Using a Peavey PC-1600 as drawbars.

[Mecaso]

Hello everyone

I own a Peavey Spectrum organ and a Peavey PC-1600

and their user manual.

I try to use this PC-1600 as drawbars with the Spectrum organ.

I can't do it. Is it possible? If yes, please, i need your help.....

Many thanks & best greetings....

[geoelectro]

It's been years since I've had my PC1600. It can control just about anything since it can record and store sys-ex for each slider. That said, I believe it comes from the factory with presets where one was for the spectrum organ. I'm not certain of that but it seems to be the case. The owners manual for the PC1600 should have that info. Otherwise, learn what each drawbar's MIDI cc number is and set that on the PC1600 and store it.

BTW, I did the sampling for the Spectrum Organ back in the day. Spent a few days at Peavey working with the programmers.

Geo

[Mecaso]

Hello,

And many thanks to geoelectro.

But, i don't understand well what means:

"Otherwise, learn what each drawbar's MIDI cc number is and set that on the PC1600 and store it."

Sorry, i am an old french man (74 years) & i am not very familiar with new technology.:embarrassed:

If you can please, could you explain to me how to do that?

Many thanks again & best greetings from France....:)

[picothinker]

Hi Mecase, welcome to the bunch. There are many your/our age on here. In very general terms, MIDI is short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, and CC means 'Continuous Controller". Some MIDI controllers are push-buttons, just on and off (like the keys themselves). A Continuous Controller is like a volume fader, a continuously variable slider. A CC would be what is used to act like a drawbar.

[Mecaso]

Hi, picothinker

Thanks for your answer....

Best greetings:-)

[Goff]

Mecaso,

Not wanting to discourage;

I looked over the manual and it's complex.
Since there are so many things these two devices can do, it's not easy and straight forward. The manual is not explicit enough to explain the process and it's not as user friendly using older systems of connectivity and menu access.

Lots of menu diving to consider this plug-n-play. Use of other buttons to hold down to enter a mode makes it more complex. You have to first send a "patch" from the Spectrum to the 1600 by using MIDI "OUT" of the Spectrum connected by MIDI cable to the MIDI "IN" on the 1600.

And then after you program the 1600 you need to reverse the MIDI connections from 1600 "OUT" to Spectra MIDI "IN."

One would need to have the two devices in front of them to try out the steps and patching. I don't have these units.

This is from the manual.



You have to assign the CC in steps for each drawbar.
There are many CC steps.

The other issue is it's only 32 voice polyphony. Meaning it will only play 32 notes before it repeats. Perhaps that's enough for playing chords.

Most MIDI sound modules today are at least 128 note polyphony. This alone would be a deal-breaker for someone wanting to trigger many notes on an organ.

My suggestion is find someone in your area that understands MIDI and can instruct you hands-on.
Doing this over the net and unless someone is really up on this on the forum and using it regularly, there would be a steep learning/teaching curve.

Even if you get the two to speak to each other, there would be numerous procedures to do just to get simple things like effects, volume control, rotary.

And then if for some reason the settings get lost, you'd have to start from scratch.

I don't know if there is a battery that needs to be replaced that saves the settings in either module.

I would also suggest getting something easier to use. Having something like the Spectra and 1600 though it has many functions, the connectivity involves a lot of button pushing and rotary knob twirling, reading all that on a tiny screen.



Don't mean to discourage. It's just this system is like programming a patch synth like a Moog or Arp 2600.

Hence the name "PATCH 1600"





I saw your name listed in the Peavey manual Geo!

[Mecaso]

Hello, Goff.

I see your answer only this morning. Sorry...

(It is true that the notices are not very clear.)

I persevered with the two notices of the

Spectrum organ and the PC-1600, and I

managed to program the drawbars.

So, my problem is solved.

Many thanks again & regards...