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Roland BK7m

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Hi all,
well I've finally managed to buy a Roland BK7m which seem to be very rare in the UK.
I picked it up last Saturday night from a very pleasant chap who gave me a very comprehensive demo using a Korg keyboard connected to the Bk via an app on his Ipad, and I must say I was very impressed with it.
On getting it home I resisted trying it out straight away on my FR3xb and firstly downloaded the owners manual, printed it out (well, 100 of the 120 pages), and proceeded to read it through.
The next day I connected it all up and powered everything on in the sequence given in the manual.
First thing I found was the bass and left hand side worked fine but there appeared to be no sound from the right side. I then found that if I turned the balance fully clockwise I got a faint sound from the right and also, if I really hit the buttons hard, as you might do playing a piano keyboard, then the sound was much louder.
I also noticed that the left side was the same and that both sides were pressure sensitive, although the left side was louder than the right.
Now I don't think there is a problem with the F3xb as I have used it with a Roland RA800 and it works fine, and the demo I got showed that the BK7 was working fine so I think it must be a setting on the BK7 which needs altering.
I have now spent the last 3 days poring over the manual and trying different settings to no avail, so I'm wondering if any of the experts here can shed a light on the problem.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
How are you connecting everything up. There are a few ways to hook up the audio between the two boxes and you amp/speaker.
Also which audio is giving the problem in this setup, the accordion or the bk?
 
Thank you both davidplaysaccordion and JerryPH for your advice.
I had set up the MK7 using Jerry's excellent video and used the Wizard to set the v accordion which was saved.
I've gone through this routine numerous times and always get the same result.
I would also add that I did a factory reset on the BK7 with no change.
Unfortunately my free time is very limited for the next few days so I will not have the opportunity to explore further for a while.
In answer to David's question whether the problem is with the accordion or the BK, that is the nub.
The FR3x works fine with my RA800 using this same setup and the BK7 worked fine when demo'd to me.
I personally think it may be settings on the BK7 but I would have thought that, following the setup procedure from Jerry's video and the owners manual, I would have thought they would be correct, so really I dont know.
 
Hi, I had a similar issue when connecting my FR7 to the BK-7M. Mine turned out to be setting the velocity correctly. All was resolved for me after watching a well explained presentation on YouTube. I don't know how to post the link, but if you Google "configuration to play BK-7M UP1 & UP2 YouTube " and watch, it may help you too. Thank you, Graham.
 
Thank you so much Graham and Jerry (y) . That is exactly my problem. I've bookmarked the video so that I can go through the steps once I get the time.
I had a late night/early morning session with it and thought I was getting somewhere by installing both the audio cables.
It was then working correctly but only using the accordion right hand sounds, the left coming from the midi as before, but, obviously I was on the wrong track.
What an amazing bunch we have here on The Accordionist. The depth of knowledge and also the willingness of members to help others makes me feel very humble.
 
I think I may have a little something I recalled from my own website. When I was connecting the Ketron X4 to the Roland 8X, it was screwing a lot with volumes... to resolve it I did this:

Challenge: To NOT have the 8X screw around with any of the volume settings on the Ketron X4, just accept the chord changes and nothing else.
Solution: In the FR-8X MENU 16.4 – set “Accordion” to OFF

Solution 2: I have set ALL PARTS to OFF to prevent other sections of the V-accordion from sending volume information to the BK-7m.
 
Well, thanks to all for your help.
I now seem to have cured the problem by following the steps in the Roxys Music video for the BK7 settings and it has worked.
I would have liked to change the FR3x settings also, but the video uses an FR4x which has different controls.
I checked in the manual and on page 61 the velocity tx setting procedure is listed, but on my FR3x I've scrolled through all the setting many time and the UEL setting is not listed, so I'm unable to alter this setting.
 
I recently moved from a FR1-X PA to the FR1-XB CBA and found that playing velocity sensitive voices on the little plastic buttons was not as easy as using a piano-style keyboard.

