Post by jiffy on Sept 27, 2009 9:44:06 GMT
Page 6
www.promusicproducts.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4970&start=75
Above and beyond -- FM after filter tricks
Say you have a sampled instrument that needs more bite, more dynamic range expressivity. You may be limited by having only a single velocity multisample, or perhaps the overall sound is pretty but needs some more body or snap. Perhaps you have a raw soundfont that sounds decent enough, but only at a constant volume; it needs some expressive headroom, so to speak.
Well the first step would be to use the filter -- lower the overall filter cutoff of a typical lowpass filter. With the Fusion, you can either lower the main filter's frequency, but you might get more play by lowering the filter freq for each multisample instead:
EDIT/Synth/Filter/EDIT Filter..... Osc 1 (once you de-select the Filter Bypass parameter here)
Choosing this instead of the Main Filter cutoff gives you some more flexibility. You can individually tailor each filter's response by assigning Mods directly to the particular Osc filter in question. For example, you could fade in the brightness of one multisample by keytracking, making lower notes darker and higher notes brighter, while doing the reverse for another of the multisamples. Or make velocity bring in one multisample more drastically than it does for another. To the point, you leave the Main Filter available for whole sound variation and performance, while preserving the balance and tweaks of the multisamples relative to each other. Sounds complicated, but in practice it's rather intuitive once you get a grasp. And very flexible, giving you more ways to stretch a multisample's usefulness out.
==========================================================
What does all this have to do with FM, you ask? Well, that technique of opening up dark filtered sounds via keytracking or velocity is fairly common knowledge in the synth/sample world, I would guess. Very useful, but not without limits. While it is somewhat dynamic when set up to respond to your playstyle, it doesn't really change the character of the sound so much... it opens up what's already there. By using the Fusion's mini-FM section included in the multisample engine, you can eke out some more musical variation out of a stock multisample.
In regular FM synthesis, the main sound is modulated by another sound, and the more deeply you modulate, the more you get sounds that are different from the starting sound. The FM component of the multisample engine only has 2 parameters: FM source and FM amount. But these are enough to add a little coloration for some novel effect.
EDIT/Synth/Osc/Select...... FM source, FM amount
FM source can be either the Osc itself (FM self-modulation), another Osc multisample in the sound, or the Main Filter. Keep in mind that if you choose the Main Filter, if you have another mod that changes the filter cutoff frequency, this will carry over into this parameter as well... this can be desirable sometimes, but can also just make things generally mushy.
FM amount will generally gradually turn a sound into noise, often unpleasant -- go to 100% FM amount for whichever FM source above you choose, and the result sounds like your speraker's tweeters are getting ready to fry.
==========================================================
So, bottomline, after all the wordiness, try setting the FM amount to somewhere less than 10%, but make another mod, say Velocity or Keytracking or Envelope, affect the FM amount here, making FM amount in turn dynamic and responsive to play:
EDIT/Mod/Add Mod
Mod Source: Velocity
Mod Destination: Osc FM amount
...Index: Osc 1 (or whichever Osc you apply FM to)
Type: Additive
Amount: (suit to taste, preferably less than +50%)
Used in combination with the filter cutoff technique mentioned above, you can stretch the responsiveness of a multisample's high end by judicious use of FM here. Many natural acoustic sounds distort or add more new harmonics, often inharmonics, when you play them very loudly. Opening a filter only reveals the frequencies already present in the multisample, but does not introduce any new harmonics. If you have a decent piano or bell or brass sound that is mainly intended for mezzo forte (medium) to slightly loud playing, opening its filter will not elevate it above other sounds competing for sonic attention. But use of velocity to increase not only volume and filter, but also FM amount, will give the sound an extra bite that lets everyone know you mean loud and hard when you play that keyboard with much gusto.
==========================================================
To get a hands-on idea, in PRESET 5 on the Fusion, check out Program A-2: HG Pop Ballad Piano. They assigned Knob2 to OSC1 FM amount.
EDIT/Mod... #10: Knob2 ==> Osc1FM
Hit the Settings button once you're here on the Mod page. You'll see how they simply made it so that when you turn Knob2 it just increases the FM amount to 100%, not very useful at full tilt, but a good enough way to explain/show how to use FM to increase inharmonics to a base sound (make things more distorted, basically). It can be much more musical at lower settings that respond only to harder velocity strikes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tweak, tweak, tweak. A finely responsive piano is indeed a holy grail. After all, a basic characteristic of the pianoforte is that it is so expressive, ranging from softly haunting, to moderately singing, to boldly provocative, to outright thunderous bravado. And everything in between (such is the rollercoaster ride of emotion, is it not?)...
Just when you think you've got a new sound that responds well to your mood, there is a place that is great to re-visit once in awhile, to further suit the intimate feedback -- the Fusion's Velocity Curves and Scaling.
GLOBAL/Settings/General....
Velocity Curve.... LOG
Without getting into depth here, as I hope we've all explored the various types, I just want to drive home the idea that it can be rewarding to come back to this page once in awhile and adjust the response one more time...
I hit upon a great MIDI mix of 2 Fusion pianos, an Ensoniq VFX-SD classical piano, and a Yamaha EX5 Stereo Piano that sounds and feels very nice. I'm not classically trained, but I wish I were, so my touch is probably a bit clumsy. Playing very softly to somewhat softly sounded a bit erratic. I needed the 8HD to be more refined, less clunky.
The solution? Once again I adjusted the Velocity Scaling down from 36 to 24. That's it, and voila, it's almost like upgrading my piano action. It's a wonder you wouldn't expect, esp after you've been here before time and again. Worth a re-visit.
If you'll excuse me now, but the Muse, she calls me back to her, to soothe her savage breast.
