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Music technology 1

1. Investigating your electronic keyboard
2. Practical test on your porta-sound keyboard
3. Using the record function on the keyboard
4. A Glossary of music technology terms
5. More Technology terms
6. Using the Internet for further research
7. Using MIDI drum parts from the Internet
8. Using Wav files from the internet

1. Investigating your electronic keyboard

  Application

Imagine you are selling this keyboard and someone rings you on the telephone with a number of questions about the specification.  Be able to provide a verbal answer to the following questions describing its features including:

1. What is the make and model number of the keyboard?

2.  Is there an LCD display? What does it show?

3. Does the keyboard have touch response and can it be changed?

4. How many note polyphony is possible?

5.  Does the keyboard have a reverb?

6. How many different voices are there?

7. Does the keyboard have song recording facilities?

8. How many different styles are there?

9. What is the approximate cost when new ?

10. Does the keyboard have stereo sound or mono sound?

11. Does the keyboard have tweeters in the speaker system?

12. Describe the pre-programmed sample tunes are in the portable keyboard?

13. How many octaves are there on the keyboard?

14. Is the keyboard MIDI compatible?

15. What input and output sockets are available and what is their function?

16. Does the keyboard support General MIDI?

ACTIVITY

Write a short manual explaining the features of the keyboard to someone who might never have seen one. Include diagrams with labels to explain specific functions of the keyboard.

Then

1.      Do some further research into some of the specialist words used and create a glossary of terms. e.g. Look up 'Yamaha' ' General MIDI

2.      Find information on the Internet e.g.

2 Practical test

• using the voices and registrations on the porta-sound keyboard

• For each of the activities described below write down clear instructions  using the phrase given as the title.

Tick when complete:

3. Using the record function on the keyboard

"The ghost group member"

The performance of a new arrangement of a composition requires an extra member of the group. As there is no one available then one of the parts should be pre-recorded and should play back with the rest of the group performing 'live'.

If the keyboard does not have a record function then the extra 'ghost' performer could be an appropriate drum rhythm from the keyboard.

You could then go on and write down instructions for performance.  The instructions should include the automatic part and a good use of the musical vocabulary.

3 A Glossary of music technology terms

to help you with the investigation of your electronic keyboard

1.  The make and model number will be on the front of the keyboard. E.g. 'YAMAHA PSR 234'

2. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. The display could simply show the voice or style number selected, plus the tempo number selected. A more complex display could have words as well as numbers and show much more complicated

3. Touch response: When the key is pushed harder the note sounds louder.

4. Polyphony: The number of notes that will sound at the same time.

5.   Reverb. is short for reverberation. It can add to the quality of the sound.

6. Mono equipment provides one speaker whilst stereo has a two-channel system feeding left and right loudspeakers.

7. Tweeters are small speakers, which specialise in high sounds.

8. Sample tunes are found in most keyboards. They demonstrate the capabilities of the keyboard and cannot be changed.

9. An octave is a distance of 8 white notes.

10. MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. The socket looks like a five pin din: There are usually twos sockets. One should be labelled MIDI in and the other MIDI out. The MIDI connects to a MIDI compatible device such as another keyboard or computer

11. The sockets on the keyboard should be labelled. There is usually one for headphones.

12. A label should be found on the front of the keyboard if it has General Midi function. It means that the keyboard has a minimum level of compatibility when playing back GM format song files. For example those received over the Internet with the .mid file extension. (Just like a Word file has a .doc file extension.

ACTIVITY

4. More Technology terms

 Using the Internet for further research

It has already been suggested that you could use the Internet for further investigation. Some useful sites have already been suggested. However here is some further research.

Technical Research  

Above is a general graphical impression of the sound envelope of a piano note. Could you find a more detailed visual impression of a musical sound?

Try an encyclopaedia or the Internet. The magazine 'Sound on Sound' is a good place to start. It has a site on the Internet.

 http://www.sospubs.co.uk/index.htm

Listening Research

Listen to a MIDI file played by the sound card in your computer. The sound data is first input then stored and played through keyboard sound chips in your computer.

• How does the sound quality compare to 'real' instruments?

• A musician would have played the music into their computer via a keyboard. This person will have chosen the arrangement you hear. Find a composition you know in a MIDI file. Listen to it and decide how the performance compares with the real thing for quality and accuracy in performance?

Internet Research

Good places on the net to find MIDI files - Look at the links page under listening (go)

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