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Octave up or down per Part

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Rod
 Rod
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I'm working on a 4-Part piano series (using Montage Presets) and have reached a point where I want to drop one of the Parts by one octave. So far I've only managed to drop all 4 Parts by one octave - I'm sure it's possible to drop just one Part - can anyone tell me how this is done, please? Thank you ...

 
Posted : 14/06/2017 7:02 pm
Rod
 Rod
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Rushed into print there before engaging brain - or Part Control in this case, then 'Select Part', then ';EDIT' - Part Settings - Pitch - Note Shift. ... sorry!

 
Posted : 14/06/2017 7:13 pm
Bad Mister
Posts: 12304
 

Awesome!

 
Posted : 15/06/2017 1:18 am
Rod
 Rod
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Hello BM - Tehe! I sure walked into that one! But I now have a problem I don't think Montage can solve. I have created a number of 4 Part pianos (all from Montage Pre-sets), and started on 'Cocktail' pianos (featured on Tyros), simply arrived at by note-shifting down one octave on one Part. Then I thought I'd introduce variations of each using the Scene buttons. Can't make it work. Scene 1 would be Part 1 at -12, the other 3 at 0. Scene 2 would be Part 2 at -12, Parts 1, 3, and 4 at 0. Scene 3 would be Parts 1 and 2 at 0, Part 3 at -12, and Part 4 at 0. Scene 4 would be Parts 1,2, and 3 at 0, Part 4 at -12. You're probably way ahead of me by now ... having stored Scene 1 as Part 1 at -12, it is necessary to return it to 0 before moving to Scene 2 (Part 2) and setting that to -12, but by storing Scene 2 (SHIFT + Scene button) I find that Scene 1 has changed to 0, and so on, so I end up with just Scene 4 at -12, the previous 3 all being at 0. In any case, when I 'STORE' the set I'd have the same result (or all at -12). So is there a way to step down an octave on each of the 4 Parts in turn, and Store it as 4 variations of the same PF? Or is it necessary to store each variation as a New Pf? Thanks and stay well ...

 
Posted : 15/06/2017 3:08 pm
Jason
Posts: 7911
Illustrious Member
 

Scenes do not store note shifts.

Scenes save super knob.

You can cause super knob to target pitch parameters and then use scene to change the super knob position (and affect pitch).

Scenes have a very limited set of parameters that can be saved - so it's not a Swiss army knife. Not a scalpel either. More like a survival knife (compass, jagged/saw edge, blade edge, place to put matches).

In addition/conjunction with pitch parameters (destinations for super knob) - super knob can also target insertion effects and there's a "Pitch" effect under the "Misc" category. This allows for +/-24 semitones. There's more than just pitch shifting one note - there's a lot more of other things - but you can use this effect as a means to pitch shift as well and have a full "wet" balance so only the pitch shifted version comes out. Also, only use one of the 2 "notes" (this is a Misc effect: "Pitch" concept - like an "octavia" pedal for guitar) if you can use only one note - or set them both to the same note-shift value with no delay or feedback.

 
Posted : 15/06/2017 4:40 pm
Bad Mister
Posts: 12304
 

Scenes are "snapshot" memory. Perhaps knowing the origin of this type of memory will help explain the types of things that it can remember... it is called snapshot memory because back in the day of analog multi-track tape. 16 tracks, by the way was standard for 2-inch tape found in recording studios. Because studio time was booked across several weeks or even months, it was not possible to keep the console and equipment settings unchanged.

There was no such thing as a "backup file", no automation existed yet... (pencils and paper ruled). The way you "memorized" your console settings was with grease pencil marks but often those would get erased... so along came the Polaroid SX70 Land Camera, the one that took picture on and spit out photographic paper covered in chemicals that developed "instantly" upon hitting the air (actually it took a couple of minutes unless you 'shook it like a Polaroid') right before your eyes.

These photo snapshots were kept in the box with your 2-inch tape, so the engineer could Reset the console and patchbay. Between the snapshots and track sheet, you reassembled the project.

Later, when automation developed, the concept of snapshot or Scene memory became apart of the lexicon. When Yamaha put out the first Digital mixing console with MIDI recall (1987), the Scene became the way to instantly send changes to your Mixer settings with standard Program Change-like messages. The KX88 Keyboard Controller would send a Program Change to both your TX816 FM Tone Generator and your DMP7 mixing console. The Program Change to the keyboard is well understood by us all, that same type of 'Program' message could recall mix settings on your digital console. Back in the day, your synth did not have Effects, or EQ or processing of any kind, those were all a function of the mixer.