EDIT: What's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander. Whatever that means. Turns out a Scaling of 24 was only good for the soft song. Switching to a higher number for a louder song once again transforms the same mix into a differently responding instrument. Maybe I'll come back here more often than I thought...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Entering odd time signatures and changing tempos
In the Fusion's sequencer, you can edit MIDI events to customize your SONG. To do this, you go into the MIDI Editor on the Track Event page, select a track to work on, view its event data in a MIDI Event Window, and select the event to edit as you like. If you choose a specific Track number to work on, then you can edit that Track's specific MIDI data. This is where you would change the velocity of one note, insert or remove a CC# like #64 for the sustain pedal, make a bank/program change, or even adjust the pitches of the musical notes themselves. This is where you would tweak a lead solo's performance specific MIDI events, separate from the track processing you did elsewhere (Process: quantize, cut/copy/paste, slide over, audio gain, etc).
However, if you want to edit MIDI data that is more global to the whole song, not specific to a track and its notes and events, then you need to choose the Master Track to edit. This special track has two SONG global events you can change, um, as many "times" as you want: the time signature and the tempo.
A quick note on the navigation and layout of the Track Event page. Use the NEXT >> button to move the cursor from one parameter selection to the next. In order, they are Track #, the Event Window, the Time signature ( like 4/4), and the Event Type (tempo or meter). Here it is illustrated step by step:
/EDIT Track >>
/Event Window >>
/Time (measure >> beat >> clock) >>
/Event Type >> Tempo, or Meter (# of beats) >> ( note type = "beat")
Like on any other parameter page in the Fusion, once you get to the last parameter, hitting NEXT goes to the top of the page and starts again. Sometimes it's faster to use one PREV instead of several NEXT to get to a parameter near the top or bottom of the page. Another good hint to keep in mind is making a shortcut to the Editor page (Set Loc + 1-8) if you're always editing fine MIDI details like this. Anyhow, here is a breakdown of how to enter time signature and tempo changes --
SONG/Edit
Editor/Trk Event
NEXT>>>
/EDIT Track.... Master Track, Track 1(of 16), Track 2(of 16), ....
Here you have a choice between editing the Master Track events, or the events for each Track in your SONG. For now, we'll just look at the parameters available when the Master Track is selected for editing.
NEXT>>>
/Event Window.... 001.01.000 Tempo: 120.0
/Event Window.... 001.01.000 Meter: 4/4
Once you get into this Window, use the INC button to scroll thru each event in time. Place the cursor on the last time event just before the intended tempo/meter change. Then INSERT another event. The Fusion will copy the event, time marker and all, and will place the cursor at this event.
/Insert
/Event Window.... 001.01.000 Meter: 4/4 .... (copy of above event, cursor now here, event is highlighted)
Here you inserted a new event, which is just a duplicate of the last event. Think of this as a placeholder event, waiting for you to change what's here into the actual MIDI event at the marked time you want it to happen.
You now want to adjust the value of the time marker until you are at the beginning of the measure where you want the change to occur. Say we want the second measure in the SONG to now have 7/8 instead of 4/4. So now we have two things to do: 1) change the time value of this event to the beginning of measure 2, and 2) change the meter to 7/8.
NEXT>>>
(cursor moves to next parameter, but the chosen event in the Window is still selected, has dashed lines around event)
Step 1)
/Time:... 001.01.000 .... (use INC to change the measure to 2) ...
/Time:... 002.01.000 ....
NEXT>>>
/Event Type:... Meter, Tempo (use INC/DEC to choose which)
NEXT>>>
Step 2)
/Meter:... 4/4 (use INC until 7 shows)
/Meter:... 7/4
Here you changed the number of beats in the measure from 4 to 7.
NEXT>>>
/Meter:... 7/4 (use INC until 8 shows)
/Meter:... 7/8
And there you have it. You've just inserted a new event in the MIDI Event Window, and that event changed the time signature from 4/4 to 7/8 at the beginning of measure 2.
For multiple time signature or tempo changes, just repeat the above process, summarized below:
1) put the cursor at the last event in the Event Window just before you want the change to occur,
2) hit INSERT to make a duplicate event/placeholder,
3) edit the placeholder's relevant parameter values (time marker, event type, event value)
It really is easy as 1-2-3 once you wrap your head around it, as it is fairly straightforward. It's just so awkward to write out. It takes a snap to explain it while you show how to do it live...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARP ==> MIDI
Since a Fusion ARP is just MIDI data, it can be edited, copied, and pasted like other MIDI sequencer data.
