Kurzweil Clinic
BY DAVE WEISER
Dave Weiser isn’t just a senior software
engineer at Kurzweil. He’s a bona fide
vintage keyboards fanatic and a heck
of a player. We asked him for five things
that make him love his day job, and he
sent us these useful tips.
1. Intuitive Entry. All PC3 Series instruments
include this feature for assigning controls to
parameters, as do the legacy K series ’boards. On
any PC3, PC3LE, or PC3K, go to the DSPMOD
page. On the left column you will see settings for
parameters like pitch, filter frequency, resonance,
and so on. Move the cursor to the parameter
you’d like to control—let’s say filter cutoff. Now
move the cursor to the right column to “Source
1.” While holding the Enter button, simply move
the desired controller—the mod wheel or a slid-
er, for example, and it’s assigned.
2. Search. The Search function, found in all PC3
and K series boards, lets you to type in a word and
the keyboard will do its best to find a matching
object from the mode you’re in (Program, Setup,
etc.). Hold the Enter button and press “0” (zero)
on the keypad. This opens a dialogue where you
46 Keyboard 03.2012
can type in, say, “Jaco.” Hit Enter. You will be taken
immediately to program #110, “Jaco Fretless.” This
can be very handy for finding a type of sound, like
“Oboe” or “Flute,” in a large list of presets.
3. Set controls. This feature in all PC3 series in-
struments quickly captures the values of any re-
altime controls like knobs, sliders, and switches.
Select any program and hit Edit. Use the soft but-
tons at the bottom of the screen to page to the
right until you see the “CTLS” and SETCtl” tabs.
Now adjust the desired controllers and hit the
SETCtl soft button. Your settings are now part of
the current Program, which you should save.
4. Info and Reverse Info. On any PC3 series
instrument, while playing any program or setup, hit
the INFO soft button at the bottom of the screen
and you’ll see a list of all active controllers and the
parameters to which they’re assigned. Instead of
having permanent labels for controllers like “Chorus”
or “Filter Frequency,” assignments are custom-
ized—you’d probably never need “Distortion Drive”
control on a Clarinet. Reverse Info sends a message
any time a controller is used, listing the parameter
affected as well as a realtime value for its depth.
For example, on a typical synth lead sound, move
the mod wheel and you’ll get a message that reads,
“Vibrato Depth: 45” and the number will change as
you move the wheel. The PC3LE has Reverse Info
enabled by default. To enable it on a PC3 or PC3K,
go to the Master page, find the Display parameter
in the right column and select “Ctls.”
5. Easy Audition. Hit the Play button while in
Program mode and you’ll hear a short example of
how the current sound was meant to be played.
Okay, you probably don’t need to be told how to
play a Rhodes or Clav patch, but I find it help-
ful when auditioning drum kits, especially since
there are so many in the machine, and more on
the way in an upcoming ROM expansion.