A cheapster for MPE

Posted on January 10, 2023 by pj

Like the undulating Seaboard surface, ROLI (the company) has had its ups and downs.

ROLI made waves with its innovative alternative controllers like the Seaboard and Lightpad. Hardware is a tough, unforgiving business and, no doubt, the COVID recession hit ROLI like SARS-CoV-2 itself. ROLI reorganized in September 2021 becoming “Luminary.” ROLI sifted through the ashes of its IP and are now focused on three hardware products: Lightpad Block Studio Edition, LUMI, and the Seaboard RISE 2.

No matter what one may think about the ROLI hardware, they have produced some excellent software tools and ROLI-focused sound libraries: Equator, Cypher and Strobe. The Equator (now Equator 2) synth is widely respected. ROLI’s software has been the teaser driving its MPE hardware sales.

So it goes with the free ROLI Noise app. Noise quite effectively simulates a ROLI BLOCKS set-up consisting of a Lightpad, LIVE BLOCK and 2 octave Seaboard BLOCK. ROLI has five short “getting started” videos:

I also recommend the Roli Noise tutorial from the Sound Test Room. This last video demonstrates a more up-to-date version of Noise.

Two finger gesture on the virtual Seaboard

Noise gives you MPE thrills on the cheap. You can tap and swipe to your heart’s content without owning a Lightpad or Seaboard BLOCK. I especially like the virtual Seaboard — all of the fun without the Bluetooth connection issues which seemed to plague the Seaboard BLOCKS. [ROLI need to get on top of this issue with LUMI, too.]

Noise was clearly intended as a loss leader (AKA “driver”) for hardware sales. As Lou once sang, “gives you sweet taste.” You need a Lightpad or Seaboard BLOCK to unlock its extra sound bundles. Noise works with only Roli hardware; It didn’t recognize or receive MIDI sent by my Akai MPK Mini. Noise does not have MIDI settings, so it’s Roli’s way or the highway.

The free sounds are not bad and include Audio Modeling’s SWAM Viola. Naturally, you don’t get SWAM parameters to play with. That would definitely tick-off folks who pay good money for SWAM. Still, I’m grateful for the freebie and I’m happy to see partners working together to expand the MPE market and ecosystem.

That’s the good news. Unfortunately, ROLI haven’t updated Noise in recent years. Given Apple’s relentless disrespect for stable APIs, one doesn’t know how much longer ROLI Noise will run on IOS. [Grrr.] I would love to see a renewed Noise app in support of Luminary’s current product line.

Artiphon Orba MPE

Posted on January 9, 2023 by pj

Is a bird in the hand worth two in the bush?

I bought an Artiphon Orba (version 1) when the Orba first hit mainstream retailers. Orba implements MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) and transmits MIDI over USB-C or Bluetooth BLE. Might the Orba be an interim MPE controller?

The Orba is pitched as a musical tech toy to while away the hours making beats and songs. If you’ve never held and play one, Orba is the size of a small grapefruit (a large orange?) cut in half. It fits rather neatly in the hand. The top surface is subdivided into eight wedges with a button in the middle of the wedges. [Dang, this does look like a grapefruit prep’ed for breakfast. 🙂 ] The wedges play sounds unless the center button is pressed first, requesting a change in mode (i.e., drum, bass, chord, lead, record, octave change, etc.)

The wedges respond to pressure, up/down swipes and right/left swipes. Orba’s internal sensors respond to tilt and shake. Depending upon the preset voice, all of these gestures warp the current sound — and send MIDI MPE messages. Orba provides haptic feedback through vibration, something I turn off in order to save power.

Orba’s MPE abilities aren’t promoted aggressively although the Orba manual does a decent job of describing its MPE implementation. The Orba app (personal computer or tablet based) has a few parameters to control Orba’s behavior as a MIDI controller:

MIDI Mode: MPE, Single Channel, Channel-per-part
Mobile MIDI Mode: Consolidates MIDI into a single port
Pitch Bend Scaling: 0%, 25%, 50%, 100%
Orba Sounds: Local OFF

Local OFF is a bit quirky. It doesn’t always turn off the internal synth! I compensate by turning the Orba’s volume all the way down.

Orba’s size and gestural response are the neatest things about Orba as a MIDI controller. Everything is small and self-contained. Under battery power and Bluetooth, you can pretty much fling the Orba around without wires. This assumes, of course, that the destination synth can receive Bluetooth MIDI directly from Orba. This isn’t a problem when using software instruments on iPad, but would be an issue for a non-Bluetooth synth like Modal Skulpt SE.

In typical use as a tech toy, Orba is a four track sequencer. Each track has a preset voice and role: drum, bass, chord, and lead. Drum, bass and lead record (play) individual notes. Chord plays multiple notes. Everything follows a particular musical scale which is set through the Orba app.