SONG/Edit
/Arp/Proc Pattern....(select Start/End time)
.../Process: copy (execute)
/Editor/Tracks.... (select track, start/end time)
.../Process: paste over (execute)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standard GM MIDI map for Drum Kits
MIDI note number = musical note ==> drum sound
Bass and snares
35 = B0 ==> Acoustic Bass Drum
36 = C1 ==> Bass Drum 1
37 = C#1 ==> Side Stick
38 = D1 ==> Acoustic Snare
39 = D#1 ==> Hand Clap
40 = E1==> Electric Snare
Toms (all white notes)
41 = F1 ==> Low Floor Tom
43 = G1 ==> High Floor Tom
45 = A1 ==> Low Tom
47 = B1 ==> Low-Mid Tom
48 = C2 ==> Hi-Mid Tom
50 = D2 ==> High Tom
Cymbals (black notes)
42 = F#1 ==> Closed Hi-Hat
44 = G#1 ==> Pedal Hi-Hat
46 = A#1 ==> Open Hi-Hat
49 = C#2 ==> Crash Cymbal 1
51 = D#2 ==> Ride Cymbal 1
'70's percussion (black notes)
54 = F#2 ==> Tambourine
56 = G#2 ==> Cowbell
58 = A#2 ==> Vibraslap
Other cymbals (white notes)
52 = E2 ==> Chinese Cymbal
53 = F2 ==> Ride Bell
55 = G2 ==> Splash Cymbal
57 = A2 ==> Crash Cymbal 2
59 = B2 ==> Ride Cymbal 2
Latin percussion
60 = C3 ==> Hi Bongo
61 = C#3 ==> Low Bongo
62 = D3 ==> Mute Hi Conga
63 = D#3 ==> Open Hi Conga
64 = E3 ==> Low Conga
65 = F3 ==> High Timbale
66 = F#3 ==> Low Timbale
67 = G3 ==> High Agogo
68 = G#3 ==> Low Agogo
69 = A3 ==> Cabasa
70 = A#3 ==> Maracas
Other percussion
71 = B3 ==> Short Whistle
72 = C4 ==> Long Whistle
73 = C#4 ==> Short Guiro
74 = D4 ==> Long Guiro
75 = D#4 ==> Claves
76 = E4 ==> Hi Wood Block
77 = F4 ==> Low Wood Block
78 = F#4 ==> Mute Cuica
79 = G4 ==> Open Cuica
80 = G#4 ==> Mute Triangle
81 = A4 ==> Open Triangle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Default Values are F.U.N.
DEC + INC ==> return to default value (very often ZERO)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Left Soft Button = Go to the Head of the Class"
Ever get tired of INC, INC, INC to a parameter, then DEC, DEC, NEXT, INC, INC to some other parameter? Wouldn't it be neat if there were shortcuts to make navigation just a little bit quicker? Fear not, my friend, for the Fusion has a few overlooked or forgotten buttons combinations that were hiding right in plain sight.
No matter how far down the current page, or if you're on the 3rd parameter of the 2nd sub-page (confusing, isn't it?), you can always hit the Left Soft Button to either 1) bring you to the top item on the page, or 2) bring you to the Front Page. Some examples:
Issue #1
Let's say you're manipulating MIDI CC info in the Track Editor. You get confused whether to push INC or NEXT, and just want to get back to another track to work on it.
SONG/Edit
/Editor/Edit Window...parameter....
INC or NEXT
Solution #1
Well, just push the relevant Left Soft Button (/Editor in this case), and the cursor will jump to the Top parameter, which is where you choose which Track.
=======================
Issue #2
You're deep in the ARP pages, somewhere editing the octave range the current ARP works on. Now you want to quickly change to another ARP, without going DEC, DEC, DEC, DEC.
Solution #2
Well, just push the relevant Left Soft Button (/Arp in this case), and the cursor will jump to the Top parameter, which is where you choose the Arp.
==========================
There are also other great shortcuts, but I'm at work and don't have much time for details:
Jump FX.
....Jump Src... then Jump MOD when done tweaking
Jump Destination.
Best "home page" or "launchpad page" is the OUTPUT page... Song/Track/Output.... Program/Output. Gets you direct to individual FX (via Jump FX), turns the FX off/on, adjusts FX amount. Transpose. Pan. Master Volume.
/doh, gotta go
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The case of the mystery Reverb/Delay changes
(starring Knob 3 and Knob 4)
Here I am making new FM templates, playing around with some basic sounds. Being not so much a fan of hugely drenched wet reverbs and delays, I set the Bus FX 1 and FX 2 down to low levels, just to get a tiny bit of reverb and delay. Very background. Fine. I go on tweaking the knobs experimenting with different FM timbres.
Later on, I'm hearing echoes clearly....? When I go to check out the FX levels, somehow the levels have been increased. Why? Then it dawns on me that Knobs 3 and 4 are pre-wired to control MIDI CC# 91 and 93 (see GLOBAL/Settings/Controls). As the MIDI chart below shows (Fusion-specific parameters in red), these are the CC's to control reverb and chorus levels... A-ha.
Take on me. Take me on. Even though I assigned Knobs 3 and 4 to only FM parameters, not FX, they nonetheless still controlled the levels of Bus 1 and Bus 2. Interesting. So, to prevent this, you have to change them in GLOBAL so that the knobs aren't pre-wired to CC# 91 or 93. That will free up the knobs to only act on what you assign them (provided the new # you change them doesn't affect some other harmful MIDI parameter).
The bonus: the Fusion is NOT limited to only its knobs, triggers, foot switches, wheels, etc, for external MIDI control. Previously it was thought that the only way to externally control Fusion parameters was that you had to first assign it to a knob/trigger/whatever. Since the Fusion doesn't have 8 assignable faders like some other workstations, this was a limiting factor that was yet another downer. Not so anymore.
psionic wrote:
tweakheadz wrote:List of Standard MIDI Continuous Controllers (CCs)
0 Bank Select (MSB) Never re-route anything to Controller 0. It will mess up your program changes.
1 Modulation Wheel or Joystick (positive polarity) (MSB) Can be effectively remapped to other controllers on some synths (Fusion Mod Wheel)
2 Breath controller sometimes Joystick (negative polarity) (MSB) Can be effectively remapped to other controllers on some synths
4 Foot Pedal (MSB) Don't mess with it
5 Portamento Time (MSB) Only use this for portamento time
6 Data Entry (MSB) Better leave this one alone too.
7 Volume (MSB) If you re-route to Controller 7, your software mixer will mess up
8 Balance (MSB) Some synths use it
9 Enable Track (Fusion enable/disable Song track)
10 Pan position (MSB) If you re-route to Controller 10, your software mixer will mess up
11 Expression (MSB) Roland synths use it. Some synths use it for LFOs, some for crescendo/ decrescendo (loudness). Sometimes routed to keyboard aftertouch. (Fusion Foot Exp Pedal)
The group below are sometimes "hard assigned" to faders and knobs on your synth. But usually they are set as a default you can change to match your other synths.
