Audio GM module in half-note steps Select any value between -24 (2 Octaves down) and +24 (2 Octaves up) Master Volume Adjusts the volume of the entire M-Audio GM Module Click and hold the Master Volume control, and turn the dial clock-wise to increase the volume level KeyStudio 49i User Guide | 16 Channel Specific Settings The M-Audio GM Module has 16 individual channels that correspond to the 16 channels defined in the MIDI specification All 16 channels of GM Module can simultaneously produce sounds Each of these channels can be set to a different instrument and has its own Volume, Pan, Tone, Category/Instrument, Chorus, Reverb, Mute and Solo controls The displayed controls always only affect the selected channel Channels 1-16 To select a channel, click on its level meter located above the channel's number * The selected channel will appear with an outline around its level meter The set of controls to the right of the channel meter display will only affect the selected channel The General MIDI standard provides for 16 MIDI channels, 15 of them with the same set of 128 available instruments Channel 10 is an exception and plays a special role since this channel is always mapped to the General MIDI drum kit This assignment is fixed and cannot be changed *Important: Clicking the level meter of a channel selects that channel for editing and allows you to change its sound patch, reverb level, chorus level, volume, and pan settings. However, selecting a channel in the GM Module software does NOT mean that KeyStudio will trigger instruments on that channel. To do that, you need to change the MIDI transmission channel on the KeyStudio 49i hardware to the corresponding MIDI channel. Example: To play the GM drum kit located on channel 10 of GM Module, change the MIDI transmission channel on KeyStudio 49i to MIDI channel 10 (see chapter 16 for details). [. . . ] Example: To play the GM drum kit located on channel 10 of GM Module, change the MIDI transmission channel on KeyStudio 49i to MIDI channel 10 (see chapter 16 for details). To alter the drum kit's settings, click on level meter 10 in the GM Module software, then move the on-screen controls to alter parameters like reverb or chorus level, drum kit volume, etc. M (Mute) This is the GM channel mute for a selected channel The level meters of muted channels appear in a lighter shade of gray and will not show any meter activity ­ even if MIDI messages are received on this channel A muted channel does not output any sound S (Solo) This is the GM channel solo for a selected channel Soloing a channel will mute all other 15 channels of the M-Audio GM Module software Accordingly, all channels with exception of the Soloed channel will be displayed in a lighter shade of gray and will not show any meter activity ­ even if MIDI messages are received on these channels Only the Soloed channel will output sound while all other channels will remain silent Note: If the GM Module is set to program zero in standalone mode so the KeyStudio 49i piano sound is heard, pressing Solo on a different channel on the GM Module does not mute the KeyStudio 49i built-in piano sound. KeyStudio 49i User Guide Category | 17 The M-Audio GM Module arranges its sounds into the General MIDI standard categories Clicking this field produces a dropdown menu of all categories Appendix A shows a list of all available categories and the contained instruments Note: Although selecting a new Category changes the display of the Instrument control, it is necessary to select a sound from the Instrument control to load it. This is useful when using the GM Module software in live performance situations where it may be undesirable for the first sound in a category to immediately load. In such situations, it is usually preferred to have the previous sound loaded until you select the particular sound from within a category. Instrument Clicking this field produces a drop-down menu of all patches within a category for selection Appendix A shows a list of all available instruments and their categories Note: When using the mouse to change instruments on the GM Module software, the built-in piano sound and sounds from GM Module may play at the same time. This simultaneous playing of two sounds can be stopped by turning the KeyStudio 49i Local mode off. This silences the KeyStudio 49i built-in piano sound, and only allows sounds from GM Module to be heard. See the Local Key portion of the Advanced MIDI Features in Edit Mode section of this User Guide for more information on how to turn Local mode off. Chorus Applies a standard GM chorus to the selected channel Turn this dial clock-wise to increase- and counter clock-wise to decrease the amount of chorus applied to the selected channel / instrument Reverb Applies a standard GM reverb to the selected channel Turn this dial clock-wise to increase- and counter clock-wise to decrease the amount of Reverb