This is where use as a MIDI controller is limited. When you hit a wedge in bass, lead or chord modes, you’ll get notes belonging to a pre-defined scale. If you go off-piste in the melody, there isn’t a way to play non-scale tones. Forgot a lot of Beatles tunes or many, many Christmas carols!

Let’s say you want to augment a keyboard controller using only Orba’s gestural control i.e., play notes on the keyboard and bend them with Orba. Forget MPE in that case. The MPE channel and messaging model won’t allow that. An MPE source needs to keep track of the note-to-channel assignment and send certain control messages to the channel associated with the note to be modified. The keyboard and Orba have their own ideas about channel assignment and you can’t “cross the streams.” [Sometimes you need to cross the streams, Egon. 🙂 ]

All is not lost, however. I had fun in single channel mode with Audio Modeling SWAM Flute and SWAM Cello. Cello is a real kick; playing vibrato with finger gestures is totally cool.

Whatever MIDI mode, Orba sends MIDI note ON (note OFF) when a wedge is touched (released). There needs to be a way to tell Orba, “Don’t send MIDI note ON and OFF”. You can kinda, sorta work around this issue by touching a wedge and leaving it there. Sure, you get the initial note ON, but then the keyboard controller overrides the initial note value. I can’t see doing this in front of a live audience (congregation). In the studio, yeah, especially if you can delete unwanted notes from a recorded MIDI track.

At a meta-level, I wonder if companies have actual musicians try their prototypes during advanced development? All MIDI controllers have these little frustrations and limitations. Argh! Once again, please add scripting and let us make fixes. Developers simply cannot anticipate all usage models and modes!

Review: KMI QuNexus

Posted on January 4, 2023 by pj

So. KMI QuNexus RED. What happened?

Ever since I started playing SWAM software instruments on iPad, I wanted to begin experimenting with MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE). Like most folks on a budget, I established a price threshold — $200 or less — and cast around for likely candidate controllers. $200 is a bit more than “impulse purchase.” $300 is definitely too much for a trial. (Sorry Lumi.)

A note on budget, toys and reviews. I don’t get free products for review. Like you, I spend my hard-earned cash. No B.S., here.

I considered using an iPad app like GeoShred, but screen-based controllers don’t have the tactile feel of a physical instrument. I tried the Roli 5D app, too, and found the virtual keyboard to be too small for my fat fingers, although I get why people dig Seaboard.

There are several “alternative” controllers implementing MPE and I decided against them. Give me keys or at least a keypad. Budget and key considerations narrow the field of candidates considerably.

Keith McMillen and Keith McMillen Instruments have been designing and making electronic instruments for 35+ years. They offer two products for $200 or less: QuNexus RED ($199USD MAP) and K-Board-C ($119USD MAP). The two models are physically similar: a small form factor (12.8″ by 3.3″), a two octave keypad, a group of control buttons to the left of the keypad and USB-C connectivity.

The QuNexus is the older and more capable brother to the K-Board-C. QuNexus sports additional connectivity options including control voltage (CV) IN/OUT and a MIDI expansion port. KMI supply a compatible 5-pin MIDI expansion dongle with the QuNexus. The extra connectivity swayed me in favor of the QuNexus over the K-Board-C. The QuNexus is smarter, too, and has a multi-track sequencer, arpeggiator, etc.

A word about styling. I love the K-Board-C colors. I may need to buy one just because they are so cute. A number of on-line reviews complain about the QuNexus RED. In person, the RED is more “grapefruit orange” than “fire truck.” It’s rather attractive and I wouldn’t let the color put you off.

I purchased QuNexus RED from Patchwerk‘s in Seattle. Delivery was delayed by snow, so I was very excited when it finally arrived. I played QuNexus with Korg Module and Audio Modeling SWAM Flute.

The keys and buttons resemble fat chicklets. They have a pleasant, solid feel. They are not squishy in the way Roli Seaboard is squishy. There’s a fair bit of resistance. I have several concerns with the keypad:

Its short width precludes two-fisted playing.
The sharp/flat keys are not raised, i.e., higher than the “white” keys.
The key layout and size conspires against certain chord fingerings, e.g., playing F# and A together with my 3rd and 5th fingers didn’t work for my hand.

Of course, one shouldn’t be surprised by these concerns; just look at a picture or two.

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ll know that two octaves is not enough. I played Christmas music while testing and found myself out of keys at the bottom and at the top. If a manufacturer must make a two octave keyboard, I strongly recommend an F-to-F layout which better covers the range of the human voice (most melodies).

