Chapter 12 Tutorial: Song Mode - Kurzweil PC3LE6 Musician's Manual

Chapter 12
Tutorial: Song Mode
In Song mode, you can use the PC3LE's sequencer to record songs using multiple instrument
sounds. You can easily change your song's tempo, fix mistakes, and adjust the volume of each
instrument.
The following guide includes instructions to choose specific instrument sounds and track
numbers, simply as examples. When you are ready to make your own song, follow the same
methods and choose any instrument and track selection that you want.
The steps below explain the simplest way to record, in a linear, track-by-track fashion. There are
many methods for recording songs, and there are recording options that you may wish to
change once you become familiar with the process. See the Song mode chapter for more options.
Recording Overview
In this guide you will be instructed to record into tracks in a song. A track is like a layer in a song
containing the recorded part for one instrument program. You can record up to 16 tracks, and
each can be separately edited or adjusted in volume level (with many other options available as
well).
About MIDI
In Song mode the PC3LE functions as a MIDI sequencer. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital
Interface) is a standardized system that allows different electronic instruments to work together,
among other musical uses. A MIDI sequencer doesn't record the sound of your performance,
just messages that cause the instrument to play notes. When you play back a song (a.k.a. a MIDI
sequence) in Song mode, the PC3LE triggers each of the notes that you have recorded, sort of like
a player piano. MIDI is very useful for recording songs with electronic instruments such as the
PC3LE, because you can easily make changes to recorded sequences. For example, you can
change individual notes, transpose parts, or change the instrumentation of tracks that have
already been recorded. Since MIDI sequences only play back messages that trigger notes, if you
start recording or playing back from the middle of your song, you will not hear the result of
notes before that point (such as notes sustaining from the previous bar.) In these cases, make
sure to start playback or recording before the notes that you want to hear.
About The Time Position Format
In this guide you will be instructed to select specific time positions in a song. In the PC3LE's
sequencer, time positions are measured from the beginning of the song in Bars, Beats, and Ticks.
Dependent on the time signature, these units of measurements can have different values. In
these examples we will be using a 4/4 time signature in which a Bar contains 4 beats, and a
beat contains 960 ticks (from 0 to 959, see below for more about ticks.) The Song mode MAIN
page displays song time in the Locat field as Bars and Beats, for example a Locat position of 1
: 3 would correspond to Bar 1, Beat 3. The Song mode Big Time page displays song time in large
numbers on the top half of the screen as Bars, Beats, and Ticks. For example a Big Time
position of 1 :3 :480 would correspond to Bar 1, Beat 3, Tick 480 (in 4/4 Tick 480 would be the
second eighth-note of the beat.)
Tutorial: Song Mode
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