applied to the selected channel / instrument Volume Sets the volume for the selected channel Turn this dial clock-wise to increase and counter clock-wise to decrease the volume of the selected channel / instrument Pan Controls the pan position for the selected channel If the dial is centered, equal amounts of signal will be sent to both, the left and the right side of the stereo panorama If the dial is moved clock-wise, the right side of the stereo panorama will increase in level while the left side of the panorama will decrease in level As a result, an instrument will appear as if positioned further to the right in the stereo panorama The opposite effect applies when turning this dial counter clock-wise Tone The tone control adjusts the brightness of the patch Turn this dial clock-wise for a brighter sound and counter clock-wise for a decrease in brightness KeyStudio 49i User Guide | 18 Getting Started with MIDI Music Creation Software 1 1 If you are new to MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), you may initially find it challenging to understand how KeyStudio interacts with the computer You will find that using a computer-based sound source and recording system allows for access to an extremely large array of high quality sounds, a large graphic user interface, and freedom to work with many music creation applications A basic understanding of MIDI will enable you to take advantage of its wealth of creative possibilities Pressing one of the keys of KeyStudio 49i causes the keyboard to send out MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data MIDI data gives instructions on how a sound should play These instructions dictate parameters such as what note to play, when to play it, how loud to play it, and which sound to use When using a virtual instrument within recording software, data from the KeyStudio keyboard can be sent to the sequencer software, routed to a virtual instrument that is loaded within that software, and sent to an audio output, turning MIDI data into audible sounds For this, you must configure your music software to read MIDI data being sent from KeyStudio and play the sound back accordingly In many music applications, this entails going into the Options, Preferences, or Device Set-Up menu in your music software application and selecting the appropriate MIDI input device In Windows XP and Windows Vista, the KeyStudio MIDI input will appear as "USB Audio Device" if the optional drivers have not been installed After installing these drivers, KeyStudio will appear as "M-Audio KeyStudio IO "* Please consult your software's documentation for instructions on how to configure the software for use with MIDI input devices Figure A: Sample MIDI device dialog window without optional KeyStudio drivers installed. Figure B: Sample MIDI device dialog window with optional KeyStudio drivers installed. *The actual KeyStudio name displayed by the computer may vary slightly depending on what recording software is being used. In Edit mode, when the Local key is pressed, the function is toggled and Edit mode is cancelled The keyboard then returns to Performance mode and the Edit Mode LED goes out At any time, pressing the Piano Reset button will restore this mode to Local On Switching the keyboard off and on will also restore this setting back to its default Local mode is often used to control a software synthesizer without layering the built-in piano sound on top of the software synthesizer's tone KeyStudio 49i User Guide Panic | 28 KeyStudio has been designed to make working with MIDI on your computer as simple as possible However, sometimes things can go wrong There is a useful "Panic" function on KeyStudio 49i to counter this If one or more of the loaded sound patches doesn't sound as expected, it may mean that a MIDI CC has applied an undesired effect or other type of sound modulation to that voice If you are unsure of which MIDI controller to adjust to eliminate the effect, you can send a Panic MIDI message to set all controller values to their defaults This feature sends "Reset All Controllers" and "All Notes OFF" messages on all MIDI channels This is very useful if you find there are sustaining notes that you cannot stop, or if you want to remove applied MIDI CC effects without having to figure out which CC is causing the effect to sound To send a Panic MIDI message: 1 Press the Edit Mode button 2 Press the black key above F2 (F# 2), representing "Panic " 3 Edit mode will exit, and there will no longer be any sustaining notes Wheel Assign Key It is possible to assign different MIDI controller numbers to the Modulation wheel These parameters are called MIDI continuous controllers There are 128 MIDI continuous controllers (0-127, counting from and including zero) plus an additional 4 proprietary M-Audio controller numbers for a total of 132 assignable controls and features KeyStudio accepts controller