...seems getting even more interesting now that it can be used to drive a wave to MIDI converter and so, play any MIDI controlled soundfont/ instrument, such as sax, flute, trumpet, violin, cello etc... or am I wrong here? Please correct me. Sadly this "Software Community" does not notify me if anyone posts so, please send me an email. Thx
Some time back, I bought that SD2 and I must really say that I fell in love with its sounds. It's almost impossible to get these sorts of quality sounds from INTERNET d/l sites. Apart from that I'm musically very demanding, for I know all too well what a great sound can/should sounds like and anything less is just not making me happy. Only now I discovered that if I get the right sound then this one will do me forever... or longer. Thus, the SD2 delivered quite a number of these hotly desired quality sounds. I always had a weakness for K. Wunderlich's Wersi and Tyros style sounds (even got a personal letter from the great organist).
Yet, living in an underdeveloped country, I learned to improvise my musical dreams with homemade gadgets: from Poland I bought a cheap keyboard encoder and so, build my own MIDI keyboard with cheap PC switches from an electronics surplus store. The thing I did with the Ketron SD2 was quite interesting, though. (A poor bugger's resolution!) I used SampleRobot to convert all interesting sounds to (truly) perfect Sf2 soundfonts and then sold the SD2 again (!) ...of course at a lower price. The difference was the price I had to pay to get my hands onto these great sounds (at least, that's how I justified it to my wife... Grin) Jeez, I wished there would be a way of swapping great Wersi/Tyros. I would be happy to enjoy them just as SF2, for I'm not too keen on articulations.
Also, I earned myself a copy of Live-Styler.de accompaniment, by translating their user manual. Hence that, together with SD2 sounds gets me pretty near the "real Mc Coy". That's certainly one way of getting there cheaply, isn't it? Maybe I should do the same with some other sound modules? Would you have an idea what other modules I should aim at? The seemingly only drawback with SF2 is that it cannot create articulation switches, but SD2 didn't have much of it it either and still sounds convincingly realistic. Besides, I don't believe that the lateral noises and imperfections are really necessary to emulate a known instrument. I prefer the best of tonal quality an instrument is capable to produce and am less keen on its side effects.
Far more important is how effectively volume and tremolo variations are applied. Accordion players (for instance) apply volume and tremolo variations very effectively with the bellow; unlike keyboard players, i.e. wished there would be a similarly effective way for keyboard players. Touch sensitivity and/or after-touch isn't quite the same. For instance, when I whistle to music (Hear me blowing up here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQpI6RsPo8k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNoG4-vowBM ), I apply various tremolo and dynamic variations very efficiently. Actually, that alone already introduces rich emotional creative values (the soul) into the music. Of course an interesting sounding instrument enhances the overall performance considerably and lends realism. On the other hand, poor dynamic variations merely enhance the "robotics" of a melody. I'm as well toying around with the idea of "equalizing" the traditional ("zebra") piano Kbd, in the way Paul von Jankó (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janko_keyboard) has done, but basically sticking to the piano Kbd pattern of today's pianos. I cannot see why it is not possible to equalize all keys in size and heights!! I plan to go even a step further by implementing longish, hexagonal button keys. That allows adding 2 Kbds in parallel in the same space of a normal piano Kbd. Jankó's idea was to equalize the Kbd and so, my idea is getting pretty close to Jankó's.
-> An (in size and heights) equalized Kbd allows me to learn only one pattern in Maj and one in Min (for right & left hand) in order to play all 24 Maj & Min scales, whereas the grossly irregular, traditional "zebra" piano Kbd requires us to learn 48 different fingering patterns (for both hands)!!!
Greetings, from Joh enjoying musical creativity in a little town down-under in the Chilean Andes... Email: jdrinda@hotmail.com
