Kurzweil PC3 User manual

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Kurzweil PC3
SoundEditor
User Guide

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction....................................................................................................................... 5
Acknowledgements................................................................................................................ 5
Support................................................................................................................................... 5
About this Manual................................................................................................................... 6
Installation/Requirements....................................................................................................... 6
Before You Begin................................................................................................................... 6
An Important Note About SoundEditor................................................................................... 6
Overview ................................................................................................................................ 7
2. Starting Up......................................................................................................................... 8
Getting Connected ................................................................................................................. 8
MIDI Setup ............................................................................................................................. 9
3. SoundEditor Menus........................................................................................................ 11
Configuring Preferences....................................................................................................... 14
4. Parameter Selection in SoundEditor............................................................................. 15
Selecting and Adjusting Parameters .................................................................................... 15
5. Program Banks Window................................................................................................. 19
Program Banks Window....................................................................................................... 19
Modes Toolbar ..................................................................................................................... 20
Program Name Display........................................................................................................ 21
Selecting Program Categories.............................................................................................. 21
Program Toolbar (Editing and File Storage)......................................................................... 22
Bank Selection and Sorting Options..................................................................................... 23
Search Options..................................................................................................................... 24
FOUND Button..................................................................................................................... 25
Individual Program Options.................................................................................................. 26
MIDI Channel Display........................................................................................................... 27
MIDI Channel Toolbar.......................................................................................................... 28
Modes Toolbar - MIDI Button ............................................................................................... 28
Modes Toolbar –MASTER Button....................................................................................... 29
Modes Toolbar - EFFECT Button......................................................................................... 30
Modes Toolbar - EQ+COMP Button..................................................................................... 32
6. Editor Organization......................................................................................................... 33

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SoundEditor Editor Structure................................................................................................ 33
7. Program Editing.............................................................................................................. 34
Program Common Window .................................................................................................. 34
Program Common Toolbar (Editing and File Storage) ......................................................... 35
Window Views...................................................................................................................... 35
IMPORT and REMOVE Buttons........................................................................................... 37
IMPORT Button.................................................................................................................... 37
REMOVE Button .................................................................................................................. 38
Selecting Songs in the Common Settings View.................................................................... 39
Selecting FX Chains in the Prog FX (Program Effect) View................................................. 40
Layers Overview Panel ........................................................................................................ 41
Layers Window..................................................................................................................... 44
Layers Toolbar ..................................................................................................................... 45
Layers Name Box................................................................................................................. 46
MUTE and SOLO Buttons.................................................................................................... 46
Keyboard Zone..................................................................................................................... 47
„Views‟ Toolbar ..................................................................................................................... 48
Algorithm Panel.................................................................................................................... 54
Selecting and Configuring Algorithms .................................................................................. 54
Selecting an Alternate Input (Cascade Mode)...................................................................... 56
EDIT ALG WIRING Button ................................................................................................... 57
Editing an Algorithm............................................................................................................. 58
FX Edit Window.................................................................................................................... 60
FX Edit Toolbar .................................................................................................................... 61
FX Overview Panel............................................................................................................... 64
SELECT Button.................................................................................................................... 64
MORE Button....................................................................................................................... 65
FUN Button........................................................................................................................... 65
KB3 Mode Edit Window........................................................................................................ 66
KB3 Mode Toolbar ............................................................................................................... 67
„Views‟ Toolbar ..................................................................................................................... 68
8. Channel Mixer Window................................................................................................... 74
Single Mixer Channel........................................................................................................... 75
Selecting Mixer Programs .................................................................................................... 76

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RECEIVE and SEND Buttons............................................................................................... 76
9. Setup Window ................................................................................................................. 77
Setup Toolbar....................................................................................................................... 78
Individual Setup Options ...................................................................................................... 79
10. Setup Editing................................................................................................................ 80
Setup Window...................................................................................................................... 80
Edit Window ......................................................................................................................... 81
Setup Edit Toolbar................................................................................................................ 82
Zone Parameter Groups....................................................................................................... 84
11. Additional Controls ..................................................................................................... 90
V-Piano ................................................................................................................................ 90
Playing the PC3 from the Computer Keyboard .................................................................... 91
CC Sliders............................................................................................................................ 92
12. Appendix A - File Extensions ..................................................................................... 93
13. Appendix B - MIDI Setup Options............................................................................... 94
MIDI In Controller................................................................................................................. 94
Virtual MIDI Port................................................................................................................... 95

