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June 11, 1989
PLATINUM SERIES (tm) D-110 EDITOR Version 2.1
Copyright (c) LOGICAL PRODUCTIONS 1989
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This is a demonstration version of the D-110 Editor. It has been
provided so that you can get the look and feel of the program. All
MIDI communication with the synthesizer has been disabled.
Please note: One of the most powerful features of the Editor is
real-time auditioning of Tones which is impossible without the MIDI
link. It is difficult to fully appreciate the program until you
get your hands on the real thing!
Feel free to copy and distribute this demo version. We ask that
you include all files on the disk and that you make no
modifications to the program itself. Logical Productions retains
title and ownership of the software recorded on the original disk
and all subsequent copies of the software, regardless of the form
or media in or on which the original and other copies may exist.
To order the Platinum Series D-110 Editor, send a check or money
order for $99.95 to:
Logical Productions
616 South Sunset Canyon Drive
Burbank, California 91501
California residents please add appropriate sales tax.
If you have any questions, you can reach us at 818-848-5973. We
welcome your comments and ideas about our products and the world of
music and computers in general. Please call or write!
Excerpts from the user manual follow. Obviously, some statements
do not apply to this demonstration version.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Platinum Series from Logical Productions! We have
made every effort to deliver software of the highest possible
quality. We encourage you to contact us with your comments and
suggestions for improvements to ensure that later versions will
continue to meet your musical needs.
The D-110 Editor was designed by musicians for the purpose of
exploiting the awesome power of the Roland D-110 Multi Timbral
Sound Module. The Editor provides quick and easy access to
internal settings of the D-110 which otherwise must be set with a
complicated series of button-pushes on the front panel of the
instrument.
The architecture of the Roland D-110 is presented in a simple and
logical manner, making it easy understand and edit. The driving
philosophy is that you, in the process of composing, sequencing,
mixing or performing, will want to get into the Editor, make the
desired changes, and get out with a minimum of effort. The
Editor's ability to run in the background is key to this
philosophy.
Unlike other products on the market, the Platinum Series Editor is
oriented toward the most powerful feature of the D-110, the Patch.
Other parameters are accessed via pull-down menus or pop-up windows
on the Patch screen. We think you will find, after some
experimentation, that this method fits very well in the context of
your musical pursuits.
After you read this manual once, you probably will not need it
again. Wherever you are in the Editor, it prompts you with the
valid keystrokes across the bottom of the screen. You simply can't
get lost!
Now, let's get on with it.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
- IBM PC, XT, AT or PS/2 Models 25 and 30
(or 100% compatible)
- at least 256K of RAM
(640K recommended if used memory-resident)
- IBM CGA or MDA compatible monitor
- Roland MPU-401 (or compatible)
- Roland D-110 Multi Timbral Sound Module
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation.
MAKING A BACKUP
The first thing you should do is make a backup of the original
program disk. To do this, insert your DOS disk in drive A and key
the following:
>DISKCOPY A: B: <enter>
DISKCOPY will respond with a request to insert the source disk in
drive A and the target disk in drive B. Insert the original
program disk in drive A and a blank diskette in drive B. Press
<enter>. When DISKCOPY finishes, store the original program disk
in a safe place and work with your backup disk.
If you have a hard drive, just insert the original program disk in
drive A, issue a CHDIR command to change to the directory where you
want the Editor to reside, and key the following:
>COPY A:*.* C: <enter> (where C: is the hard drive)
ROLAND D-110 ARCHITECTURE
The Roland D-110 is a very powerful device, but this power comes
with the price of increased complexity. To gain the most benefit
from your D-110 and the Platinum Series Editor, and to avoid
surprises, it is important that you have a working understanding of
the internal structure of the D-110 and how the device was designed
to respond to MIDI commands. (If you have made it through the
Roland D-110 manual and completely understand it, congratulations!
This section should confirm what you already know!)
