MULTI PADS

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MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 20 Jul 2021 18:15

MULTI PADS

MULTI PADS contain phrases of music that you can bring into what you are playing as and when required. The MULTI PADS are accessed from the bottom left hand corner of the screen. You can also control the Volume of the Multipads from the BALANCE. In this example the volume is set at 90.

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Press the MULTIPAD button and you are launched into the PRESET pages.

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There are 17 pages of 'Default' Multipads. Some are just drum rhythms.

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As an example of one of them, I have chosen PianoArp16Bt on Page 11 so you can hear what this sounds like.

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Click the below to listen, then click the back-arrow to get back to this page.
DEMO of buttons 1, 2 & 3 from PianoArp16Bt MULTI PADS

I would just say here that if you are using MULTI PADS, make sure you have the BALANCE set so the MULTI PADS don't drown everything else out. Another consideration when using MULTI PADS (or STYLES for that matter) is maybe not to use the same instrument you have in the MULTI PAD (or a STYLE PART) for playing the melody. The melody will be a lot clearer if you have a different voice for playing it. In the DEMO above I wouldn't choose a PIANO to play the melody as the melody would be compromised by the Piano Arpeggio.

If you watch the video below he explains how he uses his own private little 'band' to add interest to his music. He has deliberately kept the MULTI PADS volume up high so you can hear what they are doing. As for the melody .. he has a Piano voice doing that and the melody does get a little lost.

Yamaha Multi Pads: My private little band

It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 25 Jul 2021 15:49

Listening to that YouTube video by Morrie Reece on how to use MULTI PADS to enhance your playing, I realised that one of the Multi Pads he was showing us, together with a STYLE he mentioned, was the very one I remember Limahl using for the backing of Never Ending Story from the 1984 film of the same name.

Morrie was playing a Tyros 5, but I have looked on my Tyros 4 and found them there too. So I have set my Tyros 4 up to play this song, and have come up with the REGISTRATION below for playing it.

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I have only used MULTI PAD 1 for this as that is the sound I remember.
Click the below to listen to how adding a MULTI PAD to a STYLE really can change the dynamics of the music.

Do a right-click to open this up in a New Tab.
https://app.box.com/s/td5ny2kunyf3pjix8x0ps7a8rbzmtqg7
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 05 Sep 2021 23:52

In the example above, a MULTI PAD has been used to add to the STYLE backing of a piece. You can also find Multipads that will trigger specific sounds when you press the MULTI PAD button.

Here is one from Brian007 who says:
... and I have used a multi pad I found on the internet which I use occasionally ( when I remember ) throughout the tune.

This is the 'gunshot' that fires across from one side to the other in his Shadows number Riders in the Sky. Very effective.

Do a right-click to open this up in a New Tab.
https://app.box.com/s/eou1qlqqj86mggk631b31fd9lhth9p9p
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 06 Sep 2021 15:31

In the examples above we have spoken about 'preset' Multipads you can bring in to add that little bit extra into your playing as and where you want it. This is very nicely summed up by the Tyros Tipsters (now Genos Tipsters) in the video below. Although explained on the Tyros 5, what he is showing you applies to any keyboard that has MULTI PADS (so sadly not my Yamaha AR80 organ as that doesn't have Multipads).

Are you using the Multi-Pads on Yamaha Tyros 5?



But what we have looked at so far about MULTI PADS is just the tip of the iceberg. You can create your own Multipads to carry out a completely different function, and I will explain all this in my next post.
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 06 Sep 2021 21:37

Going off on a tangent for a minute. When you use a STYLE you will have noticed that the Style is made up of PARTS (RHYTHM1, RHYTHM2, BASS, CHORD1, CHORD2, PAD, PHRASE1 and PHRASE2). These all combine together to make the 'full' sound you hear. With Yamaha keyboards (and organs) you can turn any of the PARTS you don't want to hear to OFF; and can even change the instrument you hear in a PART to a different one. You will also be aware that these 'patterns' of notes in each PART 'follow' the notes of the chord you are playing.

But more importantly, they have a preset 'measure' (Pattern Length) of so many bars and then 'repeat' that pattern. When you put a PART of your own into a STYLE (you have to DELETE the existing PART first) you have to (a) play all notes/chords so they are 'C based', and (b) you have to play notes for the length of the 'measure' (make sure you stop on the last beat of the measure. If you play on the first beat of the next bar you will get a 'double' note on the first beat when the measure repeats itself).

What do I mean by 'C based'? Well, suppose you are creating a 'piano' backing for a song like Theme from a Summer Place. The actual chords to this (I play this in C) are / C - - / Am - - / F - - / G7 - - /. When I say 'C based' I mean play every chord in that pattern as if you were playing a C chord, so you play / C - - / C - - / C - - / C - - /. This is very difficult to do, as your brain really, really wants to play the correct chord progression for the song and not play C all the time! But the point is that in a STYLE the notes actually played (ie. what you hear) 'follow the chords' you are playing in your left hand. So you will hear / C - - / Am - - / F - - / G7 - - / despite the fact that that is not what you recorded.

Click the below to hear (a) what you play when recording the PART .. followed by (b) what you hear when the keyboard plays it back to you in a song.

Click the back-arrow at the top after listening to get back to this page.
DEMO of what you actually record; followed by what you hear when playing the song.

In the DEMO I should have let it run for another 4 beats as the 'measure' (Pattern Length) is four bars .. and I have only played three.

Why do I mention all this when we are talking about MULTI PADS? It's because making up your own Multipad is similar to doing the above .. yet completely different. It all depends on what you want the Multipad to do.

When creating a MULTI PAD .. there are 4 Multipads available for you to do something with per song .. and for each one you have to select whether you want it to (a) 'follow' the rhythm of the STYLE you are using; and (b) follow the harmony of the chords you are playing. For each of these, you do something different with the notes you play.

