Notes September 22, Recording User Styles on the G-800

Transcription

1 G-800 ÂØÒňΠSupplemental arranger Workstation Notes September 22, 1997 Recording User Styles on the G-800 The G-800 Arranger Workstation is one of the most innovative instruments offered by Roland. It incorporates an extensive range of preset styles and sounds that you can use to create music. The G-800 also allows you to create your own custom accompaniments, known as User Styles. This document covers the steps necessary to record a User Style. It is a supplement to the Owner s Manuals for the G-800. In order to take full advantage of the G-800, be sure to read the Owner s Manuals. A User Style is a collection of short sequences that you can select in realtime. A Style is made up of divisions (a total of 36 divisions per style). Some of these divisions are selected from the front panel - Intro, Ending, Basic, Original, Variation, Advanced, and Fills. Other divisions are selected on the basis of the chords you play on the keyboard- major, minor, and seventh. There are two ways to create a User Style. The first is to edit an existing Style. This requires that you copy some or all elements from a Preset to a User Style, then alter that Style to suit your particular needs. The second method is to create a User Style from scratch. In this document we will discuss how to setup the G-800 for recording a User Style. Next, we will examine the sound and effects settings for your User Style. Then, we will go through the process of recording a User Style from the G-800 as well as an external MIDI device. Next, we will discuss the steps for modifying an existing preset Style. Finally, we will save the User Style to disk so it will be available for future use. I. Basic User Style Setup Selecting the User Style Mode Use the following procedure to select the User Style mode: 1) From the Master page (in the Arranger mode), press [F4] UsrSt. This will activate the User Style mode. 2) Press [F1] Rec and use the PAGE UP button to select Page #1. Track - Selects the track to record (drums [ADR], bass [ABS], and accompaniment [AC1-AC6]). Type - Selects which aspect of the division you will record (B=Basic, A=Advanced). Style - Selects the User Style to record. FIG.1 Mode - Selects the specific pattern to record (M=Major, m=minor, and 7=seventh). Division - Selects the division to record (Or=Original), Va=Variation, Fo=Fill to Original, Fv=Fill to Variation, In=Intro, Ed=Ending). 3) Use the corresponding knobs to select the desired Track, Mode, Type, and Division (see FIG.1 above). TIP: A different pattern can be recorded for each chord type played on the keyboard (major, minor, seventh). If your accompaniment does not require specific changes in the pattern for each chord type, you will only need to record the major version of the part and set the Mode to M=m=7. If the Type is set to B=A, the pattern will be the same for the Basic and the Advanced pattern Roland Corporation U.S. Recording User Styles on the G-800 Page 1 of 5

2 Determining the Length of a Pattern Every pattern of each division must have a specified length which should be set up before recording begins. 1) Press [F2] Length, then use the UP/DOWN CURSOR buttons to select the length page for the division you wish to record. Track - Selects the track whose length you wish to set. Rotate the knob all the way clockwise to select all tracks. All - Selects all Style divisions. FIG.2 Select - Selects single patterns. Use F3 [Mark] to select multiple patterns in one pass. Bar - Sets the length in Bars CPT - Sets the length in clock beats (1/120 th of a beat) 2) Use the Drums/Part knob to select the track whose length you wish to set. In the G-800, different tracks can have different lengths. For example, an eight measure division may consist of a two measure drum loop (repeated four times), a four measure bass loop (repeated two times), and an eight measure piano part. The length of all the tracks in a division is equal to the length of the longest Part. 3) Use the Accomp/Group knob or the Upper/Variation knob to select the division you wish to set. If you want to set all parts to the same length, rotate the Upper/Variation knob fully clockwise to select ALL. 4) Use the Bass/Bank knob to set the desired pattern length. 5) Press the [M.Drums] Execute button to confirm the settings. 6) After this function is complete, press [F4] to return to User Style Page #1. Setting the Time Signature It is important to determine the time signature for your User Style and the appropriate divisions (the G-800 will default to 4/4 time). Use the following procedure to change the time signature: 1) Press [F3] Tsign, followed by [F2] Change. The G-800 provides several options for the time signature. Value - This parameter selects the desired time signature. Style - This selects the User Style location (1-8). FIG.3 Division - This sets the type and division the time signature will be applied to. 2) Use the corresponding knobs to select the desired Value, Division, and Style. TIP: To select the same time signature for all divisions, rotate the Accomp/Group and Bass/Bank knobs fully clockwise to select BSC/ADV and ALL respectively Roland Corporation U.S. Recording User Styles on the G-800 Page 2 of 5

3 Setting the Time Signature (continued) 3) Press the [Upper 1] Execute button to confirm the time signature settings. 4) After this function is complete, press [F4] to return to User Style Page #1. II. Sound and Effect Setup Now that we have chosen the basic setup for the User Style, we need to choose some sound settings for our individual tracks. 1) Use the PAGE UP/DOWN buttons to select Page #4. Expression - Sets the volume of the selected Track. Reverb - Sets the amount of reverb applied the selected Track. Tone - Selects one of the 689 Tones (or 25 Rhythm Sets if you are on the ADR track.) FIG.4 Panpot - Sets the placement (Left to Right) of the Track in the stereo field. Chorus - Sets the amount of chorus applied the selected Track. 2) Use the corresponding knobs to adjust the parameters as desired (see FIG.4 above). NOTE: The settings for the instruments and effects are automatically recorded at the beginning of each division. This allows you to select a different instrument or effect on the same Track for each division. III. Recording a User Style Recording Procedure Use the following procedure to begin recording: 1) Use the PAGE UP/DOWN buttons to select Page #2. Key - Selects the Key that you will be recording in. It is generally recommended that you record in the key of C. Mode - Selects the type of recording (Erase - recorded data will replace all data on the selected Track or Merge - recorded data will be added to the existing data on the selected Track). Value - Selects the Quantize value. The available settings are 1/8, 1/8t (eighth-note triplets), 1/16, 1/16t, 1/32, 1/32t, 1/64, and Off. FIG.5 Mode - Selects when the Metronome will sound (Record only, Play only, Rec. and Play, and Always.) Roll - Selects the value of the roll when a MDR (Manual Drums) drum roll is desired Roland Corporation U.S. Recording User Styles on the G-800 Page 3 of 5

