New Modules Suggestion

[Roy Leith]

I've got two suggestions for new Generator modules.

Suggestion 1) MIDI-Control

This would be a simplified version of Reaper's ReaMIDIControl. It would be able to:

• translate midi notes up and down by semitones and/or octaves

• translate from MIDI channel to MIDI channel and filter specific channels

• send a MIDI ON and MIDI OFF message for a single key when any MIDI ON or MIDI OFF signal is received

The first would permit keyboard splits between sample ranges that overlapped in pitch. It would also allow the use of a different generator to provide, say, overtones a fifth up or second and higher harmonics with a very different sound character. The existing Mixer module would give complete control over level and muting.

The second would allow all sorts of layering capabilities.

The third would deal with the generation of percussive sounds. The attack part of a drum, bell or other struck instrument tends to stay more or less at the same pitch regardless of the pitch of the note that follows. I suppose it is like preserving the formant when pitch shifting vocals. Using a fixed sample or other generator together with a sample set or oscillator generator to provide the pitched note or tone would make synthesized devices sound more natural. Of course, to provide that fixed sample to provide the instrument attack leads me to;

Suggestion 2) Simple Sampler
A single sample region, but, possibly with multiple layers. It would be triggered by a single key MIDI ON and OFF message or by triggering from other Generator modules (e.g. gated from the Module audio or some other module control signal). This would allow percussive sound to be synthesized over a much wider note range without the sound becoming unnatural. It would be like MDrummer with only one drum sample and no song player.

[smadger]

I like the first MIDI suggestion, it ties in with a previous suggestions I've mafe before - MIDI scripting, or a super simple gui editor for handling MIDI logic. Maybe layed out like MXXX modules can be, each module is a transpose, if/else, lengthen, shorten, +25 velocity, random value etc.

[MeldaProduction]

1) I'm afraid currently there's no MIDI routing or anything and there WILL NOT be, since the Generator is processing a single note (it has a global ADSR etc.). Such module would be in the FX section, but there's a lot to think about for now.

2) I quite don't understand this one. You can just use pitch mode Constant and modulate the semitones for example.

[Roy Leith]

I did not explain either suggestion well enough.

The existing generator modules take the MIDI ON and MIDI OFF message for a single note and generate a sound based on the MIDI note. If you intercept the MIDI message before it reaches the modules, you could change the requested MIDI note. I suggested you might change it by octaves and/or semitones. If you changed by +1 octave, the keyboard would trigger a note one octave above the actual key pressed.

You could have a sampler and an oscillator producing the same range of notes, but, by using an octave shift upwards before the sampler and an octave down before the oscillator, you could play both sampler and oscillator from a single controller, but with left and right hands. In other words, a split keyboard rather in the way that dual keyboard tonewheel organs are emulated for a single keyboard controller.

The semitone shift could be used to beef up samples with added fifths, sixths, sevenths, etc. using sine waves in the same way you do with the additive oscillator, but now each added harmonic could have its own ADSR envelope which would create a fantastic opportunity for creativity.

Of course, the existing generator set can do vastly more than simple ADSR changes which makes the scope for creativity, mind-blowing.

The Advanced Settings in the Globals seems to do much the same thing, but affects all the generator modules. I am suggesting a similar control that can be inserted in the Generators section at the beginning of each lane. As long as it was not 'downstream' of a generator I think it would be OK as everything after a generator seems to be audio rather than MIDI messages. I am not suggesting that lanes should be multipurpose like Reaper tracks.

The second suggestion deals with the fact that the transient at the beginning of a struck, plucked, bashed, twanged, beaten or otherwise initiated note does not change its nature much no matter what note is eventually sounded. If you use a sampler to create this opening transient, then there is no way, ATM, of using the same transient sample for each keyname. I am suggesting a simple sampler that plays just one transient sample no matter what MIDI note it receives. As far as I can see, the ADSR way of generating attack is limited to the oscillator or other generator it is applied to and,
1) Is different in nature according to the pitch of the note played.
2) Only has the harminic structure of the oscillator.

The simple sample transient could be in a parallel lane to an oscillator and the combination would produce a natural (or totally weird) sound. Think the hammer and damper sounds of a grand piano and the string noise of a guitar or the chink of a wine glass followed by an additive oscillator.

I hope that is clearer than the first message. I will stop pestering you, now!

[MeldaProduction]

1) This actually will be available in the next update in the Sampler module. It's not about intercepting the notes or anything, just choosing different regions.

2) I have to rephrase - you should do that using MSF in the FX section - just create another MSF instance which will just play this single sample and probably totally disable the Global ADSR. Or you can just put that Sampler into the generator and disable Global ADSR, in this simple scenario this would work as well.

[Roy Leith]

Thanks for the reply. I've been busy with Linux Reaper using Yabridge to make MeldaProductions plugins available directly in the Linux version of Reaper. It's a great success!

I'm glad to hear about the update in the sampler module. Choosing different regions in the sampler is the elegant solution.

I will try your suggestions for a fixed pitch sample. As a Reaper user, I also have the simple solution of Samplomatic5000 which only pitch-shifts samples if you provide a pitch-shift range. It has its own ADSR settings and velocity range. I can put the two plugins in any order in the chain and both samples will make it through to the Master channel.

I'm still trying out all the presets and editing capability in the current release and so I can patiently wait for the next release!