At the beginning of this Topic I was talking about using Multipads to add something extra to the STYLE you are using. But to me, the real purpose of creating your own Multipad is to put little counter-melodies into the song you are playing. I have not found any videos on the internet showing how to create Multipads in the way I am about to describe.

I think at this point it would be best to show you some Multipads I have done, and how they work out in practice when playing something. I'll do this in my next post. Then in my post after that I'll explain how to go about doing it.
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Sep 2021 22:50

A different approach to using MULTI PADS

In this post I thought I would give you some examples of how else MULTI PADS can be used. Instead of using them as 'extras' to enhance your STYLE, you can program a Multipad to play 'counter melodies' within the song you are playing. As I said, I have not seen anyone use them in this way on YouTube.

How long is a MULTI PAD? You may as well ask "How long is a piece of string?". The first thing to realise about a Multipad is that it does not have a 'fixed' measure. There is no Pattern Length with a Multipad. But I will qualify that and say that if you choose to have it following the Rhythm of your STYLE then it will repeat itself, geared to the Pattern Length of your STYLE (sort of!). I say 'sort of' because you can have your Multipad lasting any number of Style 'measures'.

When you set up a MULTI PAD there are two things you have to decide upon:

1. Do you want it to follow the rhythm of the STYLE you are using? Well, if it's a gunshot like the one Brian007 has used above the answer to that is probably NO. Just fire the gun when the button is pressed.
2. Do you want it to follow the CHORDS you are playing with your left hand? If you don't choose this then the MULTI PAD will play the actual notes you program in, irrespective of what chord you are playing.

The first MULTI PAD I want to look at is the one I did for Rebel Rouser.

This is the REGISTRATION I had set up for playing Rebel Rouser, and as you can see I have selected a 'bespoke' MULTI PAD which I had created called Rebel Pad.

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Pressing the button next to Rebel Pad I get the actual Multipad I did up on screen (it's in USER).

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This is not an explanation of how I programmed this in, but at this stage I just want to point out a few of the salient points.

With the MULTI PAD I want to look at highlighted, to get at the MULTI PAD screen, in the MENU, choose DIGITAL RECORDING ...

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... and then choose MULTI PAD CREATOR.

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As I had highlighted the Rebel Pad MULTI PAD I get the Rebel Pad MULTI PAD screen:

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Note that those choices 1. and 2. I mentioned above are showing on the screen and you should choose which options you want (they can be different for each MULTI PAD you set up). For this Multipad I want it to follow both the rhythm of the STYLE I am using (ie. I want it to REPEAT) and follow the CHORDS I am playing in my left hand (ie. I want it to CHORD MATCH). The ones you want, turn to ON. I have shown what I have set up by the red arrows. Note that I only have the one MULTI PAD for this song so I don't need to set up anything for PAD2, 3 or 4.

Without specifically explaining each step in the Recording process (I will explain this later), referring to what I said above about recording PARTS in STYLES, if you opt to follow the chords you are playing in your left hand you have to record as explained above for STYLES and do it 'C based'.

Listen to the recording below which is based on the chord of C, with the root on top (ie. E G C). C followed by another C, and another C etc. What you hear is what I actually played into the MULTI PAD. Then immediately following is what the keyboard plays back at you "following the chords you play".

Click the below to listen.
Then click the back-arrow after to get back to this page.
DEMO of the actual recording in the MULTI PAD, followed by how it sounds when used in a piece.

Now listen to the whole piece. I have activated the MULTI PAD when playing the verse second time around .. and turned it OFF for the final Chorus. The MULTI PAD is following all the chords I am playing in my left hand (mostly 7ths) .. and even follows the key change.

Click the below, then click the back-arrow after to get back to this page.
"Rebel Rouser" played on Tyros 4

This what I mean when I say you can use a Multipad to play 'counter melodies' within the song you are playing.
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 08 Sep 2021 09:37

Here's another example where I have used a MULTI PAD for a short 'counter melody' within the song I am playing. When you set up MULTI PAD CREATOR the 'default' VOICE is a Grand Piano .. but you can change this to any VOICE you want (and adjust the VOLUME) before you start the recording. In this instance I have used a Whistle.

The song I am playing is Sailor, and the REGISTRATION I have set up for it is below.

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Checking out the MULTI PAD I have called Sailor2 (press MENU, DIGITAL RECORDING, then MULTI PAD CREATOR) I get the following screen.

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This time (as indicated by the red arrows) I have got REPEAT ON (so it will follow the rhythm of the STYLE) but have got the CHORD MATCH OFF. So this time it will not follow the chords I am playing with my left hand. Which means that when I play the notes I want into the Multipad I play the actual notes I want it to throw back at me (ie. what I play is not 'C based' this time). The little counter melody I want to put in is just after I play a G7 chord, so I play the actual melody notes, starting on G, going up to B .. and then running down the notes to D. You can hear what notes I have played by listening to the DEMO below. And just to prove a point, I am playing a G7 chord (the counter melody sounds great with that) .. and then I play an F chord .. and later a C chord so you can hear that it is the same notes that are being thrown back at me whatever chord I play.

Click the below to listen, then click the back arrow after to get back to this page.
DEMO of the notes programmed into the Multipad Sailor2, followed by different chords being played with it.

After recording that counter melody I did not switch it OFF immediately. I waited a while before I switched the recording OFF. This is because, once I have triggered the Multipad and it has played it's bit .. I need time for my left hand to leave the chord playing and switch the Multipad to OFF before it starts repeating. In the few videos I have watched, they STOP the Multipad at the end of its run. No time to turn it OFF! It starts repeating immediately!