Here are some important definitions:
TONE - A Tone is the musical unit which determines the sound
produced by the synthesizer, that is, whether the note you play
sounds like a piano or a snare drum. The D-110 has two banks of
preset Tones (Tone Groups a and b) and one bank of preset rhythm
Tones (Tone Group r) on-board. It also has another Tone bank (Tone
Group i) which is fully programmable. Group i is the bank that
gets transferred to or from disk or memory card. Each bank
contains 64 Tones and each Tone has a name.
TIMBRE - A Timbre consists of performance information associated
with a Tone. Timbre parameters are Key Shift, Fine Tune, Bender
Range, Assign Mode, and Output Assign. A Timbre also refers to a
Tone (Tone Group and Tone Number), but it does not contain the Tone
information. A Timbre is the unit selected when the D-110 receives
a MIDI program change on a channel other than the control channel.
(If a program change is received on the control channel, a Patch is
selected.) The D-110 has two programmable Timbre banks (A and B)
with 64 Timbres in each bank. Timbres do not have names, only
numbers.
PART - A Part can be thought of as an individual instrument. Each
Part responds independently to the MIDI data on its assigned
channel. The D-110 has eight synthesizer Parts (Parts 1 thru 8)
and one rhythm Part (Part R), which acts as a drum machine. Part
parameters are Output Level, Pan, Key Range Lower, Key Range Upper,
MIDI Channel, and Partial Reserve. The rhythm Part has only Output
Level, MIDI Channel, and Partial Reserve. Each synthesizer Part
has its own set of Timbre parameters which, in turn, refer to a
Tone.
PATCH - Here's where it all comes together. A Patch is comprised
of all eight synthesizer Parts, the rhythm Part, and the reverb
settings (Reverb Type, Reverb Time, and Reverb Level). The D-110
holds one programmable bank of 64 named Patches. A new Patch is
selected when the D-110 receives a program change on the control
channel. (You must set the control channel from the D-110 front
panel.)
RHYTHM SETUP - The Rhythm Setup defines how the rhythm Part will
respond to MIDI data on its assigned channel. Each key (MIDI notes
#24 thru #108) may be programmed with a Tone (from Tone Group r or
i), an Output Level, a Pan, and an Output Assign. Remember that
Part R controls the overall Output Level, the MIDI Channel, and the
Partial Reserve for the rhythm Part.
Now, let us take a look a how the internal memory of the Roland
D-110 is organized:
The Tone presets (Tone banks a, b and r) are stored in Read Only
Memory (ROM) and, of course, cannot be edited.
Random Access Memory (RAM) is divided into what Roland calls
temporary areas and memories. When you select a patch, it is
copied from the patch memory to a temporary area where editing
takes place. After you edit a patch, you must store it in the
patch memory before selecting another patch, or you will lose the
changes that you just made.
There are eight Timbre temporary areas, one for each Part, and they
share the same space as the Timbre information for the current
Patch. By selecting a Timbre for a particular Part, you overwrite
the Timbre parameters in the temporary area for that Part in the
current Patch. This is a very important thing to know and will
save you much frustration! When you send a MIDI program change
command on a channel that is assigned to a Part, the current Patch
(the one in the temporary area) has changed from when you selected
it! (When we first got our D-110, we thought a bug in the D-110
firmware was causing random changes. Everything fell into place
when we finally figured out what was happening with the program
change commands.)
There are also eight Tone temporary areas, one for each part. When
you select a Patch, the Tone temporary areas are loaded with the
Tone parameters for the Tones pointed to by the Timbres associated
with the Patch. (Whew!) The Tone for each Part may be edited. Be
sure to store an edited Tone in the Tone memory if you want to save
it.
Don't be too discouraged if all this sound confusing now. The
Platinum Series Editor should make it all very simple. Read on!
