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MIDI Keyboard V1.3        WINDOWS VERSION

Hints and tips for the program operation of Keyboard.exe and Kbd.dll 
(DLL version included within other programs).

Document Revision 1.2
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Many thanks to Max Reason for the XBasic development !!!

Application program created by Alberto L. Fornasari using XBasic
E-mail: AlbertoFornasari@hotmail.com

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Introduction

This program is especially useful when used with an external MIDI keyboard
but is also possible to use without it, just for sounds evaluations and
simple melodies and chords execution just using a mouse.

On the other hand this program -in its "DLL" version- is very useful to
be used by other programs as a complete MIDI Keyboard interface, to show 
and play results and also to allow input of keyboard data like in the Midi
Chord program (see other S/W distributions of the same author).

The program and the interface allows the user to split in two parts either
the screen keyboard or the external MIDI keyboard allowing to specify
different MIDI settings for each part (instrument, volume, panning, etc.).

All the MIDI settings can be saved to disk for further recovery  ( this allows
for example to store different settings for different songs or themes).

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Some brief hints for the operation

Placing the mouse over any label will produce a hint to appear for a few
seconds, describing the associated function.

In order to play notes simply left click with the mouse over any key of 
the screen keyboard.

While holding the mouse left button the sound will remain (if the selected
instrument have continuous sound, like an organ or flute), and when you 
release the button the sound stops (if you have left the mouse over the same
key in the process).

In order to lock-on any key to get a continuous sound, left click 
over the key and -while holding the button- move away from the key and
then release the button. Then, you may briefly click over the locked key to 
unlock it, and also you may use the big buttons labeled "ALL NOTES OFF" 
for unlocking keys of the corresponding part of the keyboard (channel).

This particular operation of locking keys, is specially useful for entering 
notes data to other programs which use the DLL version (for example to 
define chords to be analyzed for the program MIDI Chords).
  
All other operations for setting MIDI parameters are rather intuitive.
For changing the digital counters use the small buttons at the right of the
counter (upper button increases and lower button decreases the count if 
the next number is in range).

It is not possible to set the same MIDI channel for higher and lower keys 
(the two parts of the keyboard). The channel for higher keys must be 
always higher than the channel for lower keys (to avoid messing-up all
settings), so if you want to increase or decrease one and get stuck
because of the other, then alter the other to have more span.

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Using an external MIDI keyboard.

You must have a sound card that accept MIDI input and the corresponding drivers.
Then you must select  the corresponding external input in the "MIDI Input"
selector of the program  (normally "AWE MIDI In", "LIVE! MIDI In" or similar) 
and then connect and turn-on the external MIDI Keyboard.

Then you may play the notes in your external MIDI Keyboard using two different
instruments and settings for each part of the keyboard as you define in the
program.

Take into account that the MIDI controllers sent by the external keyboard
will only be applied to the part with the same MIDI channel of the external
keyboard. This is also applicable for the Pitch Bend Wheel and Modulation 
Wheel.
 
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Receiving notes from other MIDI programs (MIDI sequencers or MIDI players)

This operation is possible if you have installed in your system some kind
of MIDI Through drivers (Like Hubi's MIDI Loopback for example).

In this case, select one MIDI Through as the output for the MIDI player (for 
example) and then select the corresponding MIDI Through as "MIDI Input" 
in this program (our MIDI Keyboard program).

Then, while you are playing a simple song in the MIDI player, you may
"see" the notes playing in the Keyboard program (and also analyze chords 
if this program is attached to the "MIDI Chords" program for example).

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Hope this have helped you a bit.

Alberto L. Fornasari.