And the reason why I wanted the MULTI PAD to 'follow the rhythm of the STYLE' (ie. to REPEAT) is because it needs to be triggered on the first beat of the bar. Well, on the first beat of the bar my right hand is playing the melody; and my left hand is playing a new chord. I don't have a third hand to trigger the Multipad. But by connecting the Multipad with the rhythm of the STYLE I can press that MULTI PAD button half way through the previous bar .. and it won't come in until the first beat of the bar. No trouble doing that with my left hand. (Note: You can't trigger a MULTI PAD with a footswitch.)

So how has all this worked out in practice?

Click the below to listen, then click the back arrow after to get back to this page.
"Sailor" played on Tyros 4
This what I mean when I say you can use a Multipad to play 'counter melodies' within the song you are playing.
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 10 Sep 2021 10:10

Steps for creating a MULTI PAD using MULTI PAD CREATOR

In this post I will explain how you create a MULTI PAD. It goes without saying that you have to know what you want for your 'counter melody' or 'ditty'. If you listen to a YouTube video of the song you will hear parts of the song that you could programme in as a MULTI PAD .. which you will have to pick up 'by ear' as it is unlikely that what you hear will be written into the sheet music.

The song I want to look at here is The Story Of My Life, a song sung by Michael Holliday in 1958. Listen to the YouTube video of this (below) and what I have picked up here is the 'whistle' doing a little 'echo' to the melody. This is followed by a similar little 'ditty' done by a male voice choir as the verse ends. This could be done by a 'whistle' too, which would give us two parts of the song where we could programme a whistle into a Multipad.

Michael Holliday - The Story Of My Life ( 1958 )


We would first have to set up a REGISTRATION for playing this tune, and I went for Slowfox at a Tempo of 120; and VOICES WarmGrand, with a hint of WhisperGallery.

Next. If you are going to create a Multipad you will have to play the notes 'to a beat'. In a STYLE there are plenty of PARTS that are playing to a rhythm that you can follow, but in a Multipad there is no existing rhythm to play to. You have to use the METRONOME. The Metronome puts out a beat, and you hear it, but the sound of the Metronome is not recorded. It is just there to help you 'keep to the beat'.

You can check out the METRONOME by pressing it and listening to what you've got.

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You need to hear the 'beat', with a 'BELL' sound emphasising the first beat of the bar. If you haven't got that, the Metronome 'defaults' are in MENU, FUNCTION, UTILITY .. and the CONFIG 1 Tab. The quickest way to get to that is to press the DIRECT ACCESS button followed by the METRONOME button. The DIRECT ACCESS route is the quickest way to get to any of the 'set-up' pages.

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Pressing the METRONOME button after seeing the message above gets you to the Display Page where the Metronome is.

To get to the page showing the METRONOME, move down to "2" on the left. This is how the METRONOME should be set up. VOLUME = 127; SOUND = BELL ON. You will see the TIME SIGNATURE displayed in the third box.

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To create a new MULTI PAD, in the MENU, choose DIGITAL RECORDING ...

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... and then choose MULTI PAD CREATOR.

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The current MULTI PAD will show at the top of the screen.
We want to create a new one, so click on NEW BANK and the screen will now be showing NewBank at the top, so you can go ahead and create your new Multipad.

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There are 4 Multipads and the first one has a red box around it, indicating that we are setting up MULTI PAD 1. When you have done the first one, if you want to do a second one you would press the button next to 2 (or 3, or 4 etc. for more). One MULTI PAD will do me for this song at the moment!

I was saying earlier that you had to decide from the start if you wanted your Multipad to 'follow the rhythm' (ie. to REPEAT); and whether or not to 'follow the chords you play in the song' (ie. CHORD MATCH).

For this Multipad I do want it to 'follow the rhythm' so I can set it off before the end of the previous bar of where I want it to start .. and then it will start on the first beat of the bar. I definitely don't want it to REPEAT and will be turning it OFF after it has played it's few notes (and then turning it ON again later for the next verse). Perhaps the word REPEAT showing on the page is a bit misleading. If I didn't switch it OFF then it would play it again (ie. REPEAT) .. in a place where I didn't want it to .. so that's why I have to turn it OFF.

And for this Multipad I don't want it to follow the chords of my left hand when I am playing the song. So my recording doesn't have to be 'C based'. I will play the actual notes I want thrown back at me.

I have set my screen up for these two things (see the below). Please note: There is a REC (for Record) on the right. Don't press that yet as there is still something else we have to set up. Once the REC is pressed it will start Recording immediately you play a note (or press the STOP/START).

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Before we start doing a recording we have to choose a VOICE for doing it. You may not have noticed, but the VOICE the keyboard has chosen to do the recording with is the one you previously had in Right1 (R1). You can play a few notes to hear which voice is set up to play (probably a Piano). Look over to the right and you will see that R1 has already been set up for doing the notes.

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It's at this stage that we can choose another VOICE for R1. In my case I want a Whistle. Note that pressing the lit up R1 will not show the VOICE currently in R1. To find out what is currently in R1 look in the VOICE Section.

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One of the Categories will have a green light showing. Press that button and the current VOICE in R1 will show.

I want a Whistle for my Voice, and I select that by pressing the keyboard's top right VOICE Category button, FLUTE/CLARINET .. and my Whistle is on Page 2.

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At this point it is a good idea to make sure the VOLUME of the Voice you are about to play is at a reasonable level.
So press the BALANCE button ..

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.. and all the Volumes across the board will show.

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My Whistle in R1 is at a Volume of 100, so that's fine.

Having chosen the voice we want to use (and checked it's Volume), we need to get back to the MULTI PAD NewBank screen. To do this, press the EXIT button. You'll probably have to press the EXIT button twice. Just keep pressing it until you get back to the Multipad screen you had when you started.

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We are now ready to start the Recording. Don't press the REC yet!

