keyswitches and patch changes

[belkina]

Hi,

Maybe Paul or somebody from VSL can answer this question.  Why are articulation changes not mappeable to patch changes? I realise that 128 patches might not be enough, but with bank select + patch changes that works out to 128*128. Isn't THAT enough?

And patch changes are chaseable also in the DAW, unlike keyswitches ....

Just asking,

Thanks in advance,

Alan

[Paul]

Hi, 

We decided to stick to MIDI CC and keyswitch automation, to keep it simple. Works great, since 8 years. 

Best, 
Paul

[DG]

As an aside, KS are chasable. You just have to make them long enough so that there is always a note on active.

DG

[PaoloT]

When programming at the sequencer, I'm starting to only use CCs instead of keyswitches.

- CCs are chaseable;
- CCs do not appear in the score, as keyswitches do.

I mapped the switches this way:

- X-Axis CC00 (Bank Select MSB)
- Y-Axis CC32 (Bank Select LSB)
- Velocity X-Fade CC01 (ModWheel MSB)
- AB-Switch CC33 (ModWheel LSB)

It seems to work, and seems quite logical to me. 

The only two minuses, compared to keyswitches (at least in Logic), are that (1) I cannot see all the running MIDI CCs in different lanes, and (2) I cannot access all the MIDI CCs I need at the same time when editing. For the former issue, I can keep the Step Editor open under the Piano Roll (instead of the Hyper Draw pane), and for the latter I can keep the full list open on a side of the display, to select the needed MIDI CC as in a palette.

However, editing the events in the Step Editor would break the segments of the Hyper Draw, and replace them with nodes and finer segments. This may result in a dirtier "CC score", so it could be better to stay in the Hyper Draw.

Another solution could be opening severla Piano Roll window, to show several Hyper Draw panes, where editing separate MIDI CCs. I've not tried it extensively, but it seems to work just fine, as it they were separate lanes for different MIDI CCs.

Paolo

[PaoloT]

Another idea could be to create a matrix with only a single row on the X-Axis, and no Y-Axis to select. A single MIDI CC would be enough to select all the articulation patches in the matrix. However, there are only 12 cells allowed in a row, in VI.

Paolo

[belkina]

Spitfire has proposed universal controller numbers for certain articulations as a standard, and it's not a bad idea. That way you always know that, say, CC#32 with a value of 22 is staccato, or whatever. For people like me, who use lots of different libraries, that would be a godsend. 

[PaoloT]

I agree that we need a standard, and I also agree that Spitfire's UACC seems a good idea. By only using CC32, you have 128 articulation slots, that should be more than enough even for the full VSL instruments. VI (and VI PRO, according to a manual I found on the web) only allows for rows of 12 cells, so you still have to select the row (either with a keyswitch, or a CC).

If working with Logic, I fear having a keyswitch for the X-Axis is mandatory. This would allow to use keyswitches for the X-Axis selection, and a CC (CC32?) for the Y-Axis selection, all in a single window (Piano Roll or Score Edit with the Hyper Draw pane open). CCs could also be replaced with another set of keyswitches, to have all articulation controls in the same lane.

Paolo

[PaoloT]

To add to the issue of selecting patches: with Logic, I could devote a separate track to the notes, another one to the keyswitches. Only tracks containing notes could be added to the score, or exported for scoring in an external program.

1. Create a track (e.g., "Vni I") with a VSL instrument.

2. Create a second track ("Vni I ctrl"), and reassign it to the same instrument (Right-click on the track name > Reassign Track > Mixer > Software Instruments > VI).

3. Enter notes in "Vni I", and keyswitches and controls in "Vni I ctrl".

4. Select both regions (for "Vni I" and "Vni I ctrl"), and see them in the Piano Roll. Both tracks are shown together, and you can quickly edit both notes and keyswitches.

5. Select the tracks to be included in the Score, or mute the ones you don't want to export to a notation program as MusicXML.

Paolo

[Fabio Biolcati]

@PaoloT said:

To add to the issue of selecting patches: with Logic, I could devote a separate track to the notes, another one to the keyswitches. Only tracks containing notes could be added to the score, or exported for scoring in an external program.

1. Create a track (e.g., "Vni I") with a VSL instrument.

2. Create a second track ("Vni I ctrl"), and reassign it to the same instrument (Right-click on the track name > Reassign Track > Mixer > Software Instruments > VI).

3. Enter notes in "Vni I", and keyswitches and controls in "Vni I ctrl".

4. Select both regions (for "Vni I" and "Vni I ctrl"), and see them in the Piano Roll. Both tracks are shown together, and you can quickly edit both notes and keyswitches.

5. Select the tracks to be included in the Score, or mute the ones you don't want to export to a notation program as MusicXML.

Paolo

This is the same way I work in Reaper: a track hosting the instrument and a ctrl track whose midi is routed to the former populated with keyswitches.

[PaoloT]

Fabio, another way of dealing with separate notes and keyswitches, as I see it, could be entering notes and keyswitches in the same track while working, and then cutting&pasting the keyswitches to a different track when it is time to export, or doing light editing.

Paolo

[Fabio Biolcati]

@PaoloT said:

Fabio, another way of dealing with separate notes and keyswitches, as I see it, could be entering notes and keyswitches in the same track while working, and then cutting&pasting the keyswitches to a different track when it is time to export, or doing light editing. Paolo

Of course, Paolo. Fortunately, Reaper lets you show as many tracks in the same MIDI editor window so you can follow parallel note streams seamlessly. Also, you can hide KSs, then staves look uncluttered in notation view (if on the same track). Enjoy your Special Editions!