Guys, I'm making a basic splited combi, half piano and half brass. I'd like to add a strings sound but just when I play softly, and when I play harder the brass sound.
After touch?
Velocity zones? I've tried this and I think that i've not implemented right (sometimes a brass sound escapes in the strings melody).
Any advice? Thanks!
How can I do this?
Moderators: Sharp, X-Trade, Pepperpotty, karmathanever
How can I do this?
Kronos 2 73 - Korg Krome - nanoPad2 - M-AUDIO Oxygen Pro 61 -
SampleRobot KORG Edition
SampleRobot KORG Edition
Velocity zones is the way you would do this in a combi.
Lets assume you have the following tracks and keyboard split:
Track 1: Piano, assigned to C4 and up
Track 2: Brass, assigned to B3 and down
Track 3: Strings, assigned to B3 and down
The three tracks are all assigned to midi channel 1 / Global, so they play when you hit the keys. Piano in the upper half and both strings and brass playing in the lower part.
Now, go into the velocity zones (under Midi Filter / Zones -> Velocity Zones) and set:
Track 2: Bottom Velocity = 64
Track 3: Top Velocity = 64 (or is it perhaps 63 if the number is inclusive)
This will give you a hard toggle between strings and brass at midway between hard and soft playing. (Subject to your playing style and the velocity curve you've selected in Global mode, of course).
Top velocity for Tk3 means that it stops playing there.
One problem with this approach is that it is a hard toggle between the two and I often find myself hitting a key just a little bit harder or weaker than I intended, in which case, it might cross over into the wrong area and you get brass sounding on one key when you should be playing strings or the other way around.
In this case, there are two options I tend to use.
Option 1, if it suits the playing style, adjust the level for both so that you always hit string or brass. Depending on what you're playing this may or may not work :)
Option 2, use the slopes to program a gradual transition between the two. That way, if you hit a bit too hard, there will be a hint of brass, but it tends to blend in nicely. For instance:
Track 2: Bottom Velocity 50, Bottom Slope 50
Track 3: Top Velocity 100, Top Slope 50
In this setup, you'll have pure strings below 50, then a gradual transition in the range of 50-100 and brass above 100. Of course, pick any top, bottom and overlap that fits what you are playing and your playing style. I'm just pulling numbers out of a hat here.. :)
Lets assume you have the following tracks and keyboard split:
Track 1: Piano, assigned to C4 and up
Track 2: Brass, assigned to B3 and down
Track 3: Strings, assigned to B3 and down
The three tracks are all assigned to midi channel 1 / Global, so they play when you hit the keys. Piano in the upper half and both strings and brass playing in the lower part.
Now, go into the velocity zones (under Midi Filter / Zones -> Velocity Zones) and set:
Track 2: Bottom Velocity = 64
Track 3: Top Velocity = 64 (or is it perhaps 63 if the number is inclusive)
This will give you a hard toggle between strings and brass at midway between hard and soft playing. (Subject to your playing style and the velocity curve you've selected in Global mode, of course).
Top velocity for Tk3 means that it stops playing there.
One problem with this approach is that it is a hard toggle between the two and I often find myself hitting a key just a little bit harder or weaker than I intended, in which case, it might cross over into the wrong area and you get brass sounding on one key when you should be playing strings or the other way around.
In this case, there are two options I tend to use.
Option 1, if it suits the playing style, adjust the level for both so that you always hit string or brass. Depending on what you're playing this may or may not work :)
Option 2, use the slopes to program a gradual transition between the two. That way, if you hit a bit too hard, there will be a hint of brass, but it tends to blend in nicely. For instance:
Track 2: Bottom Velocity 50, Bottom Slope 50
Track 3: Top Velocity 100, Top Slope 50
In this setup, you'll have pure strings below 50, then a gradual transition in the range of 50-100 and brass above 100. Of course, pick any top, bottom and overlap that fits what you are playing and your playing style. I'm just pulling numbers out of a hat here.. :)
Combi mode already described, lets you work with all the synth engines. But HD-1 can let you use a single program from one engine to velocity layer sounds and with more dynamics per each OSC. HD-1 is a general purpose engine with some unique qualities.
One OSC can cover strings and the other can cover brass.
Then you can go into the Strings OSC and set 8 layers of strings across velocity zones. Then again go to the Brass OSC and have 8 velocity layers of brass. You can mix various brass sounds over the one OSC's 8 velocity layers and even throw some strings in the velocity zones that would come close to overlapping or crossing over into the string OSC velocity zone. You can also add some brass in the String OSC to blend the areas of velocity that the sound changes over in.
This can even be mixed velocity-wise in just one OSC for something quick and simple.
HD-1 route gives you x-fade, and a high polyphony engine that will help save polyphony while stacking programs in combi.
Even though the two HD-1 OSC cover 16 total sounds sloted over velocity zones, they work only within 8 total velocity zones all together. So to keep the sound separated across velocity zones, you only have 4 velocity per each OSC or any variation of distribution of 8 velocity zones over 2 OSC without over lapping any two sounds.
You can get 16 actual velocity zones in Combi but HD-1 option saves a lot more combi slots for karma, drum track, ext and polyphony conservation. HD-1 gives you X-fade range control and Curve setting. Those don't show in combi if i haven't overlooked them, but most everything else between the combi and HD-1 options are the same.
HD-1 gives you access to all the ROM and EX library sounds as well as sampler sounds and wave sequences. DEFINITLEY worth a try in HD-1.
One OSC can cover strings and the other can cover brass.
Then you can go into the Strings OSC and set 8 layers of strings across velocity zones. Then again go to the Brass OSC and have 8 velocity layers of brass. You can mix various brass sounds over the one OSC's 8 velocity layers and even throw some strings in the velocity zones that would come close to overlapping or crossing over into the string OSC velocity zone. You can also add some brass in the String OSC to blend the areas of velocity that the sound changes over in.
This can even be mixed velocity-wise in just one OSC for something quick and simple.
HD-1 route gives you x-fade, and a high polyphony engine that will help save polyphony while stacking programs in combi.
Even though the two HD-1 OSC cover 16 total sounds sloted over velocity zones, they work only within 8 total velocity zones all together. So to keep the sound separated across velocity zones, you only have 4 velocity per each OSC or any variation of distribution of 8 velocity zones over 2 OSC without over lapping any two sounds.
You can get 16 actual velocity zones in Combi but HD-1 option saves a lot more combi slots for karma, drum track, ext and polyphony conservation. HD-1 gives you X-fade range control and Curve setting. Those don't show in combi if i haven't overlooked them, but most everything else between the combi and HD-1 options are the same.
HD-1 gives you access to all the ROM and EX library sounds as well as sampler sounds and wave sequences. DEFINITLEY worth a try in HD-1.
@Gunnar @19naia Thanks for the advice! I've been playing with HD-1 and Im very surprise about the results. I´ve just edited a brass sound, putting the MS from OSC2 to the 1, and adding some strings MS to the 2, and the results was great. For the moment I'll stick to velocity zone option using slopes because I couldnt get the appropriate sound in strings editing the OSC...but great info. Tanks!
Kronos 2 73 - Korg Krome - nanoPad2 - M-AUDIO Oxygen Pro 61 -
SampleRobot KORG Edition
SampleRobot KORG Edition