QTKeys is shareware. If you use it more than a few times you must send in the shareware fee. (See below.)
OVERVIEW
QTKeys is a Mac-only application that enables casual users to explore the possibilities of Apple's QuickTime Musical Instruments. It offers a synthesizer interface that permits the user to choose any of the 128 instruments plus drums, play tunes on built-in keyboard, or play pre-packaged chords or scales. Users are permitted to record, save, and load saved tunes they create.
FEATURES
* Cool synth interface
* Access all QuickTime Musical Instruments
* Keyboard play
* Built-in chords
* Built-in scales
* Record and playback
* Save and load recorded tunes
* Key selection and read-out (in glissando mode)
INSTRUCTIONS
IMPORTANT: If you use OS9 then you must turn off virtual memory. There is a bug in the OS9 Sound Manager that introduces latency (late playing) in playing sounds, which can be very annoying and prevent you from playing with any accuracy.
QTKeys is easy to use. Most of its functionality will be obvious, and there is extensive Balloon Help that details most of the features. It is recommended that you turn on Balloon Help for a minute or so when starting up the first time to acquaint yourself with the interface.
Choose an instrument grouop from the gray buttons at the top. Each time you choose a new group, a new set of eight instruments will appear in the green field below. Click on one and you are ready to play. The currently selected instrument appears in the Mode section at the top right. This may seem redundant, but it actually serves a purpose: if you click around the instrument groups you may forget where you were, and wonder why a harp is sounding when you clicked the brass family button. Select an individual instrument to make the change. The new instrument will replace the old one in the Current Instrument window.
To adjust volume, slide the volume slider (on your left) up or down. This doesn't actually adjust volume, but the effect is the same. What it does is tell the keyboard to strike the notes harder or softer (as in MIDI velocity-sensitive keyboards).
To play a tune, just click on the notes you want to play. When you start up, you are in single-note mode. The Hold Notes button permits you to add notes to a chord of your making. If you want to play glissandos (runs) then click the glissando button underneath the staff. Click "Play in Key" to have the glissandos outline a major or minor scale of your choice. To change scales, just click on the change button, then select a key from the keyboard. (Note to musicians: I know there is a difference between keys starting on the same pitch -- F# and Gb, for example -- but enharmonically they are the same and the tools to make those distinctions would have cluttered up the interface. Sorry.)
To play chords, click the Chords button and choose a type of chord. Chords are offered in root position only in this version, and ninth chords and higher are not present. Adjust the speed slider to go from block chords to arpeggiated chords at any tempo you choose.
To play scales, click the Scales button and choose a scale. (Note to musicians: Yes, I know that some of these are modes and some are scales, but I made a graphical design decision to say only "Choose a scale." If you know the difference, you should have no trouble figuring out which is which. If you don't, you probably don't care.) Adjust scale speed with the slider.
To record a tune (including single notes, chords, or scales), hit the red circle button below the keyboard. The controls here function like a tape deck, with which I'm sure most of you are familiar, so I won't waste bandwidth here to describe them. Suffice to say that you can play, record, pause playback, or stop the action right here. NOTE: You can only pause playback, not recording. And you must press stop when your recording is finished before you can play it.
The progress bar to the right shows you where you are in the tune when in playback mode.
To save a tune, choose Save from the File menu and navigate to the folder you wish to store the tune file. To load a saved tune, choose Load from the File menu and navigate to the saved file. Once loaded, a tune can be played by clicking the Play button.
