This tip explains how to load multiple songs into the KN5000 10-Song Sequencer, change song positions and save individual songs from the Sequencer to floppy disk. The process is quite short and easy to use. I give an explanation in some depth because I prefer my readers to have the opportunity to share some background information, if they wish to use it, rather than just receiving the list of buttons to press.
Any KN5000 Sequencer file is capable of holding the sequences and the settings data for up to 10 songs. When we use a normal LOAD for a song or a sequencer file we copy the sequence from our file into the keyboard starting at the beginning of the Sequencer area. Any songs already in the Sequencer will be overwritten. If the file we load contains 10 songs then 10 songs will be present. We can create additional songs in the Sequencer by selecting one of the 10 song numbers when we make a recording. But as most of us record and save songs individually our sequencer files usually contain only one song.
We must use a special load feature to add a song into the free space beyond the end of any sequence already loaded into the keyboard. That feature uses the next free space by appending songs, keeps a "directory" of where the songs are placed and gives us an index from which to select one to play.
But somehow the keyboard does not seem to provide a feature to add further sequences directly from normally saved songs. In this workaround we will load and resave songs in an alternative way, one which the sequencer can then read and append.
This tip uses only features available in normal menus -Sequencer Song Save and Single Load. The significance of these menus has received little attention in the user documentation.
When an individual song is recorded and saved, several different files are written to the floppy disk. These files contain details about the sequence itself (the notes we played), the instrument settings, the contents of Composer and Sound memories and other keyboard settings. Each type of file holds its own special type of information. This method of saving, using many small special files for each song, was laid down for early Technics keyboards and that principle continues.
The KN5000 has been given the ability to hold up to ten songs in its internal sequencer. Now if these sequences were to be manipulated in the usual way each song sequence would need five more files to be stored alongside it in the KN5000. That would demand considerable memory space for what could amount to another 50 files, so an alternative solution was devised.
A new file was introduced to cater for multiple sequences. It can combine song sequence with all the important information about the keyboard settings for each song. The file is known as the SQT file. This type of file is not relevant to earlier keyboards.
The key to manipulating songs in the 10-Song Sequencer is an understanding of how to create and move SQT files.
The three main steps are to create some single song SQT files, load them into the sequencer to produce a stack of up to 10 songs, then finally save the whole set so it can be restored in the future with one simple load.
Our first step is to produce SQT files. In this process we load a complete song in the usual way, give a command to store any changes to keyboard settings in the sequencer area and then save the resulting output as an SQT file.
I recommend using a disk that contains no more than 10 songs and thus uses no more that 10 of the possible 20 song positions available on a disk. We will use the 10 empty song positions to hold our SQT files.
IMPORTANT: As the process will involve writing to disk please make a copy of your song disk to use for this work. Do not use your original which should be kept safe with the write protect tab open (i.e. so you can see light through the square).
1. LOAD a complete song.
[Note for advanced users:
At this time you have the option to make final changes to the keyboard settings such as voices, (but not tempo), rhythm and whether or not the Synch and START buttons are ON. These settings will be applied when the song is selected and when the "Sequencer Reset" button is pressed for that song].
2. Press SEQUENCER MENU.
3. Press PANEL WRITE.
4. Press OK.
5. The message "Completed" appears briefly. Use the EXIT button twice.
6. Press DISK, SAVE, TECH FORMAT.
7. Turn the wheel to find an empty position.
8. Press PAGE, go to Page 3, select (highlight) song #1, the top line.
9. Press SAVE then EXIT twice.
The SQT file for the first song is now on disk. Repeat steps 1-9 of this process for each song you wish to add.
Note that step 8 always uses song #1.
You now have a disk that contains your original songs together with their individual SQT versions.
This section considers how to load SQT files into the Sequencer.
Please note that this process uses a different type of LOAD and SAVE from the normal version. Take care not to perform a normal song load operation while you are stacking the Sequencer. Doing so would clear the Sequencer because your song sequence would be loaded in its place.
1. Press DISK.
2. Press the LOAD option on the screen.
3. Choose (highlight) one of the SQT song files. Notice that only the word "Sequencer" appears in the file window for these.