INVOKING THE D-110 EDITOR
The Editor comes equipped with many start-up options to allow
customization to your particular set-up. For starters, try this:
>D110EDIT -H <enter>
The Editor will respond with a list of available options:
Usage: D110EDIT [-B] [-D] [-H] [-On] [-Pn] [-R] [Unn]
-B = Set colors to black and white
-H = Help
-On = Set middle C (note 60) octave to n (0 thru 9) Default = 4
-Pn = Use video page n (0 = no paging) Default = highest page
-R = Make resident
-Unn = Set exclusive unit to nn (17 thru 32) Default = 17
-Wn = Set MIDI output wait factor to n (0 thru 9) Default = 4
You may not need to use any of these options but we'll cover them
now, anyway.
-B = Set colors to black and white
This option is useful if you have a CGA, EGA or VGA adapter and a
two-color monitor (or if you just don't like color). This option
is automatically selected if you have a monochrome adapter.
-H = Help
This option tells the Editor to display a list of available options
(as above).
-On = Set middle C (note 60) octave to n (0 thru 9) Default = 4
You may want to tell the Editor to display note values which are
different from the Roland standard. Roland assumes that middle C
(note 60) is octave 4. Texture and Cakewalk display middle C as
octave 5. If you are using the Editor in the background with a
sequencer, set the octave to correspond with the your sequencer.
Texture is a registered trademark of Magnetic Music.
Cakewalk is a registered trademark of Twelve Tone Systems.
-Pn = Use video page n (0 = no paging) Default = highest page
This option is included if the Editor paging function conflicts
with your other software. This would apply only if you use the
Editor in the background (resident). Is it very unlikely that you
will need this option.
-R = Make resident
This option tells the Editor to run in the background. The Editor
is then instantly available with a single keystroke. The standard
"hot key" is Alt-X. (Please contact Logical Productions if you
need a different hot key.) If you are running the Editor in
conjunction with other memory resident programs, you may need to
experiment to determine the best order to load them.
-Unn = Set exclusive unit to nn (17 thru 32) Default = 17
By default, the Editor assumes that your D-110 is set to Exclusive
Unit 17. Use this option if you want the Editor to assume a
different Exclusive Unit at start-up.
-Wn = Set MIDI output wait factor to n (0 thru 9) Default = 4
This is a means to adjust the speed at which your computer sends
MIDI information to the D-110. The standard IBM PC has a clock
rate of 4.77 MHz but many clones run faster. It is possible to
send MIDI data faster than the D-110 can handle it. The default
setting of 4 works well for 8 MHz machines. A higher setting slows
down MIDI transmission.
(To determine the optimum setting for your computer, load a Tone
bank from disk and watch the MIDI MESSAGE light on your D-110. You
should see 64 discreet closely spaces pulses. If you have
customized the current Tone bank, be sure to save it first!)
THE D-110 EDITOR
The Platinum Series D-110 Editor uses MIDI system exclusive
commands to communicate with the Roland D-110. A two-way
connection (from the MPU-401 MIDI OUT to the D-110 MIDI IN, from
the D-110 MIDI OUT to the MPU-401 MIDI IN) is required only at
certain times: when the Editor first wakes up, when you get a Patch
from the D-110's Patch memory, when you get a Timbre from the
D-110's Timbre memory, when you edit a Tone, when you change the
Exclusive Unit, and when you save any bank to disk. At all other
times, a one-way MIDI connection (from the MPU-401 MIDI OUT to the
D-110 MIDI IN), will suffice. This makes it real handy to audition
your edits as they happen. While the Editor is active, you can
patch your MIDI keyboard to the MPU-401 MIDI IN and play while you
are making changes with the Editor. (The MPU-401 MIDI THRU must be
enabled for this to work. This is the power-on default.)
To invoke the Editor, key the following at the DOS prompt:
>D110EDIT <enter>
You may want to use one or more of the execution options explained
in the previous section.
The first thing the Editor will do is try to retrieve the contents
of the D-110's RAM. (This is one of those time when a two-way MIDI
connection is required.) The Exclusive Unit setting of the D-110
must match that of the Editor. Use the -U option to set the Editor
to other than the default value of 17. Once the Editor is active,
you can set the Exclusive Unit to any of 16 values and, therefore,
control up to 16 D-110s!
