Questions About Passion Flute

[peterkh]

Greetings Greg.
As you know I have recently bought Passion Flute. I have used it a little and have a number of questions:
1. Is there a Passion Flute Reference manual going into more detail than the User Guide? (Or can you send me some additonal documentation or post it here?)

2. What flute effects are available and how are they activated and controlled. Perhaps a listing of all the scripts can do and how and where they are activated or if the midi CC values or something like that. (Sorry I am weak in this area of knowledge but I think you know what I am getting at.)

3. Can Passion Flute be used as an instrument for live on-the-spot performance and improvisation or are the slurs. trills etc. requiring pre-programming so that you can get a nice final musical but not on the fly --ie. but in a live improvisation?

4. The Passion Flute Guide refers to many presets and the sharing of presets. Where are presets that come with the basic installation? Also is there a place where Passion Flute users currently share presets? (I am here referring to presets that would cover the instruments sound hypothetically with names like Rock Flute, Ballad Flute, Vibratio Flute, Soft Flute, Solo Flute, Hard Flute and the like.)

5. In conjunction with the D controller key I am getting slurs/arpeggios or the like. But I don't know the logic or patterning or the rhyme or reason of these. What is the range of choices and options available and what action produces what effect? That is to say with the D controller key depressed what is supposed to happen to all or any key played. If with D controller key depressed what effect am I getting? Can I change the effect and do I get the same effect where I play a G note or an A note or if play G then F versus , G then A?

6. What are the midi-controlled effects and how can they be assigned and used?

[Gregjazz]

Greetings Greg.
As you know I have recently bought Passion Flute. I have used it a little and have a number of questions:
1. Is there a Passion Flute Reference manual going into more detail than the User Guide? (Or can you send me some additonal documentation or post it here?)

The user guide PDF is the only documentation, so if there are any subjects you need clarification (like your following questions), just let me know!

2. What flute effects are available and how are they activated and controlled. Perhaps a listing of all the scripts can do and how and where they are activated or if the midi CC values or something like that. (Sorry I am weak in this area of knowledge but I think you know what I am getting at.)

There aren't any set-in-stone CC numbers to memorize. Everything you need is in the "settings" page. You can right-click on any of the sliders (providing that they aren't in "auto" mode), and automate the slider to a MIDI CC. For example, you could automate the dynamics slider to CC1 (mod wheel) if you prefer controlling dynamics that way.

3. Can Passion Flute be used as an instrument for live on-the-spot performance and improvisation or are the slurs. trills etc. requiring pre-programming so that you can get a nice final musical but not on the fly --ie. but in a live improvisation?

Apart from the phrases that you can access with the three bottom keyswitches, everything should be playable live. Though, you could always memorize where a certain phrase/effect is within one of the keyswitches for live usage. I'll get into that in more detail later in this post.

4. The Passion Flute Guide refers to many presets and the sharing of presets. Where are presets that come with the basic installation? Also is there a place where Passion Flute users currently share presets? (I am here referring to presets that would cover the instruments sound hypothetically with names like Rock Flute, Ballad Flute, Vibratio Flute, Soft Flute, Solo Flute, Hard Flute and the like.)

There's a disk icon in Passion Flute's top right corner. If you click on it, you get a list of the included factory presets. These presets are all for the flute tones/mixing, so you can switch between them and it won't overwrite any of your settings or automations in the "settings" page of the interface.

At the bottom of the menu, you can also export or import external preset files. There isn't a place--at least currently--where users can share their Passion Flute presets, but that's definitely a resource that would be nice to have in the future.

5. In conjunction with the D controller key I am getting slurs/arpeggios or the like. But I don't know the logic or patterning or the rhyme or reason of these. What is the range of choices and options available and what action produces what effect? That is to say with the D controller key depressed what is supposed to happen to all or any key played. If with D controller key depressed what effect am I getting? Can I change the effect and do I get the same effect where I play a G note or an A note or if play G then F versus , G then A?

Both the D and C# keyswitch replace the main playing range with an assortment of effects and phrases, for the duration that the keyswitch is held (so if you release the keyswitch, it reverts back to the standard playing range). There isn't any specific organization with keys or tempos, but they are organized as best as possible with phrases/effects that are similar to each other. In other words, all the overblown trills are adjacent, phrases in the same key that compliment each other adjacent, etc.

There are more useful effects for live playing using the C keyswitch, immediately below the C# and D keyswitches. These are staccato and overblown effects (and occasionally a fall on the high velocity depending on the range) which correspond with the note you play. Because they're "pitched" effects in that manner, it's easier to add them in your live playing.

6. What are the midi-controlled effects and how can they be assigned and used?

Besides those three keyswitches, you also have overblown sustains if you play notes at their loudest dynamic. There's also a "harmonics" slider on the "settings" page, which you can use to transition between sustains and different harmonics. This would be a good slider to automate to a MIDI CC if that effect is useful to you. When used in combination with the dynamics slider, you can transition between different degrees of harmonics.

Here's something to try so you can get an idea of how it works:

- Turn the "harmonics" slider on and move the slider all the way up.
- Move the "dynamics" slider all the way down (you might have to turn off the "auto" button if the slider is greyed out).
- Hold middle C on your keyboard and move the dynamics slider up and down. You should hear it go from playing the fundamental through higher and higher harmonics.
- Next, try playing a trill on your keyboard while moving the dynamics up and down...

That should give you a better idea of how you can incorporate the harmonics effect.

[peterkh]

Thanks Greg for the explanations. It real nice to see those presets! I look forward to trying them out. I will have to explore and dig deeper into what you have said.



Peter Hewer