Knowing all that, I was fully prepared to shed with QuNexus. Being no stranger to mini-keys, I quickly learned to play melody lines without looking down at my hands. Although the QuNexus fits neatly on one’s lap (angled for comfort), it is more at home on a desktop.

QuNexus has four preset configurations. The first two configurations (non-MPE) worked quite well in Korg Module and SWAM Flute. The third configuration implements MPE. I tested the first three configurations in SWAM Flute. I did not test the fourth configuration, drums.

Again, the first two non-MPE configurations played well with SWAM Flute. MPE (the third configuration) was a bit alarming. SWAM Flute responded to all gestures, but the response to tilt (mapped to flute flutter) was too much right out of the box. As to tilt, the key pads seemed to be rooted at the bottom. Striking and holding keys near the bottom tamed tilt and the flutter. Playing and pressing near the top of the keys brought in much more tilt. Clearly, this is going to take some practice!

So. KMI QuNexus RED. What happened?

My QuNexus suffered from a few sensor defects that made it unusable. Three keys (Eb, A and middle C) spontaneously triggered ON or would trigger with the slightest touch. The notes did not turn OFF by themselves. (All verified using MIDI OX.) The end result was random stuck notes. Unacceptable.

I contacted KMI support and they very quickly analyzed the problem as a “hot sensor.” Well, I’d say there are three hot sensors. To their credit, KMI offered a replacement should I not get a quick turn-around response from Patchwerks. Patchwerks came through. Both companies deserve props for customer service.

In the end, I returned the QuNexus for a refund. I agonized over this decision. My policy (philosophy?) in regard to key-related issues is to pass on a replacement unit which possibly comes from the same production run.

Will I give KMI another try in the future? Yes. The K-Board-C is closer to “impulse purchase” and the colors are gorgeous. I will go in wiser knowing that I will need to woodshed in order to play melodies with confidence on a K-Board-C . Also, I will need to tweeze and tweak MPE parameter sensitivity to match controller with synthesizer (and vice versa). When we play an ax like MODX, KRONOS, etc., professional sound designers have done the tweaking for us. When starting with MPE, expect to do some work.

I need to mention another reason to choose KMI. KMI and GeoShred are offering discounts on GeoShred and GeoSWAM for K-Board Pro 4, QuNexus and K-Board-C users. Discount codes are provided by KMI. The offer is good Nov 20, 2022 to Nov 20, 2023. See this video for details.

Live, learn and prosper. Happy New Year!

Synthesizer heaven

Posted on January 3, 2023 by pj

I have seen synthesizer heaven and its name is “Patchwerks”.

Patchwerks was my go-to source for synthesizer gear during the pandemic. I have placed several on-line orders with them and each time their customer service was spot on.

I finally had an opportunity to visit their Seattle showroom at 4129 Stone Way North in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood. If you live in Seattle or visit Seattle, I strongly recommend a trip to the Patchwerks showroom. You won’t be disappointed!

The showroom seems to have one of everything. In addition to synths and beat boxes, you’ll also find patch cables galore, DIY kits, and of course, friendly staff. No one comes screaming “Don’t touch that!” and there aren’t any wannabe guitar gods. (You know which other brick and mortar retailer I have in mind…)

Don’t bring your Ford F-250 or RAM 2500 truck because you may need to park on a side street. Wallingford is old Seattle. Side streets are three cars wide and two of the “lanes” on either side of the street are filled with parked cars. It was a challenge parking my dinky Scion iM. 🙂

I’d like to say that the “opportunity” was to buy something new. Instead, I needed to return a troubled Keith McMillen QuNexus. Good on Patchwerks because they readily offered an exchange or return after seeing a video of the malfunction. These guys are on the level. (Regular returns are subject to a 10% restocking fee.)

I must give a shout-out to Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI), too. After getting the trouble report, they immediately stood behind their product and offered an exchange if Patchwerks was unable to resolve the issue/situation. Both Patchwerks and KMI responded to my initial trouble report within 24 hours. Very quick and to the point. It’s a pleasure to call out a positive customer service story.

I will continue to order from Patchwerks and I will likely give Keith McMillen Instruments another go, too. Even though the QuNexus didn’t work out, those colorful K-Board-C are quite appealing.

When you’re in Seattle, be sure to visit Patchwerks.

God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen (ChordPro)

Posted on December 20, 2022 by pj

“God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen” by Jon Batiste, Judith Hill, and Stay Human really grooves and I wanted to get in on the fun(k). So, I started with Yamaha Chord Tracker and worked out a similar chord progression.

