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  • MIDI Button Controller for Switching Articulations

    Hi all, I tend to use the same matrix template in VI for whatever instrument I am using - at the moment it tends to be about 4 x 2, but I could see it expanding up to 4 x 4 when I actually properly know what I'm doing. I was wondering, would something like this work for switching articulations? http://www.instructables.com/id/Arcade-Button-MIDI-Controller/ That way I could have the buttons assigned to their matching slots in the matrix, making recalling the right patch very simple, without having to scroll across a grid with modwheels and sliders or taking up notes on my MIDI keyboard (it'd be great to be able to keep the same settings whether using double basses or violins, which together use almost all 88 keys). Would I be able to do this by assigning program change/control change messages to each button? Or keyswitches on a separate MIDI channel or something? Any thoughts/help would be appreciated, thanks for your time. {eter

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    Hi Pyre

    VIPro can switch between matrices (use always the first place of each) also with the midi "Program Change". I think you will find a controller for assigning program changings to the buttons.

    BUT

    Why do you take the "detour" via controller buttons. It is easy to assign some keys of a keyboard outside the playing range of the instruments.

    If you are doing this in the same way for all the instruments you will increase your agility very soon for switching fast enough between the articulations.

    Maybe this link also helps for solving the problem.

    Further, you will be able with this key-switching-system to set these keyswitches (keys) by the mouse as well.

    This is important when the manual speed isn't fast enough because of the music speed. See the example here (21.).

    The example is more for explaining the up/down stroke problem but it also shows that the manual selection of the articulations can be far too slow.

    All the best

    Beat


    - Tips & Tricks while using Samples of VSL.. see at: https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/ - Tutorial "Mixing an Orchestra": https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/mixing-an-orchestra/
  • Pyre, you'd mainly have to do what you want with the controller, not within VI. I do something similar with my keyboard controller. Rather than using keys to do the "keyswitches" I have a bank of 10 buttons right above the keys assisgned to send those keystrokes. It's very easy. I do still use the mod wheel for the vertical axis, though. It should be easy to assign any MIDI controller to send the right note messages.

    To address the problem of the octave switch of the keyswitches between basses and violins, I simply have two different programs in my controller. Program 1 is set for the majority of instruments with the keyswitches in the lower octave. Program 2 on my controller is identical except the keyswitchers are in the upper octave for basses, contrabassoon, etc. It just takes a second to switch my controllers program when I need to and the result is that indeed I do the same thing to switch matrix slots on all instruments.


  • the matrix switching in VI Pro, maybe VI, supports program change.

    if you can assign buttons on your controller to note-ons, you can prepare this for your keyswitching dimensions as well as matrices. a button as continuous controller, I don't see how that applies.


  • Thank you for all the suggestions, guys, there is a range of ideas there. Didger's idea is closest to what I had in mind - thank you, I should have thought of it before really. I have a 25-key keyboard which I can use just for the keyswitches, and transpose it up or down at the touch of a button, so that works out well. This leads to a second problem/question, which I shall post in a new thread. Many thanks. Pyre

  • One drawback of using keyswitches to change articulations appears when you transpose something in your DAW and the keyswitches in that region/clip are transposed, too.


  • I'm on Pro Tools, and I often miss some visual feedback of what articulations my keyswitches calls up. The only way that I know about is to use program changes. That way you can name the patches, and they are visible in the event editor etc. Logic Pro used to have a function where you would name the notes in a "mapped kit". You could then see the names of (some of the) notes in the pianoroll on the left.