Kurzweil PC2 [63/170] Velocity switching

Programming Your PC2

The Setup Editor

4-19

Velocity Switching

You can use your keystrike velocity (how hard you play) to change sounds. This is how program

000 Stereo Grand works: there are actually three sets of samples, one for soft, one for medium,

and one for loud.

1. Create a two-zone setup. Assign program 22 Soft E Piano to Zone 1, and program

23 Hybrid E Piano to Zone 2. Make Zone 1 current if it isnÕt already.

2. Press Velocity. Press > four times to select the Max parameter. Set its value to 80. Note that

the Min value for Zone 1 is 1. This is good.

3. Make Zone 2 current. Press < to select the Min parameter. Set its value to 81. Note that the

Max value for Zone 2 is 127. This is also good.

The soft piano plays at velocities from 1 to 80, and the Hybrid piano plays from 81 to 127. This

gives you a nice thunk when you play hard. You can create three- and four-zone setups to switch

between even more sounds.

Velocity Layering

Another use for the velocity parameters is to add a layer instead of switching between layers. To

do this, have one layer play at velocities from 1 to 127, and another at velocities from 100 to 127.

For the higher-velocity layer, use a program with a percussive attack, and possibly bring its

entry volume down for a more subtle mix (you can use the entry- and exit- value approach we

discussed on page 4-14, or you can simply set the Entry Volume parameter for that layer to

something less than 127).

Switching Setups With a Pedal

This is great for performances, enabling you to switch setups while you hold the last chord of

the tune youÕre playing. For this example, youÕll need a switch pedal plugged into the Switch

Pedal 2 jack (any jack will do, but the Switch Pedal 1 jack is preset to provide sustain, which you

probably want to keep).

1. Create a setup with one or more zones.

2. Press and hold Controllers, and step on switch pedal 2 (the one connected to the Switch

Pedal 2 jack). This brings up the SwType (switch type) parameter for Switch Pedal 2 in

Zone 1. The default value of Toggle is OK. Make another zone current if you prefer; you

can use any zone.

3. Press > to select the On Ctrl parameter. Change the value to GoToSetup by pressing

1, 4, 1, Enter. This is one of several special functions outside the range of the 128 MIDI

Controller messages. DonÕt confuse it with MIDI Controller messages.

4. Press > to select the On Value parameter. Set its value to match the setup ID of the setup

you want to select.

5. Save! If you press Switch Pedal 2 before you save, youÕll change setups, and your edits

will get erased.

You can use a value of Setup Inc (1, 3, 9, Enter) for On Ctrl, and a value of 127 (MIDI On) for On

Value to step up to the next setup ID. If you do this for a string of consecutively-numbered

setups, you can cruise through them without taking your hands off the keys. You might also use