Music Lesson

Introduction to the Keytar

This is a charity shop find, an amazing piece with inbuilt sounds that, although plasticky and exceptionally cheap, showcases some Yamaha genius.

• It has a MIDI output, which is what makes it a really useful piece of equipment.
• There's also a pitch bend located at the top.

MIDI Connection

To connect:

1. Take a MIDI cable.
2. Connect the MIDI out from the keytar to the TC port.

Since Ableton, by default, accepts MIDI from all available ins, as soon as I plugged this in, it started receiving MIDI information.

• Important Note: The sounds are not coming from the keytar; they're coming from the Hades.

You'll notice on the Push overhead that you can see the notes being played.

• If I play more than one key simultaneously, I'm only getting one of the sounds.
• This is because this particular synth is monophonic; it can only play one sound at a time.

But that's fine, as it plays a very good sound!

Exploring the Pitch Wheel

The addition of the pitch wheel at the top is actually really cool, lots of fun to be had!

Currently, I have this connected via Live to the Hades without making adjustments to the Live set.

• It's an external instrument device receiving MIDI from the TC and sending that MIDI to the Hades, while bringing the audio back into the project.

MIDI Feedback and Control Assignments

I'm noticing that pressing buttons on the Ableton Live screen's top right corner causes lights to flash, indicating that MIDI information is being received.

If it's transmitting MIDI information, I should be able to assign these buttons to different parameters.

• Next Steps: Assign those to a couple of parameters within Live.

Back at the LIVE workstation, I'm pointing out again that pressing buttons on the keytar triggers MIDI messages:

1. I'll go into MIDI mapping mode.
2. I'll select the reverb for the external device track and press the first button.

• Result: Assigned MIDI channel one.

Next, I clicked on the delay button and hit the second button, which outputted on MIDI channel one, CC number 65.

• Observation: Control numbers can vary significantly between different devices, which is essential to understand.

Adding an Audio Effect

I'm going to add an instance of Ableton Live's amp after the external instrument device because it provides a satisfying effect.

• Adjustment: Turning the level down and trying a different style.

Now, I'm going back into MIDI mapping mode to assign the third button to toggle the amp on and off.

Momentary Buttons

These buttons seem to be momentary, meaning they're active while held down, but reset to zero when released.

• As I press the buttons on the keytar, the reverb send goes to full and then drops back to zero when I let go.
• The same applies for the delay send and amplifier power.

Experimenting with Sounds

Let's give this a little whirl:

• Pressing the first button gives a straight sound reminiscent of a particular Tiger track, "I got what you need, baby."
• The second button adds delay, and I can hold both down.
• Now, let's try a bit of distortion!

Conclusion

What a lot of fun! A very simple device with clever routing, nothing really rocket science.

I wonder if it would be possible to make this even more entertaining.