Article on the VFX and SD1
2003-11-24 by ffort2@aol.com
Hi, group. Don't have a question, but just wanted to share an article that I had written several years ago for the Ensoniq User's Magazine called Transaniq Hacker. I was cleaning out some computer files and came across this, and thought it might be good to post. Copy this to your word processor and read at your leisure. Warmly yours, Frank Fortunato ___________________________________ SD1 Presets article from Transoniq Hacker THE SD1 AS CONTROLLER One of the great features that gives long shelf life to an old synth like the SD1 or VFX is its function as a great controller. While the synth is getting close to dinosaur age, and while current controllers can do much more than the SD1, it still has many excellent features not found even on the newest of the current crop of keyboards. To start with, there are still many very satisfied and happy campers out there who still enjoy the sonic richness of the SD1 sounds. Adding a module or two can add new life into any set up, and the SD1 more than meets the challenge of getting control of these additional modules or keyboards. The best introduction into the controlling features of the SD1 is to review its ease of use in handling multi-keyboard setups in preset mode. This beginner's article will look at the SD1 as a controller in live playing situations. For our purposes here we will use the SD1 controlling one external module (let's use a Korg X5DR) in preset mode. Later we can look at the controller features in sequencer mode. Remember that TS users will find the material here virtually synonymous for their synths. Ensoniq did a good thing in using similar technology to set up both presets and the onboard sequencer, and as a result both the presets and sequencer set ups are perhaps the quickest and easiest of any synths currently on the market. That feature was continued with other Ensoniq synths like the SQ series, but is not nearly as easy to use as the SD and TS series. PART ONE: SETTING UP AN EXTERNAL MODULE WITH THE SD1. 1) SELECTING A SOUND SELECTS IT TWICE: After making the obvious midi and audio connections of the SD1 and a second midi sound source, let's select a favorite SD1 piano or electric piano sound to start us down the path of a preset layer. Remember that selecting any sound in the SD1 selects it twice. Any selected internal sound also gets placed into the buffer as part of a preset as well. 2) STATUS: Go to the performance section and press the midi button. Page one is the midi status. Notice that your internal sound is placed in the preset as one of the three voices, and is selected as well. Double click on another of the three voices. That flashing layered sound continues to delight me and reminds me that Ensoniq came up with the easiest way to make layers on the planet!! Using the data entry scroll up and change the status from "both" to "local" to "midi" for your layered (flashing) voice. (Now let me pause for my one and only tangent. While the "both" status allows the SD1 to control both its internal as well as an external sound the feature has its limitations on the SD1. The "both" setting does not give you individual control of volume, transposition, and other joint parameters. What you do to one also affects the other. For instance, if the octave is incorrect on the module, you can change it with the transpose button in the preset, but it will also change the transposition of the internal setting. You can of course go in and change the voice architecture of the internal or external sound so that the octaves match. But that defeats the purpose of the preset function, namely, making quick layers and splits with various adjustments without having to change anything in the internal architecture of the internal or external sound. To get around this limitation most of the time I set the external sound on its own "midi" status. Tangent is ended!! 3) CHANNEL: Press the midi page again and you come to midi channel. Keep your midi channel set to channel one and be sure that your synth is also set to channel one. 4) PROGRAM: Pressing the midi page a third time brings you to midi program. Start scrolling up with your data entry. As you scroll up on the SD1 programs change as well on the external synth. Find a nice pad or string sound. 5) THE OTHER PARAMETERS: Now go through the other parameters of your preset performance setup, adjusting volume, transposition, etc. I find it so helpful that the SD1 can not only control the volume, octave and key range but even things like the release time of my favorite X5DR string patch. This would be a good place to store your preset but let's make one more setting that will give the SD1 some additional controller flexibility 6). MIDI VOLUME CONTROL: Go to the volume page (top left button) and select the volume for the layered (midi) voice. With the volume selected for the external module you can simulate a little two channel mixer feature in performance. Any time you move to the volume page you can now use the data slider and control the midi volume of the module. The master volume slider can control the Ensoniq internal voices so that you have two independent volume control sources. Obviously an outboard mixer gives a much simpler volume control, but it's nice to know you still have individual control of volumes right from the SD1 as well. 7). USE THE CV PEDAL: For the extra control of volume, the CV pedal is indispensable. When the CV pedal is in use as a volume pedal set it to "volume" on the system master page. The CV pedal controls both the internal and external volume equally, which is useful especially for fading out and fading in. 8. STORE THE VOICE: While we still have several other useful settings that we can make, let's store the preset at this point by depressing the preset button on the left and hold it down as you choose one of the ten storage locations. PART TWO: THOSE AMAZING PATCH SELECTS: The SD1 again moves into its own elite class having the patch select feature that gives instant real time control of up to four variations of each internal sound or preset. It is worth re-reading the manual on patch selects and how to alter and store the edited sounds with their patch selections. I have found fantastic surprises when auditioning the patch select variations. The potential of each sound was totally hidden to me until I took the time to see how they were programmed in their variations. For my purposes I always set the best variation for my taste to the left patch select. I'll explain that next. 1. USE THE DOUBLE PEDAL: For patch selecting in live performance it is always easier to use the dual pedal to access patch selects unless you are just playing with one hand. One of the great features of the TS is having two dual pedal connections. On the SD we have to settle for just one. I usually set FS1 to left patch select, and FS2 to sustain. These options are chosen in page one of the master section. It's for that reason that I always set the variation that is best for my use to the left patch select that I access with the left pedal. 