Modulate Pitch in Semi Tone Steps in MSF?

[Held]

I'm looking for a way to modulate the pitch of a module (oscillator/modal filter etc) in MSF in half note steps.

There's the semitones control which seems perfect for the job, but it also allows fractional detuning, so that doesn't work for me because it creates a smooth pitch change. I want steps.

Is there a setting I can change to get stepped pitch modulation?

[jan-sandahl]

Yes. The way I've found is to disable the global pitch bend value. Then choose Pitch bend as modulation source, to then affect the pitch of an oscillator. Then use the transform mod curve function and set it in steps. But that one is set to work in percentage only (from what I can see) so it's a nightmare to get it to work on semitones. Unless I've missed something. But getting stepped values that way is possible.

I hope someone else adds a better way.

[jmg8]

You can right-click in the grid and use the magnet icons to set the grid size to something that will work for semitones (depending on the parameter range)

[Held]

You can right-click in the grid and use the magnet icons to set the grid size to something that will work for semitones (depending on the parameter range)

Thanks for the suggestion. This is what I came up with. I set up a twelve semi tones modulation range, and played C4. The screenshot was taken on the third step as an A# was playing.

msf_stepped_pitch_modulation.png

If anyone wants to try this, here's the code. You can also select all of the points by dragging a box with the mouse around them, and then scroll with the mouse wheel on top of one them. That will enable smoothing for better transitions between notes.