I've also found that most MIDI mis-matches can be sorted using a MidiSolutions Event Processor. For your application it could be readily programmed to amplify or remap the Roland's velocity signals. (But it can do so much more... I wouldn't be without mine)
 
ChrisH said:
I recently moved from a FR1-X PA to the FR1-XB CBA and found that playing velocity sensitive voices on the little plastic buttons was not as easy as using a piano-style keyboard.

I've also found that most MIDI mis-matches can be sorted using a MidiSolutions Event Processor. For your application it could be readily programmed to amplify or remap the Roland's velocity signals. (But it can do so much more... I wouldn't be without mine)
Click to expand...
You're right there, ChrisH, but do you need velocity sensitive buttons on an accordion.
I seem to have gotten my BK7 on speaking terms with my FR3xb so I think I'll leave it at that.
I find it complicated enough without adding more :)
 
" do you need velocity sensitive buttons on an accordion "

not at all, but why buy a Roland if not for the things it can do BEYOND
a simple accordion ?

one of these principle things is having the ability to legitimately
and realistically use Piano, Vibes, Guitar, Flute, and other popular and useful
instrument sounds that benefit greatly from a Velocity enabled keyboard

yes, simple MIDI accordionists have with varying success adjusted their
attack and volume control to simulate authentically brief usage of
such sounds, but the freedom to freely use these types of tones
is a huge advantage and a great part of the value of a V-Roland Keyboard

come on you UK players.. tell me truth that you have never tried
to do some signature riffs from Ian Anderson in the privacy of your Moors ?

i have played and jammed a version of "Living in the Past" most of my
Life, but it wasn't until i had a Roland that i dared play it for an audience..
and if you don't care for the 5/4 time do a bit of "Sossity"

you will be glad of the velocity keys
 
Ventura said:
you will be glad of the velocity keys
Click to expand...
... but if it is new to you, don't expect to get comfortable with that until you've done your homework. ;)
It took me a good few days and a lot of practice before I had that ability to separately control the volume of the percussive instruments versus the instruments controlled via the bellows... times 2 if you now want to do the same on the left hand, as its not "natural" for an accordionist to control drum volume and bass volume both together and separately.
 
Ventura said:
" do you need velocity sensitive buttons on an accordion "

not at all, but why buy a Roland if not for the things it can do BEYOND
a simple accordion ?

one of these principle things is having the ability to legitimately
and realistically use Piano, Vibes, Guitar, Flute, and other popular and useful
instrument sounds that benefit greatly from a Velocity enabled keyboard

yes, simple MIDI accordionists have with varying success adjusted their
attack and volume control to simulate authentically brief usage of
such sounds, but the freedom to freely use these types of tones
is a huge advantage and a great part of the value of a V-Roland Keyboard

come on you UK players.. tell me truth that you have never tried
to do some signature riffs from Ian Anderson in the privacy of your Moors ?

i have played and jammed a version of "Living in the Past" most of my
Life, but it wasn't until i had a Roland that i dared play it for an audience..
and if you don't care for the 5/4 time do a bit of "Sossity"

you will be glad of the velocity keys
Click to expand...
Thanks Ventura, but I did say buttons as in the CBA which are far more difficult to hit precisely and also with differing amounts of force, at least, at my level of incompetence.
I do use the features of the Roland within my ability and am learning more all the time, but, for the moment I don't need to make it any more complicated.
As far as "sossity", you're speaking a foreign language to me, and "Living in the Past", I am doing that in real life. :)
 
sossity was a song Jethro Tull would do in concert, sometimes for
more than a half hour, and his lead-in to the "jam" is a classic and
signature riff

"living in the past" is an awesome 5/4 time rocker they performed
and that rivaled "Do What you Like" from Blind Faith

Rock'nRoll Flute stuff was possible for Organ-Accordionists who
were NOT following in the Jazz tradition.. songs like the Fife Piper
and bands like Tull and War came under my fingers early and often..

but man once i had Velocity in an accordion these old songs
came back to life for me.. accordion sounds can be flute-like
even without electronics, and getting breathiness in is obvious,
but the Velocity lets you add the spit and the chiff as your
emotions dictate
 
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