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Chapter 19
Master Class 2 —
Advanced Music
Production
Take your skills up to the next level. Explore these advanced operations and appli-
cations — and get the absolute most out of your DX200 in your home studio.
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Playing the DX200 as a synthesizer
The DX200 is an extremely powerful and versatile synthesizer, with a wide variety of truly stunning and
dynamic sounds. And one of the best ways to harness that power is to hook up a MIDI keyboard. Do this,
and explore the wealth of Voices and the full 16-note polyphony of the DX200.
Setting up the keyboard couldn’t be easier — just plug it in, and connect the MIDI OUT on the keyboard to
the MIDI IN on the DX200.
To check that everything’s set up properly, play the keyboard — you should hear the synth sound of the
DX200. (If you don’t, see “X-tra Details” below.)
MIDI OUT
MIDI IN
MIDI keyboard
DX200
• MIDI Channels
More than likely, your MIDI keyboard is probably set to send data over
channel 1 — which will let you play and record the Synth track.
However, if you want to play or record any of the Rhythm tracks, you’ll
have to change the channel on the keyboard to match the appropriate
track:
Rhythm Track 1
— MIDI channel 2
Rhythm Track 2
— MIDI channel 3
Rhythm Track 3
— MIDI channel 4
You can also change these assignments on the DX200 — see Tip 81.
For instructions on changing the MIDI channel of the keyboard, refer to
the owner’s manual of that instrument.
• What keyboard should I get?
Naturally, any MIDI keyboard will do the job for you. As long as it’s got
keys (preferably both black and white) and a MIDI OUT terminal, you’re
in business.
However, to get the most out of your extraordinarily versatile DX200,
you’ll need an equally versatile MIDI keyboard. Here’s what you should
look for:
*
Five-octave (61-key) keyboard
— There are some very good desk-
top keyboards (such as the Yamaha CBX-K1) that have fewer keys,
but you’ll probably want at least five octaves to play with... so you
can use both hands.
*
Velocity sensitivity
— This feature lets you control the dynamics of
the sound by how softly or strongly you play the keyboard. Plus, it
also affects the FEG, so you can add some filter bite just by playing
harder. If you want expressive sounding tracks, there’s really no sub-
stitute for this.
*
After Touch
— Another expression control, After Touch lets you
change the sound (most commonly LFO modulation; Tips 32 — 35)
by pressing down hard on the keys after you play them. A really
good keyboard will let you change the MIDI Control Change assign-
ment on this, so you can control anything you want — such as Cut-
off or Effect Depth (Wet). (For details on MIDI Control Change
messages, refer to the MIDI Data Format section in the Appendix.)
*
Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels
— Most keyboards have these.
Pitch Bend lets you bend the pitch (obviously). The Modulation
wheel usually affects the LFO, but on a good keyboard this too can be
changed.
*
Extra (assignable) MIDI controllers
— This is a luxury item. If you
can afford it, go for it. Some keyboards (such as the Yamaha CS2x)
give you an extra set of knobs or faders that you can assign to many
of the DX200’s controls. (For more about MIDI controllers, refer to
the MIDI Data Format section in the Appendix.)