Code: Select all

$eNq1WH1sFMcVf6YOgTRJadSEKmrBikOo+Mjd7N6Xm5DZZ-tMXM7YvTNmKWqd9c34buO93WN3z9hJG9J8NVQkokRpg1HBlFYCqrZpoqAQNYGo0DZS0iISioQqbFklpdCAAyS0+XI1d-ZxC3Lju7bz1755vzfv9347ezP3oKVeVVsSVs5kTVrStex+h7uubqYcwFogVVi71LC6NMNp17ryZpvuJtP13GRxzUxxYJAfX1GwFhsbedZNT0wNU6yNmlqXwdsaG0RoB7cd3TIhAFfNAmxpbmxus62UrWUa0mKpAhYIoGe6QXN5yrL1+7gtfHd-fUXW0TJZQzdTwo4y3bXshH4fj2pOPzhECvoXhesipR5wSEAOLgqF6wAbLMPQsg5ncT2Vdts0kxtimRatL9bUWm9YyZ58BKnBWDyRNXTX5fk1yHhZX3xGucwjjXue7VPyRbWn7ZwoN6GbSSBVaiLX1WbkUro5ri+oBTNR1DnBDZ50OSvMg+NfRMbFr1CkK6sZz+lMJAdUBXCVSLJcy3BwkDHd1Xs5YFPOMLxzNfk1nZ5mEwio9ZrZ4wffFWUUtkvCtXNJN2fzotL-20JaWhtrOywjl+GAhUUYEPDl5xM8o7uWyR3A8a1YlX81+yk2WDnTFa8j7oeigY6d9IODrqsle2oI+Hxqkb4f0B8DZuyA4bGxsxRJDNi6Q2PUmv88RSkGLDQwRn+2ZD9FOQbs-O5T+56d-SrFQAzYK4Mn9h19YD-FYAxY-Yb3h97r-xXFUAxYcMsb9HOjL1MMx4DdMKdaIS8OUowAW-jNluE-3nmLgpEYsNfmThue9fOdFOuA3Zt6Mj10qlbBuhiwI+oM2PvcLykSP7Cnbj4Gxs23KUgEz4udH3ceHNhBkRBgO4yVMzedma8gEay3-npsW1diF0UiAfvtapJpVhcoSEQNc-tOz911eAtFIgPrCZtnb7m4UEEiKlpbe-XwM6ntFEkA2ODg3vP6yGIFiaiv-a2r9u9b8xRFEgQ2m+754NZhn4JEVPu1kX92jt24kyIJAVu9ZuDNbbcTBYmo-abwhaGlT26kSMLAkos3vyKdEy6hxJeVLyi-MAcokgiw-jGtYc5FSUEitPBNG173+cUbKJI6YDu-13q0+11ZQSLUWLmkWhlYNkBR8gN77u7Ax38-HVBQEmrEN58eG3roBxQlAmz62+6W9NtBBSWhxo03wHB81o8oShKwfxz--oHqMyEFJaHGga0fzj1c8yBFSQb25+kKhcNhBSWhxtlXh9Y9Pu8xilIA2O7vrF70pQsRBSWhxvqHL3TO3voERSkI7IO7RvpeOl6noCTUkI5eC083bqQohYA1-Wbhmjf-9lUFJaHGyILRbfEFmyhKYWB-OPZ0rPpfdygoCTVaGqruWfPXhylKEWBLtidSNefuVFASatw79zMwFBIM64C9eP2Ob9QeX6KgJNR4I3vN4NnIoxRlP7Ds75WGn56+S0FZqDEaPbPu5T9tpCgTYNecn5MaOE4VlIUa9smPtr3+u3UUZQnYrptG93yYVRSUhRrrH5k3+FrHeoqyDMz-uPKXc+8Ll1Djh+6MmjuWfZuiHAD20O0Lv9Wro4KyUOOzP5k-+N2tj1CUg8BmHrh2pvWucAk1zhsf7Zvd+SBFOQRsT1Xs6JZUvYKyUOOlw9X3xEf7KMphYJui4eWvnxUuocaqwasHd2zPUpQjwO6--8fvzetrUFAWaky-9ZNOv38tRbkO2JG1+zNvjQqXUOPR56sfvP62PooBIQCMDwwQjyV5LNljBTxW0GOFPFbYY0U8Vl2pFfRwCXq4BD1cgh4uQQ+XoIdL0MMl6OES9HAJeriEPFxCHi4hD5dQKRdffpScaepUjjP--+04E2QKP9+k5Diowhg3U24ayCdq1OzlhpXlgOg4eqqYMGFq2XZrqa0zNX9aF838mdjay21bZ3yFqbuOCuQ678wqINepbZZuuoD9E+qMUmzvz3JwEq6m2w5gk6GlnHogT-gmsH3AVuTHC1TEFZ7fmSxuw5VxB-Nxu-Pj1JTiCtwO0Us8T5aR70gJzxNTiitwO1bCc6QMnsMlPIfLyDdSku9YGfWdKKnvSBk8T5bwPFQGz1Ml+Q6WwfOdkrgXyuD5H-Zk8cuRoPi5TJv0c4ku72iLRxPRdiDTipFyxZGBiiODFUeGKo4MVxwZqSAyavYSUNttnrEMK5HWRECiPdo2gYECRpoCRp4CJjAFTHAKmNAUMOEpYCKfhin8IY2avYBxbnDN4cAGNouxl2Ii57iabl7a-5+yWKyplVxxNJRiLr2-PFgqByyXAw6UAw6WAw6VAw6XA45MGRzXTGZl8vtaM51uy85ormgGTP4pzPBNREkVRckVRQXKjFrG+52kZnBSYVy5tXVww0rqbmVJPcGVZr7McWmRNps7Ts7mkwMmWkfqpJAWi61Mc25MCmjXM102DwcmBdTbXHPTfmlSQLQvK4jqlknIpKCJn5HJ-Mstl7d2d1-uX2rojI--0ng9DZbp2pZhcHEIJ3QzZXBx1y20n3wqJkWfRSjI3ULrStxCG3mvnuQt3OW242mnTBjtNhevSh2-MPc3uzzTbHZb4CtOJVzN5aAu5abNwacW9BMZbVdP5ozCm-epaIgLt5vOgE9t4progIjbtdqQs20urhSFjhBMmvq-yZMvuLDtqvL3krZxJcSznQWMi7XJNLVFc22975KzTbO1TMxK9kDhUSgFWHwscC6cFzVZsftqFtfkd+HiLm6yGjvfwsQOzcgVO5mHaL4BVuhukmqfTy3oL4G6UmduugXUhJWzk1z8Z+HduuFyu9CL9Pl8D-wbgmycWg==

The tricky part (at least for me) was that you need 13 steps for a 12 semitone run.

It's also not easy to set the modulation depth perfectly because you can only type in the percentage and not the "max +12.00" part. That would be a great enhancement for all modulation tasks if you could also type in the max value in Hz, ms, etc.

If there is ever a built-in option of this, I'd also love a way to snap the pitch to a custom set of notes e.g. to allow the notes of C Major.

[DarkStar]

I create the graph in Excel first (even in the free edition built into Microsoft Edge) then paste the values into a text file and Import that into the envelope graph.

Here I replicated your 12 steps in Excel (and drew the Excel graph to see what it looked like. Below that are the values for CEG and C and a second graph. I pasted those values into a .txt file. Then in the empty envelope graph, right-click and select "Import CSV" and select the .txt file. Finally select the "Stairs" shape.

[Held]

Depending on the amount of steps you want, Excel (or LibreOffice Calc) seems to be a good option as well. Thanks for sharing

[jan-sandahl]

Still, I'd like this math to be in MSF, letting us work with well known units like semitones.