ForumsSoftware ← hello and sequencer question

hello all
first congrats again for this fantastic creative tool

now some newbie question : here a patch , i don't understand how to send the steps values to the pitch and why here I've 3 steps and then 2 more..
in the quickstart, i see that we can assign a step per voice, but how do you choose the voice you work on..?

<Aalto pluginVersion="66048" presetName="stupid basic" scaleName="12-equal" scaleDir="Gamelan" key_mod="1" key_bend="0" key_glide="0.00600000005" seq_rate_out="0.176000029" seq_step_out="-4" []12="-15" seq_rate="-3.99999905" seq_quantize="22" seq_value5="0.651785731" seq_value6="0.973214328" seq_value7="0.383928597" seq_value12="0.616071463" seq_value13="0.169642866" seq_pulse5="1" seq_pulse6="1" seq_pulse7="1" seq_pulse12="1" seq_pulse13="1" lfo_freq="0.879999876" lfo_level="0.140000001" env1_decay="0.409999996" env1_sustain="0.730000019" env1_release="1.62999976" env1_level="0.670000017" env1_trig_select="2" env1_attack_p="0.0299999714" env1_decay_p="0.0299999714" env2_repeat="0.729687512" env2_delay="0.32100001" env2_sustain="1" env2_xvel="1" env2_trig_select="2" env2_xenv1="2" env2_repeat_p="3.84000015" osc_ratio="0" osc_offset="-8.89999866" osc_timbre="0.400000006" osc_pitch="440.000061" osc_waveshape="-0.569999993" osc_noise_p="1" osc_ratio_p="3.26000023" osc_pitch_exp_p="1.25" osc_pitch_lin_p="143.999985" osc_waveshape_p="0.569999933" osc_carrier_out="0.180000007" osc_mod_out="0.159999996" gate_mode="1" gate_decay="0" gate_level_p="0.340000033" delay_peakfreq="295" delay_drive="0" delay_peakres="-6" delay_freq="0.859375" delay_output_wet="0" delay_output_dry="0.469999999" filter_cutoff="147" filter_cutoff_p="-0.0199999809" filter_mix_p="0.220000029" output_input_gain="1.36000001" output_reverb="0.209999993" patcher_input_6="000000000000100000000000000" patcher_input_11="000000000000000100000000000"/>

You have the blue values going to the pitch. These are just triggers. The pitch values are the orange ones. This is covered in the Quickstart.

Th patch you posted is messed up, maybe because of the sequencer bug I just fixed. I'm sending out an update in the next day or two.

I'm going to paste here part of the manual, under construction, about patching and voices.


Every module you see on the surface of Aalto is really a controller for as many copies of the module as there are currently enabled voices. When a patch cord is made, it is made simultaneously for each of Aalto’s voices. If you connect the output of the \textsc{lfo} to the oscillator pitch, for example, you are connecting \textsc{lfo} of voice 1 to pitch of voice 1, \textsc{lfo} of voice 2 to pitch of voice 2, and so on. You can think of the \textsc{key} module similarly, except that there is a copy for each note currently being played. When a note is played repeatedly, the \textsc{key} module makes connections to each of its copies in turn, so that the pitch of each note in a chord will be sent to a different voice.

Since they are controlled by the one and only patcher, the patch for each voice is identical. But what signals flow through the patch for each voice can be very different. Thus, each voice is separately controllable, in timbre, modulation, and all of its parameters.

ok, so i 'll wait for the fix, cause can't even reload this patch now .I've try again from the default patch and it's work now..strange
thanks anyway

"Thus, each voice is separately controllable, in timbre, modulation, and all of its parameters."

At some point all the voices are combined, aren't they? At the waveguide/delay?

@samgreene: if no one minds me fielding this one:

The voices are only combined at the very end, so remember that you can also pan and reverb each voice before they're summed. You may have already found the Master Volume dial which is between the filter and output modules.

If you make a patch from "voice" to any parameter that can be modulated, you will see that parameter "multiplied" by however many voices are running. This is powerful: the filter can have four outputs at once, for example. So can the waveguide.

Hope that helps? If that's what you were asking. :)

This is a good question. Jazztypewriter is basically right. All the voices are actually combined after they are panned, though, and before the reverb. So, there is one reverb for all the voices. The reverb is a true stereo one, so the pan image of the reverb changes depending on the input.

An interesting point here is that it wouldn't make any difference if there were four reverbs or one. A reverb is basically a linear time-invariant system, and while that is a fairly technical-sounding definition, it basically means that if you mix the signals then send them through the reverb, you get the same result as if you had sent each signal separately through a different reverb, then mixed the results.

OK interesting - thanks for that.

I think what had me confused on the reverb point is that when you patch VoiceOutput->Reverb the dial animates to show that it is passing that many voices thru. I see now that you are basically getting the highest shown value in the case of the reverb dial.

What's shown in the reverb dial is the amount of signal from each voice going to the reverb.

"If you make a patch from "voice" to any parameter that can be modulated, you will see that parameter "multiplied" by however many voices are running. This is powerful: the filter can have four outputs at once, for example. So can the waveguide."

