You can create "splits" where sections of the keyboard, assigned to different parts, don't trigger the synth engine. But it seems to be impossible to transpose the outgoing note pitches on a per-part basis. This makes it much less feasible for including in splits things like drum machines and GM sound modules, where the range of keys for triggering drums is fixed. (In contrast with melodic external sounds, which can usually be transposed to "compensate".)
MIDI transpose limitation in MULTI mode
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I think you misunderstood Multi Mode. Parts are not keyboard „splits“ like on MIDI master keyboards.
The Virus TI is primarily a multi timbral synth engine with 16 Parts. Each of these Parts can be configured to only react to a certain range of MIDI notes (by channel and pitch range) and the events transmitted to the Part’s synth engine can be transposed (e.g. to compensate the octave range of the source MIDI events). There are more parameters for the Parts which obviously relate to the synth engine: Detune, Panorama, Voice Priority, Volume.
This works identically on the keyboard and desktop versions of the Virus TI.
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it clearly was also meant to be used as a MIDI controller since it lets you disable control of the internal sound engine on a per-part basis.
I think this is where the misunderstanding happens: You do not disable the control of the sound engine but the engine itself. The Part is deactivated. This is about incoming MIDI and works identically on the desktop version. AFAIK, outgoing MIDI from the keyboard is not affected at all, not even the MIDI channel, except by the global keyboard parameters.
If you don’t need standalone MIDI routing for live performance, then it’s probably easier to achieve within your DAW.
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Where's the misunderstanding? You just described exactly why I said it's meant to be used as a MIDI controller.
And I'm not sure if you meant that Part Enable controls whether or not the part is controlled by the built-in keyboard, but it does.
The MIDI output can't be transposed on a per-part basis so splitting up the keyboard to control drum machines together with external chromatic synths is limited if you can't change the drum machine's note mapping.I should point out that using the DAW for this purpose is more flexible but introduces quite a bit of latency. (Can't have it all.)
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Where's the misunderstanding?
Multi Mode Parameters configure how the synth engine Part reacts to incoming MIDI.
You want to configure how the internal keyboard sends outgoing MIDI.
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Erm...
Unfortunately the feature doesn't seem to work (!) But its existence goes directly against what you're saying ...
Edit Multi is definitely also for configuring the Virus as a MIDI controller ...
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What manual is this from?
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Oh. Apologies!
This is interesting, and puzzling!
So, your quote is from the Virus TI manual from 2006 (for the TI1). The chapter Keyboard to MIDI is omitted in the Virus TI Reference from 2013 (for Virus TI2). That’s why I couldn’t find it.
Also, I couldn’t remember to ever have seen this option because I only used Multi Mode on the Desktop, not on the Darkstar. I had to power up the Darkstar and do some menu diving to find this option. It’s there for sure, but I have no clue what it’s supposed to do (the description in the manual doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me).
Further digging revealed that the whole chapter Keyboard, starting on page 155, is missing in the newer Virus TI Reference as well. It contains the following explanation of the Mode settings:
Zitat von Virus TI Manual (2006), page 155Alles anzeigenMode
This parameter can be set in Single mode, but it only applies to MULTI mode. See “Multi Mode Reference” on page 165.
CONFIGURATION REFERENCE
> One Channel: The keyboard transmits MIDI data (notes etc.) to the currently selected Part via the MIDI channel defined in that Part.
> Multi Channels: The keyboard transmits MIDI data (notes etc.) to all Parts, regardless of the assigned MIDI channel.
It seems that this is somehow related to the Keyboard to MIDI setting in Multi Mode.
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However, all other descriptions always indicate that the setting influences how the Part reacts to incoming MIDI or which parameters are overridden.
Zitat von Virus TI Manual (2006), p. 167-168Alles anzeigenMIDI Channel
> 01 to 16: The MIDI channel to which this Part will respond.
[…]
Transpose
> -48 to +48 semitones: Part transposition. Adds/subtracts from the Single parameter of the same name (see “Transpose” on page 129).
[…]
Low Key
> C-2 to G8: The lowest MIDI note to which this Part will respond. If this is set higher than High Key (see below), the range between Low Key and High Key is disabled, and all notes outside this range are enabled.
High Key
> C-2 to G8: The highest MIDI note to which this Part will respond. If this is set lower than Low Key (see above), the range between Low Key and High Key is disabled, and all notes outside this range are enabled.
[…]
I would therefore not expect these settings to have any impact on outgoing MIDI.
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According to your experiments, could this feature maybe used to layer sounds? Within the Virus (assign the same MIDI channel to those Part constituting a layer sound, e.g. Parts 1-3 to channel 1, Parts 4-8 channel 2, etc.) or by controling other synths (e.g. layer with Moog on Channel 1, DX7 on channel 2 etc.).
Maybe it does make more sense like that?