Wanting to hear the progression and jam on it, I wrote the progression and lyrics in Extended ChordPro:

{title: God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen} 
{Artist: Jon Batiste} 
{Key: Cm} 
{Time: 4/4} 
# Style: JazzGuitarClub 
{stylecode: 3878} 
{Tempo: 120} 

{start_accomp} 

# Intro [Cm][*IA] 

# Verse 1 
God [Cm:2][*MA] rest ye [Bb/D:2] merry, [Eb5:2] gentle [Fm:2] men, 
Let [Gm:2] nothing [Ab:2] you dis- [Gm:2] may. [G7:2][*FA]  
Re- [Cm:2][*MA] member, [Bb/D:2] Christ our [Eb5:2] Sa- [Fm:2] vior was 
[Gm:2] Born on [Ab:2] Christmas [Gm:2][*FA] day. [C7:2]  
To [Fm:2][*MA] save us [Bb:2] all from [Eb5:2] Satan's [AbMaj7:2] pow'r when
 
[Eb5:2] We were [Dm:2] gone a- [Bb/D:2] stray. [Bb:2] 
O [Eb5:2] Ti- [Ab:2] dings of [Dm:2] com- [Gaug:2] fort and  
[Cm:2] Joy, [Fm7:2] Comfort and [Bb7][*FA] joy. 
O [Eb5:2][*MA] Ti- [Ab:2] dings of [Dm:2] com- [Gaug:2][*FA] fort and 

# Funky interlude 

[Cm7:2][*MB] joy. [F:2] ---- [Cm7:2] ---- [F:2] ---- 
[Cm7:2] ---- [F:2] ---- [Cm7:2] ---- [F:2][*FB] ----  

# Ending 
[Cm7-9][*EA] --------

Extended ChordPro adds auto-accompaniment features to the well-known and widely used ChordPro song format. I translated the ChordPro to a Yamaha-compatible auto-accompaniment file and played it on Genos™.

In “God Rest Ye,” you’ll notice the new extensions right away. There are a few more directives like: {stylecode: 3878} and {start_accomp}. Chord symbols are enhanced with a beat count, e.g., “[Cm:2]“, placing chord changes on beats within a measure. Annotations indicate auto-accompaniment section changes. For example, “[*MA]” and “[*FA]” mean “Main section A” and “Fill in A”, respectively.

Getting to hear the progression — not just play it by hand — was a huge help. I found a few places where a minor chord was required instead of a major. Play-back encouraged me to listen critically and to find a few hipper voicings.

If you would like a copy of the Java program (cp2mid) which translates Extended ChordPro to a Yamaha auto-accompaniment Standard MIDI File, here is a pointer to the ZIP file page. If you would like more information, please see the ChordPro auto-accompaniment example and demo and my article with ideas and uses for Extended ChordPro auto-accompaniment.

ChordPro auto-accompaniment

Posted on December 15, 2022 by pj

Before we close out the year, a Christmas gift!

Last January, I developed and wrote about “cp2mid“, a Java program to convert extended ChordPro files to a Yamaha accompaniment MIDI files. cp2mid lets someone compose in extended ChordPro format and play the composition on a Yamaha arranger in an auto-accompaniment style of your own choosing. If you don’t feel like composing, just grab one of the many ChordPro songs on the Web, clean it up, translate it, and play it.

You’ve probably seen ChordPro on the interwebs. It looks like:

# A simple ChordPro example 

{title: God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen} 

God [Cm] rest ye merry, [Cm] gentlemen, 
Let [Ab] nothing you dis[G7]may. 
Re [Cm] member, Christ our [Cm] Savior 
Was [Ab] born on Christmas [G7] day.

Extended ChordPro adds a few new directives (the things between curly braces) and tightens up the notion of musical time in order to mark measures and place chord changes within measures.

cp2mid translates the chords and lyrics into a Standard MIDI File (SMF). The SMF contains all the magic needed to play an auto-accompaniment on a supporting Yamaha arranger keyboard. (PSR E series, unfortunately, is out of luck.)

If you would like more information, here are some links to dive into:

The first three posts are essential reading for cp2mid users. The last two posts are intended for coders and other technically inclined folks.

Oh, yeah, you’ll need the ZIP file with example songs and cp2mid Java code.

Adding zones to Keylab Essential with EPP

Posted on December 1, 2022 by pj

My current light-weight rehearsal instrument is a Yamaha Reface YC. Although I have put the YC to work at many a rehearsal, the Reface YC has three major limitations:

It’s organ all the way and I can vary tone color only with drawbars.
The three octave keyboard is maddingly too short and chops either the melody or bass line.
I can cope with the mini-keys, but really?

Thus, my quest for a light-weight rehearsal rig goes on.

The V3 Sound Yammex XXL module and its closely-related sister, the Grand Piano XXL module, have very good orchestral voices. The XXL modules are small and weigh only 0.5 pounds (1.2kg) each. Hmmm, I think we have a candidate here.