12 Effect Control 1 (MSB) (Fusion Knob 1 ASSIGN)
13 Effect Control 2 (MSB) (Fusion Knob 2 ASSIGN)
14 Undefined
15 Undefined
16 Ribbon Controller or General Purpose Slider 1
17 Knob 1 or General Purpose Slider 2
18 General Purpose Slider 3
19 Knob 2 General Purpose Slider 4
20 Knob 3 or Undefined
21 Knob 4 or Undefined
22-31 are undefined, available for use by synths that let you assign controllers. These are a good choice if you can freely assign controllers on all your synths. If you can use them in a consistent way, all your synths will react the same way. For example if you always assign 22 to Knob A and you always assign Knob A to filter cutoff, then all your programmable synths will sweep the filter when you turn knob A no matter what synth is selected on that channel in your sequencer. This works until you get a synth that hard assigns filter cutoff to controller 74, as many general midi synths do. To make it more confusing, some synths will let you assign filter cutoff to CNTL 22 but will still let the synth react to CNTL 74
32 Bank Select (LSB) It's critical that you do not assign this controller to other functions. Unless you like random bank changes running through your song.
These may or may not be implemented in your synth, most likely they are not.
33 Modulation Wheel (LSB)
34 Breath controller (LSB)
36 Foot Pedal (LSB)
37 Portamento Time (LSB)
38 Data Entry (LSB)
39 Volume (LSB)
40 Balance (LSB)
42 Pan position (LSB)
43 Expression (LSB)
44 Effect Control 1 (LSB) Roland Portamento on and rate
45 Effect Control 2 (LSB)
46-63 may be in use as the LSB for controllers 14-31 in some devices, but I have not seen one yet.
This group controls pedals typically. Leave this group alone when reassigning controllers.
64 Hold Pedal (on/off) Nearly every synth will react to 64 (sustain pedal) (Fusion Sustain Pedal)
65 Portamento (on/off)
66 Sustenuto Pedal (on/off)
67 Soft Pedal (on/off)
68 Legato Pedal (on/off)
69 Hold 2 Pedal (on/off)
This next group controls parameters on some synths. Here's where you need to closely inspect your midi implementation chart to see what's going on. Synths with lots of knobs may "hard assign " them to specific knobs. If you can use 71 and 74 for frequency and resonance, it's a good idea to do so. On the Korg Triton for example, 71-74 are hard assigned to the knobs. If you set your more freely assignable Proteus to respond the frequency cutoff on CNTL 74, then your rig is more consistent.
70 Sound Variation (Fusion Filter Env Amount, Knob 3 FILTER)
71 Resonance (aka Timbre) (Fusion Filter Resonance, Knob 2 FILTER)
72 Sound Release Time
73 Sound Attack Time
74 Frequency Cutoff (aka Brightness ) (Fusion Filter Frequency, Knob 1 FILTER)
75 Sound Control 6 (Fusion Filter Keytrack, Knob 4 FILTER)
76 Sound Control 7
77 Sound Control 8
78 Sound Control 9
79 Sound Control 10
80 Decay or General Purpose Button 1 (on/off) Roland Tone level 1 (Fusion T1)
81 Hi Pass Filter Frequency or General Purpose Button 2 (on/off) Roland Tone level 2 (Fusion T2)
82 General Purpose Button 3 (on/off) Roland Tone level 3 (Fusion T3)
83 General Purpose Button 4 (on/off) Roland Tone level 4 (Fusion T4)
84-90 are undefined, typically available for use by synths that let you assign controllers (Fusion S1 = 84, S2 = 85)
Effects Group: Controls 91 and 93 are active on nearly all general midi synths I have played, and many others use these too.
91 Reverb Level (Fusion Knob 3 ASSIGN)
92 Tremolo Level
93 Chorus Level (Fusion Knob 4 ASSIGN)
94 Celeste Level or Detune
95 Phaser Level
It's probably best not to use the group below for assigning controllers.
96 Data Button increment
97 Data Button decrement
98 Non-registered Parameter (LSB)
99 Non-registered Parameter (MSB)
100 Registered Parameter (LSB)
101 Registered Parameter (MSB)
It's very important that you do not use these no matter what unless you want to invoke these functions.
120 All Sound Off
121 All Controllers Off
122 Local Keyboard (on/off) You might actually crash your keyboard if you use this one.
123 All Notes Off (Heh, your song will go haywire if you use this assigned to a knob.)
You typically don't want your synths to change modes on you in the middle of making a song, so don't use these.
124 Omni Mode Off
125 Omni Mode On
126 Mono Operation
127 Poly Operation
128 Pitch Bend
129 Mono Aftertouch
In other words, besides the 20 or so knobs, wheels, etc, used to access Fusion parameters, you can use standard MIDI CC's to control generic parameters common to all synths. Like reverb* level, pan, track volume, track enable, portamento time, etc. Very handy if you use an external MIDI controller to access your MIDI gear.
Basically this little nugget of info doubles the amount of control we have over the Fusion via MIDI.
I tested this out with the Behringer BCF2000. I assigned a rotary encoder to CC 91 (reverb level), and sure enough, the Fusion responded in real-time to twiddling on the BCF. Bus FX 1 levels changed as I turned an encoder on the BCF. Better yet, by going to GLOBAL/Settings/Controls, and changing Knob 3 to no longer be set on #91, there were no more mystery changes of echo levels. The knobs only controlled FM parameters.
Case closed.