So the value of the parameter is multiplied or the number of instances of the module are multiplied? The voice control of key leaves me a bit confused.

Good Morning.

@samgreeene: Not the value, but the function of the module: Say you have four voices running, and you patch Voice->Waveguide Delay Time. Once the connection is made you should see the Delay slider update to show four "dots" dancing around, each dot representing one voice. The voices will "spread out" as you adjust the modulation amount dial. The values themselves don't change, but as you put it, you have basically made three copies of the waveguide.

Or, here's a simple example sequence of voice panning/stereo spread (you'll need to start the host clock):

<Aalto pluginVersion="66048" presetName="exampleJune16 JT" scaleName="12-equal" scaleDir="" key_voices="3" seq_host="1" seq_rate="0" seq_pulse_delay="1" seq_pulse0="1" seq_pulse4="1" seq_pulse8="1" seq_pulse12="1" env1_attack="0.00300000003" env1_decay="3.44000053" env1_sustain="0.140000001" env1_release="0.0599999987" env1_trig_select="2" env2_repeat="7.02968693" env2_attack="0.00200000009" env2_release="0.0700000003" env2_trig_select="2" osc_pitch="110.000008" osc_mod_out="0.129999995" filter_cutoff="242.999985" filter_cutoff_p="3.46000004" output_pan="-0.790000021" output_pan_p="0.730000019" patcher_input_1="000000000000100000000000000" patcher_input_3="000000000000100000000000001" patcher_input_11="000000000000000100000000000" patcher_input_12="000000000000000100000010000"/>

See how Voice is patched to Pan, and the pan slider shows where each voice is at in the stereo image? Same for the Pitch Carrier: Voice is patched to the Carrier, and the three lines in the dial show that we have three voices going, in octaves. Now if you make adjustments to the pitch modulation amount you will see those voices move, and hear your chord change.

Now change the number of voices to 4: see and hear how another octave got added to the pitch, and the stereo image changed (got wider)?

Hope this helps! I think that's what you were asking.

@jazztypewriter: THanks! I think that was a good explanation. I need to put an example in the manual there. I'm busy sending out 1.2.1 updates this morning...

@jazztypewriter:

So I tried your patch, and it makes sense, but when I stop the host clock Aalto keeps bleeping out sounds.....?

@charlie:

yep - look up at Envelope 2: see how "repeat" is set to 7 or something? And see what ENV2 is patched to?

This is another Aalto trick: another way to keep Aalto going after stopping the clock would have been to set the gate level above zero.

In that example patch try turning ENV2 repeat off and then setting the gate level to .30 or whatever and then stop the clock... instead of bleeping away at tempo when you stop the clock, Aalto will just hold out that note (those notes etc).

Thanks a lot for all those explanations, now what i miss is how to create a different pitch sequence per voice..and understand how to switch from one sequence to the other, but maybe I've to wait the fix, cause right now the sequencer give me some headaches..;-)

create a different pitch sequence per voice

you can't exactly do that. Think of the modules as faceplates to 4 identical modules, like a polysynth. The signals going through them can change, but the settings of the front panel knobs can not. since the sequencer has only the 16 sliders, the same sequence goes to all the sequencer voices.

You can do some tricks with the voice signal from KEY though, like set "offset" or "rate" in the seq to a different value for each voice. or, you can set the pitch of the osc to a different offset for each voice for weird harmonies.

Thanks for the discussion, people, it's helping me finish the manual... :-)

ha !
ok, so no more headache... ;-)
i realize i was looking for a chimera, and glad to help

You can even get two totally different 8 note sequences... see the patch 2x8 seq or something in the "techniques".

A bad day of fishing beats a good day at work, as they say. I realize some people get to do both. :)

Back to the fishing!

@Randy:

"What's shown in the reverb dial is the amount of signal from each voice going to the reverb."

I've been trying to wrap my brain around that one; had to sleep on it. I hear you on the all-voices-go-through-the-same-stereo-reverb, and that the voices have been combined at this point in the signal flow. But if you can set the reverb send amount for each voice.... can it be both at the same time?

What I really wanted to know in practical terms was: is it pointless to patch Voice->Reverb? Why not just turn the reverb up if all voices are stereo combined?

I'm saying "no", it has a point: you can hear the difference when you connect the voice signal to the reverb unit, as opposed to just turning the reverb up.

Right?

yes randy, got it now !
thanks

The best thing here would probably be a diagram.

Anyway, the reverb dial is a reverb send for each voice, simple as that.

A diagram would be great - sorry to bug about it, just when you mentioned a little reverb theory the other day it opened up some questions.... did a little reading at Valhalla and wiki-P but it's a pretty complex subject. Anyway, good morning.

EDIT (2pm): In a parallel alternate-reality-comic-book-world that I long for sometimes, Randy and Sean Costello have already swooped in sporting superhero outfits and these huge beards. Slightly buzzed and fresh from some Lake Union barbecue, they calmly explain it all and demonstrate with a new wooden DIY controller, alleviating all fear and doubt about Reverb, and everything else. Chris Randall pulls up on a motorcycle and.....