Set the METRONOME going. Maybe try playing that little 'ditty' just to practice it (you have to know what you want to play in your head). Keep in time with the METRONOME, particularly noting where the first beat of every bar comes in. So long as you haven't pressed the REC it won't start recording anything.

When you are ready, press the REC. It says WAITING .. so you can relax a bit before you trigger your recording.

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OK. Ready for the off. It is WAITING for you to start your recording.
Two things .. how do you START the recording; and how do you STOP it (and when do you Stop it).

The recording is controlled by the SYNC START & START/STOP buttons. As soon as you press the REC the SYNC START button will be lit up; and the START/STOP button will be "flashing".

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Because the SYNC START is ON, it will start recording as soon as you play a 'melody' note. This is fine if your 'ditty' does actually start on the first beat of the bar. Listen to the METRONOME and play a note on the first beat of the bar (when the BELL sounds). Continue counting the beats you hear from the Metronome and play the notes of your Counter Melody in time with the rhythm.

In what I want to record, my Whistle starts on the second beat of the second bar. To start the recording on the first beat of the bar with no melody notes being played you press the START/STOP button. Once the recording is started you can sing the actual song to yourself in your head whilst listening to the Metronome, and play the rest of the Multipad notes in the right places.

As soon as you get your recording going you will get this screen below. Probably, if you're like me, you won't even glance at it as all your concentration will be on singing the song to yourself, listening to the Metronome, and playing the right notes for the Multipad. There is a STOP showing for you to stop the recording when you get to the end .. but I don't use this. Read on!

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How long do you keep your Multipad going before you stop it? How long is a piece of string? I have kept the Multipad going for 12 bars (that's 48 'beats'). For a lot of it I have played no notes at all .. so there are bars of 'nothing'. Thing is, the whistle has to come in only at the places where I want to hear it.

Having reached the end of my 12 bars (that is actually one whole Verse) I STOP the recording as it goes into the first beat of the 13th bar.
And how do you stop it? You press the START/STOP button. Not the STOP button by the MULTI PADS. The START/STOP by SYNC START.

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In the handbook it tells you that you can also stop the recording by pressing the button next to STOP on the screen. I find that more difficult to do, as the screen is at an angle. And it's further away to get to.

As soon as you stop the recording you get this screen.

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On the left it says NAME. This is for you to replace the words Pad1 with some words of your own. Don't see the point in doing that.

But you do have to SAVE what you have done, so press the button next to that, and you get this screen.

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Press the SAVE which will save it in USER.

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Press and HOLD the DELETE button to remove the words NewBank.

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And type in a name of your own. This is saved in USER.

And now the moment you've been waiting for! With all this explanation above (that looks so complicated) what exactly have I ended up recording?

Click the below to listen, and click the back arrow after to get back to this page.
MULTI PAD for Story of my Life

Please note that in the above the 'drum beat' you hear is not the METRONOME. You hear the METRONOME .. but it doesn't record. So I have added a normal Style Rhythm to it so you can hear how the Whistle is inserted into the beat.

And click this link below if you want to hear how the whole piece sounds with the MULTI PAD doing it's bit in the right places.

Do a right-click to open this up in a New Tab.
https://app.box.com/s/7ghmqhyr1zeoigmef1qdselyl6cyyqtd
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby AndyT » 12 Sep 2021 13:46

Hello Hugh,

Well I thought I had a fairly good handle on multipads, but goodness was I wrong. There are so many well presented and insightful concepts that started with the very basic and built up. I have been trying for ages to create some instrumental interludes and failed. Planning to have another go now with some excellent inspiration.

Thank you so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it.

- Andy
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 14 Sep 2021 23:17

Andy,

Thanks for your comments. Glad somebody is reading what I put up!

Here's an example of someone using MULTI PADS to 'add' into a STYLE as they progress through the song.

ABBA " Chiquitita " cover Genos / Multi Pad /



I personally would rather change the whole STYLE for something like this, as when 'adding into' a STYLE you have the same basic 'beat' running all the way through. With a different STYLE you could have a different basic 'beat'.

Hugh
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 16 Sep 2021 23:37

The idea of using Multipads to play little counter melodies in the songs you're playing has been very nicely summed up by AndyT above when he says:
I have been trying for ages to create some instrumental interludes.

That's it in a nutshell. These instrumental interludes are things you hear in a song, and to me, they are an essential part of the song. You could play the song without these embellishments, but to me, that would leave the song sounding 'incomplete'. Yes, you could do a 'multitrack recording' and start with the main song; then add the little extras afterwards. This would be fine if your objective is to make a track for a CD; but there is nothing like playing your keyboard and getting as much as possible to sound 'live' as you're playing.

So here is another one that has that little extra you can put in to make the song sound more satisfying as you're playing it. Una Paloma Blanca .. or if you come from the West Country like me, I Am A Cider Drinker as played by the Wurzles.

First, listen to the song sung by the Wurzels and see if you can pick out any little 'instrumental interludes' that we can program into a Multipad.

The Wurzels 'I Am A Cider Drinker'

.. starring Tony Blackburn!



I'm sure you can hear what I am on about.

I play this song in F, so that little phrase I want to include are the notes:

/ Ab A A A / Ab A A A / Ab A AAbG / F - /

Going through the steps again to set up a MULTI PAD ...

In the MENU, choose DIGITAL RECORDING ...

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... and then choose MULTI PAD CREATOR.

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The current MULTI PAD will show at the top of the screen.
We want to create a new one, so click on NEW BANK and the screen will now be showing NewBank at the top, so you can go ahead and create your new Multipad.

This time I want the Multipad to 'follow the rhythm' (ie REPEAT) .. (I would always choose this option as I will want to press the MULTI PAD button half a bar before I want the Multipad to start) .. and I am opting to 'follow the chords I play with my left hand' (CHORD MATCH).
So my setup for this one is as below.