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1. Introduction
Welcome to SoundEditor! SoundEditor is a full-featured Editor/Librarian and Sound
Development tool for the Kurzweil PC3.
While the PC3 is fully editable from its front panel controls, SoundEditor greatly expands the
editing experience by displaying every PC3 parameter in a series of logical, easy-to-use
graphical interfaces. SoundEditor allows you to create, edit, organize, and store PC3
Programs, Setups, Songs and Effects.
Through a standard MIDI connection (DIN or USB), SoundEditor can receive and transmit
individual Programs, Setups or Effects, or entire banks to the PC3. All Program, Setup and
Effect parameters can be displayed and edited. Programs can be assigned to any of 20
Categories to assist in organizing, sorting and creating custom program banks. SoundEditor
can also be used as a teaching tool to learn the inner details of the factory Programs.
This manual, both a user guide and handy reference, is designed to get you up and running
quickly.
We hope you enjoy using SoundEditor for your Kurzweil PC3!
Acknowledgements
SoundTower Software gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following individuals for
their support and assistance during the development of this product:
Hal Chamberlin
Ricardo Garcia
Philip Hartman
Greg Kist
Mark Lanos
Mike Raffa
John Richmond
Francisco J. Rodriguez
Paul Rumberg
Helmut Schiltz
Michael Shonle
Jeff St.Pierre
Tim Thompson
John Teele
Dave Weiser
Support
Online support for this product is available at: http://www.soundtower.com/kurzweil

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About this Manual
Throughout the manual, screen shots of the SoundEditor application are shown for illustrative
purposes. These views are based on SoundEditor for the Macintosh, although similar views
will be observed if you are using SoundEditor on a PC. When any significant variation in the
appearance or operation of SoundEditor occurs between the Mac and PC platforms, the
differences will be described.
Throughout this document you will see icons that provide additional information:
- This icon indicates an important note concerning the operation
- This icon indicates a helpful or productive tip.
Installation/Requirements
No special software installation is required. SoundEditor is a standalone program designed to
run on Windows XP or Vista, or a Macintosh (OSX 10.3 or higher).
The SoundEditor application requires:
- 20 MB Hard Drive space
- 256 MB RAM (min.)
- 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution (1400 x 900 recommended)
- MIDI interface or USB connection
Before You Begin
To get the most out of this program you should be familiar with the operation of the PC3. The
PC3 is complex musical instrument with an amazing array of programmable features. The PC3
Musician‟s Guide is the principal resource for descriptions of the instrument and its operation;
this document is recommended reading for all PC3 users. Although SoundEditor can be an
invaluable resource to aid in the understanding the PC3, it is not a substitute for reading the
Kurzweil documentation.
An Important Note About SoundEditor
While using SoundEditor, the PC3 must not be in Edit Mode. Failure to observe this precaution
can result in unreliable editing and improper operation, including the possibility of locking up
the PC3 (should this happen, you‟ll need to cycle the power to reset the PC3).

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Overview
This User Guide will take you through the steps to configure SoundEditor to work with your
PC3. The Starting Up section should be followed first to get the hardware properly connected
and running with the SoundEditor application. From there you can freely explore, audition and
edit Programs or Setups, or create new Programs, Setups, or Effects.
The PC3 is an incredibly deep and complex instrument with many programming options.
SoundEditor has been designed to make the programming and editing process as simple and
easy to use as possible while providing all of the functional control needed to adjust every PC3
parameter. A few of SoundEditor‟s editing windows are shown below.

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2. Starting Up
Getting Connected
This chapter describes the steps to connect and configure SoundEditor on your computer.
Set up the PC3 according to the PC3 Musician‟s Guide (Chapter 2). Connect the PC3 to the
computer using either USB or the MIDI IN and MIDI Out DIN connectors, but not both.
SoundEditor will work with either connection.
By default, SoundEditor will check to see if a USB connection is in place when the
program starts. If no connection exists, it will default to the MIDI DIN connectors.
After insuring that the connections between the PC3 and your computer are in place, power up
the PC3, then launch SoundEditor. As the SoundEditor program starts, a splash screen similar
to the one below will appear briefly:
By default, SoundEditor will check to see if a USB connection is in place when the program
starts. If no connection exists, it will default to the MIDI DIN connectors.
You do not have to specify the type of connection in advance.
A few seconds later, the splash screen will be replaced by SoundEditor‟s „PC3 Editor‟ window.
By default, this window will display the Program Bank view as shown below, but you can chose
between „Program Bank‟ or „Setup Bank‟ as the startup view (see Configuring Preferences,
page 19)

