Aftertouch?

Anything about the Scope modular synths

Moderators: valis, garyb

Post Reply
fra77x
Posts: 889
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by fra77x »

Hi, i need some info about aftertouch. I have played once at a friend of mine a Nord lead 3 (or 2 ) . It's keys had aftertouch which impressed me as with very smooth touch of the keys i could apply pitch bend or whatever other function i wanted (with the morph). I don't know the difference for poly/channel aftertouch, and i checked novation remote controller which has aftertouch. Is modular capable to interpret different aftertouch for each key. Does novation's controller offer what i 've seen to the Nord synth? thanx in advance
Counterparts
Posts: 1963
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2003 4:00 pm
Location: Bath, England

Post by Counterparts »

Difference between poly & channel aftertouch is:

poly aftertouch - affects individual notes seperately (the MIDI CC messages contain the note's pitch information as well as the CC amount)

channel aftertouch - affects all notes on that MIDI channel

This is quite a useful table:
http://www.onicos.com/staff/iz/formats/midi-event.html

poly aftertouch is generally used less often, I would say, as it can easily generate an awful lot of MIDI messages!

I do not know if modular fully supports this, i.e. if you set one of a polyphonic module's controls to receive poly aftertouch, would this work as expected?

I only ever use channel aftertouch myself, and not that often (simply because I don't have an aftertouch-enabled keyboard, so for me it's just another "generic MIDI controller").

Royston
Michu
Posts: 520
Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Pyrlandia

Post by Michu »

modular can interprete channel aftertouch messages (use AT output on MVC for this)
from my experience, most keyboards have rather rough response for AT, but you can easily smooth it out in modular using 6dB/oct. lowpass filter or flexor control smoother (which is a bit more tactile)
just because you cannot imagine something that doesn't exclude it from reality.
JLS
Posts: 663
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 4:00 pm
Location: Czech
Contact:

Post by JLS »

very interesting info for me

Thanks
fra77x
Posts: 889
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by fra77x »

i checked yesterday and guess... modular "understands" poly aftertouch which means a different aftertouch value for every note. You simple go to cubase and choose poly pressure controller. You can see that there is a field where you can choose a note number! So it's easy to send a a3 note with full modulation follwed by a c4 with no modulation and end with a chord which only the 3 from the 4 notes have the modulation applyied!!! Now i should check if the novation remote controller send poly pressure messages (a different aftertouch value for every key). I found the next gift for myself
fra77x
Posts: 889
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by fra77x »

I did check Novation remote controller also... It does feature poly aftertouch so that's my next buy..... (it has also a touch pad where you can assign 4 controllers...)
User avatar
braincell
Posts: 5943
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Washington DC

Post by braincell »

That's news to me. Very few controllers have poly aftertouch and it's a shame. I love playing pads with it. It will have to go on my wish list.
fra77x
Posts: 889
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by fra77x »

i played a little with cubase and poly pressure messages. I have found the following: Lightwave don't understand aftertouch controllers (maybe other devices also). Modular uses them very clearly and i understanded that poly pressure messages are the only way to access the individual voice in a patch. You can open the 2nd voice filter for an example without affecting the others, you can apply a complicated amplituded modulated lfo pitch bend only for the 3rd voice...
I also found the follwing. Jlk's matrix destroys the poly pressure message. ;-(

After some years of midi i just found a new era full of possibilities! (An example. You have a 2 voice patch with aftertouch assigned to an exponational pitch modifier. Put the sequencer to play a C2 and a C3 note and apply a poly pressure message on c3 so to become a c2. So you have a single patch plays the same note with independed controll on the notes actuall frequency...very nice for distorted detunings and movement.
decimator
Posts: 526
Joined: Sun May 26, 2002 4:00 pm

Post by decimator »

fra77x, which Novation controller(s) features poly aftertouch ????
Thanks about the infos on which synths are receptive to those messages. :grin:

My Fatar SL-161 features poly channel aftertouch : it's channel aftertouch but each key has a different response !! :lol:
fra77x
Posts: 889
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by fra77x »

It's Novation Remote 25. I haven't actually saw it to record poly pressure messages in a sequencer but i asked it very precicely. I 'm gonna check it before i buy it..
decimator
Posts: 526
Joined: Sun May 26, 2002 4:00 pm

Post by decimator »

That's odd ... for Remote 25 or the new fresh one, I only find : " quality aftertouch " but no mention of poly aftertouch, if Novation has omitted this precision that would be very dumb of them since it's so rare.
fra77x
Posts: 889
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by fra77x »

Shit!!! It has channel aftertouch...
fra77x
Posts: 889
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by fra77x »

Decimator what do you mean different responce? i 'm trying to find something with real poly aftertouch and there is nothing! i found an old GEm master keyboard but it´s 10 years out of production. Even Nord lead 3 which i thought that it had poly pressure has channel pressure... It's a pity cause the main problem with electronic instruments in contradiction with the physical ones are the limited way to interact/express with the timbre of the sound while playing... I'm a guitar player and there some difference in expression when you actually "grab" the sound...
Michu
Posts: 520
Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Pyrlandia

Post by Michu »

kawai k5000
(damn, i lust one :wink: )
decimator
Posts: 526
Joined: Sun May 26, 2002 4:00 pm

Post by decimator »

I meant the response of my keyboard to aftertouch is of poor quality, each key has nearly a behaviour of each own ! :wink:
I downloaded once a video of Vangelis with a CS - 80 : damn !! it seemed quite gentle and sensitive ...
Apparently we'll have to wait for a " still in production " poly aft keyboard :sad:
User avatar
braincell
Posts: 5943
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Washington DC

Post by braincell »

I was under the impression that only the Roland A-37 has channel aftertouch. It is a shame that it has such a crappy feel to it though and no knobs and faders!
Post Reply