4 Recording Procedure (continued) 2) Use the corresponding knobs to set the recording values as desired (see FIG.5 on the previous page). 3) Press PAGE UP to select Page #1 and use the TEMPO dial to select the desired tempo. New User Styles in the G-800 default to 120 beats per measure. 4) Press REC (in the recorder section) followed by PLAY to start the recording process. The metronome will give you a one-measure count-in before recording. The pattern will loop for the specified pattern length (see p.2). 5) Begin playing the keyboard. Press START/STOP to stop recording. Press START/STOP again to listen to your performance. 6) If you wish to record another instrument, use the Drum/Part knob to select the desired track and repeat steps 1-5. External MIDI Recording You can record from an external MIDI controller, drum machine, or sequencer in a similar manner. Select a Track in the G-800, match the MIDI channel for the part you wish to record, and follow the steps in the previous section to record your performance. Normally, the MIDI channels in the G-800 are set as follows: MIDI Channel G-800 Part 1 Accompaniment 1 2 A. Bass 3 Accompaniment 2 5 Accompaniment 3 7 Accompaniment 4 8 Accompaniment 5 9 Accompaniment 6 10 A Drums If you are using an external sequencer or drum machine, use the following procedure to set the G-800 to sync to external MIDI clock: 1) From the Master page, press [F3] MIDI. 2) Hold SHIFT and press [F4] Sync. 3) Use the PAGE UP and DOWN buttons to select the RX page. 4) Use the ACCOMP/GROUP knob to set Style Sync to MIDI. NOTE: Remember to change this setting back to INT when you are done using the external MIDI device. 5) Press [F5] EXIT. NOTE: Be aware that when the style ends, the G-800 will loop to the beginning and continue recording. You should not leave your drum machine or sequencer running through more than one repetition as this could result in double notes or other material being recorded on top of the original data. Erasing a Track Any Track within a Style can be erased. Use the following procedure to erase a Track: 1) Press F4 [Edit], then F1 [Erase]. 2) Use the PAGE UP/DOWN buttons to select Page #1. 3) Use the corresponding knobs to set the Track, Mode, Type, and Division parameters (see FIG.1 on p.1). 4) Press PAGE DOWN to select Page #2. 5) Use the corresponding knobs to set the To/From, Bar, Beat, CPT, and Data Type parameters (see FIG.2 on p.2). NOTE: The From and To parameters represent the beginning and ending points for the section to be erased and are designated in bars, beats, and clock pulses (CPT). The Data Type parameter allows you to select specific types of MIDI data to be erased. 6) Press PAGE DOWN to select Page #3. 7) Use the corresponding knobs to set the From Note, To Note, and Octave parameters (optional). 8) Press M. Drums [Execute] to erase the selected information Roland Corporation U.S. Recording User Styles on the G-800 Page 4 of 5

5 9) Press the Upper 1 button to return to the main record page. NOTE: You can get very specific when erasing information in the G-800. In addition to specifying the Track, Mode, Type, and Division, you can select a specific area (e.g. measure 2 beat 3 through measure 5 beat 2) to be erased. You can also use the Data Type parameter (Page #2 of the User Style edit screen) to specify what type of data you wish to erase (Notes, Pitch Bends, etc.). You can also designate a specific note range to be erased (Page #3 of the User Style edit screen). IV. Modifying a Preset Style In some cases, you may wish to make changes to an existing Style in the G-800. You can use the following procedure to copy a Preset Style to a User Style: 1) Press F5 [DISK]. 2) Press F1 [LOAD]. 3) Use the PAGE UP button to select the USR STL page. 4) Use the DRUMS/PART knob to set Source to INT. 5) Use the ACCOM/GROUP knob to select the desired Style to copy. 6) Use the LOWER/NUMBER knob to select the desired Division to copy. 7) Use the UPPER/VARIATION knob to select the desired User Style destination (1-8). 8) Press UPPER 1 [EXECUTE]. 9) Press F5 [EXIT]. You can now change the sounds on each track or modify the effects settings (see section II), use the editing tools to change parts, or re-record certain parts (see section III). After you are done modifying your new User Style, you must save it to disk (see section V). V. Saving a User Style to Disk Because a User Style cannot be saved into the Internal Memory, you will need to save it to a floppy disk before powering off the G-800. Use the following procedure to save a User Style to disk: 1) Insert a 3.5 inch floppy disk into the disk drive. If the disk is not formatted, press F1 [Format]. 2) Press F5 [Disk]. 3) Press F2 [Save]. 4) Use the PAGE UP button to select the USR STL page. 5) Use the DRUMS/PART knob to select the User Style (1-8) you wish to save to disk. The current User Style number is indicated in the upper right of the User Style Page #1 display. 6) Use the LOWER/NUMBER and UPPER/VARIATION knobs to name your User Style. 7) Press M.BASS [EXECUTE] to confirm your settings and save the data to disk. Recording a User Style on a G-800 is a little different than recording patterns on a conventional sequencer, and may require a some experimentation. However, the end result is a product that can be used in ways not possible with a conventional sequencer. We hope that this supplement has given you a better understanding of how User Styles are created, as well as some insight into the power and flexibility available in the G Roland Corporation U.S. Recording User Styles on the G-800 Page 5 of 5