numbers 0-131 Numbers beyond 127 are a proprietary method M-Audio uses to simplify the transmission of certain, otherwise more complicated multi-part MIDI messages A full list of controller values is given at the back of this manual in Appendix C There are 132 (counting from and including zero to 131) MIDI continuous controllers (MIDI CC's) For these controller values to have any effect on the sound, the receiving software or device has to be able to read and respond to these MIDI controller messages Some useful MIDI CC's are: < 01 Modulation < 07 Volume < 10 Pan (balance) < 05 Portamento Time To assign a MIDI controller message to the Modulation wheel: 1 Press the Edit Mode button 2 Press the black key above F3 (F#3), representing "Wheel Assign " 3 Use the Numerical Data Entry keys G3 ­ B4 to enter the number of the MIDI controller you want to assign to the Modulation wheel 4 Press the Enter key (C5) 5 Move the Modulation wheel upwards to increase the value of the MIDI message sent If you make an error while entering the numerical data value, you can press the CANCEL key (C1) to exit Edit mode without changing the MIDI CC assigned to the Modulation wheel As an example, let's assign effect number 10 to the Modulation wheel This means the Modulation wheel will control Pan (or balance): 1 Press the Edit Mode button 2 Press the black key above C3 (C#3), representing "Wheel Assign " 3 Press A3 to enter "1 " 4 Press G3 to enter "0" so you have entered "10 " 5 Press C5 for "ENTER " KeyStudio 49i User Guide Knob Assign Key | 29 As with the Modulation wheel, the Piano Volume knob can also be assigned to any of 132 controllers (0-131) shown at the back of this manual in Appendix C To assign the Piano Volume knob to a certain MIDI parameter: 1 Press the Edit Mode button 2 Press the black key above A3 (A#3), representing "Knob Assign " 3 Use the Numerical Data Entry keys G3 ­ B4 to enter the number of the controller value you want to assign to the Volume slider 4 Press C5 for "ENTER " If you make an error while entering the numerical data value, you can press the CANCEL key (C1) to exit Edit mode without changing the MIDI CC assigned to the Volume slider NOTE: Each time the keyboard is turned off, optional MIDI parameters assigned to the Piano Volume Knob or Modulation wheel will be lost. Each time the keyboard is powered up, the Piano Volume knob will default to being assigned to controlling the volume of the built-in piano sound and the Modulation wheel will default to being assigned to modulation (MIDI CC 01). Pedal Assign Key Pressing this key in Edit mode (G#3) will let you change the MIDI CC assignment for the Sustain Pedal After this key is pressed, the data entry numbers can be used to enter a MIDI CC number Performance mode is not restored until you press the ENTER key or the CANCEL key If you press the ENTER key, the Sustain pedal becomes assigned to the MIDI CC number entered using the data entry keys If you press the CANCEL key, no change will occur, and Performance mode is restored The Sustain pedal can be assigned to send standard MIDI CC's up to 127 and extended custom messages from 128 to 131 The default for the Sustain pedal is sending MIDI Controller message 64 Default Key The Default key is used to selectively reset controller assignments and other numeric parameters To reset a specific controller assignment or numeric parameter, be sure you are in Edit mode Press the key for the parameter you would like to reset (Knob Assign, Pedal Assign, or Wheel Assign), and then press the Default key When the Default key is pressed, the parameter is reset to its default value, and Performance mode resumes NOTE: Each time the keyboard is turned off, optional MIDI parameters assigned to specific hardware controllers will be lost. Changing Reverb Depth The Modulation wheel and/or the Piano Volume knob can be re-assigned to control the depth of the built-in piano sound's reverb To do this: 1 Press the Edit Mode button 2 Press either the Wheel Assign (F#3) or Knob Assign (A#3) key 3 Press B4 to enter "9 " 4 Press A3 to enter "1" so you have entered "91 " 5 Press C5 for "ENTER " This setting can be undone by powering the unit off and back on, or by using the Default key as described in the next section *As can be seen in Appendix C, 91 is the standard MIDI controller number for reverb depth. KeyStudio 49i User Guide | 30 MIDI Messages In-Depth Program & Bank Changes 1 6 When the MIDI standard was first established, it enabled the user to access only 128 different sounds using program change messages (0-127) As MIDI devices grew to be more sophisticated and contain more sounds, bank change messages were included in an updated MIDI specification to allow for more than 128 sounds to be accessed The language MIDI uses to communicate between musical instruments only allows for program change commands 0-127, for a total of 128 possible