MUSIC COMPUTING LAB HELP

INDEX:

LOGIN AND GENERAL SETUP HELP

LISTENING TO THE COMPUTER OR KEYBOARD

GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING

KURZWEIL PC2X KEYBOARD

LOG IN AND GENERAL SETUP HELP

  1. Log in to the Music Computing Lab (MCL) or Sound Studio (Studio) computers using your Purdue career account User Name and Password.
  2. The first time you log into the MCL or Studio Computer you will be asked:
    The system was unable to unlock your login keychain. Choose CREATE NEW KEYCHAIN
    Do NOT attempt to enter your old password or continue to log in or you may have problems.
  3. After you login, you will see two hard drives on the desktop. The first is called “Macintosh HD,” and the second is called “<username>”. Do NOT use the second hard drive for audio work. It is your ITAP server hard drive, is only 500 M, and is WAY TOO SLOW to record audio. You may create projects on your desktop, in your Documents folder, or on your own hard drive.
  4. You may also want to log into your CLA-IT server space. Do this by going into the Finder, choosing Go/Connect to Server, and typing in: afp://128.210.94.246 (Note that this address should already be setup in the Go/Connect… Server Address window). This is a good place for Practica Music projects, and to use for backing up files. You should not attempt to record audio or sequences on it, again, it is way too slow!
  5. Note that you have now created a user account on the physical computer at which you are sitting The MCL and Studio are setup this way to ensure the fastest possible system for recording and producing audio. YOUR PROJECTS WILL NOT TRANSFER TO A SERVER, ETC., WHEN YOU LEAVE, but they also will NOT be intentionally erased until the end of the semester. You are strongly encouraged to bring and use your own hard drive for projects. You should always try to use the same station (audio classes will have assigned seating) when you come in to the lab to work. You alone are responsible for backing up your work every time you work in the MCL or Studio, in case the station you normally work at is NOT available when you come in to the labs to work during open lab hours.
  6. Also note that all of the sound libraries are now stored directly on each hard drive. There is a folder in the sidebar, and at Macintosh HD/Sounds that has all of the sound libraries on it.
  7. There is also a folder in the sidebar, and on Macintosh HD/Sounds that contains Equipment Manuals for all of the hardware and software used in the MCL and Studio. If you notice something missing, please let faculty or grad assistants know, and we’ll try to include them with the next round of computer imaging.
  8. If you continue having trouble logging in to either the studio or MCL or having trouble accessing your folder on CLA-IT server contact CLA IT at:

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LISTENING TO THE COMPUTER OR KEYBOARD

  1. Plug your headphones into the box under the desk, the top audio plug in, in order to listen to either the computer or the Kurzweil PC2X
  2. You need to have the switch turned to computer (this is by the piano keyboard) in order to listen to the output of the computer
  3. You need to have the switch turned to keyboard in order to hear yourself playing on the piano keyboard.
  4. If you are using a software application that has a “Patchthrough” mode, such as Practica Musica, you should only have to turn the switch to the computer position, and can monitor through the output of the computer.

GENERAL TROUBLESHOOOTING

My computer runs slow, crashes a lot, or generally doesn’t seem to be working right.

Whenever you work on a public computer (especially one that is running sophisticated software), it can be a good idea to reboot the computer when you start. You may also want to “zap the PRAM,” as the information retained in your computer’s memory when it shuts down may still cause problems on a reboot. To zap the PRAM, hold down the command, option, P and R keys while rebooting, and wait until you hear four start up chimes in the headphones.

My Computer seems to be hopelessly stuck! What should I do?

First, try to quit the application that is stuck. If you can’t quit using the “Quit” command in the Applications Menu, you can “Force Quit” by navigating to the Apple Menu (top left of screen), choosing “Force Quit” and then selecting the application that is stuck.

If all else fails, you can always restart the computer. Note that you will lose any unsaved changes, but this will get you up and running again, pretty quickly. Press and hold the power button on the front of the Power Mac computer (studio) or on the bottom left of the back of the iMac (MCL) for about five seconds, or until the computer shuts down. Wait five more seconds, and press the button again to boot up.

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KURZWEIL PC2X KEYBOARD

How do I reset the Kurzweil PC2X Keyboard when someone has left it in an odd state?

1.Press and hold down the +/-, 0 and Clear keys on the numeric keypad simultaneously. This will reset the keyboard to its factory defaults.This is often a very good thing to do as a rule of thumb when you enter the Music Computing Laboratory and start to use the keyboard; you never know what someone else may have done to it!

How do I get sound out of the Kurzweil PC2X Keyboard?

1.Make sure the volume pedal (on the floor beneath you) is pushed down;

2.Make sure that the Master Volume Control is turned up;

3.Make sure the selector switch on the panel next to the computer keyboard is set to “Keyboard.”

How do I get the Kurzweil PC2X Keyboard to play the Stereo Grand Piano sound?

1.Choose “Internal” in the “Sound Source” section;

2.Choose “Internal Voices” and “Piano 1” in the “Sound/Setup Select” Section;

3.If you still get no sound, press the “Global” button in the System Section; make sure that “Local Control” is set to “on;”

SETTING UP MUSIC COMPUTING LAB PREFERENCES

  1. Note that these preferences should already be setup for you when you create your user account. You can check to make sure they are correct, however.
  2. Open the Audio MIDI Setup application (it’s the one in the Dock with the horizontal keyboard on it(run your mouse over it, and the name will appear), or go to Applications/Utilities/Audio MIDI Setup;
  3. Choose Window/MIDI Studio;
  4. Choose “Default” in the configuration button at the top left of the MIDI Studio Window;
  5. Check to make sure that the MIDI interface you want to use is not greyed out. If the FastLane USB is greyed out in the MCL that is attached to the PC2X device, and another FastLane has appeared that is NOT greyed out, someone has patched the MIDI cable into the wrong USB port on the back of the iMac. Repatch the USB cables on the back of the iMac until the correct Fastlane appears.