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Looking over to the right, the Multipad Program has already set up RIGHT 1 (R1) for me to use as my VOICE.

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I could use any voice. In the video they have used some Brass, but I think I shall just use Grand Piano. So I press the PIANO Category in the VOICE section ..

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.. and choose Grand Piano.

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.. and by pressing the BALANCE button have set my VOLUME to 100.

I then need to press the EXIT button twice to get back to the NewBank Multipad screen.

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We are now ready to start our recording.

Or are we? What notes are you going to play for your Multipad?

When I did the Multipad for Sailor I had opted not to have CHORD MATCH. That meant I would play the actual notes I wanted the keyboard to play back at me, irrespective of what chords I played in my left hand.

When you want the Multipad to follow the chords you are playing in your left hand you have to do your recording so it is 'C based'. This is the same when you are doing something in STYLE CREATOR eg. replacing a PART with something of your own.

If I was playing a C chord I would want this little 'phrase' to be the notes:

/ Eb E E E / Eb E E E / Eb E EEbD / C - /

So this is what I will play, starting at Eb3. Look at it this way. When you opt for CHORD MATCH the keyboard is playing 'intervals' from the root of the chord you are playing, and when doing the recording you need to play 'intervals' from C as the root. It will then do the same 'intervals' from F, or G, or whatever chord you are playing in your left hand when you are actually playing the song.

Now, as in Sailor (above), press the REC for recording.

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It says WAITING, and the SYNC START will be flashing ready to start the recording as soon as you play a melody note. We shall be doing that this time as what we are recording does start on the first beat of the bar. In the Sailor recording, the Whistle started on the second beat of the second bar so we had to trigger the recording by pressing the START/STOP to get the recording going without playing a melody note. Much easier for this one!

Start the METRONOME going so you can hear where the first beat of the bar falls. When you are 'in the groove' with the rhythm (see ** Note: ** about this in my next post) play that little ditty on the first beat of the bar (ie. on the 'clang' of the BELL). The screen will now show you are recording .. although if you're like me, you'll be concentrating so hard on doing your recording you won't have time to even look at the screen!

Image

You can STOP the recording by pressing the START/STOP by the SYNC START (not the STOP by the Multipad Bank)

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.. or, the STOP on the screen (I find this more difficult to reach).

Don't STOP the recording too quick! I kept it going for 16 beats altogether (8 beats for the Multipad, and 8 beats of playing nothing). Why did I do that? To give time (and not be under pressure) to turn the thing to OFF before it started 'Repeating' (you do that by pressing the STOP button on the right of the MULTI PAD Bank).

This is what my recorded MULTI PAD sounds like. Note: The recorder won't record the METRONOME so I have had to use a Style Rhythm so you can hear the beats (no clanging bell, of course, which you would get with the Metronome).

Click the below to listen; then press the back arrow to get back to this page.
DEMO of Cider MultiPad

Once you have stopped your recording you will see this screen:

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You need to SAVE it and give the Multipad a name eg. CiderPAD.

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If you want to hear what the whole piece sounds like with this MULTI PAD in action, then click the LINK to Box below.

Do a right-click to open this up in a New Tab.
https://app.box.com/s/bie4fbe7vhb6l4tlm7anuhdcxjdx6ony
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby dentyr » 17 Sep 2021 01:06

Very interesting and easy to follow. Well done. Now have to sort out the bits to put into multipad. :D Den
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 17 Sep 2021 10:25

** Note: **
When recording these 'instrumental interludes' I had said:
Start the METRONOME going so you can hear where the first beat of the bar falls. When you are 'in the groove' with the rhythm play that little ditty on the first beat of the bar.

It is worth saying at this point that you don't have to do your recording at the TEMPO that has been set for the song.

I was playing my I Am A Cider Drinker (Una Paloma Blanca) at a TEMPO of 128. When you get to the step of starting the METRONOME going you will know whether or not you can record that instrumental interlude at that Tempo. If you would prefer to do the recording at a slower speed then you can do that at this point. Listen to the Metronome and press the MINUS on the TEMPO until it's at a speed you can cope with.

Image

When you have the Metronome sounding at the ideal Tempo for you, play that first note to trigger the recording. If you have played it at a slower speed it will sound like this (I am still playing those notes based as 'intervals' from the Root of C ie. the recording is 'C based').

Click the below to listen; then press the back arrow to get back to this page.
DEMO of Cider MultiPad at a slower speed

Again, this is not the Metronome you are hearing as the inbuilt recorder won't record that. I have checked the Tempo of the above, and it's at 106 bpm. As you have asked the Multipad to 'follow the rhythm' (ie. REPEAT .. but we're not actually getting it to 'repeat' as we are stopping it before it does that), as soon as you have the TEMPO of your song at 128 then the Multipad will play it at that speed .. even though you actually recorded it at 106.

To be honest, I personally prefer to do these recordings at the same Tempo as I am playing the song, as I find that is what is ingrained into my brain. Play it more slowly and I will usually make a mess of it.

If you do make a mess of the recording you can press the NEW BANK button and do it again (ie. you don't have to DELETE what you have done .. just start again). If you do this, don't forget to do the REPEAT and CHORD MATCH settings again.
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 18 Sep 2021 20:56

Throughout this topic I have been saying:
How long is a MULTI PAD? You may as well ask "How long is a piece of string?".

What I am trying to imply here is that when you use STYLE CREATOR to put in a PART of your own (you have to DELETE the existing Yamaha PART that is in there first .. except for the RHYTHM section, which you can 'add' into) the STYLE has a finite MEASURE (ie. the number of bars before the 'pattern' repeats itself). When you do a recording using STYLE CREATOR you can see the number of bars in the 'measure' at the top of the opening screen. You have to do your recording for this number of beats. ie. you have to 'fill' the whole measure. Nothing less, nothing more.

