| If the keyboard transposes, then the SGU's won't have to. A lot of
keyboards can transpose, even cheap ones.
Nothing wrong with playing in one key. It was good enough for Irving
Berlin, who only played in F#.
|
| re .1, I'm afraid I don't understand your reply - maybe I was unclear
in my original question. If I understand your reply, you're saying
that the module should see a D when I play a C with the key transposed
up a full tone. It doesn't, it plays the C and the CZ1 plays a D.
I'm concerned that if I buy this CZ1 and need to do transposing, I will
be forced to live with its limited sounds or have to manually do a key
transpose on any outboard sound module that I control using the CZ1,
OR, learn how to play in another 5 or so keys (ARRRGGHHHHH!).
So, is this situation a consequence of the module's inability to
do key transposing while the CZ1 is actually sending out key transposing
commands? Or, do outboard modules typically not understand key
transposition midi codes and require that they be programmed manually?
BTW, I need a translation for `SGU'. Also, thanks for the tip on Irving
Berlin - I'll definitely use it if anyone gives me any grief about
my singlemindedness.
Ron
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| SGU means sound generating unit.
There are no MIDI codes for transposition. When you set a keyboard to
transpose, what it *should* do is send the MIDI code for "D" when you
press the "C" (for example). The SGU receiving this command just plays
the "D", unaware that you pressed a C.
The two MIDI controllers I have both work this way.
|
| SGU - sound generating unit (for the nth time).
Are there actually MIDI "key transposing commands" or "key transposition
codes"? I don't recall seeing any, or seeing any reference to such
as interpreted MIDI messsages for any of the synths I own.
A typical MIDI keyboard synth has two parts - a keyboard (a MIDI controller)
and a set of SGUs. You can do transposition in either part. I.e.,
the keyboard can send different note numbers than those nominally
assigned to the keys (as in piano keys) played, and the SGU can
sound pitches different from those nominally assigned to the received
note numbers. The degree of flexibility available in a given unit
depends on the designers' whims. There are no standards that I'm
aware of.
As such, when you locally set up a transposition, there are no MIDI
messages that go out telling other units to transpose. It's a strictly
local phenomenon, done entriely within the synth.
On an integrated unit like the CZ-1, what an outboard unit does
will depend on how the CZ does transposition. If the transposition
(say up one step, from C to D) is done in the CZ's SGUs, then the
keyboard will still send a C when you play a C, and an outboard unit
that has not been "manually" transposed will play a C. (Sounds like
that's the case.) Note that an incoming C to the CZ will result in
the CZ sounding a D.
If the CZ transposes at the keyboard, then playing a C will send
a D, and outboard units (with no local transposition in effect) will
sound a D. The CZ will also sound a D, as that's what it's seeing
from the keyboard. Note, however, that if some other controller
sends the CZ a C, it will sound a C, as the CZ's SGUs are not
transposing.
The bottom line is if you want to do "global" transposition from
a keyboard, you need a synth that transposes at its *keyboard*,
not at its internal SGUs. My impression is that most integrated
keyboards do not work this way. I assume the designers' reasoning
is that users would be surprised by the lack of transposition when
the synth is driven from a sequencer.
A master keyboard controller (with no onboard SGUs) will more likely
provide keyboard transposition.
Does this help?
len.
|