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Via [SHIFT] [UTILITY] one can set the tempo of the performance either internal (user defined) XOR external (audio envelope follower). Mutually exclusive.
Question (1)
When there is no count in, the keyboard has to start and defines the BPM of the song. That's easy. Just set the tempo to internal.
Once the band joins the pace is set by the drummer. That's easy too. Just set the tempo to external.
But how can I combine these two settings. I mean: start off with the internal pace and once input arrives at the audio I/O adapt it to the external source without having to switch the setting manually.
Question (2)
It would be nice to have an internal algorithm that adjusts the I/O to the internal setting.
By this I mean the following: If the internal BPM is set to 120 and the external audio is playing at approx. 120 (Let's say range 110-130) the input tempo should be validated as the correct tempo and being followed.
But when the input of the kick drum is playing at 60 BPM, the resulted tempo should be multiplied by 2. This can be set manually. But it would be nice when some artificial intelligence in the Montage would take care of that. I can not limit the drummer's freedom on kicking his base in a way my Montage understands. It should be the other way around.
Examples:
In Chaka Khan - Ain't nobody the Montage arpeggiator/sequencer is starting the song.
In Bruno Mars - Up town funk the Montage arpeggiator/clapping is starting the song.
After a few measures the drummer/band takes over. At this moment I manually switch from internal to external.
I simply do not want to switch manually. I have to focus on playing 3 keyboard parts at the same time and don't want to lift my hands off of the keyboard.
At this moment even a specific cc-command for my foot switch would do. But some A.I. would be preferred.
Posted : 27/02/2019 7:56 am
That would be a nice feature. We handle these situations by sending a click to the drummer IEM. He dosen't like it much, but it works :p
Posted : 27/02/2019 12:29 pm
Hi Jan
You can actually change the sync source with a MIDI SysEx message. It's on page 195 of the Montage Data List. You would change address 0x00050B to 0 for Internal, 2 for A/D.
The data container you should use is on page 188 in section 3-5-3-1.
Posted : 01/03/2019 7:25 am
Topic starter
@Andreas: Thanks for the info. I will check it out.
Posted : 02/03/2019 9:16 am
The Montage's tempo sync to an input audio beat (say, the kick drum) is really just a digital phase-locked-loop (PLL). With a digital PLL it is possible to program the divide ratio between the input (the kick drum, for example) and the output (which is the tempo sent to the synth) - in fact, it's possible to even set it to non-integer values, too, not that you would ever be likely to want to do that in real music unless you were playing in some odd time signature like 13/7 or trying to do a polyrhythm between the kick drum and the synth's arps. As I said, this divide ratio is easily made programmable.
In addition, it is also possible to program the bandwidth of the loop filter in the digital PLL such that - for example - when the kick drum skips a beat, or doubles a beat, it is just "glossed over" (if you get my meaning) and the output tempo sent to the synth remains unchanged, while still remaining responsive, say, to gradual accelerandos or ritardandos. The bandwidth of the loop filter is also easily made programmable.
The above really isn't difficult to do. I know, because I design PLL's for a living and have done all the above in physical implementations in firmware, in FPGAs, and on real bespoke silicon chips.
The Montage really should be able to provide the above capability. It would make the "sync the tempo to an external audio signal" feature SO much more flexible and useable in scenarios where you are playing with a band.
David.
Posted : 03/03/2019 12:14 am
The closest thing to m/n ratios is applying a unit multiplier to ARPs. You cannot assign a controller to this since unit multiply is not a destination, but you can use scene buttons since scenes allow setting unit multiply.
https://www.yamahasynth.com/ask-a-question/varying-tempo-in-a-performance-by-scene
In general, allowing tempo to be offset by knobs is something I wish was more directly available.
How easy something is to implement in hardware does not seem to be a determining factor for features.
Current Yamaha Synthesizers: Montage Classic 7, Motif XF6, S90XS, MO6, EX5R
Posted : 03/03/2019 10:38 pm
