Song Play Operating Mode; Midi Clock; Tempo Lock; Master Volume, Balance - Korg PA600 Reference Manual

Song Play operating mode

The Song Play operating mode is where you can listen to Songs.
Songs can be in Standard MIDI File, Karaoke™ or MP3 format.
The MID+G and MP3+G formats are also supported.
You can play along with the Song with up to four Keyboard
tracks (Upper 1-3, Lower) and four Pads. You can select different
Sounds and Effects for Keyboard tracks by selecting Perfor-
mances and STSs.
While in Song Play mode, you can use the SongBook to auto-
matically select Songs for a desired music genre. With each Song
entry in the SongBook, up to four STSs are also selected.
Song Play mode can also be used in Easy Mode.

MIDI Clock

In Song Play mode the MIDI Clock is always generated by the
internal player, even if the Clock parameter is set to MIDI or
USB mode in the Global > MIDI > Setup/General Controls page
(see "Clock Source" on page 150). While in this mode, Pa600
cannot receive MIDI Clock messages from the MIDI IN.
For MIDI Clock messages to be sent, the "Clock Send" parame-
ter must be activated in the Global > MIDI > Setup/General
Controls page (see "Clock Send" on page 149).

Tempo Lock

If you don't want the Tempo to change when selecting a new
Song, turn on the Tempo Lock function by using the TEMPO
LOCK buttons on the control panel. When the LED of this but-
ton is turned on, you can still manually change the Tempo with
the TEMPO +/– buttons, or by touching the Tempo field and
using the VALUE DIAL. As an alternative, you can keep the
SHIFT button pressed and use the VALUE DIAL to change the
Tempo.

Master Volume, Balance

While the MASTER VOLUME knob controls the general vol-
ume of the instrument, you can use the BALANCE knob to bal-
ance the Song and Pad tracks against the Keyboard tracks.
Overall instrument's
volume
Balance of Songs and Pads
against the Keyboard tracks
Song Play operating mode

Track parameters

Changes to Keyboard tracks can be saved to a Performance. You
can then recall different settings by just selecting a single Perfor-
mance.
Settings for Song tracks, like Pan, Volume and FX Sends, depend
on each individual Standard MIDI File. Changes to Song tracks
made in Song Play mode cannot be saved to a Standard MIDI
File, and are only intended for realtime control.
To make permanent changes Song tracks, edit and save the Stan-
dard MIDI File in Sequencer mode.

Standard MIDI Files and Sounds

The native Song file format of Pa600 is the Standard MIDI File
(SMF), an universal standard set by all manufacturers. Filename
extension is .MID, but Pa600 can also read files with the .KAR
extension. You can read these files with any musical instrument
or computer.
Even if the Standard MIDI File format is standard, differences
may appear in sounds when playing the various files. If you
recorded a Song on the Pa600 in Sequencer mode using only
General MIDI sounds (i.e., those of the "GM" type), you can be
confident you can play the same Song on virtually any other
musical instrument or computer. If you used Korg native
sounds, you may not find the same sounds on instruments from
other manufacturers.
When you read Standard MIDI Files in Song Play mode, there is
no problem reading files made using only General MIDI sounds.
Sounds could be different when playing a Song made on a differ-
ent instrument: despite the wide compatibility of Pa600 with
other standards (like GS or XG), differences may arise.
Should this happen, load the Standard MIDI File in Sequencer
mode, then manually reassign the non-matching Sounds, replac-
ing them with similar Sounds on the Pa600. Finally, save the
Standard MIDI File again, and you will be able to play it in Song
Play mode with the correct Sounds.
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MIDI Clock