PC88 in the Real World
10-2
PC
88
Up to Pitch Up, with a Scaling of 16%, and Wheel 1 Down to Pitch Down, with a Scaling of
100%. The pitchbend wheel will now ÒbendÓ strings in the up direction as far as a whole
step, and be a Òwhammy barÓ in the down direction, dropping down as low as an octave.
•
Use aftertouch (mono pressure) with a Cosine curve, a negative offset, and a high scaling
factor so you can bring in accenting voices Ñ like high strings or brass Ñ in some Zones,
but only by pushing on the keys really hard. Use aftertouch at the same time to control
vibrato on the main voice, and you can make the sound change radically with a little
Þnger action.
In the MIDI Composing Studio
The PC88 is the master controller for a vast array of synthesizers and signal processors, all
going through a central computer running sophisticated sequencing software through a
multiport interface.
•
Put the PC88 on its own MIDI In cable. Turn MIDI Receive On on all 16 channels, and turn
Local Control off. This will make the PC88 a slave to the computer, and anything you play
on the keyboard will be routed through the computer before you hear it.
•
If you have the VGM board, set some of the channels to Bank 1 (General MIDI), and some
to the Expansion Voices (Bank 2) to take advantage of all of the sounds the instrument has
to offer without having to go searching for them.
•
Most of the time, you only need to use one Zone: the computer will normally channelize
all of the MIDI data, so thereÕs no advantage in sending data on different channels. Assign
all of the physical controllers to different, useful MIDI Controllers, which will give you
maximum ßexibility when laying tracks.
•
If the sequencer will pass multiple MIDI channels, then use multiple Zones, either
splitting or layering them. Assign some of your physical controllers to MIDI signal
processors, so that they can adjust parameters like delay time or feedback, reverb decay
time, ßanging, Þltering, or pitch shift.
•
Set a Switch pedal to Stop and Continue the sequencer (donÕt set it to Start, or youÕll
always Þnd yourself back at the beginning) and the use the PC88Õs Internal clock, with
tempo assigned to a slider, to control the sequencerÕs tempo.
•
If you have synthesizers that do special things when they are in mono mode (for example,
Yamaha DX and TX-series synths let you do true legato, Oberheim Matrix synths put all the
voices in unison for a very fat sound, and Casio CZ synths go into a multi-channel, single-note
mode), then set up a button with Controller 126 (Mono On) as the On Controller (the value
doesnÕt matter, but it shouldnÕt be zero) and Controller 127 (Poly On) as the Off Controller, and
you can switch back and forth between mono and poly mode instantaneously.
In the Home
•
Use the Internal Voices for piano practice and for family sings. The keyboard feel is the
same as an acoustic piano Ñ your teacher should have no objection to you practicing on
the PC88. And you can practice any hour of the day or night with headphones.
•
Design thick Setups, with multiple processors and keyboard splits to impress your
friends, and pretend youÕre on stage at the Royal Albert Hall.
•
Put the PC88 in General MIDI mode, and play back GM Þles on ßoppy disk or CD-ROM
from your ÒmultimediaÓ computer. Hear what the Þles are
really
supposed to sound like
(as opposed to what they sound like with some two-bit sound card), and use a sequencer
to edit them, adding your own orchestrations and other personal touches. Get an
accompaniment program, which can play rhythm and background tracks while you solo
on top, changing from sax to trumpet to ßute to bagpipe with each chorus.
•
Play along with your favorite records. If theyÕre out of tune, adjust the pitch on the PC88
with the Tuning parameter.
•
Put on headphones, get the Arpeggiator going, and start fooling around. You could induce
an Alpha state before you know it. Above all, have fun!
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