*
91 = Bus FX 1
93 = Bus FX 2
www.promusicproducts.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4970&start=75
Above and beyond -- FM after filter tricks
Say you have a sampled instrument that needs more bite, more dynamic range expressivity. You may be limited by having only a single velocity multisample, or perhaps the overall sound is pretty but needs some more body or snap. Perhaps you have a raw soundfont that sounds decent enough, but only at a constant volume; it needs some expressive headroom, so to speak.
Well the first step would be to use the filter -- lower the overall filter cutoff of a typical lowpass filter. With the Fusion, you can either lower the main filter's frequency, but you might get more play by lowering the filter freq for each multisample instead:
EDIT/Synth/Filter/EDIT Filter..... Osc 1 (once you de-select the Filter Bypass parameter here)
Choosing this instead of the Main Filter cutoff gives you some more flexibility. You can individually tailor each filter's response by assigning Mods directly to the particular Osc filter in question. For example, you could fade in the brightness of one multisample by keytracking, making lower notes darker and higher notes brighter, while doing the reverse for another of the multisamples. Or make velocity bring in one multisample more drastically than it does for another. To the point, you leave the Main Filter available for whole sound variation and performance, while preserving the balance and tweaks of the multisamples relative to each other. Sounds complicated, but in practice it's rather intuitive once you get a grasp. And very flexible, giving you more ways to stretch a multisample's usefulness out.
==========================================================
What does all this have to do with FM, you ask? Well, that technique of opening up dark filtered sounds via keytracking or velocity is fairly common knowledge in the synth/sample world, I would guess. Very useful, but not without limits. While it is somewhat dynamic when set up to respond to your playstyle, it doesn't really change the character of the sound so much... it opens up what's already there. By using the Fusion's mini-FM section included in the multisample engine, you can eke out some more musical variation out of a stock multisample.
In regular FM synthesis, the main sound is modulated by another sound, and the more deeply you modulate, the more you get sounds that are different from the starting sound. The FM component of the multisample engine only has 2 parameters: FM source and FM amount. But these are enough to add a little coloration for some novel effect.
EDIT/Synth/Osc/Select...... FM source, FM amount
FM source can be either the Osc itself (FM self-modulation), another Osc multisample in the sound, or the Main Filter. Keep in mind that if you choose the Main Filter, if you have another mod that changes the filter cutoff frequency, this will carry over into this parameter as well... this can be desirable sometimes, but can also just make things generally mushy.
FM amount will generally gradually turn a sound into noise, often unpleasant -- go to 100% FM amount for whichever FM source above you choose, and the result sounds like your speraker's tweeters are getting ready to fry.
==========================================================
So, bottomline, after all the wordiness, try setting the FM amount to somewhere less than 10%, but make another mod, say Velocity or Keytracking or Envelope, affect the FM amount here, making FM amount in turn dynamic and responsive to play:
EDIT/Mod/Add Mod
Mod Source: Velocity
Mod Destination: Osc FM amount
...Index: Osc 1 (or whichever Osc you apply FM to)
Type: Additive
Amount: (suit to taste, preferably less than +50%)
Used in combination with the filter cutoff technique mentioned above, you can stretch the responsiveness of a multisample's high end by judicious use of FM here. Many natural acoustic sounds distort or add more new harmonics, often inharmonics, when you play them very loudly. Opening a filter only reveals the frequencies already present in the multisample, but does not introduce any new harmonics. If you have a decent piano or bell or brass sound that is mainly intended for mezzo forte (medium) to slightly loud playing, opening its filter will not elevate it above other sounds competing for sonic attention. But use of velocity to increase not only volume and filter, but also FM amount, will give the sound an extra bite that lets everyone know you mean loud and hard when you play that keyboard with much gusto.
==========================================================
To get a hands-on idea, in PRESET 5 on the Fusion, check out Program A-2: HG Pop Ballad Piano. They assigned Knob2 to OSC1 FM amount.
EDIT/Mod... #10: Knob2 ==> Osc1FM
Hit the Settings button once you're here on the Mod page. You'll see how they simply made it so that when you turn Knob2 it just increases the FM amount to 100%, not very useful at full tilt, but a good enough way to explain/show how to use FM to increase inharmonics to a base sound (make things more distorted, basically). It can be much more musical at lower settings that respond only to harder velocity strikes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tweak, tweak, tweak. A finely responsive piano is indeed a holy grail. After all, a basic characteristic of the pianoforte is that it is so expressive, ranging from softly haunting, to moderately singing, to boldly provocative, to outright thunderous bravado. And everything in between (such is the rollercoaster ride of emotion, is it not?)...
Just when you think you've got a new sound that responds well to your mood, there is a place that is great to re-visit once in awhile, to further suit the intimate feedback -- the Fusion's Velocity Curves and Scaling.
GLOBAL/Settings/General....
Velocity Curve.... LOG
Without getting into depth here, as I hope we've all explored the various types, I just want to drive home the idea that it can be rewarding to come back to this page once in awhile and adjust the response one more time...
I hit upon a great MIDI mix of 2 Fusion pianos, an Ensoniq VFX-SD classical piano, and a Yamaha EX5 Stereo Piano that sounds and feels very nice. I'm not classically trained, but I wish I were, so my touch is probably a bit clumsy. Playing very softly to somewhat softly sounded a bit erratic. I needed the 8HD to be more refined, less clunky.
The solution? Once again I adjusted the Velocity Scaling down from 36 to 24. That's it, and voila, it's almost like upgrading my piano action. It's a wonder you wouldn't expect, esp after you've been here before time and again. Worth a re-visit.
If you'll excuse me now, but the Muse, she calls me back to her, to soothe her savage breast.