If you are running in the background (-R option), the Editor will
not try to get the D-110's data until the first time it is invoked
with the hot key.
The Editor's main screen displays the values of all the parameters
of the current Patch (Patch Name, Part parameters, Timbre
parameters and Reverb parameters) as well as the Master Tune and
Exclusive Unit. Notice the box at the lower right. The MIDI
channels and Tone names for all eight synthesizer Parts are visible
at a glance. Also notice the help text at the bottom of the
screen. The text will change depending on where you are in the
Editor.
Editing the Patch
To edit a Part or Timbre parameter associated with the current
Patch, simply use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the desired
parameter and use the Plus and Minus keys to change it's value.
The changed value is immediately sent to the D-110. You may also
enter the new value directly. If you press a numeric key, 0 thru
9, the Editor goes into direct input mode. Press enter to complete
the direct input. (Direct input is available for all parameters,
but it is more intuitive for some than for others. Experiment!)
Possibly the nicest feature of the Platinum Series Editor is the
ability to choose a Tone while viewing an entire Tone bank. To do
this, place the cursor on a Part for which you want to change Tones
and press Enter. (The vertical position of the cursor doesn't
matter.) You will then see an entire tone bank. By moving the
cursor around the screen, you can audition all Tones in the bank.
Use PgUp and PgDn to change banks. Press Enter to select a Tone or
Esc to keep the one that you had before.
Pull-Down Menus
To access the pull-down menus, press the Ins key. Use the Up and
Down arrow keys to move to the function you want to perform and
press enter. Use the Left and Right arrow keys to move to adjacent
menus. Now, let's examine each function on each of the six menus
in detail.
Name Current Patch
Select this function to give the current Patch a name. A dialog
box will appear and instruct you to key in the new Patch name.
When you press enter, the new name will be sent to the D-110.
Remember that the current Patch is in a temporary area of memory.
You must store the Patch if you want to keep your changes.
Get Patch from Synthesizer
The D-110 can hold 64 Patches. To make one current, select this
function. The Editor will display the names of all Patches in the
D-110's Patch memory. Move the cursor to the one you want and
press Enter to get it. By the way, the numbers to the left of the
Patch names declare which MIDI program change value to send on the
control channel to select the respective Patch via MIDI.
Store Patch to Synthesizer
After editing the current Patch, you may store it in the D-110's
Patch memory. To do so, select this function. The Editor will
display the names of all Patches in the D-110's memory. Move the
cursor to the position where you want to store the current Patch
and press Enter. The Editor will ask you if you are sure. If you
answer yes, the Patch memory for that position will be overwritten
with the new Patch data. The numbers to the left of the Patch
names declare which MIDI program change value to send on the
control channel to select the respective Patch via MIDI.
Load Patch from Disk
This function permits you to load a complete Patch into the D-110's
temporary areas (including the Tone temporary areas) from a disk
file. When you select this function, the Editor displays a list of
Patch files in the current directory. Move the cursor to the
desired file and press Enter to load the Patch. Since the Tone
temporary areas are loaded from the disk, it doesn't matter which
Tone bank is resident in the D-110. You always get the Tones that
you saved with the Patch.
Save Patch to Disk
You may save the current Patch in a disk file with this function.
The contents of the Tone temporary areas are saved as well. The
Editor will ask you for the desired filename. The file extension
will always be "PCH" and the Patch file will be written to the
current directory. If a file with the same name exists, the Editor
will ask if you want to replace it with the new file.
Load Patch Bank from Disk
This function allows you to load the D-110's Patch bank from a disk
file. When you select this function, the Editor displays a list of
Patch bank files in the current directory. Move the cursor to the
desired file and press Enter to load the Patch bank.
Save Patch Bank to Disk
You may save the current contents of the D-110's Patch bank in a
disk file with this function. The Editor will ask you for the
desired filename. The file extension will always be "PCB" and the
Patch bank file will be written to the current directory. If a
file with the same name exists, the Editor will ask if you want to
replace it with the new file.
