Copyright: Copyright © 1998-2001 Creative Technology, Ltd.   Creative Keyboard Help (UDA) - Version 1.1
Citation: Copyright © 1998-2001 Creative Technology, Ltd.


What is Creative Keyboard?

Creative Keyboard is a virtual keyboard which you can use to audition or test the sounds produced through MIDI devices on the selected audio device.


If You've Used AWE Control Before ...

Creative Keyboard is a stand-alone applet derived from the Playback tab of AWE Control. Here are the modified features:

Changed

Controller values
To get the value you want in AWE Control, you had to rely on the pop-ups for feedback on the value as you dragged the slider. In Keyboard, you can type the value you want into the adjacent box besides dragging the slider.

Removed

Octave Range slider
Using the horizontal scroll bar along the length of Keyboard to reach your target range of keys is more natural compared to using the Octave Range slider to jump to a particular octave.

Refresh button
Creative Keyboard now automatically refreshes the view after a bank or instrument selection.

Added

All Notes Off
The All Notes Off option allows you to turn off the sustain notes produced by a MIDI input device if the device stops responding.

Title bar and system menu
Double-clicking a blank area in the dialog box switches on and off the title-bar display, and consequently the system menu.


Selecting a Key on Creative Keyboard

There are altogether 128 keys on your virtual keyboard. The Middle C key is your reference point: it is marked with a black rectangle. A tooltip identifies a key as you point to it.

Creative Keyboard has 11 octaves, numbering 0 to 10 from left to right. In each octave there are 12 notes corresponding to 12 keys, starting with C and ending with B; octave 10, the last octave, is incomplete.

To select a key on Creative Keyboard is simple. Click directly with the mouse, or use a keyboard shortcut. When you use a keyboard shortcut, you must first select the octave, and then select the computer keyboard key corresponding to the note.

Notice the easy correspondence between the keys on the computer keyboard [image] and those on the MIDI keyboard

The first row of the computer keyboard corresponds to the octave. To select the leftmost or zero (0) octave, select the ` key. To select the first octave, select the 1 key. Similarly, to select the last or 10th octave, select the 10 key.

Certain keys in the second row of the computer keyboard (the darker shaded keys in the first figure) correspond to the black keys on the MIDI keyboard. Similarly, certain keys in the third row of the computer keyboard (the lighter shaded keys in the first figure) correspond to the white keys on the MIDI keyboard. Since we have defined the starting note in an octave to be C, we shall start with the C key. Notice again the same relative positions of the shaded computer keyboard keys and the MIDI keyboard keys [image] To progress across the Creative Keyboard keys C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C (of the next octave), C#, and D, you have to press the computer keyboard keys (follow the shaded keys in the figure) A, W, S, E, D, F, T, G, Y, H, U, J, K, O and L.

Some more examples. Traditional Middle C is identified as C on the 5th octave. To select it using the computer keyboard, first select the octave, in this case 5. Then select the computer key that corresponds to the note C, in this case the computer key A.

The tooltip for each key on Creative Keyboard is divided into two sections: the first section gives the computer keystrokes to select that Creative Keyboard key, which is represented in the second section. For example, the tooltip for the keyboard key "Middle C" is 5A C5. The tooltip for the note "High F #" is 6T F#6. So to select the note F# in the 6th octave using the computer keyboard, press the key 6 and then the letter T.

Notes

If you are auditioning notes within the same octave, you can skip selecting the octave.

Notice that we extended the labeling a little beyond an octave. The last three computer keyboard shortcuts K, O and L are provided so that you can skip selecting the next octave in case you want to include the next octave's C, C# and D notes in your auditioning.


Selecting a MIDI Input Device

To select a MIDI input device

1	In the Select MIDI In box on the Options dialog box, click the correct MIDI port.

2	Click the OK button.

You can now use the external MIDI input device to test your sound creation.

Note

You can use external MIDI input devices to audition your MIDI banks and instruments. But you must first connect a MIDI input device to your audio card and then select that device in Creative Keyboard.


Testing an Instrument

To test an instrument

1	In Creative Keyboard, click the bank and the instrument you want.

2	Click the keys on the keyboard to test the sound. If you have an external MIDI input device , it may be easier to use it instead.

Tips

If you want multiple notes to sound simultaneously, use your right mouse button to click the keys, which will be marked by black dots.

To release the keys, you can right-click them one by one
OR
click the All Notes Off button for simultaneous release.

To slide across the keyboard, drag the mouse.

If the playback's sustain is too long, click the All Notes Off button.


Testing Instruments with MIDI Controllers

To test instruments with MIDI controllers

1	In Creative Keyboard, click the MIDI controller you want.

2	Specify a value in the Controller Value box or drag the slider to get the value you want.

3	Click the keys on the keyboard to test the sound. If you have an external MIDI input device , it may be easier to use it instead.

Tips

If you do not like the effects on your instrument, click the Reset Controllers button to set the MIDI controllers to their default values.

If the playback's sustain is too long, click the All Notes Off button.


Silencing All MIDI Sustain Sounds

To silence all MIDI sustain sounds

In Creative Keyboard, click the All Notes Off button.
All the black points on the keyboard disappear.


Glossary

external MIDI input device

MIDI


external MIDI input device

Its advantage is that it can be preprogrammed with custom scores that test the exact range you want. You can save yourself the effort of having to actually touch the keyboard--just press a button.


MIDI

Musical instrument digital interface. A standard adopted by the electronic music industry for controlling devices, such as synthesizers and audio cards, that emit music. At minimum, a MIDI representation of a sound includes values for the note's pitch, length, and volume. It can also include additional characteristics, such as attack and delay time.


All Notes Off button

Releases the sustained notes and thus turns off the sound produced by a MIDI input device (useful if the device hangs).


Audition Device list

Lists the MIDI devices on your computer. If you have more than one MIDI device, select a MIDI device you want to audition.


Bank box

Select a bank to play.


Controller box

Select a MIDI controller to test.


Controller Value box

Displays the value of the selected MIDI controller and allows you to specify another value.


Controller Value slider

Drag the slider to the left or right to get the MIDI controller value you want.


Instrument box

Select the instrument you want to use.


Options button

Opens the Options dialog box which allows you to set which MIDI device to work with, which device to audition, and whether to show or hide bank and instrument names.


Reset All Controllers button

Sets the MIDI controllers to their default values, which are defined by the MIDI standard.


Select MIDI In box

Select the port of the external input MIDI device you want to use. There may be more than one port available in the list if you have multiple audio devices on your system.


Show Bank and Instrument Names check box

Select this to display the name (label) for the list item in the Bank and Instrument boxes.


OK button

Click this button to save the settings and close the dialog box.


Cancel button

Click this button to close the dialog box without saving any changes.


Help button

Click this button to open the Help file for this program.