The other half of the rehearsal formula is a MIDI controller, of course. Fortunately, I have an Arturia Keylab Essential 49 in hand. The Arturia is a relatively compact 49-key controller with lots of pads (8), knobs (9) and sliders (9). The Keylab Essential 49 is a relatively light 6.6 pounds (3kg).

Seems like we should have a match…

I usually split the keyboard into LOWER and UPPER zones somewhere around G3 (AKA G below middle C). This split gives my left hand enough room to roam and accommodates melody lines that dip below middle C. Although I keep the LOWER sound simple (i.e., one patch), I often layer the right hand. Most synthesized acoustic instruments need a little thickening and timbral shaping. Two UPPER layers are a minimum; three layers are sufficient, four is too many.

Seems like a slam dunk — MIDI the Keylab Essential into the Yammex, make a few configurations, and go. Unfortunately, neither the Keylab Essential or Yammex module support the split and layer capability that I need.

Time to rant about the stupidity of most MIDI keyboard controllers. Only a few 49-key controllers have split, layer, or zone capability: Samson Graphite 49, Nektar Panorama P4, Novation SL MKIII, Roland A-500. In the case of the Yammex module, the controller must send a full Bank Select MSB, Bank Select LSB, Program Change message sequence. Many controllers fail even this basic requirement.

The Arturia Keylab Essential, at the very least, sends a complete patch change message sequence. And, I am not going to buy yet another controller!

Enter the MIDI Solutions Event Processor Plus (EPP). The EPP is a MIDI-powered microcomputer that receives MIDI messages on 5-pin, modifies messages as determined by a set of rules, and sends the modified MIDI stream out through 5-pin. The Keylab Essential has a 5-pin MIDI OUT which is electrically compatible with the EPP. (The Keylab Essential voltage is about 4.5V as measured with a digital multimeter.) The EPP sits between the Keylab Essential MIDI OUT and the Yammex XXL MIDI IN. The EPP is itself a light-weight unit and adds negligible weight to the rig.

I programmed the EPP to split note ON/OFF messages arriving on Channel 1. Destination MIDI channel is determined by key zone: UPPER1 (Channel 1), UPPER2 (Channel 2), UPPER3 (Channel 3), LOWER (Channel 4),

Channel 1 note ON/OFF at and above the split point are copied to outgoing Channels 1, 2 and 3.
Channel 1 note ON/OFF below the split point are copied to outgoing Channel 4.

I also created rules to respond to button presses sending continuous controller 83 (CC#83). These rules initialize the four channels by sending patch change and expression (CC#11) messages. The EPP-based solution should work with any MIDI controller and multitimbral (multi-channel) module as long as MIDI communication is 5-pin.

Early on, I auditioned the Yammex sound set and had identifed 15 or so favorite Yammex voices. The following four voices are assigned to Yammex channels 1 to 4 by the EPP when it receives CC#83:

Channel 1: 63 / 116 / 7 Full Strings 2 Long
Channel 2: 63 / 118 / 58 Flute EQ
Channel 3: 63 / 117 / 49 Classic Horn Ensemble
Channel 4: 63 / 116 / 7 Full Strings 2 Long

The idea is to use Channel 1 as the main solo voice and Channels 2 and 3 as optional orchestral coloring. Flute EQ and Classic Horn Ensemble are mellow, unobtrusive and mix well with other voices. Channel 4, of course, is the left hand.

Initially, Channels 1 (UPPER1) and 4 (LOWER) are assigned an ensemble string voice, a reasonable default. Expression values are set such that strings are heard, and Channels 2 (UPPER2) and 3 (UPPER3) are silent.

Voices are assigned in the following way to the eight Keylab Essential pads:

      Violin            Oboe           Flute           Eng Horn 
    63 / 116 / 22   63 / 118 / 48   63 / 118 / 57   63 / 118 / 49 

   Full Strings 2       Cello        Flugelhorn        Bassoon 
    63 / 116 / 7    63 / 116 / 24   63 / 117 / 15   63 / 118 / 50

Normally, these are the main solo voices to be assigned to UPPER1 (Channel 1). However, using Arturia’s USER MIDI channel feature, these voices can be assigned to UPPER2 (Channel 2), UPPER3 (Channel 3) and LOWER (Channel 4), too. That allows for a lot of game-time flexibility!

Wait, there’s more. I assigned MIDI expression to Sliders 5 through 8:

Slider 5: UPPER1 (Channel 1) expression/level
Slider 6: UPPER2 (Channel 2) expression/level
Slider 7: UPPER3 (Channel 3) expression/level
Slider 8: LOWER (Channel 4) expression/level

The sliders let me mix voices dynamically. A voice is silenced when I pull its Slider all the way down.

