Pattern Key

Controls: Sgram/PT Dialog >> Pitch-to-MIDI >> Setup
Changes : K v= n, KP v= n

Pattern Key is used to transpose Note Pattern entries, and for some other special purposes.

The Pattern Key control accepts a value that is a MIDI note number from 0 to 127. The corresponding musical note and octave are shown in bold to the left of the control. The default is MIDI note 60, which is C4 (middle C).

The effect of Pattern Key is different depending on the state of the Tempo Mode button in the same Voice Setup. If it is set to Percussion (button selected), then Pattern Key is the note that will actually be played wherever a 'C' character appears in the Note Pattern. All the other notes in the pattern use this as a reference. For example, the characters 'CdDeEFgGaAbB' form a 12-note octave starting from the Pattern Key note. If you set Pattern Key to a C in any octave, then these notes will be played as named, in the specified octave.

If you set Pattern Key to, say, D4 then the same Note Pattern letters will play notes shifted up two semitones: A 'C' will now play D4, a 'D' will play E4, etc. This allows you to easily transpose a Note Pattern to another key for performance, though it will appear unchanged.

If the Note Pattern contains numeral or symbol characters, they are interpreted as relative to the Pattern Key. That makes them effectively equivalent to letters, but needlessly difficult to use when setting the Note Pattern to play a predefined melody.

When the Tempo Mode button is set to Voice (unselected), then Pattern Key has the same effect on Note Pattern letters (but not numerals or symbols). In addition, the +/-Note value is added to get the played note. The input note stream is completely ignored here.

In this Tempo Voice mode, a numeral or symbol (or an empty space) in Note Pattern is relative to the input note. The Pattern Key note is normally completely ignored.

However, Pattern Key is used in special cases: If the Key Pivot option is selected via the KP Changes script command (see below), then the Pattern Key note is the "pivot note". In this case, incoming notes above Pattern Key become notes the same distance below it, and vice-versa. (See Buffer Pivot for an analogous operation on buffer data.)

Also, when the Note PreScale option is active, the incoming note has +/-Note added to it before the Scale operation instead of afterwards. Scale assumes that a 'C' is the root or tonic of the scale, but if PreScale is active then Pattern Key can be set to any other scale root. This is done internally by adding the difference between the Pattern Key note and 60 (Middle C) before the Scale operation.

Pattern Key is also used in Buffer Copy and Buffer Fill commands that use the Note Pattern, and with Buffer Repeat and Note Adjust Maps.

Changes Script:

K v= n sets Voice v Pattern Key to the value of n, which may be any unsigned integer or expression, including random values, current computer keyboard states, input or buffered notes, or oscillators. The value will be limited to the range of 0 to 127. (Middle C = 60.)

KP v= n sets Voice v Key Pivot state to the value n. If n is zero, the Pivot state is off; any other value sets it on.

Alternatively, you can use x instead of a value to toggle the current state. For example, KP2=x toggles the current Key Pivot state for Voice 2.

Note: Be careful not to confuse these K Pattern Key commands with K Computer Keyboard Control data values. Commands are always on the left side of the equal sign, while data is always on the right.

See also MIDI Voice Setup Dialogs, Pitch-to-MIDI dialog, Pitch Track Toolbox - Overview