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The first time you launch SoundEditor, some of the information fields may be blank.
MIDI Setup
If you are working with SoundEditor for the first time, you‟ll need to configure the program for
MIDI communication with the PC3. Once you do this, SoundEditor will remember the
configuration until you change it.
Click on the MIDI menu and select „MIDI Setup‟:

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The MIDI Setup window will appear, displaying the available MIDI Port connection options on
your computer:
1. Your MIDI Setup window will likely show different MIDI Input and MIDI Output Port
information.
2. The Virtual MIDI Ports‟ tab only appears in the Macintosh version of SoundEditor.
In the MIDI Setup window, select the MIDI IN and OUT ports that the PC3 is connected to, and
set the MIDI Channel to match the MIDI channel on the PC3. Once the proper ports and MIDI
channel are selected, you should see the current PC3 software version at the top of the MIDI
Setup window as shown. This confirms that SoundEditor is communicating with the PC3.
After making the appropriate MIDI connections, click on the DONE button to dismiss the
window. You can safely ignore the MIDI In Controller and Virtual MIDI Ports tabs for now.
Information on the use and configuration of the MIDI In Controller and Virtual Ports is provided
in Appendix B.

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3. SoundEditor Menus
The menus in SoundEditor allow you to select various windows and views, file storage options,
editing commands, MIDI configurations, and much more. A description of the menus in
SoundEditor appears below:
PC3SE (PC3 SoundEditor):
The PC3SE menu is where you select Preferences, get
information About, and Hide or Quit the SoundEditor application.
Information on configuring Preferences appears later in this
chapter.
FILE: The FILE menu allows you to Load or Save PC3 Data files. PC3
Data Files include all of the data currently loaded in the
SoundEditor application (all Programs, Setups, FX Chains and
User Algorithms), and thus represents the complete state of
soundEditor. PC3 Data files have the „.kp3‟ extension.

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EDIT: The EDIT menu provides controls for Copy and Paste, as well
as Write and Rename operations.
MODE:
The MODE menu allows you to select the PC3 Mode you would like to work in:
Program Banks or Program Edit, Setup Bank or Setup Edit, Master or MIDI. Menu items that
display a right-facing arrow indicate that a flyout submenu is available for additional selections.
Some items from this menu duplicate Toolbar buttons found in the Editor window (Program
Banks, Setup Banks, Master and MIDI).
For information on Program Banks, see Chapter 5.
For information on Program Editing, see Chapter 7.
For information on Setup Banks, see Chapter 9.
For information on Setup Editing, see Chapter 10.
See also information on Master operations, page 35.
See also information on MIDI Settings, page 34.

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MIDI:
The MIDI menu allows you to access the MIDI Setup window to configure MIDI operations, as
well as Receive and Transmit various types of PC3 data.
For information on MIDI Setup, see Appendix B.
EFFECTS: The EFFECTS menu allows you to access the Master Effects and
EQ + Compressor functions. Selecting items from this menu is the
same as clicking on the MASTER and EQ+COMP toolbar buttons
found in the Editor window.
Information on the Master Effects and EQ + Compressor functions begins on page 30.
OPTIONS: The OPTIONS menu allows you to display a virtual keyboard (V-
Piano) and virtual CC Sliders control window that you can use to
remotely play and adjust PC3 Programs. You can also play the
PC3 from the computer keyboard.
For information on the V-Piano and CC Sliders, see Chapter 11.
HELP: The HELP menu allows you to access additional
assistance.

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Configuring Preferences
SoundEditor offers several options for specifying the startup condition and program operation.
These options are found under the PC3SE/PREFERENCES menu.
When PREFERENCES is selected, the Preferences Window appears as shown below. This
window allows you to specify how you wish to work with SoundEditor. Two preference tabs are
provided here: „Start Up‟ and „Editor Controls‟.
When the „Start Up‟ tab is selected, you can choose the screen that will first appear when you
launch SoundEditor, and also whether or not the program will test for a USB MIDI connection
when the program starts:
When the „Editor Controls‟ tab is chosen, you can choose how the Mouse scroll wheel will
function in SoundEditor, and set the parameter label slide resolution and type of knob value
adjustment:

