Chapter 12 Song Mode And The Song Editor; Getting Started With The Sequencer; What Is A Sequencer; A Word About The Local Keyboard Channel - Kurzweil K2661 Musician's Manual

Chapter 12
Song Mode and the Song Editor

Getting Started with the Sequencer

The K2661's sequencer is a powerful and versatile tool for songwriters, composers, and anyone
else who wants to record and play back songs. As with any tool, however, it's best to start with
the basics. This section begins with a tutorial where you will record a song, then shows some of
the mixing capabilities of the sequencer. If you are familiar with other sequencers, you will have
no problem using Song mode in the K2661. Read through this section, however, to learn about
the features that make the K2661's sequencer unique.

What is a Sequencer?

A sequencer is similar in some ways to a multi-track tape recorder: you can record and play back
all sorts of music and sounds, layer sounds on top of other sounds, and change or manipulate
things that you've previously recorded. Unlike a tape recorder, however, you do not actually
record sounds with a sequencer. Rather, you are recording commands that cause sounds to be
played. Nonetheless, we will sometimes explain sequencer features by drawing analogies to
familiar tape recording techniques such as splicing and overdubbing.
There are several advantages to recording a song by sequencing. For one thing, sequencer
commands take up much less disk space than digitally recorded music would, so you can get a
lot of information (that is, music) on a single disk. Furthermore, you can easily make changes to
your sequences. For example, you can change individual notes, transpose parts, or change
instrumentation. Lastly, you can share the sequences you create with other musicians.

A Word about the Local Keyboard Channel

Before you being sequencing, we'd like to remind you about the Local Keyboard Channel
parameter on the MIDI-mode RECEIVE page (described on page 10-7). Local Keyboard Channel
is especially important whenever the K2661 is going to receive MIDI information from an
external source, since this enables you to record on different tracks without constantly switching
transmit channels on your controller.
• Set the Local Keyboard Channel on the MIDI-mode RECEIVE page to a specific
channel (1–16).
• Set your MIDI controller (keyboard, percussion controller, etc.) to transmit on the same
channel.
Performing the above two steps means that you'll be able to hear the individual channels (each
of which is assigned by default to a separate recording track) as you scroll through the different
recording tracks in the K2661's Song mode. Local Keyboard Channel performs a rechannelizing
function that makes this happen.
Song Mode and the Song Editor
Getting Started with the Sequencer
12-1