Conference napalm::commusic_v1

If I remember correctly, quite a few of the Sequential models are, like the
Max and a couple of others.

The new Yamaha DX21 can play two patches simultaneously.

I think the Oberheim you referred to is the Xpander.  Don't recall how many
different patches.

Also, some of the sampling machines are multitimbral.  You can split the
keyboard in several places and put different samples in different locations.
I would assume that they can be accessed by MIDI as well.
                                                         
		Derek

RE -1

ALTHOOUGH THE YAMAHA DX-21 CAN DO 2 PATCHES AT ONCE, YOU ARE STILL LIMITED
BY THE 8 TONE GENERATORS. FOR INSTANCE, YOU CAN ONLY PLAY 4 SEPARATE NOTES
IN DUAL MODE. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO PLAY 5+, YOU'LL START LOOSING VOICES IN
SOME PRESCRIBED MANNER. (I BELIEVE ITS A FIFO TYPE SCHEME). VERY SIMILAR
THING HAPPENS IN SPLIT MODE.

IS THIS SOMETHING PECULAIAR TO THE DX-21? DX SERIES? ALL SYNTHS?

EDD

Re: -.1

I think the symptom you described is common to most synths.  Most of the
ones I have seen suffer from this.  You gets what you pays for...
                   
		Derek

RE: .0 - I asked the same question a while back, but I don't recall the
	note number.

  Aside from the split-keyboard types, the multi-timbral synths I'm aware
of are the Oberheims, Yamaha TX816, Sequential Multi-track and Max, and
Casio CZ101, 1000, and 5000. Then there's the Yamaha CX5M "music computer,"
which is supposed to have the equivalent of a multi-timbral DX9 in it.
Perhaps some of the VERY expensive synths are multi-timbral too... They (as
well as the Oberheims and TX816) are out of my league in price, so I don't
pay much attention.
  I'm planning on getting a multi-timbral synth sometime, and my current
inclination is the CZ5000. (No flames, please... It sounds good to me (after
slightly altering the preset voices), has a built in 8-voice sequencer, and
a reasonable price. I'm not primarily a keyboard player - I'll be using it
to back up violin and guitar.) Actually, I've heard of a "next version" which
will have a velocity-sensitive keyboard and other enhancements, rumored to
show up around March, which I'll probably wait for. If it doesn't show, I'll
go some other way...      

RE: .4 

I see no reason for "FLAMES" over the Casio, I have a CZ101 and im quit
happy with it so far. It may not be exactely the same as a CZ5000, but
then you also have a difference in the price. You do not have a split
keyboard on it, but together with the SZ1 sequencer you have up to four
timbers. The SZ1 is a strip down version of the onboard sequencer of the
CZ5000 and have four tracks with 1800 notes/rests if you record in real
time and 3600 if you enter each note via the small keyboard on the SZ1
and then give the pitch on the CZ101 keyboard. One other nice feature I
think I found ( I have not tried it yet ) is that you can program the
SZ1 to change timber in the middle of a playback. Once again this is not
a sequencer in the top range, but for the price and for my use its perfect.
In England it sells for 245 pounds and here in France 4500 FF. I was quite
lucky because the people in the shop had put the wrong price tag on it
which read 3350 FF, but since that was the price when I saw it they had
to sell it to me for that price. Not necessary to say before I left the 
shop they changed the price. 

Also one nice thing I read about the CZ101 in an english magazine called
"Sound on sound" was that the front figure in Ultravox (dont know if you
know them in the USA) used it on three instrumental pieces on his solo
album "Gifts". I have not heard it, but I will shure see if I find it some
where. He also said that he used it because it was easy to program, he
still had not figured out how to fully use his DX7. For him the important
thing was to be able to use creating music, not having to study how to
program the thing.

Sorry if I got a little bit off the subject, but I just could not
resist giving "deffending" the Casio.

And as you can see from the typing errors its getting late, and I should
go home now.

....Svein  DDC Valbonne.

The Chroma Polaris and the Roland MKS-80 (super Jupiter) are both dual
timbred synths.  The two timbres can be invoked either by splitting the
keyboard (one timbre below the split point, another above), can be played
together ("unison link" mode on the Polaris, "dual" mode on the MKS-80),
or can be assigned to adjacent MIDI channels on the MIDI in port.

I imagine you could get the effect of multitimbres out of a sampling keyboard
if it could map multiple samples to different subranges of the keyboard.
This would behave like a keyboard with multiple split points.  Normally
you do this to avoid munchkinization and other unpleasant side effects of
using a single sample to span many octaves, but there's no reason why you
have to make the samples abut smoothly.

I believe the new Sequential Circuits Prophet 2000 sampling synth can also
assign one sample to each MIDI channel, so you'd have a 16 timbred synth,
although the sounds might be of limited range/usefulness.

I'll second the support for the CZ-101.  It is a very powerful little
keyboard.  How many other synths do you know of that have 6 8-stage (i.e.,
8 sets of rate/level pairs) envelope generators per voice.  I wish they
made a velocity/aftertouch sensitive version of it that was rack mountable.

len.