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4. Parameter Selection in SoundEditor
SoundEditor relies on different methods to select and adjust parameter values in edit screens.
These methods include selecting from drop-down menus, moving sliders, rotating knobs,
dragging to increment/decrement values, etc. In this chapter, we will describe the various ways
to select and manipulate PC3 parameter values in SoundEditor.
The methods described here apply to all SoundEditor windows.
Selecting and Adjusting Parameters
In any window, any parameter selection with a downward facing arrow indicates that there are
usually two or more choices available for that parameter or function. If just two are available,
clicking on the parameter toggles between the two choices:
If three or more choices are available, clicking on a parameter will produce a contextual menu.
When you encounter this type of selection method, simply move the cursor down through the
menu and click to make a selection.
Occasionally, a given parameter may have more options than can fit into a simple pop-up
window. Such is the case with the Keymap parameters in the Layers Edit window. Since the
PC3 offers hundreds of keymaps to chose from, SoundEditor displays a dedicated Keymap
selection window as shown below. Buttons to the right of the Keymap window allow you to
select from groups of keymaps, and a scroll bar is used to move through the available choices
in each group of keymaps on the left. After making a selection in this type of window, clicking
on the red CLOSE button in the title bar will exit the window.

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PERFORMANCE TIP: Any list in SoundEditor can be navigated using either the scroll
bars or the scrollable mouse wheel. For efficiently navigating through long lists, try combining
both methods: use the scroll bars to quickly navigate to the general area where the desired
item is located, then use the mouse wheel to pinpoint the exact item.
If a parameter consists of a numerical value, you adjust the value by clicking inside the value
field and dragging the cursor to the right to increase the value, or dragging to the left to
decrease the value:
Slider controls are adjusted simply by clicking and dragging the slider in the direction you wish
to go. Knobs, however, are adjusted by clicking on the desired knob and dragging the cursor
around the knob in a rotary fashion:
NOTE: An alternate method of knob control („VERTICAL‟) is available in SoundEditor‟s
„Preferences‟ pane. When VERTICAL control is selected, clicking on a knob and moving the
cursor up or down will rotate the knob to the left or the right. In either CIRCULAR or VERTICAL
mode you can also use the mouse wheel to make fine knob adjustments.

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LED controls are simply toggled ON or OFF by clicking on them. The LED will appear lit when
ON, and dimmed when OFF:
To adjust the keyboard zone of a Layer, click and drag on either of the orange bars that appear
immediately below the keyboard image. Dragging the cursor to the left or right will change the
range, and the note number fields will reflect the new values:
An alternate method is available that allows you to adjust the note range from the PC3
keyboard. For more information, see „Keyboard Zone‟ page 47.
In the Layer Edit window, Envelope parameters (Attack, Decay and Release) can be changed
by clicking inside the desired parameter value field and dragging the cursor left or right
(described previously), by clicking on a parameter field and entering a value, or by grabbing
and dragging the associated parameter handle in the envelope display as shown:
The „grab and drag‟ method only applies to envelopes that have handles.
The overall shape of an envelope can be expanded, contracted, raised or lowered using the
adjustment sliders that appear on the bottom and right side of the Envelope displays (applies
to the Amp Envelope and Envelopes 1 & 2):

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In the Algorithm section of the Layer Edit window, DSP functions are chosen by clicking on the
desired DSP block and selecting from the contextual menu:

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5. Program Banks Window
This chapter will describe the Program Banks window and cover the navigation and parameter
selections available.
Program Banks Window
When you launch SoundEditor for the first time, the program starts by displaying the Program
Banks Window view (you can also choose to start-up with the Setup view as described in the
Configuring Preferences section on page 20).
While using SoundEditor, the PC3 must not be in Edit Mode. Failure to observe this precaution
can result in unreliable editing and improper operation.

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Modes Toolbar
The Modes Toolbar allows you to select editing views in SoundEditor, and provides you with
displays to view and adjust PC3 global parameters.
Pressing the PROGRAM or SETUP buttons changes the editing view inside the PC3 Editor
window. Pressing either of these buttons is the same as selecting these same options from the
MODE menu. Pressing the MIDI or MASTER buttons will produce a drop-down window where
you can change the MIDI or Master global parameters. Pressing the EFFECT or EQ+COMP
buttons will produce a window displaying the controls to adjust the global Effect or
EQ/Compressor parameters. The figure below shows examples of both the MIDI drop-down
window and the EQ+COMP window. Detailed information on all Toolbar Modes appears later
in this chapter.