Hi jrm1,
we are working on some tutorial.
I've added a longer explanation about the Repetition Tool which I've posted in the EXS forum. Maybe this is helpful for you in the meantime.
It's thought as addendum to the official manual.
best wishes
Herb
The Repetition Mode
Performance repetitions are „Phrase“ samples, where the musician played repetitions notes in a defined tempo and playing style.
The repetition tool enables you, to have directly access to each single repetition out of this phrase. The instrument naming tells you the most important informations about this repetition:
VI-14_leg-rep5_4-120
leg = performed as legato articulation,
“rep5” = there are 5 repetition notes
4-120 = the tempo is 4th at BPM 120
Each repetition is specially prepared.
If it is a “rep5” phrase, than there are 5 prepared variations mapped.
1st: starting with the start note (you hear 5 notes)
2nd: starting with the second note (you hear 4 notes)
3rd: starting with the 3rd note etc. (you hear 3 notes)
etc
Now this different starting variations are mapped to different keyswitches:
C1 = triggerning the version with 5 notes
C#1 = triggering the version with 4 notes
D1 = triggering the version with 3 notes
The basic concept of the algorythm is, that each note ON forces the tool to switch to the next keyswitch.
That means, you can perform this repetitions faster than the original recording speed. You can’t perform it slower!
This is important for your selection which repetition instrument you want to use.
With the VI-14_leg-rep5_4-120 you can perform legato repetition quarters from BPM 120 up to 200 (300).
You also perform exactly the same way, you would perform with normal multisamples, each keystroke is one note.
If you hold the key too long, and you hear more than 1 note you are using the tool not in the way it was designed for.
All repetition variations of a sample do have a little release tail of the previous note.
The fade in of each part matches perfectly with the envelope release, so the parts are blending like a normal crossfade.
So the repetition tool is a kind of "realtime midibased wav editing engine".
Each performance repetition instrument you load into EXS should have already the right settings:
The Matrix display is similar to the Alternation tool.
Important is that in the first entry to the left the right numbers of repetitions have to be set.
For VI-14_leg-rep5_4-120 all first entry are set to “5”
In the matrix line you can enable or disable each part of the repetition.
1 = enabled
0 = disabled
For example, you need 3 legato repetitions “taaa-taa-taaaa”
You could setup the matrix like this: 1:0:0:1:1
You play the first note = the first note of the repetition phrase is triggered
Play the second note = the fourth note of the repetition pharse is triggered (the tool jumped form keyswitch c1 to d#1)
Play the third note = the fifth note of the repetition pharse is triggered.
The tool always goes linear (chromatically) through the keyswitches starting with the lowest keyswitch.
Again (like in the Alternation tool) you don’t have to think about the original mapped keyswitches – the tool is again managing the keyswitches automatically).
Again you can use “keyswitches” for switching between the 12 matrix presets.
The entries “Play zone”, “Keyswitchs Start Key” and “Base Function Key” are working the same way like in the Alternation tool.
Each EXS instrument should also have the right Preset settings.
Important is the “Release Time” slider:
I described above, that the different parts of the repetitions should blend perfectly like you would work in wav editor using crossfades.
Now it is impossible to perform on a keyboard repetitions on the same key without a pause between the different strokes.
Therefore the algorythm does not send a Note OFF if you release OFF a key.
The Note OFF is sent when you play the next key, so when you send the next Note ON.
The release time slider enables you to define who long this “Note ON hold” should be.
This depends on your playingstyle.
“First Keyswitch Delay”
Because we need a blending between the different parts, the sample start of each following repetition note is 20 to 80 milliseconds before the real attack.
This delay you do not have on the starting note of a repetition sample (which is mapped on the first keyswitch).
It’s difficult to perform with different delays, therefore you can setup a delay for the starting note (first keyswitch) which matches with delay of the follwong notes.
Performing in a loop mode:
Sometimes you will need more than 5 or 9 repetitions.
Therefore the tool is generally looping each matrix line.
Here the original start note could be problematic, it has a different character and the keyswicth delay causes a break.
Therfore you can switch OFF the First dimension during your performance using the Function keys on your keyboard: SKIP ON and SKIP OFF.
If you are performing a long row of repetitions and you want to jump to the last note during your performance, you can use the function key “Jump to last”
The repetition mode is a polyphonic mode, that means the tool jumps to next repetition (keyswitch) when all keys are OFF.