Set Reverb Type
Select this function to set the Reverb Type. As you move through
the choices, parameter changes are sent to the D-110 to allow
real-time auditioning. Press Enter to select. All reverb
parameters are saved and loaded with each Patch.
Set Reverb Time
Select this function to set the Reverb Time. As you move through
the choices, parameter changes are sent to the D-110 to allow
real-time auditioning. Press Enter to select.
Set Reverb Level
Select this function to set the Reverb Level. As you move through
the choices, parameter changes are sent to the D-110 to allow
real-time auditioning. Press Enter to select.
Get Timbre from Synthesizer
You may load any of the eight sets of Timbre parameters (associated
with the eight synthesizer Parts of the current Patch) from the
D-110's two Timbre banks. The affected Part is determined by the
position of the cursor when the menu is pulled down. Select this
function and you will see a bank of Timbre numbers. (Timbres don't
have names.) Use PgUp and PgDn to change banks. Press Enter to
get the Timbre settings. The numbers to the left of the Timbre
numbers declare which MIDI program change value to send on the MIDI
channel of the Part to select the respective Timbre dynamically via
MIDI.
Store Timbre to Synthesizer
You may store the Timbre settings for any of the eight synthesizer
Parts to the D-110's Timbre memory. The Timbre to be stored is the
one associated with the Part where the cursor was sitting when the
menu was pulled down. Select this function and you will see a bank
of Timbre numbers. (Timbres don't have names.) Use PgUp and PgDn
to change banks. Press Enter to store the Timbre settings. The
numbers to the left of the Timbre numbers declare which MIDI
program change value to send on the MIDI channel of the Part to
select the respective Timbre dynamically via MIDI.
Load Timbre Banks from Disk
This function allows you to load the D-110's Timbre banks (A and B)
from a disk file. When you select this function, the Editor
displays a list of Timbre bank files in the current directory.
Move the cursor to the desired file and press Enter to load the
Timbre banks.
Save Timbre Banks to Disk
You may save the current contents of the D-110's Timbre banks in a
disk file with this function. The Editor will ask you for the
desired filename. The file extension will always be "TBB" and the
Timbre bank file will be written to the current directory. If a
file with the same name exists, the Editor will ask if you want to
replace it with the new file.
Edit Rhythm Setup
Select this function to edit the D-110's Rhythm Setup. The Editor
will display the Rhythm Setup parameters for one octave as well as
a keyboard to show you which key you are currently editing. Use
PgUp and PgDn to change octaves. Use the arrow keys to move the
cursor to the desired parameter and use the Plus and Minus keys to
change it's value. The changed value is immediately sent to the
D-110. You may also enter the new value directly. If you press a
numeric key, 0 thru 9, the Editor goes into direct input mode.
Press Enter to complete the direct input.
To view the available Tones, place the cursor on a note for which
you want to change Tones and press Enter. (The horizontal position
of the cursor doesn't matter.) You will then see an entire tone
bank. By moving the cursor around the screen, you can audition all
Tones in the bank. Use PgUp and PgDn to change banks. Press Enter
to select a Tone or Esc to keep the one that you had before.
Note: There is no temporary Rhythm Setup area. All changes take
effect immediately.
Load Rhythm Setup from Disk
This function allows you to load the D-110's Rhythm Setup from a
disk file. When you select this function, the Editor displays a
list of Rhythm Setup files in the current directory. Move the
cursor to the desired file and press Enter to load the Rhythm
Setup.
Save Rhythm Setup to Disk
You may save the current D-110 Rhythm Setup in a disk file with
this function. The Editor will ask you for the desired filename.
The file extension will always be "RHM" and the Rhythm Setup file
will be written to the current directory. If a file with the same
name exists, the Editor will ask if you want to replace it with the
new file.
