Re: MIDI "Controller" Support (was: Rationale for ignoring common
Re: MIDI "Controller" Support (was: Rationale for ignoring common
- Subject: Re: MIDI "Controller" Support (was: Rationale for ignoring common
- From: "Angus F. Hewlett" <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 20:27:30 +0100
I half-agree with Glenn here.
On the one hand, softsynths have more parameters, finer control and greater
diversisty than MIDI controllers could ever hope to cover.
On the other hand, we do need to offer an out-of-the-box performance
experience to users who just "want to play" without them having to fiddle
about with learn functionality or controller maps.
My proposal would be that we agree to support a very limited number of
performance-related controllers - modwheel, pitchbend+aftertouch
(effectively controllers, albeit not implemented as such), volume,
sustain, damp (optional), and those essential for system functionality like
Reset All Controllers and All Notes Off, but absolutely *not* those horrid
controller definitions that blur the line between parameter-set and
performance (e.g. the standard CC for "filter cutoff". Ugh.)
The above - volume, sustain... - should be implemented as "just-in-time"
modifiers which do NOT affect the persisted state of the patch. They should
also be defined as "reserved" in a synth's MIDI-learn map, as should Data
Entry (high+low byte), RPN and NRPN.
Finally, IMO, it's nice to have synths expose both a dynamic automation
configurationd via MIDI Learn and a fixed automation map via NRPN - the
14-bit range and resolution of NRPN is adequate for almost every
conceivable synth to expose its entire parameter range.
Regards,
Angus.
At 12:00 PM 7/14/2003 -0700, Glenn Olander wrote:
>
Hardwiring cc7 to a synth's volume would help Doug Wyatt :-),
>
but it wouldn't be much help to many other users, especially
>
if they use an expression pedal instead of a volume pedal or have
>
an array of midi cc's on their keyboard that they would like
>
to use for that purpose.
>
>
As I mentioned before, the answer for the 21st century is to
>
implement midi learn. Enough synths offer it today that you're at
>
a decided disadvantage if you don't.
>
>
It also makes midi implementation charts unnecesary. Okay, so the
>
filter cutoff on ModelE is CC71. Now what? I don't have a knob
>
assigned to 71. I don't want to map controllers in the host or my
>
controller because a moment later I'll be working with a
>
different synth. If instead you're working with a synth which
>
has implemented midi learn, just choose filter cutoff from the
>
GUI, twirl a knob on your controller, and you're ready to go. There's
>
a good reason why midi implementation charts are virtually extinct.
>
Let's leave it that way :-).
>
>
- Glenn
>
>
>
Doug Wyatt wrote:
>
> On Sunday, Jul 13, 2003, at 00:38 US/Pacific, Urs Heckmann wrote:
>
>
>
>> I've often been asked why my stuff does not support CC7 (Volume). I
>
>> replied "uhm, please, try in Logic" and they knew why. (Because the
>
>> host already uses it for channel volume)
>
>
>
>
>
> Ouch, this is my pet peeve! ;-)
>
>
>
> I use my volume pedal extensively. I want it to affect the synth's
>
> output level, not the Logic channel strip, so that if I have an effect
>
> (say a reverb) following the synth, I'm not killing the reverb as I fade
>
> out a sustained sound. But there are and will be other hosts, and the
>
> last time I tried I did manage to make an environment to route CC7 to a
>
> synth. Please, implement it. For Logic users, you could also connect
>
> volume to a different control source (I believe Expression is sometimes
>
> used for this purpose, foot controller might not be a bad choice either
>
> if you don't want to go through making a UI to make it user-assignable)
>
>
>
> Doug
>
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=======================================================
Angus F. Hewlett, Technical Director
FXpansion Audio UK Ltd -
http://www.fxpansion.com
=======================================================
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