EDIT: What's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander. Whatever that means. Turns out a Scaling of 24 was only good for the soft song. Switching to a higher number for a louder song once again transforms the same mix into a differently responding instrument. Maybe I'll come back here more often than I thought...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Entering odd time signatures and changing tempos
In the Fusion's sequencer, you can edit MIDI events to customize your SONG. To do this, you go into the MIDI Editor on the Track Event page, select a track to work on, view its event data in a MIDI Event Window, and select the event to edit as you like. If you choose a specific Track number to work on, then you can edit that Track's specific MIDI data. This is where you would change the velocity of one note, insert or remove a CC# like #64 for the sustain pedal, make a bank/program change, or even adjust the pitches of the musical notes themselves. This is where you would tweak a lead solo's performance specific MIDI events, separate from the track processing you did elsewhere (Process: quantize, cut/copy/paste, slide over, audio gain, etc).
However, if you want to edit MIDI data that is more global to the whole song, not specific to a track and its notes and events, then you need to choose the Master Track to edit. This special track has two SONG global events you can change, um, as many "times" as you want: the time signature and the tempo.
A quick note on the navigation and layout of the Track Event page. Use the NEXT >> button to move the cursor from one parameter selection to the next. In order, they are Track #, the Event Window, the Time signature ( like 4/4), and the Event Type (tempo or meter). Here it is illustrated step by step:
/EDIT Track >>
/Event Window >>
/Time (measure >> beat >> clock) >>
/Event Type >> Tempo, or Meter (# of beats) >> ( note type = "beat")
Like on any other parameter page in the Fusion, once you get to the last parameter, hitting NEXT goes to the top of the page and starts again. Sometimes it's faster to use one PREV instead of several NEXT to get to a parameter near the top or bottom of the page. Another good hint to keep in mind is making a shortcut to the Editor page (Set Loc + 1-8) if you're always editing fine MIDI details like this. Anyhow, here is a breakdown of how to enter time signature and tempo changes --
SONG/Edit
Editor/Trk Event
NEXT>>>
/EDIT Track.... Master Track, Track 1(of 16), Track 2(of 16), ....
Here you have a choice between editing the Master Track events, or the events for each Track in your SONG. For now, we'll just look at the parameters available when the Master Track is selected for editing.
NEXT>>>
/Event Window.... 001.01.000 Tempo: 120.0
/Event Window.... 001.01.000 Meter: 4/4
Once you get into this Window, use the INC button to scroll thru each event in time. Place the cursor on the last time event just before the intended tempo/meter change. Then INSERT another event. The Fusion will copy the event, time marker and all, and will place the cursor at this event.
/Insert
/Event Window.... 001.01.000 Meter: 4/4 .... (copy of above event, cursor now here, event is highlighted)
Here you inserted a new event, which is just a duplicate of the last event. Think of this as a placeholder event, waiting for you to change what's here into the actual MIDI event at the marked time you want it to happen.
You now want to adjust the value of the time marker until you are at the beginning of the measure where you want the change to occur. Say we want the second measure in the SONG to now have 7/8 instead of 4/4. So now we have two things to do: 1) change the time value of this event to the beginning of measure 2, and 2) change the meter to 7/8.
NEXT>>>
(cursor moves to next parameter, but the chosen event in the Window is still selected, has dashed lines around event)
Step 1)
/Time:... 001.01.000 .... (use INC to change the measure to 2) ...
/Time:... 002.01.000 ....
NEXT>>>
/Event Type:... Meter, Tempo (use INC/DEC to choose which)
NEXT>>>
Step 2)
/Meter:... 4/4 (use INC until 7 shows)
/Meter:... 7/4
Here you changed the number of beats in the measure from 4 to 7.
NEXT>>>
/Meter:... 7/4 (use INC until 8 shows)
/Meter:... 7/8
And there you have it. You've just inserted a new event in the MIDI Event Window, and that event changed the time signature from 4/4 to 7/8 at the beginning of measure 2.
For multiple time signature or tempo changes, just repeat the above process, summarized below:
1) put the cursor at the last event in the Event Window just before you want the change to occur,
2) hit INSERT to make a duplicate event/placeholder,
3) edit the placeholder's relevant parameter values (time marker, event type, event value)
It really is easy as 1-2-3 once you wrap your head around it, as it is fairly straightforward. It's just so awkward to write out. It takes a snap to explain it while you show how to do it live...
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ARP ==> MIDI
Since a Fusion ARP is just MIDI data, it can be edited, copied, and pasted like other MIDI sequencer data.
