Roland XV-88 and VK-7 midi problem!

[bobc2112]

I'm posting on behalf of our keyboard player, I'm a guitarist so apologies for any non-midi speak etc!!! He uses a Roland XV-88 (bottom keyboard) and a Roland VK-7 (top keyboard), connected together by midi cables. In our band we have just made the revolutionary move of de-tuning from concert pitch (A=440Hz) down a semi-tone to make life easier for our singer. It's easy for me as a guitarist 'cos I just de-tune on the machine head, job done. Martin has tuned his keyboards down a semitone by pressing some buttons etc but has a problem when he uses the bottom keyboard to play the sound modules of the top and vice versa via midi. Although both keyboards have been downtuned, when using bottom to play top via midi, the sound reverts back to concert pitch and the same happens when he plays top midied with the bottom, however when he plays each keyboard normally ie bottom keyboard for bottom sound module and top keyboard for top sound module, the de-tune' command works as intended. Is there a quick fix for this? Has he missed a step in de-tuning, taking midi connections into account?

[Outkaster]

Why are you detuning? Get another singer if you can you should not have to bend that much. That means that the person can't sing on key and probably has pitch problems if I get what you are saying. I know that was not your question but damn.

[bobc2112]

Ha ha, great suggestion mate but the singer is my wife!!!!! Don't think that would go down too well. In fairness to her, we've tuned down because we are playing some vocally massive songs and it makes life easier on her voice. Gives the band a bit more bollocks too.

[mrcpro]

It sounds like he's using the transpose buttons instead of setting the pitch of the sound generator. On the XV, have him go into "System" and find the tuning pages. Master Tune should be right on top. on some Rolands you need to save System settings, On some you don't (when you change something it's a done deal). I don't know which camp the XV-88 is in... he'll have to look it up.

 

I don't have an XV-88 so I don't know if this will work for sure, but it should. If it doesn't I have another solution that I know will, but it's much more complicated so try this first.

 

I don't know anything about a VK-7 but I imagine that there's a Master Tune function in it somewhere. But maybe not... it's a clonewheel organ and this is not something you'd normally do with this kind of board.

[Jez]

Why are you detuning? Get another singer if you can you should not have to bend that much. That means that the person can't sing on key and probably has pitch problems if I get what you are saying. I know that was not your question but damn.

 

It's common practice to drop a semitone or two for live playing, especially while touring and doing the same set every night for a week or more.

 

Loads of huge artists, who most definitely CAN sing very well, aren't ashamed to do it why make things unnecessarily tough on yourself?

[b3keys]

Mrcpro is right. Both the XV-88 and VK-7 has master tune functions. Both need to be adjusted separately on each keyboard. You don't want to use the transpose keys.

[80zclubkid]

Put roland vk-7 in system mode, then in control/edit, turn transpose 'off' to 'on', change 0 © to -1 (B) then go back to change transpose 'on' to read 'off'. Being off is like saving change. Do same thing with other roland. This worked for me as i went down a whole tone back in the early 90's grunge era.