Help me understand the transpose function on my midi keyboard
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 4278 posts since 6 Nov, 2009
What is it for? Could I potentially play in any key just by playing on the white keys or am I misunderstanding? Thank you very much. I have a lot of learning to do when it comes to music theory.
-
JumpingJackFlash JumpingJackFlash https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=44005
- KVRian
- 1227 posts since 10 Oct, 2004
Sort of, yeah.arkmabat wrote:What is it for? Could I potentially play in any key just by playing on the white keys or am I misunderstanding?
To be more precise, it allows you to "play" in C major (or A minor), but the actual sound will vary depending on the transposition. For example, you can set it so that everything sounds a whole tone (two semitones) higher than what you actually play; so a C sounds like a D, and therefore playing in C major sounds like D major.
That doesn't necessarily mean that you can literally stick to just the white notes all the time, because most music will contain chromatic notes (notes foreign to the key) at some point, and minor keys will typically involve the raising of the sixth and/or seventh degrees in certain contexts (so in A minor, you'll probably play a G# at some point).
Unfamiliar words can be looked up in my Glossary of musical terms.
Also check out my Introduction to Music Theory.
Also check out my Introduction to Music Theory.
-
JumpingJackFlash JumpingJackFlash https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=44005
- KVRian
- 1227 posts since 10 Oct, 2004
So setting the octave control to +1 would be equivalent to setting the transpose to +12.arkmabat wrote:That's why I was asking. I used to think it was the same thing but it's not. The octave control changes octaves, and the transpose changes by semitones.
Unfamiliar words can be looked up in my Glossary of musical terms.
Also check out my Introduction to Music Theory.
Also check out my Introduction to Music Theory.
- KVRAF
- 25852 posts since 20 Jan, 2008 from a star near where you are
Yes, -1 is one semitone, meaning all the "black" tones will become "white", and all the "white" tones will become "black" except F and C (because they will be shifted to E and H(B) )JumpingJackFlash wrote:So setting the octave control to +1 would be equivalent to setting the transpose to +12.arkmabat wrote:That's why I was asking. I used to think it was the same thing but it's not. The octave control changes octaves, and the transpose changes by semitones.
- KVRAF
- 12555 posts since 7 Dec, 2004
They really are technically the same thing just split into two different parts. Octave is multiples of 12, transpose is single steps.
It's just a number that you can add to the key you're playing to shift it up or down. MIDI goes from 1 to 128 (0 to 127) and "middle C" is 60. So even a 90+ key controller with key 45 = 60 is going to be able to shift up nearly two octaves (23) and down one and three semitones (15). It would be centered with 15 to 105, depending upon what arrangement it has for the extra half octave divided up at the top and bottom of the range.
My own preference is just to have a knob and display that shows semitones. I don't need to see 2 octaves and 5 semitones, 24 + 5 = 29 is easy enough to figure in a split second already.
The benefit of octave transpose controls is that you might not want to fiddle with multiples of 12, you might just want to always keep every key where it is on the scale and always half or double the frequency. So you don't need to press the button as much to get from 0 to +2 oct as to get from 0 to +24st.
Other than that, not any difference really.
It's just a number that you can add to the key you're playing to shift it up or down. MIDI goes from 1 to 128 (0 to 127) and "middle C" is 60. So even a 90+ key controller with key 45 = 60 is going to be able to shift up nearly two octaves (23) and down one and three semitones (15). It would be centered with 15 to 105, depending upon what arrangement it has for the extra half octave divided up at the top and bottom of the range.
My own preference is just to have a knob and display that shows semitones. I don't need to see 2 octaves and 5 semitones, 24 + 5 = 29 is easy enough to figure in a split second already.
The benefit of octave transpose controls is that you might not want to fiddle with multiples of 12, you might just want to always keep every key where it is on the scale and always half or double the frequency. So you don't need to press the button as much to get from 0 to +2 oct as to get from 0 to +24st.
Other than that, not any difference really.
Free plug-ins for Windows, MacOS and Linux. Xhip Synthesizer v8.0 and Xhip Effects Bundle v6.7.
The coder's credo: We believe our work is neither clever nor difficult; it is done because we thought it would be easy.
Work less; get more done.
The coder's credo: We believe our work is neither clever nor difficult; it is done because we thought it would be easy.
Work less; get more done.
- KVRAF
- 6322 posts since 18 Jul, 2008 from New York
This trick predates MIDI. Irving Berlin could only play in F# major. He had a mechanical transposing piano that allowed him to play in other keys.
(Not Irving Berlin's piano.)
(Not Irving Berlin's piano.)
-
- KVRist
- 442 posts since 21 May, 2014
damn idk, on my access virus....it says, TRANSPOSE -2 -1 0 +1 +2, and I press the left or right button to move up or down by octaves on my keyboard..... hehe but you can set it to how ever many semtones you want +1 to be in the menu. why is music so complicated..
Sincerely,
Zethus, twin son of Zeus
Zethus, twin son of Zeus
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 4278 posts since 6 Nov, 2009
Thank you for sharing. My apologies; there isn't a standard name for octave/transpose. But yes, I want to think that any keyboard can do both a whole octave shift or just by semitones. Every keyboard is different though.
- KVRer
- 12 posts since 6 Aug, 2016 from Vienna, Austria
Also don't forget about the existence of dedicated 3rd party MIDI transposing software (sort of Autotuning for MIDI) like my AutoTonic Note Transposer which also might provide you full compatibility to any other mac or win based DAW, Virtual Instrument, Outboard Gear, MIDI destination etc., a lot more of sophisticated controls, functions and also the option to manage your scales records in a Music Theory Library … there are even many more features and potential usages you really should discover on your own …
I am an off-mainstream indie-developer from Vienna and I've put lots of efforts into creating this … maybe it's something you should consider, maybe it helps … if not at least you know now it exists too. Thanks for your time with all of my respect, Clemens.
I am an off-mainstream indie-developer from Vienna and I've put lots of efforts into creating this … maybe it's something you should consider, maybe it helps … if not at least you know now it exists too. Thanks for your time with all of my respect, Clemens.