Tutorial – Using PET for the First Time
PET works by generating random ear tests for you to identify and then, when requested, PET supplies the answer.
PET offers tests in the following areas:
You are always fully in control of what musical structures are included in the tests and also of the manner in which the tests are conducted. As a result you can use PET to help you target practise in your weakest areas or devise a structured, progressively more difficult program of study.
Most of the features of PET can be accessed by using the toolbar at the top of the screen.
Try clicking on these buttons to see what happens. Some of the buttons will cause a dialog box to appear, if this happens you will need to Select OK or Cancel before you can do anything else. Other buttons will just cause the central section of the screen to change.
Extra features can be accessed through the menu system. Some toolbar selections also have a menu entry.
Experiment with the menus in the same way that you did with the toolbar.
Tests are controlled by the buttons at the bottom of the screen. The panels to the right of these buttons are used to give you feedback about the current status of the program. The appearance of these controls will change dependent on how you are currently using the program.
Click on the New button. Did you hear something?
If you did, experiment with the New, Repeat and Reveal buttons then proceed on to the next tutorial.
If you did not then you will need to spend a short time configuring your computer system and PET further.
Information For Soundcard Users
If you are using your computer’s internal soundcard as your sound source, firstly ensure that your headphones or speakers are correctly connected and the volume is turned up. You may need to use the soundcards software to alter the volume; depending on the manufacturer of the soundcard there may be a volume control icon on the taskbar or you may need to run a ‘mixer’ program. Refer to your soundcard’s documentation for further help.
If clicking New still produces no sound, select Midi Settings from the Settings menu.
You need to choose an appropriate MIDI Output device for your system. The diagram below shows a typical setup.
After you have selected the output device, select the OK button
Information For MIDI Keyboard Users
Make sure that your keyboard will function as a multitimbral sound source. This means that it needs to be capable of producing its own sounds when it is unconnected from the computer. Often keyboards known as mother keyboards are used in conjunction with computers. These keyboards contain no sounds of their own; they can still be used with PET but you will need to use your soundcard as the output device.
Check that the MIDI leads are connected properly. MIDI leads normally connect to the joystick port on the soundcard and terminate in two 5-pin DIN plugs. The plug marked MIDI IN normally connects to the socket marked MIDI OUT on your keyboard and vice-versa.
If clicking New still produces no sound, select Midi Settings from the Settings menu.
Make sure that the MIDI Output Device is set to your MIDI ports and also that a sensible instrument and velocity is selected. MIDI velocity (or volume) is measured on a scale of 0 to 127, anything with a value 100 or greater should be acceptable.
Avoid setting the channel to 10 as this is often reserved for drum sounds.
After you have selected your settings, select the OK button
Note: If you are using an external midi keyboard or sound module you are advised to set its LOCAL setting to off if you are using PET’s MIDI Thru option.