2. TEST DRIVE THE PATCH SELECTS IN PRESET MODE: It is always worth an additional test drive of the patch selects in preset mode to see what that does when using a combination of sounds. If using my left patch select pedal I find the change is useable, nothing needs to be changed on the patch select section of performance. It is set to "live". If the change is not useful I set the patch select for each voice of my preset to "00" which disables any patch selecting. If you find that you like the results from the right patch select or both right and left select you can always make a second or third copy of the preset and store the preset with the variation settings. To store the left patch select, store it as "*0". The right patch select version can be stored as "0*" and the right-plus-left version is stored with the "**" selected. 3. DON'T OVERLOOK THE "HOLD" FEATURE: The special "Hold" parameter on the patch select page is simply awesome. Again, it puts the Ensoniq keyboards in a class all their own. By setting the patch select to HOLD, it holds in memory the patch select variation and allows you to keep playing as if that parameter were "held down". To return to the unaltered state depress the pedal or patch select button and release it before playing. In my work as a church musician I will often need to add a punchy brass sound to a piano patch for some upbeat worship times. I made a copy of my favorite SD1 brass sound and stored my copied version fully muted in the "live" setting. I "open up" the sound and access it with the left patch select. I then stored that sound in preset mode with one of my strong SD1 piano patches as well as with the hold feature selected. The sound is muted until I need to add extra punch to my piano sound. I merely depress the pedal and the sound is there and will play until I depress and release and mute the sound with the pedal. Here are the two simple rules for hold mode in patch select: A) TO ENGAGE THE HOLD FEATURE: depress the pedal (or patch select button) BEFORE PLAYING the keys. B) TO DISENGAGE THE HOLD FEATURE: depress AND RELEASE the pedal (or patch select button) BEFORE PLAYING the keys. PART THREE: USING THE BUFFER IN PERFORMANCE: Another amazing feature of the Ensoniq synths is the edit buffer. It can be very useful as a performance feature and not just an editing feature. Try this out: A. EDIT A PRESET: Make an alternate version of a sound or preset that you use regularly. That sound now resides in the edit buffer ready to be recalled at any point. You can have a change in the volume, key zone, whatever! One of my main presets is a combo of a piano and strings sound. Before a performance I will edit that preset by deselecting the string sound, leaving just my favorite piano sound in the edit buffer. B. TOGGLE BETWEEN PRESET AND BUFFER: Then when playing any preset I can press the same button that is lit and the keyboard moves to the sound stored in the buffer (my piano sound). To go back to a preset just press the button that recalls that preset. Repeated depressing of any preset toggles between the stored sound and whatever sound happens to be in the edit buffer. The keyboard even keeps the preset in the internal buffer in memory when you power down. As long as no other change has been made your preset in the buffer is intact. C: FINDING AND RESTORING A PREVIOUS PRESET: After playing the sound in the buffer over several minutes its easy to forget the last preset you used. In edit mode no preset is selected but Ensoniq makes it easy for us to return to the preset we last played before we went into the buffer zone. Simply press and hold the preset key (one of the four buttons on the left side. The preset that I last used, or the preset that I altered will flash while I depress the preset button. I can then release the preset button and select the button that was flashing) and I'm back home with the chosen preset. If you keep holding the preset key (on the left) when you select the preset (one of the ten) you will of course store the edited version and lose the original stored version. PART FOUR: TWO FINAL REMINDERS: Before signing off there are two little things to mention by way of reminders. 1. NAME THE PRESET BY STORING IT: We all welcomed the preset upgrades in the TS series, especially the feature that allowed us to store presets and name them similar to the way we name internal sounds. This feature of course is not available for the SD1 preset mode, so we need to memorize the locations of our presets. But there is one compromise that should not be neglected. Ensoniq developers did at least allow for the naming of single presets that we save to disk. So, one handy way to keep track of your presets is to also store them individually to disk with descriptive name for the preset. Loading that preset from the disk places it in the buffer and we always have access to it. 2. NAME THE PRESET BY MAKING IT A SEQUENCE: Finally, don't forget that any unused sequencer locations make ideal homes for presets, and we get to name them as well just as if we were naming a sequence. In fact it is just that-a sequence with no recorded data on the tracks. And as we all realize we can make monster presets by layering up to twelve sounds in sequencer mode. So don't be intimidated that you are still using an old keyboard like the SD1. You have a very powerful controller at your disposal, and controlling presets begins to unleash its usefulness. Frank Fortunato is the music director for Operation Mobilization Email: fort@... Tel. 770-486-8702 Frank Fortunato OM International Music Director Coordinator, Heart Sounds International PO Box 444, Tyrone, GA 30290 tel: 770-486-8702 www.worship-arts-network.com www.heart-sounds.org