Edit Current Tone
You may edit any of the eight Tones associated with the eight
synthesizer Parts of the current Patch. The affected Part is
determined by the position of the cursor when the menu is pulled
down. Use PgUp and PgDn to display up to four pages of Tone
parameters. To edit the Tone, simply use the arrow keys to move
the cursor to the desired parameter and use the Plus and Minus keys
to change it's value. The changed value is immediately sent to the
D-110. You may also enter the new value directly. If you press a
numeric key, 0 thru 9, the Editor goes into direct input mode.
Press enter to complete the direct input.
Tone editing takes place in the Tone temporary areas. If you want
to save your changes, be sure to store the Tone before you select a
new Patch or a new Timbre for the Part whose Tone you have changed.
Name Current Tone
Select this function to change the name of the Tone in the Tone
temporary area. If you want to keep the new name, be sure to store
the Tone.
Store Tone to Synthesizer
You may store the Tone settings for any of the eight synthesizer
Parts to the D-110's Tone memory. The Tone to be stored is the one
associated with the Part where the cursor was sitting when the menu
was pulled down. Select this function and you will see the names
of the programmable Tones in the Tone memory. Press Enter to store
the Tone settings.
After editing a Tone, you may store it in the D-110's Tone memory.
To do so, select this function. The Tone to be stored is the one
associated with the Part where the cursor was sitting when the menu
was pulled down. The Editor will display the names of all
programmable Tones in the D-110's memory. Move the cursor to the
position where you want to store the Tone and press Enter. The
Editor will ask you if you are sure. If you answer yes, the Tone
memory for that position will be overwritten with the new Tone
data.
Load Tone Bank from Disk
This function allows you to load the D-110's programmable Tone bank
from a disk file. When you select this function, the Editor
displays a list of Tone bank files in the current directory. Move
the cursor to the desired file and press Enter to load the Tone
bank.
Save Tone Bank to Disk
You may save the current contents of the D-110's programmable Tone
bank in a disk file with this function. The Editor will ask you
for the desired filename. The file extension will always be "TNB"
and the Tone bank file will be written to the current directory.
If a file with the same name exists, the Editor will ask if you
want to replace it with the new file.
Adjust Master Tune
Select this function to tune the synthesizer. Press the Plus and
Minus keys to adjust the tuning.
Set Exclusive Unit
Select this function to change the Exclusive Unit. The Exclusive
Unit setting must match that of the D-110 you want to control. You
can control up to 16 D-110s. When you select a value, the Editor
will attempt to retrieve the memory contents of the D-110 which
matches the new Exclusive Unit value.
Enable MPU THRU
Select this function to enable MIDI THRU on the MPU-401. This is
required for real-time auditioning. (MPU THRU is enabled by
default when the MPU-401 is first powered up.)
Disable MPU THRU
Select this function to disable MIDI THRU on the MPU-401.
Synchronize
This function causes the Editor to retrieve the contents of the
D-110's RAM. You should perform this function after you load the
D-110 from a memory card so that the Editor knows about the new
Tones, Timbres, Patches, or Rhythm Setup.
CUSTOMIZING TONE BANKS
You may want to create a Tone bank of your favorite Tones. If the
Tones you want are in Groups a, b or r, or in the current Group i,
simply make them current (select them for up to eight of the Parts)
and store them to the synthesizer in the desirable slots.
To move Tones between banks, follow this procedure. Load the
source Tone bank (the bank which contains the Tones you want), make
the desired Tones current (up to eight), load the target bank (the
bank to which you want to move the Tones), store the Tones to the
synthesizer, and save the new Tone bank to disk. This method also
works for Patches and Timbres. Alternately, if you have saved
single Patches to disk, you can load a Patch and store each of the
eight Tones that were saved with the Patch to the synthesizer.
IN CLOSING
Thank you for your interest in the Platinum Series from Logical
Productions. We are committed to providing high-quality software
solutions for today's electronic musicians. We are very interested
in your ideas for improving our products. If you have any
suggestions, or if your MIDI set-up presents any special
challenges, please call or write.
Logical Productions
616 South Sunset Canyon Drive
Burbank, California 91501
818-848-5973