SONG/Edit
/Arp/Proc Pattern....(select Start/End time)
.../Process: copy (execute)
/Editor/Tracks.... (select track, start/end time)
.../Process: paste over (execute)
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Standard GM MIDI map for Drum Kits
MIDI note number = musical note ==> drum sound
Bass and snares
35 = B0 ==> Acoustic Bass Drum
36 = C1 ==> Bass Drum 1
37 = C#1 ==> Side Stick
38 = D1 ==> Acoustic Snare
39 = D#1 ==> Hand Clap
40 = E1==> Electric Snare
Toms (all white notes)
41 = F1 ==> Low Floor Tom
43 = G1 ==> High Floor Tom
45 = A1 ==> Low Tom
47 = B1 ==> Low-Mid Tom
48 = C2 ==> Hi-Mid Tom
50 = D2 ==> High Tom
Cymbals (black notes)
42 = F#1 ==> Closed Hi-Hat
44 = G#1 ==> Pedal Hi-Hat
46 = A#1 ==> Open Hi-Hat
49 = C#2 ==> Crash Cymbal 1
51 = D#2 ==> Ride Cymbal 1
'70's percussion (black notes)
54 = F#2 ==> Tambourine
56 = G#2 ==> Cowbell
58 = A#2 ==> Vibraslap
Other cymbals (white notes)
52 = E2 ==> Chinese Cymbal
53 = F2 ==> Ride Bell
55 = G2 ==> Splash Cymbal
57 = A2 ==> Crash Cymbal 2
59 = B2 ==> Ride Cymbal 2
Latin percussion
60 = C3 ==> Hi Bongo
61 = C#3 ==> Low Bongo
62 = D3 ==> Mute Hi Conga
63 = D#3 ==> Open Hi Conga
64 = E3 ==> Low Conga
65 = F3 ==> High Timbale
66 = F#3 ==> Low Timbale
67 = G3 ==> High Agogo
68 = G#3 ==> Low Agogo
69 = A3 ==> Cabasa
70 = A#3 ==> Maracas
Other percussion
71 = B3 ==> Short Whistle
72 = C4 ==> Long Whistle
73 = C#4 ==> Short Guiro
74 = D4 ==> Long Guiro
75 = D#4 ==> Claves
76 = E4 ==> Hi Wood Block
77 = F4 ==> Low Wood Block
78 = F#4 ==> Mute Cuica
79 = G4 ==> Open Cuica
80 = G#4 ==> Mute Triangle
81 = A4 ==> Open Triangle
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Default Values are F.U.N.
DEC + INC ==> return to default value (very often ZERO)
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"Left Soft Button = Go to the Head of the Class"
Ever get tired of INC, INC, INC to a parameter, then DEC, DEC, NEXT, INC, INC to some other parameter? Wouldn't it be neat if there were shortcuts to make navigation just a little bit quicker? Fear not, my friend, for the Fusion has a few overlooked or forgotten buttons combinations that were hiding right in plain sight.
No matter how far down the current page, or if you're on the 3rd parameter of the 2nd sub-page (confusing, isn't it?), you can always hit the Left Soft Button to either 1) bring you to the top item on the page, or 2) bring you to the Front Page. Some examples:
Issue #1
Let's say you're manipulating MIDI CC info in the Track Editor. You get confused whether to push INC or NEXT, and just want to get back to another track to work on it.
SONG/Edit
/Editor/Edit Window...parameter....
INC or NEXT Solution #1
Well, just push the relevant Left Soft Button (/Editor in this case), and the cursor will jump to the Top parameter, which is where you choose which Track.
=======================
Issue #2
You're deep in the ARP pages, somewhere editing the octave range the current ARP works on. Now you want to quickly change to another ARP, without going DEC, DEC, DEC, DEC.
Solution #2
Well, just push the relevant Left Soft Button (/Arp in this case), and the cursor will jump to the Top parameter, which is where you choose the Arp.
==========================
There are also other great shortcuts, but I'm at work and don't have much time for details:
Jump FX.
....Jump Src... then Jump MOD when done tweaking
Jump Destination.
Best "home page" or "launchpad page" is the OUTPUT page... Song/Track/Output.... Program/Output. Gets you direct to individual FX (via Jump FX), turns the FX off/on, adjusts FX amount. Transpose. Pan. Master Volume.
/doh, gotta go
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The case of the mystery Reverb/Delay changes
(starring Knob 3 and Knob 4)
Here I am making new FM templates, playing around with some basic sounds. Being not so much a fan of hugely drenched wet reverbs and delays, I set the Bus FX 1 and FX 2 down to low levels, just to get a tiny bit of reverb and delay. Very background. Fine. I go on tweaking the knobs experimenting with different FM timbres.
Later on, I'm hearing echoes clearly....? When I go to check out the FX levels, somehow the levels have been increased. Why? Then it dawns on me that Knobs 3 and 4 are pre-wired to control MIDI CC# 91 and 93 (see GLOBAL/Settings/Controls). As the MIDI chart below shows (Fusion-specific parameters in red), these are the CC's to control reverb and chorus levels... A-ha.
Take on me. Take me on. Even though I assigned Knobs 3 and 4 to only FM parameters, not FX, they nonetheless still controlled the levels of Bus 1 and Bus 2. Interesting. So, to prevent this, you have to change them in GLOBAL so that the knobs aren't pre-wired to CC# 91 or 93. That will free up the knobs to only act on what you assign them (provided the new # you change them doesn't affect some other harmful MIDI parameter).
The bonus: the Fusion is NOT limited to only its knobs, triggers, foot switches, wheels, etc, for external MIDI control. Previously it was thought that the only way to externally control Fusion parameters was that you had to first assign it to a knob/trigger/whatever. Since the Fusion doesn't have 8 assignable faders like some other workstations, this was a limiting factor that was yet another downer. Not so anymore.
psionic wrote:
tweakheadz wrote:List of Standard MIDI Continuous Controllers (CCs)
0 Bank Select (MSB) Never re-route anything to Controller 0. It will mess up your program changes.
1 Modulation Wheel or Joystick (positive polarity) (MSB) Can be effectively remapped to other controllers on some synths (Fusion Mod Wheel)
2 Breath controller sometimes Joystick (negative polarity) (MSB) Can be effectively remapped to other controllers on some synths
4 Foot Pedal (MSB) Don't mess with it
5 Portamento Time (MSB) Only use this for portamento time
6 Data Entry (MSB) Better leave this one alone too.
7 Volume (MSB) If you re-route to Controller 7, your software mixer will mess up
8 Balance (MSB) Some synths use it
9 Enable Track (Fusion enable/disable Song track)
10 Pan position (MSB) If you re-route to Controller 10, your software mixer will mess up
11 Expression (MSB) Roland synths use it. Some synths use it for LFOs, some for crescendo/ decrescendo (loudness). Sometimes routed to keyboard aftertouch. (Fusion Foot Exp Pedal)
The group below are sometimes "hard assigned" to faders and knobs on your synth. But usually they are set as a default you can change to match your other synths.
