Post by twwphilippi on Jul 12, 2007 3:21:41 GMT
For the past couple of days I have been working on some guitar patches, trying to get them to articulate more like a real guitar.
(Disclaimer: in the 1990's I bought a guitar and tried for months to play it. When I got frustrated or my left hand got sore, I returned to my trusty Ensoniq SQ2. Eventually, I realized I was a better guitarist when I was at a keyboard. I sold the guitar, and have never regretted it.)
This trick, I think, may or may not have come from a factory patch, but here goes: You know those momentary switches T1 - T4? Those buttons you never use? They're frets.
When a guitarist plays legato, he may (for example) hold down the high E string on the third fret to pluck G above middle C, followed by dropping a finger on the fifth fret without plucking. A vocal equivalent of this articulation might be "Tah-Lah."
Now, if you play two sampled notes -- G, A -- on the keyboard, both will normally get the full attack ("Tah-Tah").
So let's make a fret.
Add a Modulation routing for T4. Route it to Pitch. Set the amount -- additive -- to 2%. The "%" is a misnomer; it's actually two half steps.
Now play that G with your right hand, and press T4. Instant legato!
Ah, you say, but sometimes I want just a half step. No problem -- set up T3 the same, only add 1%.
What about grace notes coming from below? Glad you brought it up. That's what T1 and T2 are for, same setting only -2% and -1% respectively.
Now you can slur down or up by a half or whole step. It can be particularly nice if you want to ornament an acoustic guitar's melody
line. Press a "fret" for a moment at the beginning of a note. Or press it a few times after you press the key, for a sort of "hammer-on" trill effect.
-Tom Williams
(Disclaimer: in the 1990's I bought a guitar and tried for months to play it. When I got frustrated or my left hand got sore, I returned to my trusty Ensoniq SQ2. Eventually, I realized I was a better guitarist when I was at a keyboard. I sold the guitar, and have never regretted it.)
This trick, I think, may or may not have come from a factory patch, but here goes: You know those momentary switches T1 - T4? Those buttons you never use? They're frets.
When a guitarist plays legato, he may (for example) hold down the high E string on the third fret to pluck G above middle C, followed by dropping a finger on the fifth fret without plucking. A vocal equivalent of this articulation might be "Tah-Lah."
Now, if you play two sampled notes -- G, A -- on the keyboard, both will normally get the full attack ("Tah-Tah").
So let's make a fret.
Add a Modulation routing for T4. Route it to Pitch. Set the amount -- additive -- to 2%. The "%" is a misnomer; it's actually two half steps.
Now play that G with your right hand, and press T4. Instant legato!
Ah, you say, but sometimes I want just a half step. No problem -- set up T3 the same, only add 1%.
What about grace notes coming from below? Glad you brought it up. That's what T1 and T2 are for, same setting only -2% and -1% respectively.
Now you can slur down or up by a half or whole step. It can be particularly nice if you want to ornament an acoustic guitar's melody
line. Press a "fret" for a moment at the beginning of a note. Or press it a few times after you press the key, for a sort of "hammer-on" trill effect.
-Tom Williams