Mainly, the Scene is parameters, but not parameters of the instrument but of the mixer. The instrument settings were separate from the Mixer settings.

Think of an actual band, an actual studio mixer. The guitar player's tuning is not apart of the Scene because it's not apart of the mixer parameters, but the guitar player's channel on the mixer (the mute status, or volume level or Send level to the reverb, etc.) those can be documented in a Scene.

Instrument parameters settings are stored together as a "Part" - think of it as the tone generator
The Mixer parameters are applied to the instrument.
I know it all takes place inside one box, so you tend to think - why not simply snapshot every parameter! But that is not how it's works. Understanding the instrument with its Insert Effects, as a separate entity from the Mixer parameters with its System and Master Effects .

The Scene will not remember Program Changes; if it is an electric or acoustic guitar, but will remember if it is muted or not, is set at volume 50 or 100, is panned left or hard right. Muting is function of the Mixer. Program selection is function of the tone generator.

Now, all that said, when the SCENE showed up in Yamaha synthesizers, it did so because Yamaha started to incorporate a true digital mixer inside the instrument -complete with Effects belonging to the instrument and Effects belonging to the Mixer. Because the digital mixer Scene acted very much like a Program Change (instigated by a MIDI event) they expanded the role of the Scene. It can capture, in addition to the typical mixer settings, certain synth settings. Those are specifically those offset parameters to the AEG, FEG, offsets to the Filter Cutoff, Resonance, ARP and Motion Sequence recall and "swing" offsets, and Super Knob position (which includes scores and scores of possibilities).

 
Posted : 15/06/2017 5:00 pm
Rod
 Rod
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Hello Jason and BM - I find your having lived through and been part of the epic 'science-fiction' changes in the music world from the '70s on, totally fascinating, BM! It explains your grasp of this stuff - and always with Yamaha, I gather? I see the difference between instrument settings and mixer settings, although I would have expected the Scene to capture everything, rather like your Polaroid camera. I will look at the Superknob workaround, Jason, to see if it's worth the bother given the peripheral result - when next on Montage, I'll have a shot at Pitch-bend instead of Note-shift ... I don't know if that would be captured or not. It is an instrument setting rather than a mixer setting, but you never know 'til you try it. Amazing how an apparently simple option suddenly runs very deep! Thank you both very much - got a few more ideas and a better understanding ...

 
Posted : 16/06/2017 4:01 pm
Jason
Posts: 7911
Illustrious Member
 

If scenes saved something closer to everything - then your assumptions of how to do what you wanted would have been mostly correct. The reference manual lists all the things - in fair detail - that are saved in scenes. There's a "Scene" section. It's 5 pages with pictures. You won't find note shift there for a reason - and you won't find lots of parameters. Get acquainted with what the feature will and will not do so you are better prepared to use this feature in the future.

Since you will see super knob position is saved - and super knob can control/set lots of the parameters NOT in scenes - you can use superknob as a way to indirectly set parameters using scenes you cannot directly save using scenes. This does "tie up" your superknob possibly as a "slave" to scenes. There's lots of previous discussion surrounding requests to expand what scenes save in previous posts. When there's a good thing - "we" typically want more of it. For now, try the indirect approach or possibly change your entire approach entirely - like using your performance with multiple PARTs that are at different octaves then mute/unmute the PART you want to be active (at some octave offset). Scenes can save mute or level - so that's another route that may make more sense to you.

The PART suggestion "burns" PARTs to do what you could accomplish with offsets and a single PART. But it may be easier to deal with or otherwise have some benefit to you over the superknob invoked offset approach.

 
Posted : 17/06/2017 8:01 am
Rod
 Rod
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Topic starter
 

Hello Jason - I'll look up the Reference Manual on this - 'Scenes' don't 'do' pitch-bend either, so I had decided to use the 'Mute' function and make the 4 Part pianos 8 Part instead.- so thanks for confirming that will work! Haven't tried it yet - got side-tracked onto something else which involved sweeping my entire User Bank into a Library so's I could dump another Library into a User Bank without getting unwieldy - I do find this Library business very clumsy, I'm afraid. Awkward too, in that I can't look into a Library on the USB to see what's in it before I load it. I know - pencil and paper - but I's spend my time writing things down instead of playing about ...

 
Posted : 17/06/2017 9:27 am
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