The Logic Off Topic list

Thanks for all the comments from everybody.

I still 'might' get the Oxygen8, even after Sascha's comments. I already
have a Korg X5 (yea, I know....) and all I really want is a knob tweaker
thing I can play some bass notes or pads with while sitting in the driving
seat, so to speak.

Sascha, you said you were using an environment to exapnd the bend range of
the wheel on the Oxygen8 - maybe thats where the 'thinning' of data is
occuring?? You may need to add a section that will ramp between large data
jumps for you with a pre-defined slew rate. Maybe Hendrick or Len would help
you out here? If not, my apologies, just a stab in the dark..

Looks like I'll be getting an MT4 too, thanks for the tip Jeremy. Same
configuration as my old interface only better!

thanks again all!

p.s. has anybody read/used 'The Jazz Theory Book' by Mark Levine? Whats it
like? I'm a rank amateur with shoddy theory and I dont get to play as much
as I like. Having said that I really want to have a broad knowledge of
theory that I can draw on when writing, but that wont swamp any native
cunning I might have - any tips???

:)

In other words sort my life out for me :-D

Thanks again
--
Mark Lennox
Technical Consultant
ENDUSER
Suite 40
Guinness Enterprise Centre
Taylors Lane
Dublin 8
Ireland
Tel: +353 1 4100 665
Fax: +353 1 4100 985
web: http://www.enduser.com
--
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sascha Franck" <saschafranck@...>
To: <logic-ot@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2002 6:05 AM
Subject: Re: [L-OT] GEN Midiman Oxygen 8


> Martin, Jeremy wrote:
> > Did you have the Oxygen8 plugged in via USB only or USB + MIDI cables?
It
> > needs to be 'programmed' over USB right? What exactly were you doing to
> > cause the drivers to fail, just playing it (over USB or MIDI?) or trying
> to
> > program what CC's the knobs sent out etc (over USB only, right?)?
>
> A) I used it with USB, yes (that was the reason I have been using it
because
> there was not much space for additional MIDI interfaces). I didn't use any
> "programming" or whatsoever (actually I don't even think that's possible,
> all controller assignments can be done straight on the unit itself).
>
> > the PB wheel is a normal MIDI PB wheel so it sends out values up
> > to 128. I'm not sure what the choices are for the 'bendrange' but if you
> can
> > set it to send more than 128 values, since its only regular 7-bit MIDI
of
> > course there's going to be stepping if you have it sending values up to
> 1000
> > or something.
>
> See, I only care about what I hear, and there's some stepping happening
when
> doing large pitchbends on the Oxgen8.
> I didn't change any of its settings, btw, all I did was using an EXS patch
> with -24/+12 as its PB range and when I used the Oxygen there was massive
> stepping audible, especially when going from -24 to 0, when I used my SY85
> however there was no such stepping. Watching both data streams in Logic's
> monitor after that proved my ears right, there's less steps being
> transmitted from the Oxygen8.
>
> > Is your Oxygen8
> > still under warranty Sascha?
>
> Don't know, it wasn't mine, was a borrowed one (as all the stuff I've been
> using then).
>
> > And while it might be nice to have all those pots on it, they don't
> > make use of the 270\ufffd range they offer, but you loose a good amount
> > in the end and the beginning of the knob range, so the actually
> > usable amount is more like 180\ufffd or so.
>
> > Can you not turn the knobs the full 270\ufffd
>
> Yes you can, but...
>
> > or does it just not send out proper
> > data at the 'edges'?
>
> ... exactly that's what was happening.
>
> > That's a bit saddening to hear, but I was going to get
> > a Pocket Dial anyway:
>
> Hm, maybe then you should just look for another keyboard.
> I am thinking that the purposes for getting an Oxygen 8 were:
> - No need to buy/install a MIDI interface/port. If you however have a
port,
> even a single one only (which is what even the cheapest soundcards do,
using
> an adapter cable), there's no need for any sort of USB keyboard, you can
> just get any sort of used keyboard too - eventually saving some money and
> getting better quality.
> - Having a small, quick'n'dirty connectable thing for a portable solution,
> along with a laptop. I admit, for that a solution such as the Oxygen 8 and
a
> Pocketcontrol is not bad. Err... "would" not be bad it the Oxygen offered
> better hardware/driver quality.
>
> I wrote:
> >> With 2 octaves it's impossible to play any common chord voicings and
add
> >> a bass with your left hand - something I'm doing all the time.
>
> > From the limited time I've been using Logic so far, I've always had a
> > separate track for the bass, and due to the limitation of only
controlling
> 1
> > virtual instrument in real time I've always had to record bass
separately
> > anyway... I guess this would matter more if we could control multiple
> > virtual instruments at once, but as it is, I hardly ever will use the
same
> > instrument for chords as well as bass.
>
> I do exactly the same, but when trying out things it's certainly nice to
> select, say, a piano/epiano patch and hear the chords in all their full
> glory. I don't know whether I'm telling you the obvious, but many, many
> "standard" (or "popular", whatever) keyboard voicings just don't contain
any
> root note (such as a Cmaj7 being used in an Amin9 context) and to check
out
> things you may want to play the bass note with the used patch too. At
least
> that's what I do all the time when I start to work out chords, and most
> people I know do it the same or similar.
>
> > Were the crashes still as frequent? Again could you give me a little
more
> > info about what would cause it to crash, just -using- it or trying to
run
> > whatever program it comes with to configure it etc... ?
>
> As said, I have not seen any program on the Midiman CD coming with it and
> the drivers were just quitting after some more or less obvious actions,
such
> as selecting another octave range. There was simply no more MIDI input
> arriving in Logic.
>
> > I'm still planning on buying an Oxygen8 just because I need something
> that's
> > velocity sensitive for now, and the knobs would be somewhat nice (maybe,
> > after reading Sascha's comments) for a few weeks until I have a Pocket
> Dial
> > as well. From what I've seen other comparable MIDI keyboards are twice
as
> > much $$, so I still think I'm going to get an Oxygen8.
>
> I have been using a very cheap used Yamaha PSR series keyboard for quite
> some time, and while it didn't offer any knobs for additional tweakings,
the
> key quality was pretty much better than what you get from the Oxygen. The
> Oxygen keys actually feel better, but I didn't like the velocity response
at
> all.
>
> mikaeladle wrote:
> > Theres a control keyboard called Evolution MK 249c 4 octaves and 12
> > assignable knobs + mod and pitch are assignable as well. It is a usb
> > keyboard also, and I\ufffdve heard positive response about it from
> > different users. Might want to check it out.
>
> The Evolution models indeed seem to be better than the Oxygen - but I
> haven't tried them out by myself, so I won't comment on those any further.
>
> Jeremy:
> > What are "touch sensitive" keys though? "Touch sensitive" makes me think
> > that the keys don't actually move but just sense your fingers touching
> them,
> > though I don't think that's really the case.. Just wanted to make sure.
>
> I'm sure "touch sensitive" in this case just means that they offer
velocity
> response (pretty much an obvious thing).
>
> Regards,
> Sascha
>
>
>
>
>
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