Kenton Plugstation ver.2.01 - Manual (Page 51)

KENTON PLUGSTATION USERS MANUAL
51
CHANNEL 1 (TRACK 1) in your sequencer – SW1000XG MIDI OUT (This is being sent to the
PLUGSTATION slot 1 if the channel is still set to MIDI channel 1 on PLUGSTATION) – Then select
appropriate SYSEX and BANK select MSB & LSB messages to call up a PLG150DX part
CHANNEL 2 (TRACK2) in your sequencer - SW1000XG MIDI OUT (This is being sent to the
PLUGSTATION slot 2 if set to channel 2 on PLUGSTATION) – Then select appropriate SYSEX, and BANK
select MSB & LSB messages to select a PLG150VL part
CHANNEL 3(TRACK 3) in your sequencer – SW1000XG SYNTHESISER 1 (this is now talking to the
SW1000XG sounds
It is of course also possible to just call up the voices using the front panel control of PLUGSTATION to select
an appropriate bank select MSB/LSB and program change, however these voices will not be reflected in
your software display (for example you would have no record of which sound in your sequencer track you
had selected).
NOTE: YOU SHOULD ALSO JUST USE THE MIDI IN ON PLUGSTATION TO CALL UP PERFORMANCE
MEMORIES ON A CHANNEL THAT IS NOT IN USE BY ANY PLG CARD (FOR EXAMPLE YOU MAY
HAVE PLG150DX IN SLOT 1 ON CHANNEL 1, PLG150VL ON SLOT 2 CHANNEL 2, PLG150AN ON
SLOT 3 CHANNEL 3, AND PLG150OPF ON SLOT 4 CHANNEL 4. IN THIS CASE, ANY CHANNEL
FROM 5-16 COULD BE USED AND SETUP ON PLUGSTATION AS A MASTER CONTROL CHANNEL
FOR THE PERFORMANCE MODE OF PLUGSTATION). IN THE CASE WHERE A PLG150XG CARD IS
FITTED, THEN ANY PROGRAM CHANGES BEING SENT TO ANY CHANNEL COULD ALSO BE SENT
TO THE SAME CHANNEL ON THE PLG150XG. IF THIS OCCURS YOU MAY WISH TO MUTE OR SET
THE VOLUME ON THAT CHANNEL (PLG150XG) TO ZERO USING SOFTWARE. PLUGSTATION
CANNOT CONTROL PLG150XG FUNCTIONS AND CHANNEL SETTINGS.
Option 2: Connected to SW1000XG with X-BOARD (no Y BOARD or Z Board)
If you have purchased the PLUGSTATION just to expand the number of PLG cards that your SW1000XG
can host, and don’t want any individual output control over them, then this is the option for you. The
limitations of this option are that, whilst using the PLUGSTATION volume controls for each PLG card audio
return level is possible, you still are only sending in fact 2 channels of audio data back to the SW1000XG.
This is a limitation of the SW1000XG PLG return path. Why is this limiting you may ask? Well this is due to
the fact that individual effects processing for the return path is impossible (this is the case for all versions of
PLUGSTATION, but with the individual outputs, you can at least apply effects to any PLG card from your
outboard effects processors or mixing desk). On the SW1000XG, you have a set of chorus reverb and
variation (and possibly insertion effects) which can be applied to the PLG return path, and whatever board is
coming back (or multiple boards) will have the same effect applied to them. It also means that you are now
not only mixing the SW1000XG audio and MIDI parts from just a stereo pair output on the back of the
SW1000XG, but now also up to 4 PLG cards. We would rather be honest and point out these limitations
(which are not limits of PLUGSTATION) than attempt to hide them.
Using specific software (such as XGPAD from WWW.XGPAD.COM) however, flexible control over the audio
return levels is possible. Applications that normally control the levels of PLG cards back to the SW1000XG
(such as XGWorks or XGEDIT) are not suitable as they have no control over the sysex of PLUGSTATION,
which is controlling the DSP mixer return volumes from within the PLUGSTATION itself.
NOTE: THE PLUGSTATION HAS AN ONBOARD MOTOROLA M56364 DSP. THIS DSP TAKES THE 8
CHANNELS BEING FED BACK TO IT BY UP TO 4 PLG CARDS (2 CHANNELS PER CARD = 8) AND
MIXES THEM BACK TO A STEREO RETURN THAT THE SW1000XG IS ABLE TO HANDLE. THINK OF IT
AS AN EXTERNAL MIXER FOR THE PLG CARDS. ALSO NOTE THAT TO AVOID PROBLEMS
CONTROLLING GAIN SCALING VIA MIDI CONTROLLER 7 (VOLUME CONTROL) FOR THE PLG
CARDS, THE PLUGSTATION WILL ACTIVELY FILTER THIS OUT. THIS IS TO PREVENT
ACCIDENTALLY CHANGING PLG CARD VOLUME LEVELS, AND HAVE NO ON SCREEN DISPLAY TO
SHOW THAT THE VALUE IS CHANGED. FROM A SEQUENCER YOU MUST SEND THE SPECIFIC
SYSEX FOR EACH PLG CARD VOLUME RETURN LEVEL TO CONTROL THE VOLUMES OF THE
CARDS.