Access virus indigo ii Manuale Utente

CHAPTER 9
The keyboard versions of the Virus

 

Although the VIRUS kc or the indigo is merely a
VIRUS with a keyboard, there are a few charac-
teristics to be considered, which is what the fol-
lowing section deals with.

To be able to get the most out of your VIRUS kc
/ indigo, and to use it sensibly, it is worthwhile
to theoretically dissect the machine into its
components: Keyboard, panel and sound gen-
erator. The keyboard and the panel transmit da-
ta, namely the keys being played and the
wheels and pots being turned. The VIRUS’ in-
visible heart, the sound generator, receives this
data. 

The transmitter and receiver communicate via
the MIDI standard, so whether the sound gener-
ator receives note messages via the keyboard
or via MIDI-In makes no real difference. The
same applies for data sent from the pots on the
panel to the sound generator: Normal MIDI data
is sent, just as if it were being sent to the sound
generator via the MIDI-In.

Why do we feel inclined to direct your attention
to this circumstance so explicitly? Simple: You
might have come into contact with the so called
Local-Off-Mode on other synthesizers: when
activated the keyboard sends data to the MIDI-
Out, but not directly to the sound generator.
This makes sense when you use a synthesizer
along with a sequencer, and want to use the
synthesizer as a Masterkeyboard in your setup.
In this case the sequencer decides which ma-
chine receives the keyboard data, and it could
be very undesirable for the keyboard to send
data directly to the internal sound generator. Af-
ter all you do not want to send the data twice,

(directly as well as through the sequencer), nor
do you want the internal sound generator to
play along when you are trying to play the
sounds on a different synthesizer. 

So obviously the VIRUS kc / indigo also has a
Local-Off-Mode (Parameter: KEYBOARD Local
(Off, On)). When activated, all the keyboard da-
ta, i.e. aftertouch, the data from the wheels and
from the two pedals, is sent only to the MIDI-
Out, and not to the sound generator.

Just like on the VIRUS without a keyboard, the
VIRUS kc / indigo has a special Local-Off-Mode
for the Panel (Parameter: MIDI Panel: Internal,
Int+MIDI, MIDI). You can choose whether the
data from the control panel should be sent only
to the sound generator, to the sound generator
and MIDI-Out, or just to MIDI-Out. Separating
the Local-Off mode for the panel from that of
the keyboard may seem a little confusing and
unnecessarily complicated at first, but it does
make sense - as shown in the following exam-
ple:   

Let us suppose you want to use the VIRUS kc /
indigo as a Masterkeyboard with your sequenc-
er and have switched to Local-Off. If this mode
were valid for the keyboard and the panel, the
data from both transmitters would not be sent
to the VIRUS’ sound generator, only to the
MIDI-Out. This would be desirable as far as the
keyboard data is concerned, but not necessari-
ly for the control panel data: If you suddenly
wanted to turn the VIRUS’ Cutoff pot to damp-
en the VIRUS sound, the pot’s data would not
arrive at the sound generator, only at the se-
quencer. From there it might be passed on to an
entirely different synthesizer, where it could
cause sound changes that were not at all in-
tended - after all there is no standard allocation
for control data to parameters. 

To make it short: It can be very practical and
easier on the nerves, to be able to activate the
Local-Off-Mode for the keyboard, while the