This is not the case with a MULTI PAD recording. With a Multipad recording you can make your 'instrumental interlude' go on for as long as you like (but see the below). Span a whole verse if you like, and put bits and pieces in (with the same instrument) at different places where you want to hear them.

The limitation with a MULTI PAD is determined by the space available in the keyboard's MEMORY for doing this. Take a look at the screen you see when you start a NEW BANK ready for recording a Multipad. That will tell you how much Memory is available .. in the Tyros 4 it is 24Kb.

Image

All those Multipads I have created so far have only used up 1Kb of space each. If you check back at the screenshots of my Multipads you will see they say 23Kb still available. The 'space available' refers to the whole Multipad BANK (ie. all 4 Multipads if 4 have been done). In my case, I have only done one, so reckon I could make a Multipad last for at least a whole verse .. and maybe a whole song.

To finish this post off I'll have a look at one of the 'default' Yamaha MULTI PADS and see how much space they have used up. I have found a 'default' Yamaha MULTI PAD called PianoArp16Bt which looks interesting. There are 4 'active' MULTI PADS.

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And this is what they sound like. Each Multipad lasts for 8 beats, and I am triggering them one after the other.

Click the below to listen, then click the back arrow after to get back to this page.
DEMO of all four PianoArp16Bt Multipads, playing each one individually

And this is what the PianoArp16Bt MULTI PAD CREATOR screen looks like.
You will see all four Multipads have REPEAT 'ON'; and all four have CHORD MATCH 'ON'. So they will follow the beat; and play those arpeggios you have heard based on the chord you are playing with your left hand.

Image

And what I was interested in here was how much Memory this Multipad had used. Well, only 2Kb, as it clearly says there is 22Kb of Memory left. So I reckon I was right when I said:
How long is a MULTI PAD? You may as well ask "How long is a piece of string?".

I shall try creating a MULTI PAD with a counter melody that lasts for a whole verse.
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 18 Sep 2021 23:51

But before I do that, here is another MULTI PAD I have done, this time for Ob La Di, Ob La Da. Again, I would point out that Multipads are just little 'phrases' that you can put in to enhance the piece you are playing. One good thing about doing it this way is that you are playing notes on your keyboard 'live' ie. you are not inserting notes into some computer program to sound where you want them. It's all done by 'listening' and 'playing'.

This time the little 'phrase' I want to put in is in the second part of the song. It's only four notes, and is a 'run-down' to the next chord.

To get into the MULTI PAD CREATOR program press DIGITAL RECORDING in MENU:

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.. and then MULTI PAD CREATOR.

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Press NEW BANK to set up a new Multipad, and then set up the REPEAT and CHORD MATCH as you want them.

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Again, I shall have it 'following the rhythm' (so I can activate the Multipad half a bar before I want it to come in) and to follow the chords I am playing in my left hand. This means I shall have to play my MULTI PAD so it is 'C based' (ie. as intervals from C as the Root .. in this case the notes will be C, Bb, A, G). Which made another complication as I usually have my SPLIT POINT on G2 .. and I wanted to use that note in my recording .. so had to change my SPLIT POINT to F#2. (You don't actually need the keyboard 'split' when creating a Multipad as you are not playing chords to the left of the split .. you're playing melody notes for the Multipad. If I put my SPLIT POINT right down to the bottom I would have all my notes available to play the melody for my MULTI PAD. Just a thought!)

Choose the VOICE you want (Guitar) and check the Volume.
Press the EXIT button twice to get back to the MULTI PAD CREATOR screen.
Get the METRONOME going, press the REC .. the SYNC START will be flashing ready for you to start the recording.

This is what I am putting in, on the first beat of the bar (when the Metronome bell clangs):

Click the below to listen, and then click the back arrow to get back to this page.
DEMO of my MULTI PAD for the second part of Ob La Di, Ob La Da

I let the Multipad run for 16 beats before pressing the START/STOP to stop it.

This is the MULTI PAD CREATOR screen showing what I had done (once again, only 1Kb of Memory used). I then pressed SAVE and gave it a name.

Image

This is how the piece has turned out with me triggering the Multipad where I want it in the second part of the song.

Do a right-click to open this up in a New Tab.
https://app.box.com/s/88gk6bxxnanx11k3mz5040uoq4f6ue22

That Multipad may not play for very long, but it doesn't half make a difference to the 'feel' of the song!

To be continued ...
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby JohnT » 19 Sep 2021 09:51

Hi Hugh. Lots of excellent information to take on board. Perhaps a winter project. Thanks. John
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 02 Oct 2021 17:30

John,

Thanks for posting a comment. That's three of you following this Topic now!

Continuing with this Topic ...

When you start using your Multipad (whether it's one of Yamaha's 'default' ones, or your own) you should listen carefully to see if the BALANCE is as you want it. You don't want the Multipad drowning out the Style you are using, or being so quiet you can't really hear it. And if it's an 'instrumental interlude' to complement your melody then equally you don't want it so loud it drowns out the rest of the song, or so quiet you can't hear it. You may as well not have bothered doing the Multipad at all if it's impact is insignificant.

You can check out the VOLUME of the Multipad by pressing the BALANCE button:

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The Volume of the MULTI PAD will show and you can alter it by pressing the appropriate button under the screen.

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You can also do this by pressing the MIXING CONSOLE button:

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... and doing the same in the VOL/VOICE screen.

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In this DEMO below you will first hear the first few bars of Never Ending Story with the Multipad at a Volume of 127; followed by the Multipad at what I consider to be the correct Volume for this song .. 80.

Click the below to listen, then click the back-arrow at the top to return to this page.
DEMO of Multipad VOLUME too high followed by the Multipad being BALANCED correctly
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 02 Oct 2021 22:52

How and when to 'trigger' MULTI PADS.