programs (127 programs + program "0" = 128 programs total) Because of inherent limitations of the MIDI communication protocol, the number of directly accessible programs (using program change messages) cannot easily be expanded beyond 128 Thus, a system of banks, with 128 sounds in each, has been created that enables manufacturers to overcome the 128-sound MIDI limit 128 banks with 128 sounds in each bank is the basic principle used to expand the number of accessible sounds However, to avoid reaching the new limit of the resulting 16, 384 possible sounds (128 banks x 128 programs) accessible using a bank change combined with a program change, another layer of banks was added The result is a system of 128 banks that can contain 128 sub-banks in each of them, which, in turn, can contain 128 sounds (programs) within them Bank change messages are useful when calling up sounds from a large library that may exist in a particular sound module or software synthesizer For example, devices that are built according to Roland's GS specification or Yamaha's XG specification require you to specify a bank change in order to access the extra voices that these devices provide MIDI CC 0 is the bank select MSB (Most Significant Byte) message This MIDI message is 7-bit in size and can be used to select any of 128 banks This message can be used in conjunction with MIDI CC 32 which is bank select LSB (Least Significant Byte): a separate 7-bit message allowing additional selection of any of another 128 sub-banks The combination of Bank MSB and LSB messages gives a 14-bit message that can select any of a possible 16, 384 banks Each bank can in turn contain 128 possible sounds selected via a separate program change MIDI message This enables a user to theoretically recall over two million programs directly, using only MIDI commands However, most devices only use a few different banks, and you can often ignore the LSB message Bank MSB Bank LSB Program Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Bank LSB 0 Bank MSB 0 Bank LSB 1 Bank LSB 2 Bank LSB 127 Program 127 Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Program 127 Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Program 127 Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Bank LSB 0 Bank MSB 1 Bank LSB 1 Bank LSB 2 Bank LSB 127 Program 127 Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Program 127 Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Program 127 Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Bank LSB 0 Bank MSB 2 Bank LSB 1 Bank LSB 2 Bank MSB 127 Bank LSB 127 Program 127 Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Program 127 Program 0 Program 1 Program 2 Program 127 KeyStudio 49i User Guide | 31 You will find many MIDI devices respond to program change commands and many are organized according to the GM listing In General MIDI devices, different sounds are organized in the same way from device to device Piano sounds are in their particular place, string sounds are in their place, drum sounds are in their place, and so on All GM devices (both hardware and software sound modules) are clearly labeled as such, so you know that their sounds are organized in the General MIDI structure When a GM device receives a MIDI program change, it calls up a type of sound that you expect from the GM sound set All non-GM MIDI sound modules call up unique sounds from their memory upon receiving MIDI program changes Since the sounds in a non-GM device are not arranged in a particular order, you need to take a look at the device itself to see which sound you want and at which location in the memory it resides Many VST instruments such as Native Instruments' FM7 or the synth modules in Propellerhead Reason are non-GM devices You can send Program Change, Bank LSB and Bank MSB messages directly from the KeyStudio keyboard Please consult the "Advanced KeyStudio 49i Features in Edit Mode" section of this User Guide for further details NRPN/RPNs Non-registered parameter numbers (NRPN's) are device-specific messages that enable you to control synthesizers and sound modules via MIDI The MIDI specification defines open parameter numbers to allow manufacturers to specify their own controllers The more common of these are registered by the MIDI Manufacturer's Association and are now part of the MIDI specification (hence the term Registered Parameter Numbers ­ RPN's) (See Appendix C) Each NRPN/RPN has an associated 2-byte number The two bytes allow for 128 values each (An RPN or NRPN message is made up of two parts: the MSB and the LSB message Both of these messages together constitute an RPN or NRPN command ) This allows for 16, 384 values in total MIDI controllers 98 and 99 represent the NRPN LSB and MSB respectively, while 100 and 101 represent the RPN LSB and MSB messages (see the MIDI controllers list in Appendix C) To transmit an NRPN/RPN message, these LSB and MSB