LOL, you think the manual reads like Latin to you, it reads like Chinese to me. It truly does assume that the reader has a keyboard / synth / workstation background, which I do not.

Seriously though, I had set the keyboard up to respond to GM messages and it will play BIAB songs just fine. The issue is that is rather schizo when it comes to the buttons on the synth. Mac found at least one key item where I have to set the Sound Finder to Midi OUT. After that (and a Midi Reset, and start in BIAB) the keyboard will now play through the BIAB Thru voice, IF I set the "LSB" to something other than zero. Unfortunately something (I haven't managed to figure out exactly what) causes the Thru voice to reset to some guitar instrument and the LSB goes back to 000 (this in BIAB) and the keyboard stops making sounds, though it does still display in the upper left keyboard.

So I have a variety of issues happening here, some in BIAB and some in the keyboard itself.

It is mostly working now however. I am able to get the keyboard to play through BIAB and back out to the synth in the keyboard. I can select the instrument in the Thru voice in BIAB, set the attack (volume) etc. And apparently doing all this directly sets the stuff out in the synth because even if I close BIAB the keyboard continues to play whatever BIAB programmed it to play last.

Of course if any of the Soundfinder Favorites buttons on the keyboard are pressed... ALL BETS ARE OFF. I have to go back in and fiddle in BIAB to get it "setup" to work with the keyboard again. This truly is an issue (if a small issue) because my 6 year old daughter LOVES to press buttons on the keyboard, and one of the major points of the keyboard is to allow the kids to start learning to play.

Luckily I have figured out how to get that BIAB stuff working quickly enough now.

And very likely, IF I dig back in and learn to play, I will go get a simple weighted 88 key keyboard only. With a modern computer all of the synth stuff is much easier to do on a computer. At least all the fiddling is in one place.

Last edited by jwc; 04/21/09 08:05 AM.
jwcolby
Ensoniq ZR-76 keyboard, m-Audio Minisport 2x2 Anniversary Edition
AMD x2-3800, 2gb RAM
XP SP3, BIAB 2008