If you have not opted for the Multipads to 'follow the rhythm' (REPEAT) then the Multipad will activate as soon as you press the MULTI PAD button (1, 2, 3 or 4). This means either your left or your right hand has to press that Multipad button, as you can't use a footswitch to do it (understandably, as there are 4 Multipads - 1, 2, 3 and 4 - and the footswitch can't be programmed to press one or more of these). But if you wanted to use eg. an 'Applause' Multipad then you could press that when you are reaching the end of your song as it wouldn't really matter when you pressed it.

Usually I need the Multipad to be triggered for the first beat of a bar, when my left hand is playing a new chord and my right hand is playing the melody. So no hands available to press any buttons! This is where opting for the Multipad to 'follow the rhythm' (REPEAT) comes in.

When the Multipad is 'following the rhythm' you can press the MULTI PAD button half way through the bar before you want it to come in .. and it'll hold off and come in on the first beat of the next bar. This works perfectly as you are less likely to be forming a new chord with the left hand half way through the bar. If you count '1, 2, 3, 4' in the bar before you want it to come in you can trigger the Multipad with your left hand on 2, 3 or 4.

Another thing I want to make clear is to do with that word REPEAT. A STYLE follows a pattern of a fixed number of beats (the measure) .. and then it repeats itself. This is not the case with a MIULTI PAD. If you do record the Multipad the same length as the STYLE pattern, then yes, it will follow the pattern of the STYLE and REPEAT if you don't STOP it. But in general you will record a Multipad to play all the 'instrumental interludes' you want for the whole verse .. and then STOP it playing as you won't want it to 'Repeat'. So when recording a Multipad, if you don't want it to REPEAT, don't STOP it too quickly at the end. Let it run on for a couple of bars without 'playing' anything. That will then give you plenty of time to STOP it playing and prevent it from going into Repeat mode.

But there is another way of getting a MULTI PAD to start playing on the first beat of the bar, and this is to store the Multipad into a REGISTRATION MEMORY. When you press the MEMORY button:

Image

Make sure the MULTI PAD box is ticked (I have them all ticked anyway, as below).

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And then press one of the Memory buttons 1 - 8 (on a Tyros 4) to store it in there.

But when I tried doing this it didn't work. Jon D told me that was because I hadn't told it which MULTI PAD it had to SAVE into the REGISTRATION MEMORY. There are four Multipads - 1, 2, 3 & 4 - and I had to SELECT the ones I wanted. You do this by holding down the SELECT button and pressing the Multipads you want it to use. These will now be 'flashing'. In the example below I have chosen two Miultipads. I can't show that they are flashing .. but they will be.

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Now save them into a Memory slot.

I'm sure that you are aware that when you use the REGISTRATION MEMORIES and move from one Registration to another you can press the button to change it during the bar before you want the change ie. on beats 2, 3 or 4. I usually do this by reaching across with my left hand and then jump back to playing a new chord on the first beat of the bar. If the MULTI PAD is SAVED with that Registration then that will be triggered on the first beat of the bar as well.

But Note: You do have to STOP the Miultipad when you want it to stop playing by pressing the STOP on the right of the MULTI PAD CONTROL. You cannot STOP a Muiltipad playing using a REGISTRATION MEMORY.

Image
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 03 Oct 2021 12:14

Summary ...

You START a MULTI PAD by pressing the Multipad (1, 2, 3 or 4) which will light up. I usually just record one Multipad for what I want to do, so there is only one button to press. On the Tyros 4 the Multipads available are blue, and when you select one it turns orange. The grey 2, 3 and 4 Multipads in the picture below indicate that these slots are 'empty'. Maybe I should be more adventurous and do more than one Multipad. I could put other 'instrumental interludes' in for other parts of the song and trigger those when I wanted them .. remembering to turn the 'active' one OFF when it has finished! You can't turn a Multipad OFF by pressing the 'lit' button. You can only turn it OFF by pressing the STOP .. and then all active Multipads are turned off.

Image

It is worth mentioning here that if you have more than one Multipad activated (as in the picture below) you can STOP individual Multipads and not have the whole lot turn off.

Image

To stop individual Multipads from sounding, press and hold the STOP.
Whilst keeping the STOP button depressed click the orange Multipad(s) that you want to stop playing.
Then release both buttons.
In the above, I can stop eg. MULTI PAD 3 by pressing and holding the STOP button and pressing the orange 3.
MIULTI PAD 3 will STOP, and MIULTI PAD 1 will keep playing.
I would normally do this by using two fingers of my left hand.

If the Multipad isn't set up to 'follow the rhythm' (ie. REPEAT) it will activate the moment you press it.
If it is set up to REPEAT, the programmed 'pattern' will start on the first beat of the next bar.

The word REPEAT is a bit misleading as unlike a STYLE, there is not a fixed 'Measure' for a Multipad. You can have the Miltipad running for as long as you like .. and then turn it OFF before it Repeats.

You can get a Multipad to trigger on the first beat of the bar with the STYLE by putting it into a REGISTRATION MEMORY. To do this you have to have the Miultipad 'flashing' by holding down the SELECT button in the MULTI PAD CONTROL and then pressing the Multipad(s) you want to use. Then put that into a REGISTRATION MEMORY. It's worth remembering that anything 'flashing' can be put into a REGISTRATION MEMORY to be activated when that Registration Memory button is pressed .. SYNC START; drum fills (press the MAIN VARIATION button twice for it to flash).

To turn the Multipad OFF you press the STOP button on the right of the MULTI PAD CONTROL section.

Image

So as to give you plenty of time to press the STOP button after the Multipad has finished doing it's thing, when you record your Multipad make sure there are a couple of bars of 'nothing' (ie. don't play any notes for a couple of bars at the end of the recording). Unless. of course, you really do want it to REPEAT with the STYLE .. and then you would have to end your recording to the Style 'Measure'.

