FR-8X: How to Adjust the "touch" of orchestral tones
If you are unhappy with the way the orchestral sounds are reacting to your touch, don’t worry – that is adjustable! Depending on how you have the "touch" set, the sound of the instrument is going to vary. If you have the keyboard set to be more sensitive to your touch, the result of the orchestral sound might be a bit louder, as it is going to react in a more dramatic way to your touch.*
Information on Touch Settings:
Fixed:
If the Touch setting has the word "fixed" in it, that means that the keyboard will make sound even without the bellows being pumped, and that the volume of the sound will be the same no matter how hard you press the keys. Fixed Low will be a softer tone, Fixed Medium will be a bit louder, and Fixed High will be the loudest.
Low, medium, and high:
Depending on whether the touch is set to low, medium, or high, the sound will be controlled by keyboard only. "Low" means that even a light touch to the keyboard will make pretty loud sound, while "High" will take more strength for fortissimo notes (however you get more control and nuance with this last option). "Medium" is in-between.
Combination:
If it has a combination of fixed + low, medium, or high, then it will be a mixture of keyboard and bellows action.
Bellows:
If you have the touch set to just bellows, than the sound will be fully controlled by the bellows action.
Here is the procedure to changing the "touch" of an orchestral sound:
1) Select your desired orchestra tone (press the orchestra 1 button on the grill, and then press the register that corresponds to the orchestra sound you want to edit).
2) Press the menu button, and use the data/enter knob to scroll to the orchestra 1 edit menu.
3) Press the data/enter knob to enter the menu.
4) Scroll through the orchestra 1 parameters until you find the page that says “Controllers” at the top (it has a 5.6 in the top right hand corner).
5) Press the data/enter knob 4 times so that “Orch 1 Touch” is highlighted.
6) Scroll through the different touch options by turning the data/enter knob. Try each setting out to find your favorite "touch".
*Changing the touch often results in a dramatic change in the volume of the orchestral tone. Changing the touch is a great way to boost the volume if you feel like a particular orchestral tone is lacking volume.