The table below summarizes the Keylab Essential knob, slider, pad and button MIDI assignments:

Knob #1  Cutoff     CC#74 Brightness 
Knob #2  Resonance  CC#71 Timbre 
Knob #3  Vib Rate   CC#76 Vibrato rate 
Knob #4  Vib Depth  CC#77 Vibrato depth 
Knob #5  Vib Delay  CC#78 Vibrato delay 
Knob #6  Port Time  CC#05 Portamento time 
Knob #7  Chorus     CC#93 Chorus level 
Knob #8  Reverb     CC#71 Reverb level 
Knob #9             CC#17 free 

Slider #1  Attack   CC#73 Attack time 
Slider #2  Decay    CC#75 Decay time 
Slider #3  Sustain  CC#64 Sustain 
Slider #4  Release  CC#72 Release time 
Slider #5  UPPER1   CC#11 Expression channel 1  Solo 
Slider #6  UPPER2   CC#11 Expression channel 2  Flute EQ 
Slider #7  UPPER3   CC#11 Expression channel 3  Classic Horn Ens 
Slider #8  LOWER    CC#11 Expression channel 4  Strings 
Slider #9           CC#85 free 

Pad #1  63 / 116 / 22  Violin 
Pad #2  63 / 118 / 48  Oboe 
Pad #3  63 / 118 / 57  Flute 
Pad #4  63 / 118 / 49  English Horn 
Pad #5  63 / 116 / 7   Full Strings 2 Long 
Pad #6  63 / 116 / 24  Cello 
Pad #7  63 / 117 / 15  Flugelhorn 
Pad #8  63 / 118 / 50  Bassoon 

Button #1 (Part1) CC#65 Portamento ON/OFF (toggle) 
Button #2 (Part2) CC#82 Momentary (Generic ON/OFF) 
Button #3 (Live)  CC#83 Initialize voices (Momentary)

So far, I’m having fun mixing and matching voices on the fly and trying new timbral combinations. One drawback is having to carry around a mental map to find, select and mix voices. I wish there was a way to display the current voice assignments! I plan to add stickies to the Keylab Essential to assist navigation and reduce pilot workload.

I hope this article has sparked ideas for your own control set-ups. The general principles should apply to most MIDI keyboard controllers and multi-timbral tone modules.

Audio Modeling: Camelot and SWAM Flute

Posted on November 29, 2022 by pj

I hope you took advantage of Audio Modeling’s Black Friday sale. I took the plunge and bought Camelot Pro and SWAM Flute for IOS. Why did I wait all these years? 🙂

Camelot Pro (IOS)

Obviously, I’ve only been working with Camelot Pro for a short time. However, I now get why many iPad musicians are into it. Camelot Pro is feature rich including an audio player, music score reader, etc. I’ll get into those features someday. My primary purpose now is a smart MIDI-routing host for software and hardware instruments.

My first experiment was a split and dual layer combi for the V3 Sound Yammex module. Camelot Pro comes with many pre-defined patch maps for popular instruments like the Yamaha MODX. Since the V3 Yammex is a niche product, Yammex ain’t lucky enough to have a pre-defined map. With a little menu digging, I found the Bank Select and Program Change parameters for each patch for the split and layer. With a little more menu digging, I found sliders for bread-and-butter patch parameters like cutoff and resonance, reverb send, and so forth.

My second experiment was a split and dual layer combi for SWAM Flute and Korg Module. Having the first experiment under my belt, it was much easier to set up the software instruments. Double-tapping a software instrument box gives access to patch selection.

I sometimes use a wired Arturia Keylab Essential and other times I play a Korg Microkey Air wireless. So, one needs to pay attention to the MIDI connection status icons in a layer in order to re-enable any missing connections. In the example above, please note the missing Microkey Air connection.

Not bad. My main quibble with Camelot Pro is Audio Modeling’s exaggerated claim of an intuitive interface that doesn’t need a manual. No, you do. At the very least, watch the Camelot introductory video and browse the on-line documentation.

No matter what your marketing people claim, don’t ever say your interface is so intuitive it doesn’t need documentation. This is the most idiotic remark a software engineer or vendor can make. I failed students for less…

In order to use Camelot Pro, you need to understand the structure and relationship of songs, scenes and layers — at the very least. You also need to know how to add instruments and change key ranges. Yep, the graphic controls are nicely done — once they are found and exposed.

Here’s another instance when the on-line documentation was helpful. I didn’t know that you could create your own user patch maps! If I continue to use Camelot with the V3 Sound Yammex XXL, I will surely create a map containing the twenty or so favorite Yammex patches. On the up-side, Camelot Pro has enough capability and parameter tweaking power to ditch my MIDI Designer user interface (UI) and just go Pro.

