Poly aftertouch keyboards?

to...@no_spam.com

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Feb 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM2/26/98

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Can anyone please tell me where I can find a list of keyboard synthesizers
with this "poly aftertouch" feature? I'm quite curious about this.

If I'm not mistaken, my Kurzweil K2500X has only Mono aftertouch. I doubt
this is a serious limitation, but I won't know until I try out some poly
'boards, will I? :)

-- Nhat-Viet Phi, alias "Toto"
-- ac.ba.stops@otot <=== E-mail backwards!
-- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
-- Piano accompanist, Amiga user, Hot Wheels junkie.

msl...@copper.ucs.indiana.edu

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Feb 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM2/27/98

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In article <6d4rdp$7am$2...@f02s02.tac.net>, <toto@no_spam.com> wrote:
>Can anyone please tell me where I can find a list of keyboard synthesizers
>with this "poly aftertouch" feature? I'm quite curious about this.

There is a "Master Keyboard Page" at:

http://wwwseti.cs.utwente.nl/~rvanloo/masterkb/master.htm

For what it's worth; personnally, I find it a bit amateurish and
somewhat rife with errors...

>If I'm not mistaken, my Kurzweil K2500X has only Mono aftertouch. I doubt
>this is a serious limitation, but I won't know until I try out some poly
>'boards, will I? :)

You are correct; the K2500 has only channel (mono) aftertouch capability.
It is, however, a GRIEVIOUS limitation, IMHO. Polyphonic aftertouch,
or "key pressure" as opposed to "channel pressure" is a feature missing
on most newer keyboards, even top-of-the-line models. Seems manufacturers
are taking advantage of the widespread ignorance about things MIDI among
the younger set of musicians. Once you've mastered it, you won't go back
to less expressive keyboards! And those who claim that it just clogs the
limited available bandwidth of the MIDI data stream merely display that
they are inexperienced in properly managing the resource.

Here is a grouping of polyphonic aftertouch capable keyboards that you
likely won't find elsewhere. I don't claim it to be complete, but the
list is small enough to be accurate for the most part. I will also
restrict it to viable, MIDI-capable models as well, so no mention of
the famous Yamaha CS-80, or the outlandishly priced Synclavier, etc.
Also omitted are many keyboards, such as Roland's new A-90 that can
*send* polyphonic aftertouch data from a controller mapped to that
function without having the keys themselves capable of true polyphonic
aftertouch data generation. And especially notice the distinct ABSENCE
of Fatar models, or other popular "solutions" such as the venerable
Yamaha KX88/KX76, Kurzweil PC88, Alesis QS8, 88-note digital pianos, etc.
_______________________________________________________________________
Arp (Rhodes) Chroma w/ pressure option (easily MIDIfiable)
Elka Mk. 88
Elka Mk. 76
Ensoniq; many and various, mostly only 61-key types however
General Music S3 (not sure about the S2)
Gulbransen KS-20 MIDI retrofit
Kurzweil MIDIBoard
Oberheim Matrix 12 (an option?)
Roland A-80
Roland A-50
*Sequential Prophet T8
*Yamaha DX1

*The DX1 and T8 respond internally to polyphonic aftertouch (as do
hundreds of rack-mount tone modules w/o keys), but their keyboards
don't transmit it out via MIDI to external modules, according to
Malte Rogacki. Thus, their usefulness as MIDI master controllers is
essentially nil. I would be interested in knowing of any additions or
corrections to this list. People?

Regards,

Michael

Kenneth J Flagg

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Feb 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM2/27/98

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Excerpts from netnews.rec.music.makers.synth: 27-Feb-98 Re: Poly
aftertouch keyboards? by @copper.ucs.indiana.edu

> And especially notice the distinct ABSENCE
> of Fatar models, or other popular "solutions" such as the venerable
> Yamaha KX88/KX76, Kurzweil PC88, Alesis QS8, 88-note digital pianos, etc.
> _______________________________________________________________________

Isn't the QS8 true poly-aftertouch? I have a QS7, and one of the
modulation routings is called "PolyTouch" which I believe stands for
Polyphonic AfterTouch. Do you know something that I don't?

-Ken

Nick Rothwell

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Feb 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM2/27/98

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msl...@copper.ucs.indiana.edu () writes:
> *The DX1 and T8 respond internally to polyphonic aftertouch (as do
> hundreds of rack-mount tone modules w/o keys), but their keyboards
> don't transmit it out via MIDI to external modules, according to
> Malte Rogacki.

Probably true of many keyboards. The Wavestation responds to, but
doesn't transmit, poly aftertouch. (It also does not distinguish
between the two aftertouch types as controllers; other modules like
the Micro-Wave do.)

--
Nick Rothwell, CASSIEL contemporary dance projects
http://www.cassiel.com music synthesis and control

NOTICE - this vessel has triple screws - keep clear of blades

Dan

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Feb 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM2/27/98

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I wonder if my Roland GM70 Guitar MIDI controler can do note
aftertouch? If I bring up MIDI OX on my pc, what would the HEX code
look like for an aftertouch on Millde C?
Thanks
Dan

toto@no_spam.com wrote:
>
> Can anyone please tell me where I can find a list of keyboard synthesizers
> with this "poly aftertouch" feature? I'm quite curious about this.
>

> If I'm not mistaken, my Kurzweil K2500X has only Mono aftertouch. I doubt
> this is a serious limitation, but I won't know until I try out some poly
> 'boards, will I? :)
>

jloffink

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Mar 1, 1998, 3:00:00 AM3/1/98

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Not many keyboards have polyphonic aftertouch. In recent memory Ensoniq is the only company I know
of to feature them, and even they seem to be discontinuing the feature. Samplers EPS, EPS-16 Plus
and ASR-10 have polyphonic aftertouch, as do synthesizers VFX and SD, maybe some others.
--
John Loffink

toto@no_spam.com wrote in article <6d4rdp$7am$2...@f02s02.tac.net>...

msl...@copper.ucs.indiana.edu

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Mar 2, 1998, 3:00:00 AM3/2/98

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In article <soxi9WG00...@andrew.cmu.edu>,

Kenneth J Flagg <em...@andrew.cmu.edu> wrote:
>
> Isn't the QS8 true poly-aftertouch? I have a QS7, and one of the
>modulation routings is called "PolyTouch" which I believe stands for
>Polyphonic AfterTouch. Do you know something that I don't?
>

> Ken

The Alesis QS6, 7 & 8 all DO NOT have poly aftertouch. Even Ensoniq
is getting away from including it on most of their newer keyboards,
as one poster already noted. Remember the rule, "a modulation routing
does not a poly aftertouch keyboard make!" Check the MIDI implementation
chart to see whether the keyboard in question delivers this type of MIDI
data to its "MIDI out" port(s)...

For a manufacturer to include the capability to respond (sonically) to
the poly aftertouch MIDI status byte is an almost trivial task; building
a keyboard capable of generating this data type is fairly expensive.

Bill Currier

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Mar 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM3/7/98

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msl...@copper.ucs.indiana.edu wrote:

> Also omitted are many keyboards, such as Roland's new A-90 that can
> *send* polyphonic aftertouch data from a controller mapped to that
> function without having the keys themselves capable of true polyphonic
> aftertouch data generation.

Since the end result is the same, does it matter?

Bill

msl...@copper.ucs.indiana.edu

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Mar 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM3/9/98

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In article <3501488B...@earthlink.net>,

It matters greatly, because the end result most certainly IS NOT
anywhere near the same!

Someone else care to elaborate for him? (I'm tired of typing.)