When recording ...

When recording your melody notes, make sure the Metronome is going so you can hear the first beat of the bar. The pattern of notes you program in does not have to have a note playing on the first beat of the bar. The notes you program in come in as and when required to complement your song.

If your 'instrumental interlude' does not start on the first beat of the bar, you don't press a melody note to start the recording going. (The SYNC START is flashing for when you want to start your 'instrumental interlude' on the first beat of the bar.) Instead, you press the START/STOP button which immediately starts the recording.

Image

You press the same START/STOP button when you want to end the recording

With the other Miultipad choice .. CHORD MATCH .. if you have that OFF then you record your notes 'as is' ie. play the actual notes you want the keyboard to throw back at you.

If you have the CHORD MATCH ON then you have to record your notes 'based on C' (ie. as intervals from C as the Root). Then the pattern of notes the keyboard plays back at you will be based on the root of the chord you are playing with your left hand.
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 04 Oct 2021 17:48

MULTI PADS for Theme From A Summer Place

I had said earlier that I should be more adventurous and create more than one MULTI PAD for a song. Well, I have done that now and created four MULTI PADS for Theme From A Summer Place.

Image

The Multipad I created I have loaded into MULTI PAD CREATOR so you can see what I have done (found and highlighted the Multipad; then pressed DIGITAL RECORDING in MENU; and then MULTI PAD CREATOR).

Image

I had wondered if it would show which VOICE I had used to make the recording. You may remember that when when you set up Multipad Creator the program automatically sets R1 for doing the recording ..

Image

.. and by default sets the Voice up to Grand Piano in the PIANO section.

Image

You
then set up the VOICE you want to use by choosing another Voice Category. So which one had I used here? I couldn't see a way of finding out.

I then looked at the MULTIPAD CREATOR screen and noticed there was an EDIT tab to the right .. so moved across to that screen. Nothing obvious to tell me what VOICE I had used for this recording in there either.

Image

And then I noticed that over to the right, the VOICE section had changed to BRASS (the green light was on).

Image

So I pressed the BRASS button .. and up it came. The VOICE I had used. Soft Horns.

Image

So I have learnt something today. To find out what VOICE was used for a Multipad recording, move across to EDIT and press the button in the VOICE section that is lit up green.

Next, what had I recorded in those 4 Multipads? You can see from the MULTIPAD CREATOR screen that I had opted for the Multipad to 'follow the Rhythm' (REPEAT) for all four Multipads; but for none of them to CHORD MATCH. Pretty obvious that I had to do that really, as I was playing a different chord at the beginning of every bar (C, Am, F, G7). You couldn't have the Multipad notes 'based on the chord you were playing'. So what I have recorded are the actual notes I want the keyboard to play back at me.

Pressing the MULTI PAD buttons 1, 2, 3 & 4 one at a time in turn you can listen to what I recorded. These are four different 'instrumental interludes' to go in different parts of the song.

Image Image

Image Image

Click the below to listen, and then click the back-button at the top after to get back to this page.
The four MULTI PADS recorded for Theme From A Summer Place

When I actually play the song I am playing a different chord at the start of every bar (C, Am, F, G7) and that is why I couldn't do a 'Chord Match'. Those Multipad notes you heard were programmed to be 'played back at me' by the keyboard irrespective of which chords I was playing in my left hand.

To hear how the Multipad fits in when I am doing this, click the below.
Click the back-button at the top after to get back to this page.
The four MULTI PADS sounding with the chords I am playing for the song

I hope it's obvious that I have to STOP each Multipad after it has finished doing it's thing; and then press the next MULTI PAD number during the bar before I want it to activate.

To listen to how the whole piece pans out with the Multipads playing in the right places, click the below.



(Or listen from box.com)
Do a right-click to open this up in a New Tab,
https://app.box.com/s/u5nb08gspgti14bl3so6ks5kbh1y2chx

I notice that the FREE AREA from the MULTIPAD CREATOR screen is 22KB. The total available for recording was 24KB, so I have only used 2KB of space for these four Multipads. I still reckon that I could use a Multipad to play a counter-melody for a whole song .. so will try and do that just to see if a Multipad really is 'as long as a piece of string'.

A couple more comments about using a Multipad in this way. You could argue that I could split the keyboard in one more place and have a different voice (R3) allocated to the top part of the keyboard to play these little 'instrumental interludes'. Yes, I could .. but couldn't play the melody and an instrumental interlude at the same time (I only have one hand to play the melody).

And you could argue that you could record the main tune using the MIDI RECORDER (or the AUDIO RECORDER) and then MULTITRACK the piece. This is OK if your objective is to make a CD (or something for YouTube) .. but there is nothing like playing something 'live' and hearing these 'instrumental interludes' coming in as you're playing.
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Hugh-AR » 14 Jul 2022 13:58

Here is another example of how a MULTI PAD can be used. In this piece (Kon Tiki) Gary Leishman has programmed a bass 'phrase' into a Multipad and set it to be triggered immediately the button is pressed. He then lifts his left hand off the keys which 'stops' the PARTS of the Style playing apart from the Rhythm section. Right on the first beat of the bar he triggers his Multipad .. and then continues with the Style playing all the parts immediately after the break. He does this at 0:56, 1:21 and 1:28 (Gary has a PSR-SX900 so his MULTI PADS are on the far right).



How brilliant is that?
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: MULTI PADS

Postby Jon D » 07 Jan 2023 20:33

Hi there Hugh,
I am sure some of the players on the site will benefit from your information thank you for taking the time to post my friend. :D :D :D

Jon D. :) :) :wink:
Hi there I have played from the age of 13 and all my music is played in a sort of dance tempo style. Have worked in nearly all the North East clubs over the years. That gave me a good grounding. Cheers.
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