controller messages are sent along with their user-specified values A further controller message and value needs to be sent to specify the (coarse or fine) value adjustment This is specified by controller number 6 (data entry) for coarse adjustments or number 38 for fine adjustments A list of NRPN's is usually given in the user's manual of any device that receives NRPN messages It is always necessary that the NRPN MSB and LSB be sent together Both will be specified in the device's manual KeyStudio 49i User Guide | 32 Troubleshooting 17 KeyStudio 49i is a quality, versatile MIDI controller that has been tested under a wide variety of conditions In the event that you experience difficulty with your KeyStudio, this section covers some common issues and tips to help remedy problems Problem 1: My KeyStudio keyboard suddenly stopped working after having performed fine since installation. Solution 1: Close any music applications you are using, switch KeyStudio off, and restart your computer Once your computer has completely restarted, switch KeyStudio back on Problem 2: I have connected a sustain pedal to my M-Audio keyboard, but its function is reversed. Solution 2: The polarity of the sustain pedal is calculated by the keyboard when it is powered up On power up, the sustain pedal is assumed to be in the OFF position If you want the sustain pedal to be off when it is not pressed, make sure the pedal is not pressed when you power up Also check to see if there is a polarity switch on your foot pedal It is possible to use this switch to change foot pedal polarity as well Another way to intentionally reverse the sustain pedal's operation is to keep it pushed while powering on your KeyStudio keyboard Problem 3: When I press a key, or attempt to monitor my microphone or instrument input, there is a noticeable delay before I hear any sound. Solution 3: This delay is known as latency, and latency can be adjusted by changing the buffer size setting in your M-Audio Control Panel The goal is to set the buffer size as low as possible without experiencing artifacts in the audio Faster computers generally allow for smaller buffer size settings, and thus less latency You can also avoid this problem by using the Direct Monitor knob See the "Using Direct Monitoring" section in the "Audio Setup and Control" portion of this User Guide for more information on this Problem 4: I cannot locate the KeyStudio USB keyboard in my software's MIDI devices dialog box. Solution 4: KeyStudio requires a powered USB port Try plugging KeyStudio into a different USB port or powered USB hub connected to your computer Problem 5: I connected KeyStudio 49i to my Windows computer and noticed that a question mark appears in the Windows Device Manager under Other Devices > M-Audio DFU. Solution 5: Your new keyboard functions as a class-compliant device This means that upon connecting KeyStudio 49i to your computer, KeyStudio will function as expected without the need to install additional drivers Installing the KeyStudio 49i drivers extends the keyboard's functionality, allowing large SysEx transfers, and multi-client support M-Audio DFU (device firmware upgrade tool) is an additional component that is enabled when the KeyStudio 49i drivers are installed KeyStudio 49i User Guide | 33 Problem 6: My synthesizer always recalls the sound next to the program number that I have sent to it from KeyStudio. For example, if I send a program change with the number 40 (Violin), my software loads sound number 41 (Viola). [. . . ] Solution 4: KeyStudio requires a powered USB port Try plugging KeyStudio into a different USB port or powered USB hub connected to your computer Problem 5: I connected KeyStudio 49i to my Windows computer and noticed that a question mark appears in the Windows Device Manager under Other Devices > M-Audio DFU. Solution 5: Your new keyboard functions as a class-compliant device This means that upon connecting KeyStudio 49i to your computer, KeyStudio will function as expected without the need to install additional drivers Installing the KeyStudio 49i drivers extends the keyboard's functionality, allowing large SysEx transfers, and multi-client support M-Audio DFU (device firmware upgrade tool) is an additional component that is enabled when the KeyStudio 49i drivers are installed KeyStudio 49i User Guide | 33 Problem 6: My synthesizer always recalls the sound next to the program number that I have sent to it from KeyStudio. For example, if I send a program change with the number 40 (Violin), my software loads sound number 41 (Viola). Solution 6: Some General MIDI modules count their sound patches from 1 ­ 128 instead of 0-127 Both methods are common As a result, and depending on the sound module you use, there may be an offset of +/-1 between the sent program change number and the recalled sound patch Problem 7: No data is being transmitted out the MIDI Out port. [. . . ]