CHANNEL SETTINGS
Function Channel Settings (FUNC)
The Function Channel Settings page is a set of event filters and processors including echo delay, arpeggiator, keyboard tracker, time shifting and a gate. These functions
are available for all instruments (including third party ones), except the TS404, which has a different sound generation approach and thus cannot have echoed or
arpeggiated note events (although you can still have echoes in TS404, see TS404 Channel Settings).
1. Echo Delay Section
This section creates echoes for the channel based on echoing note events (rather than audio). This enables some special effects like pitch shifted echoes, but also requires additional CPU power for
each echo generated (each echo is a normal note voice). If you want to use a standard audio-effect, use the Fruity Delay effect instead
(see Effects).
All options described below are applied additive to each successive echo. For example, if you set the pitch knob to +10 cents, the first echo will have 10
cents higher pitch than the original sound. The second will have 20 cents higher pitch than the original sound, etc.
- Feedback (FEED) - Sets the volume of echoes.
If this knob is centered, echoes have the same volume as the original note.
Turning it to left creates fading out echoes. Turning it to right increases
the volume of each successive echo. Turning this knob to the leftmost point
turns echo delay off.
- Pan (PAN) - Sets the panning of echoes.
- Cutoff (MODX) - Sets the filter cutoff value of the echoes.
- Resonance (MODY) - Sets the resonance value of the echoes.
- Pitch (PITCH) - Sets the pitch offset of echoes.
- Time (TIME) - Sets the delay period between
echoes in units of beats. This enables you to set a tempo based delay, so
echo will follow properly tempo changes in the song.
- Number of Echoes (# ECH) - Sets the number
of echoes generated for each note. It is recommended to keep this number down
for lower CPU usage.
- Ping Pong - If turned on, the pan value will
"bounce" when it reaches 100% left or right panning.
- Fat Mode- This is a special mode of the echo delay effect, which makes subtler echoes with alternating panning - useful for creating flange and chorus-like effects. If this option is turned off, some options of the echo delay unit are reset to their defaults. The reason is that settings that sound fine in fat mode, usually are extremely loud in normal mode.
NOTE: If you click the small arrow at the top left of this panel you can access some presets for this section.
2. Arpeggiator
This section lets you add a real-time non-destructive arpeggio effect to the
sequence of an instrument. To use the arpeggiator,
select a
direction
from
the icons in the top left corner of this section. The available options are:
Off (default; turns off the arpeggiator), Up, Down, Up-Down, Up-Down (twice
the lowest and highest notes), Random (selects random notes from the range
and chord specified).
The arpeggiator can operate in two modes - classic arpeggiator, that uses any chords present in the channel note data, or it can use a predefined
chord template. The mode is selected from the Arpeggio Chord option (see below):
- Arpeggio Time (TIME) - Select the delay between the successive notes generated by the arpeggiator. Right-click the knob and
select Set for some time presets.
- Arpeggio Gate (GAT) - Gates the arpeggio notes, this results in shorter notes and a more staccato sound.
- Slide - Check this option to make the arpeggiator slide between notes. This option will not work with instruments that do not
support slides.
- Arpeggio Range (RANGE) - Lets you set the arpeggio range in octaves. The arpeggiated chord is transposed within the specified range
to create additional notes for the effect.
- Arpeggio Chord (CHORD) - Select None if you want the arpeggiator to progress with a step of 12 semitones (1 octave)
within the specified octave range. Select Auto or Auto (sustain) to set the arpeggiator in classic mode - it will
create arpeggio effects based on any chords contained in the instrument sequence. The remaining presets are predefined chords that will be
applied to the instrument sequence (sequence chords will not be arpeggiated as in classic mode). Auto (sustain) will not apply arpeggio
effect on monophonic sequences (given that the octave range is set to 1)
3. Time
Two filters are available in this section - a gate that "truncates"
the note events when they pass a specified limit and a filter that shifts notes'
start time.
- Gate (GAT) - The time interval set with this knob defines the maximum possible length of a note event in the channel - i.e. long
notes are truncated to the set length. Look in the hint bar (see Main Panel) to see the length you set in STEPS:TICKS
format. To disable the gate effect turn the knob fully clockwise.
- Time Offset (OFS) - Turn this knob to right
to delay notes' triggering with up to 16-th note time period (one step).
4. Velocity/Keyboard Tracker
This section contains the settings of the velocity and keyboard trackers. The keyboard tracker "links" the note number (i.e. note pitch) to the cutoff, resonance and panning properties of notes.
For example, you can set the keyboard tracker so higher notes offset the cutoff frequency to a higher value. The velocity tracker works in the same way, using a note's velocity to modulate target controls.
- VOL/KB Switch - Click VOL to set the properties for the velocity tracker and KB to set the properties for the keyboard tracker. Both trackers remain active regardless of which one is currently selected.
To disable the effects of the tracker, reset the PAN, CUT and RES knobs (Right-click a knob and select the Reset command) associated with it.
- Middle value (MID) - For both trackers there is a middle value where no offsets are generated. Higher values generate positive offsets and lower values generate negative ones. For the
keyboard tracker, the middle value of a note's pitch (e.g. C5 or B3) determines the 'no-offset' point. The velocity tracker uses the note's velocity.
- Panning Offset (PAN) - Sets the offset for note's panning. Turning this knob to right means panning to right for notes higher than the middle value and left panning for those lower than the middle value.
- Cutoff Offset (CUT) - Sets the offset for note's cutoff frequency. Turning this knob to right means higher cutoff frequency for notes above the middle value and lower cutoff frequency for
notes below the middle value.
- Resonance Offset (RES) - Sets the offset for note's resonance. Turning this knob to right means more resonance for notes above the middle value and less resonance for those notes below the middle value.
The image below shows how offsets look for the sample settings in the screenshot.