12 Effect Control 1 (MSB) (Fusion Knob 1 ASSIGN)
13 Effect Control 2 (MSB) (Fusion Knob 2 ASSIGN)
14 Undefined
15 Undefined
16 Ribbon Controller or General Purpose Slider 1
17 Knob 1 or General Purpose Slider 2
18 General Purpose Slider 3
19 Knob 2 General Purpose Slider 4
20 Knob 3 or Undefined
21 Knob 4 or Undefined
22-31 are undefined, available for use by synths that let you assign controllers. These are a good choice if you can freely assign controllers on all your synths. If you can use them in a consistent way, all your synths will react the same way. For example if you always assign 22 to Knob A and you always assign Knob A to filter cutoff, then all your programmable synths will sweep the filter when you turn knob A no matter what synth is selected on that channel in your sequencer. This works until you get a synth that hard assigns filter cutoff to controller 74, as many general midi synths do. To make it more confusing, some synths will let you assign filter cutoff to CNTL 22 but will still let the synth react to CNTL 74
32 Bank Select (LSB) It's critical that you do not assign this controller to other functions. Unless you like random bank changes running through your song.
These may or may not be implemented in your synth, most likely they are not.
33 Modulation Wheel (LSB)
34 Breath controller (LSB)
36 Foot Pedal (LSB)
37 Portamento Time (LSB)
38 Data Entry (LSB)
39 Volume (LSB)
40 Balance (LSB)
42 Pan position (LSB)
43 Expression (LSB)
44 Effect Control 1 (LSB) Roland Portamento on and rate
45 Effect Control 2 (LSB)
46-63 may be in use as the LSB for controllers 14-31 in some devices, but I have not seen one yet.
This group controls pedals typically. Leave this group alone when reassigning controllers.
64 Hold Pedal (on/off) Nearly every synth will react to 64 (sustain pedal) (Fusion Sustain Pedal)
65 Portamento (on/off)
66 Sustenuto Pedal (on/off)
67 Soft Pedal (on/off)
68 Legato Pedal (on/off)
69 Hold 2 Pedal (on/off)
This next group controls parameters on some synths. Here's where you need to closely inspect your midi implementation chart to see what's going on. Synths with lots of knobs may "hard assign " them to specific knobs. If you can use 71 and 74 for frequency and resonance, it's a good idea to do so. On the Korg Triton for example, 71-74 are hard assigned to the knobs. If you set your more freely assignable Proteus to respond the frequency cutoff on CNTL 74, then your rig is more consistent.
70 Sound Variation (Fusion Filter Env Amount, Knob 3 FILTER)
71 Resonance (aka Timbre) (Fusion Filter Resonance, Knob 2 FILTER)
72 Sound Release Time
73 Sound Attack Time
74 Frequency Cutoff (aka Brightness ) (Fusion Filter Frequency, Knob 1 FILTER)
75 Sound Control 6 (Fusion Filter Keytrack, Knob 4 FILTER)
76 Sound Control 7
77 Sound Control 8
78 Sound Control 9
79 Sound Control 10
80 Decay or General Purpose Button 1 (on/off) Roland Tone level 1 (Fusion T1)
81 Hi Pass Filter Frequency or General Purpose Button 2 (on/off) Roland Tone level 2 (Fusion T2)
82 General Purpose Button 3 (on/off) Roland Tone level 3 (Fusion T3)
83 General Purpose Button 4 (on/off) Roland Tone level 4 (Fusion T4)
84-90 are undefined, typically available for use by synths that let you assign controllers (Fusion S1 = 84, S2 = 85)
Effects Group: Controls 91 and 93 are active on nearly all general midi synths I have played, and many others use these too.
91 Reverb Level (Fusion Knob 3 ASSIGN)
92 Tremolo Level
93 Chorus Level (Fusion Knob 4 ASSIGN)
94 Celeste Level or Detune
95 Phaser Level
It's probably best not to use the group below for assigning controllers.
96 Data Button increment
97 Data Button decrement
98 Non-registered Parameter (LSB)
99 Non-registered Parameter (MSB)
100 Registered Parameter (LSB)
101 Registered Parameter (MSB)
It's very important that you do not use these no matter what unless you want to invoke these functions.
120 All Sound Off
121 All Controllers Off
122 Local Keyboard (on/off) You might actually crash your keyboard if you use this one.
123 All Notes Off (Heh, your song will go haywire if you use this assigned to a knob.)
You typically don't want your synths to change modes on you in the middle of making a song, so don't use these.
124 Omni Mode Off
125 Omni Mode On
126 Mono Operation
127 Poly Operation
128 Pitch Bend
129 Mono Aftertouch
In other words, besides the 20 or so knobs, wheels, etc, used to access Fusion parameters, you can use standard MIDI CC's to control generic parameters common to all synths. Like reverb* level, pan, track volume, track enable, portamento time, etc. Very handy if you use an external MIDI controller to access your MIDI gear.
Basically this little nugget of info doubles the amount of control we have over the Fusion via MIDI.
I tested this out with the Behringer BCF2000. I assigned a rotary encoder to CC 91 (reverb level), and sure enough, the Fusion responded in real-time to twiddling on the BCF. Bus FX 1 levels changed as I turned an encoder on the BCF. Better yet, by going to GLOBAL/Settings/Controls, and changing Knob 3 to no longer be set on #91, there were no more mystery changes of echo levels. The knobs only controlled FM parameters.
Case closed.
*
91 = Bus FX 1
93 = Bus FX 2