Post by wizzarts on Jun 4, 2013 20:19:55 GMT
In part 1 we have seen how midi-messages for note on/off look like and how to enter midi-commands with text using the command-syntax given by Sibelius.
Note on/off is only one command which is used by midi-devices. In the good old golden age of the midi-environment there were a lot of different messages being used to communicate between midi-devices.
Here is a brief overview:
Control Changes
With control changes to specific messages regarding to the sound-behaviour can be sent like volume, panorama, expression, legato, portamento, etc.
Program Changes
Program changes are messages to force a device to change the sound. Normally in a studio-environment a midi-module got up to 16 sounds, one per channel. When at a certain point the (ie) trumpet needs to play with a muted sound for this channel and has to be switched to muted trumpet.
Since we got software-samplers both sounds are loaded and can be switched via a so-called key-switch. This a a trigger-key assigned to control which sounds will be played. (we will talk about this later in another post)
Pitch-Bend
Everybody who owned an synthesizer or a workstation can remember this freaky slider or knob where one could bend a note up or down.
This message contains 2 packages. One is used to configure the range (from 1 semi-tone to 12, or now-a-days up to 48 semi-tones)
The other package sends the amount from 0 to 127 where 64 is none (middle position), 0 equals -12 semi-tones downwards (or whatever is configured by the first package) and 127 equals 12 semi-tones upwards.
Bank select
Bank select is similar to program changes but will switch to another sound-bank ie. from pianos to organs.
Being that we do not need those I will not go into details here.
After-touch
Some E-pianos and keyboard have a so-called after-touch-function. This means that when one presses and holds a key and give some more pressure on it the sound will alter. Quite often a vibrato, depending on the pressure, will be added. Not all sound-modules are configured to understand this command.
Sysex
System exclusive data are being used to save sound-settings from an external midi-device into a track. I can remember when I worked with the good boy Atari ST and a whole bunch of synthesizers. I always saved my self-created sounds at the end of each corresponding track because I quite often ran out of memory (in my external devices)!
As long as we work with a computer only we do not have to think about this.
But we should think about the control-changes which directly affects the sound-behaviour.
Some of these control-changes are acting like rotating knobs with a value from 0 to 127. Others are like a switch to turn on or off a specific behaviour.
Here is a list of the most common CC:
CC1, Modulation wheel, value 0 - 127
CC2, Breath, value 0 - 127 (for breath-controllers only)
CC5, Portamento time, value 0 - 127
CC7, Channel volume, value 0 - 127
CC10, Panorama, value 0 - 127 (64 is center, 0 left, 127 right)
CC11, Expression, value 0 - 127
CC64, Sustain Pedal, 127 is on, 0 is off
CC65, Portamento, 127 is on, 0 is off
CC66, Sostenuto, 127 is on, 0 is off
CC67, Soft Pedal, 127 is on, 0 is off
CC68, Legato, 127 is on, 0 is off
A full list can be found here:
Please note:
Not all messages will be understood by specific sound-libraries. Also some sounds will have controllers assigned to different functions ie. the choir-library Venus uses the expression to morph from Ah to Hmmm.
(Please read the manual of the sound-library to get a detailed overview which CC are supported and how they are assigned.)
The Sibelius-Sounds will understand all CC listed above.
How can we enter a CC message into our score?
The command is similar to note on/off. We mark a bar and use the technique-text (Win: ctrl + t). Then we enter a wavy-line and a C. Then follows a number corresponding the controller we would like to alter and after a comma we enter the value.
The text should look like the following:
~C7,100
This will set the channel-volume to 100.
Everyone who has used the crescendo-plugin of Sibelius to increase the volume over a whole note will remember all the little text added to the bar. This are text-midi-commands altering the volume step by step until the wanted final volume is reached.
In the next posts we will see how we can tweak our sounds to give the score a more natural touch. But first we need to have a look on the Sibelius playback, the mixer and the sound-IDs.
I hope you enjoy this series
Note on/off is only one command which is used by midi-devices. In the good old golden age of the midi-environment there were a lot of different messages being used to communicate between midi-devices.
Here is a brief overview:
Control Changes
With control changes to specific messages regarding to the sound-behaviour can be sent like volume, panorama, expression, legato, portamento, etc.
Program Changes
Program changes are messages to force a device to change the sound. Normally in a studio-environment a midi-module got up to 16 sounds, one per channel. When at a certain point the (ie) trumpet needs to play with a muted sound for this channel and has to be switched to muted trumpet.
Since we got software-samplers both sounds are loaded and can be switched via a so-called key-switch. This a a trigger-key assigned to control which sounds will be played. (we will talk about this later in another post)
Pitch-Bend
Everybody who owned an synthesizer or a workstation can remember this freaky slider or knob where one could bend a note up or down.
This message contains 2 packages. One is used to configure the range (from 1 semi-tone to 12, or now-a-days up to 48 semi-tones)
The other package sends the amount from 0 to 127 where 64 is none (middle position), 0 equals -12 semi-tones downwards (or whatever is configured by the first package) and 127 equals 12 semi-tones upwards.
Bank select
Bank select is similar to program changes but will switch to another sound-bank ie. from pianos to organs.
Being that we do not need those I will not go into details here.
After-touch
Some E-pianos and keyboard have a so-called after-touch-function. This means that when one presses and holds a key and give some more pressure on it the sound will alter. Quite often a vibrato, depending on the pressure, will be added. Not all sound-modules are configured to understand this command.
Sysex
System exclusive data are being used to save sound-settings from an external midi-device into a track. I can remember when I worked with the good boy Atari ST and a whole bunch of synthesizers. I always saved my self-created sounds at the end of each corresponding track because I quite often ran out of memory (in my external devices)!
As long as we work with a computer only we do not have to think about this.
But we should think about the control-changes which directly affects the sound-behaviour.
Some of these control-changes are acting like rotating knobs with a value from 0 to 127. Others are like a switch to turn on or off a specific behaviour.
Here is a list of the most common CC:
CC1, Modulation wheel, value 0 - 127
CC2, Breath, value 0 - 127 (for breath-controllers only)
CC5, Portamento time, value 0 - 127
CC7, Channel volume, value 0 - 127
CC10, Panorama, value 0 - 127 (64 is center, 0 left, 127 right)
CC11, Expression, value 0 - 127
CC64, Sustain Pedal, 127 is on, 0 is off
CC65, Portamento, 127 is on, 0 is off
CC66, Sostenuto, 127 is on, 0 is off
CC67, Soft Pedal, 127 is on, 0 is off
CC68, Legato, 127 is on, 0 is off
A full list can be found here:
Please note:
Not all messages will be understood by specific sound-libraries. Also some sounds will have controllers assigned to different functions ie. the choir-library Venus uses the expression to morph from Ah to Hmmm.
(Please read the manual of the sound-library to get a detailed overview which CC are supported and how they are assigned.)
The Sibelius-Sounds will understand all CC listed above.
How can we enter a CC message into our score?
The command is similar to note on/off. We mark a bar and use the technique-text (Win: ctrl + t). Then we enter a wavy-line and a C. Then follows a number corresponding the controller we would like to alter and after a comma we enter the value.
The text should look like the following:
~C7,100
This will set the channel-volume to 100.
Everyone who has used the crescendo-plugin of Sibelius to increase the volume over a whole note will remember all the little text added to the bar. This are text-midi-commands altering the volume step by step until the wanted final volume is reached.
In the next posts we will see how we can tweak our sounds to give the score a more natural touch. But first we need to have a look on the Sibelius playback, the mixer and the sound-IDs.
I hope you enjoy this series
