Scorch XF

[dancaputi]

I was excited by the promise of Scorch XF as promoted on the YamahaMusicSoft website (http://www.yamahamusicsoft.com/index.php?action=ProductCatalog&category_id=140)

Interactive sheetmusic from your PC to your CVP! ... NOT QUITE!

Before you buy one of these songs, beware:
- The score will display in your browser only. There is no longer a separate program to view the score.
- You can NOT print the score. It looks great on the screen but the plug-in won't allow you to print it out.
- You can't zoom the display. I could hardly read the lyrics on my laptop at 1400x1050.
- You can play the song directly from the applet but it will NOT finish. At some point it simply stops playback. You must export the file to a floppy disk and play it on your CVP's sequencer to hear the whole song.

So I don't get it? What's the point?

Perhaps it's a ploy to market Sibelius notation software. Not very smart of Yamaha to be so misleading.

[rhudson4156]

There might be a workaround with Midinotate. I downloaded a free sample with the Scorch software, and it created a .mid file that I was able to open and view with Midinotate. Haven't actually tried to play it... but the score is there in black and white on my screen. It can be printed out from Midinotate or turned into a pdf with a pdf printer. Maybe that will help? - rh

[wizardofmid]

Here's the scoop on SCORCH with XF...

These files are meant to be downloaded and then used on a CVP200 series. The score will display on the CVP.

When the file plays, you will hear the right and left hand piano parts. You can use the Track 1 and Track 2 buttons to mute the parts to play along with.

Up to this point, it sounds like just a piano playing back. However, here's where it get's interesting. The XF part of the file adds chord data and lyrics. Using the lyrics button on the CVP will display the lyrics.

Now for something completely different... the chord data in the file can be used to have the Style section of the CVP200 create backup tracks to the song. You can use any style you want as the backup. Here's how to do it...

With a SCORCH with XF file loaded, select a style (just as you would if you were to play the chords yourself). Set the ACCOMP button to off. Now, press and hold TOP and press START/STOP in the song section. This sets the song to sync start.

At this point, press the START/STOP button in the Style section to start song playback. When the first chord appears in the chord area of the screen, you will here the style play backup tracks to the song.

The thing that takes the longest is doing backup tracks to a song. By doing SCORCH with XF, all they do is scan in the music, add the chord data and lyric data as XF, and they are done. The added benefit is that the end user gets to choose the backup to the song from their style section.

That's why these are important song files. They cost about $3.95 per song and the web site has only demos of the songs first page due to copyright reasons. I really like this as I can choose how I want the song to sound.

BTW, all the songs in the SONG BOOK of the Preset section are XF songs so you can do the process to change the backup of each one of these. Can be loads of fun.

[dancaputi]

wizardofmid,

I understand the benefits of XF as I have many XF singles that I've downloaded from yamahamusicsoft's XF library (http://www.yamahamusicsoft.com/index.php?action=ProductCatalog&category_id=184).

But what added value does Scorch give me? Playing the file from the browser was a total disappointment. Sure I could export it to an XF midi file and play it on the CVP, but I could already do that (without all the hullabaloo) from YMS.

And another thing: why are the Scorch titles 55 cents cheaper than the YMS ones? Shouldn't they cost more with all that (supposed) added value?

I still just don't get it.

- Dan C.

[wizardofmid]

The SCORCH with XF titles have chord information imbedded to play the style section. The standard SCORCH files do not have the chord info.

The difference really comes down to the use of the auto accompaniments to make back up tracks to the song. The SCORCH files without the XF chord data will only play the right and left hand piano part. Without the chord data, it can't use the style section. Maybe why they are 55cents less.

Who really knows what goes on there.

Have a great day