SWAM Flute (IOS)

If you want to get your Herbie Mann or Brian Jackson on, you need one of these. SWAM Flute comes up configured as a jazz flute and, wow, is this thing expressive.

Be sure to hit the PLAY icon and play the flute using SWAM’s on-screen controls. Swiping left/right and up/down are probably as close as us cheapskates will get to a Roli experience. 🙂 I like the articulation status display which indicates legato, detached, etc. It’s a good tool for learning on-screen gestures.

Then dive into the advanced parameters through the tabs. There are a number of fun toys hidden in these treasure boxes. Growl! Flutter! Falls! Oh, my gosh, this is sweet!

After all of that excitement, hooking up to the Arturia Keylab Essential felt like a let-down. The flute still sounds darned good — among the best one can find in a hardware synth. But, I misses all of the fun on-screen articulations. There is solace in the MOD wheel which adds spot-on vibrato. With the snow beginning to fly, it’s time to put those Arturia knobs and sliders to work…

The SWAM flute is a beautiful solo instrument. This is true of all current SWAM instruments. Ensembles are a DIY affair and, unfortunately, the individual solo instruments are pricey. Putting together a woodwind section will set you back a pretty penny. So, I will await SWAM ensembles because they are my primary need and I’m cheap.

On the other hand, if you need a few instruments for exposed solos, definitely give Audio Modeling SWAM a try. I don’t regret buying SWAM Flute (IOS) as it is fun to play and it opens the door for advanced, expressive control. WX-11?

V3 Sound YAMMEX: Progress report

Posted on November 15, 2022 by pj

Here’s a quick update on my progress with the V3 Sound YAMMEX XXL sound module.

The V3 Sound XXL series are very compact, light-weight MIDI sound modules based on the Dream S.A.S. SAM5716B synthesis engine. The YAMMEX and its sister, the V3 Sound Grand Piano XXL, have hundreds of high quality voices — 3GBytes of factory samples in a 4GByte waveform memory. The modules also provide two multi-effect (MFX) pipelines which enrich the sound.

The XXL modules do not have a built-in user interface (UI) having no display or buttons for selecting voices. All sounds and effects are selected through the MIDI and USB-A ports. V3 Sound provide the tablet-based V3 Sound Control app and two comprehensive MIDI Designer UI templates. The V3 Sound Control app, unfortunately, does not support the YAMMEX. V3 Sound considers the YAMMEX as a Genos/PSR expansion only and expect users to control YAMMEX through a set of predefined voice (VCE) files and the normal Genos/PSR voice selection process.

Well, those VCE files do send MIDI Bank Select MSB, Bank Select LSB and Program Change messages. I can now assure you that these messages are enough to select YAMMEX voices even if you are not using a Genos or PSR.

Yamaha MODX Zone Master works quite well. You need to build MODX Performances consisting of external MIDI zones. Thanks to Zone Master you can select, split and layer YAMMEX voices. The trick is to assign a separate YAMMEX voice to each MIDI channel and use Zone Master channel and note ranges to affect splits and layers.

I have also successfully used the Arturia Keylab Essential with YAMMEX. It took only 15 minutes work to make a control template using Arturia’s MIDI Control Center application. I assigned eight of my favorite YAMMEX voices to the eight Keylab pads and assigned the most common MIDI continuous controllers to the knobs and sliders.

Both of these scenarios are dirt-simple involving a direct 5-pin MIDI connection. Unfortunately, Keylab Essential by itself cannot do splits and layers over 5-pin MIDI. Keylab Essential does not provide the functional equivalent of Zone Master. Keylab Essential can send on only one MIDI channel at a time and doesn’t implement the concept of key ranges (zones). Keylab Essential also restricts the number of selectable voices to what you can programmed into its key pads.

All is not lost, however, as MIDI Designer once again comes to the rescue. First, you need to make connections:

                                 iPad 
                                   | 
    Keyboard controller  -->  iRig MIDI -->  YAMMEX

The keyboard controller sends MIDI over a 5-pin cable to the iPad which, in turn, sends MIDI to the YAMMEX over a second 5-pin cable. Bonus: I successfully tested Bluetooth MIDI input from Korg Microkey Air. The iPad acts as a Bluetooth wireless interface to YAMMEX.

The iPad runs two applications: StreamByter and MIDI Designer:

    MIDI IN --> StreamByter --> MIDI Designer --> MIDI OUT

Incoming note messages are passed THRU StreamByter and MIDI Designer. StreamByter remaps (rechannelizes) the MIDI notes to three zones/streams:

    Channel 1: UPPER1 
    Channel 2: UPPER2 
    Channel 4: LOWER

UPPER1 and UPPER2 form a two-voice layer above the split point. LOWER is a solo left-hand voice below the split point. I borrowed this simple zone structure from the Casio CT-S1000V. It’s intuitive and is quite powerful even in its simplicity.