4. Press Page, go to Page 3.
5. Press the SONG button (bottom right of screen) and select a free song position number. (Note: a free song position has a complete row of 16 dashes. A used position has six dashes or a name if you provided one).
6. Press LOAD (top right of screen).
7. Press EXIT.
Repeat steps 1-7 of this process for each song you wish to add.
Now is a good time to save all this work. Perform a normal SAVE as a complete song. Perhaps call it GRP01 so that you remember that it contains a group of your songs.
To replay a song:
1. Load a sequencer group file, e.g. the GRP01 we made above, if one is not already loaded.
1. Press the Sequencer PLAY button.
2. Press the SONG button in the top right corner of the screen to expand it to Song Up and Song Down and select a song.
4. Press the START button to play the song in the usual way.
This feature gives you near instantaneous loading of any of the songs in your group.
Alternatively you can use the Medley feature to play all or selected songs one after the other in an order that you can select.
To extract one of the songs in a Sequencer stack use:
1. Press DISK.
2. Press the SAVE option on the screen.
3. Press the TECH FORMAT option on the screen.
4. Turn the wheel to select (highlight) a free song position on the floppy disk.
5. Press PAGE, go to Page 3.
6. Press the SONG button (bottom right of screen), select the song.
7. Press the SAVE option on the screen.
This process is essentially the same as we use for creating SQT files in an the earlier section but here we now have a choice of songs in step 6.
The SQT files in a Sequencer group can be moved to and from floppy disk as described elsewhere in this document. Individual SQT files in the sequencer can also be copied to other positions in the sequencer or deleted using keyboard commands as follows:
1. Press Sequencer MENU.
2. Press the CREATE screen option.
3. Press the SONG/TRACK COPY screen option
4. Set the track to "ALL" (options are 1-16 and ALL)
5. Select the song position to copy from and to.
6. Select OK
After a song has been copied the version in the original position can be cleared. To do so follow steps 1-2 then for step 3 select SONG CLEAR and use the button at the bottom of the screen to select the song number to clear.
Although not mentioned before in these instructions it is good practice to give names to the songs in the Sequencer so that they can easily be located in future. Names can be added as follows:
1. Press Sequencer MENU.
2. Press the CREATE screen option.
3. Press the SONG SELECT/NAMING screen option.
4. Select (highlight) a song position.
5. Press the NAMING screen option.
Name the file in the usual way. When all naming is complete resave the whole sequencer group as before.
Selecting different songs in the 10-Song Sequencer will not change the contents of the Composer and Sound memories. This is not a problem if you use the normal set of styles and voices that are built in to the keyboard. But if your songs use Composer or Sound memories you are limited to the contents of one set of these memories and you will hear whatever was loaded into them the last time they were changed.
The simplest workaround is to choose one set of Composers and Sounds memories for your group of songs and load only songs that use either the normal built-in styles and voices or those from your particular set of memories.
To change the contents of Composer and Sound memories that were stored when you saved a group of songs, first load your group file then load the Composer and/or Sound memories from a disk that contains your selection. Use DISK, LOAD, highlight the appropriate song then on Page 2 select with "YES" only the Composer and/or Sound parts (set all Panels, Composer and MSP to "NO") then press LOAD. Save the group again as a complete song. It will contain your preferred set of Composer and Sound memories.
Alternatively several different Composer patterns could be transferred to CUSTOM. If you use that method the song must be told to use the appropriate Custom memory location instead of a Composer memory by selecting a Custom Rhythm on the keyboard immediately after step 1 in "How to Convert Songs to SQT Files" above.
Naturally when you play the song in future you must have your own version of CUSTOM loaded for this to work. A complete set of Custom memories is saved as an RCM file. You may need to use a separate disk to back up CUSTOM memory because this is a very large file, typically occupying more than half of a high density disk.
The maximum number of songs that can be stacked in the Sequencer is 10 but there is also a separate limit to the total amount of space available to hold all the songs in the Sequencer. That limit equates to approximately 40,000 notes. It is therefore possible for the Sequencer to become full with fewer than 10 songs loaded if some are particularly busy or long.
Version 1.3 dated 21st October 1999.
Version 1.2 uploaded 20/11/99
Version 1.1 uploaded 19/11/99
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This Page Last Updated 21st October 1999
Photos and Text Copyright 1999 John Shute