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  • Harmonics and octave shifting

    Hi:

    The string harmonics play back an octave higher than I belive they should. Is there a way for me to have the matrix do an octave shift? 

    To confirm this, load a violin sustained patch and an artivicial harmonic sustained patch. Play c6 on the normal sustained patch and then c6 on the harmonic patch. It sounds an octave higher.

    I am playing back from Finale so I do not wish to change the notation, which is correct. I would like to be able to change the playback octave of the harmonic patch.

    Thanks.

    Michael


  • Does anybody have any suggestions for this?

    Thanks!

    Michael


  •  Hi Michael,

    select any patch you want to transpose.

    On the "Advaced" page inside the "Edit" Tab you have the option for "Octav" transposing.

    best

    Herb


  • Thanks, Herb!

    Just out of curiosity, why was the decision made to have harmonics play an octave higher than notated?

    Michael


  • When playing artificial harmonics, this is one instance where what is notated will not sound as written.  The string is stopped with one finger, thereby shortening the total length of the string and changing the string's harmonic node points. Then, the artificial harmonic is sounded by just touching one of the new artificial node points on the string with a different finger.  By definition, the sound will not be at the pitch of what would be the "normal" stopped note.


  • Thanks for your reply. I used imprecise language in my question. I should have asked:

    Why was the decision made to have the midi pitch sent by the sequencer (say, 84 or C6) play a midi pitch that sounds one octave higher (in this case, 96 or C7)?

    Of course the notated pitch in this example (for an artificial harmonic) would be a normal note on C4 with a diamond note on F4). The concert pitch sounds 2 octaves higher than the notated pitch. I am aware of this, but my question was of a different nature. Notation aside, when I send a midi pitch of 84 to a Vienna Instrument, I would normally expect a midi pitch of 84 to sound, and not expect that the sample mapping would not play back the pitches that I send. I am sure that the Vienna team must have had a reason for setting up the patches in this way, so I am curious to know what it is. I make sure that the pitches I want to hear are the pitches I send.

    Michael


  • last edited
    last edited

     

    @michael.matthews said:

    Thanks, Herb!

    Just out of curiosity, why was the decision made to have harmonics play an octave higher than notated?

    Michael

    It was the best way to fit them on a 88 keys keyboard.

    All sections should be mapped equally (one octav shifted), and within a section the keyswitches should work on the same positions,

    for examples keyswitches for double basses should not have been placed below their playrange when using harmonics. 

    So with 88 keys (or 7 octaves) it's the only way that this works for Violins to Basses.

    To stay conform with notation rules when you are working notation based, we have always offered the option of octave transpositions for patches.

    best

    Herb


  • Thank you, Herb!