Now if the guy on the Roland-Edirol booth could be kind enough to put a Pianoteq demo together with the PCR... who knows?
]]>First and foremost, the PCR is a MIDI keyboard controller. Calling on the 30-plus years of keyboard experience of its parent company Roland, Edirol’s PCR controllers provide a velocity-sensitive synth-action keyboard with a superb response and playing feel. There are 12 different velocity curves available, so you can adjust the playing response to perfectly suit your individual playing style. The keyboard also offers assignable aftertouch (either polyphonic or channel) with four different velocity settings.
]]>from the PCR manual:
●Polyphonic key pressure
Status
2nd byte 3rd byte
AnH kkH vvH
n = MIDI channel number: 0H – FH (Ch.1 – 16)
kk = note number: 00H – 7FH (0 – 127)
vv = key pressure: 00H – 7FH (0 – 127)
Yeah, I think it needs to support that for the pads, not the keys. I'd love to be proven wrong!
]]>●Note on
Status
2nd byte 3rd byte
9nH kkH vvH
n = MIDI channel number: 0H – FH (Ch.1 – 16)
kk = note number: 00H – 7FH (0 – 127)
vv = note on velocity: 01H – 7FH (1 – 127)
* Transmitted when you push a key in Play mode.
●Polyphonic key pressure
Status
2nd byte 3rd byte
AnH kkH vvH
n = MIDI channel number: 0H – FH (Ch.1 – 16)
kk = note number: 00H – 7FH (0 – 127)
vv = key pressure: 00H – 7FH (0 – 127)
The not so good news is the "feel" -- as some others have noted in other music/recording forums, the pressure required to engage aftertouch on the PCR keyboards is quite high. I just used a weight to estimate how much pressure is needed to begin sending an aftertouch message with my PCR and it is over 3 pounds! Even though there are four aftertouch "sensitivity" curves, these only affect the data change with pressure above the minimum -- I couldn't find a way to reduce that ~3 pound minimum!"
If it's really as it says here, then I wouldn't even bother throwing money on that Edirol. Has all the flaws of Roland keybeds - abysmal aftertouch sensitivity.
Reading further through that thread, I noticed someone saying that PCRs do NOT have true PAT. Don't bother. Rather get an old Ensoniq or GEM S3 board.
]]>Philippe did you get in touch with the owner of a clavichord I mentioned? Or maybe he didn't want to let you record it? You could maybe record one of the instruments in the "MIM" (Musée des Instruments de Musique) in Brussels?
]]>it looks like PCR series controllers from Edirol do offer polyphonic AT.
You got me excited there. Poly AT in a cheap controller keyboard? Too good to be true! From reading some other message boards, it seems that information on this is rather confusing, and that the control pads are poly AT, but not the keyboard.
]]>Nope but I would be perfectly happy with this kind of approximation, I imagine most users would too.
It's certainly better than nothing, and I'd be willing to give it a try. Now we just need to find Modartt a clavichord, hm?
]]>