StreamByter maps and mangles MIDI data according to user-defined rules. The rules are rather cryptic, so I refer you to the StreamByter documentation. Currently, I am using the following rules to split/layer:

    NX 00-3A = X3 
    NX 3A-7F = X0 
    NX 3A-7F = X1 +C

Yes, the UPPER and LOWER zones have a one note overlap. I’m still experimenting and may make the overlap larger, if a bigger overlap is useful. I don’t like abrupt breaks between upper and lower zones.

Well, the rest of the work is done by MIDI Designer and my YAMMEX control template. The V3 Sound templates struck me as too complicated — the main reason why I went with “the Casio voice structure” and my own template. Here is the first prototype, work-in-progress template:

MIDI Designer template for YAMMEX (work in progress)

There are eight radio buttons to select the UPPER1, UPPER2, and LOWER voices. [Well, I need to add three more voices to LOWER, as you can see.] These are my favorite YAMMEX voices and they will let me build my most frequently used combinations. Knobs set the voice and reverb level for each zone.

The MFX controls do not function correctly at this time. I seem to be missing some magic; YAMMEX is not responding to the MIDI messages sent by the template even though the V3 Sound “factory” template sends the same darned messages! At this point, I need to ask V3 Sound for advice.

All in all, things are coming along — many successes, a few failures. That’s to be expected at this stage!

New Fall 2022 Products

Posted on November 10, 2022 by pj

A few products of interest…

The Behringer Bi-Phase has done its Houdini act and has returned as the Behringer “Dual-Phase”.

I was a lover of all things Mu-tron back in the day. I still have a Musitronics MU-TRON Micro V poor man’s envelope-controlled filter, a MU-TRON C-200 volume-wah pedal, and an original MU-TRON T-shirt! The C-200 is robust enough to double as a storm shelter. The Micro V and C-200 have achieved heirloom status since I await a puff of smoke every time I apply power to either device. Old electronics is just that way.

I never could afford a MU-TRON Bi-Phase and always lusted after one. Thanks to Behringer ($159 USD), I may get my chance. I’m very glad that Behringer retained much of the original livery after their negotiations with [whomever].

I hope there is still love between Behringer and the Musitronics (MU-TRON) heirs as I would love to see an inexpensive MU-TRON III filter re-issue.

Roland/Boss are continuing along the Bluetooth wireless control path with the Boss FS-1-WL Wireless Footswitch. Here are the basic details in a nutshell:

Three footswitches
Configure via FS-1-WL app
Ports galore:
- Full-size USB-B
- MIDI OUT (3.5mm)
- Expression (1/4″ TRS )
- Control 1 and 2 (1/4″ TRS)
- DC IN
Two AAA batteries or PSA adapter (optional)
Weight: 10 ounces (258 grams)
$129.99 USD

I have the Boss EV-1-WL wireless expression pedal which is integrated into my wireless iPad rig.

The new FS-1-WL goes beyond the EV-1-WL and I wish the FS was available before the EV. The FS adds proper footswitches to expression pedal capability. I have expression pedals in hand already and would have appreciated button control for page turns, patch changes, etc. Boss/Roland are finally thinking outside of the guitar player box.

One potential drawback is the narrow spacing of the footswitches. I have trouble hitting footswitches accurately on the EHX Lester K with its closely spaced switches. Since I play in a sitting position, I can’t see my feet and need to hit switches with confidence. Looking down is not an option.

The other big question is how well the FS-1-WL would integrate with synths and software instruments. Most programming details are covered in the FS-1-WL editor user guide. Basic MIDI message types are supported: continuous controller (CC) and program change (PC). There is a third mode, “PC+CC”, and provision for BANK MSB and BANK LSB messages. What is not clear from the user guide is the ability to send a full BANK MSB, BANK LSB, PC message sequence which typically is needed to select a patch in a modern synth.

If anyone gets their hands on an FS-1-WL, please confirm the ability to send a full three message patch change sequence. [Thanks in advance.]

As a keyboard player, I would go straight to the FS-1-WL and use my own expression pedal. The quick start guide calls out the Roland EV-5 explicitly, so I would simply pull out one of my old Roland/Boss pedals and plug in.

I hope Roland continues to explore Bluetooth wireless control. Now, if we can get two synths to communicate over Bluetooth without the need of a computer (or USB host box) in between…

Sand, software and sound

Electronics and computing for the fun of it