New to PO4

[Stuartlm]

Hi
Can you tell me if I need to purchase a controller to adjust all the CC numbers in PO4 or can they be adjusted in the Aria player?

Stuart

[SysExJohn]

Hi Stuart,

If you're using the stand alone ARIA player (useful when playing live) then, using the controls Tab, you can use the mouse to alter values, one at a time.

However, if you really want to be able to alter things in real-time as you play, then a controller keyboard is what you need. The optimum (IMHO) is to have one with both pitch bend and modulation wheels, and sockets for foot pedals, and nine faders or knobs. The keyboard size and 'feel' will depend upon a number of personal factors.

Regards,
John.

[Stuartlm]

Thanks for your help John I just wanted to be sure I can do the adjustments in the Aria player without the need to get a controller at the moment as its just for home recording and not live.
Stuart

[Tom Davis]

I have an Akai MPK-49 with 8 faders, 8 knobs, two wheels, and sockets for foot pedals. I use he two sockets and the wheels to a small degree. I have never found out how to use the faders and knobs. They simply don't seem to do anything.

Tom

[Credo]

I have an Akai MPK-49 with 8 faders, 8 knobs, two wheels, and sockets for foot pedals. I use he two sockets and the wheels to a small degree. I have never found out how to use the faders and knobs. They simply don't seem to do anything.

Tom

Tom,

I'm using an MPK as well. You simply need to build an ARIA preset or two for your MPK.
Here's an example:

In many Garritan instruments, CC 20 is used to adjust the portamento amount, so I want to make the slider/fader F! send CC 20 to ARIA.

1. Tap the EDIT button on the MPK.

2. Move the fader F1. At this point the LED screen on the MPK should show the parmeters that can be set for this control.

3. Use the data wheel and the four cursor buttons to the right of the LED screen to set the following:

Type: MIDI CC
Channel: 1A (or What ever Channel/Instrument and Port 1-16 you wish to control in ARIA)
CC Number 20

4. Tap the right cursor button > to move to the next page and set the following:
MIDI to DIN: Off (if using a usb connection, or on if using the DIN ports)
Min: 000
Max: 127

5. Now load up an instrument in the first slot of ARIA and set it to receive over channel 1. Make sure your ARIA player is set to get input from the MPK MIDI in interface (see the tools menu of the ARIA player...you'll see more than one MPK input, the first for port A, next for Port B, and possibly more show up as well (these can be used to talk to devices plugged into the MPK DIN MIDI ports). If in doubt about which MPK inputs to check, just check them all for now.

6. Click the controls tab in ARIA player.

7. Move your F1 fader. You should see the CC20 pot for Portamento time changing in ARIA as you move the slider.

To understand better about how to use portamento please check the manual of your sample library. It can be linked with the legato switch (CC 64 in normal patches, or CC 68 in notation patches), or toggled into an 'auto legato' mode using CC 102)

Once you've got the fader working you can tap the preset button on the MPK again to leave edit mode.

Now just repeat the process as needed to assign more stuff to more buttons, faders, knobs on the MPK. Once you've got a working setup that you like...be sure to save the preset, otherwise you'll lose all this upon changing presets or turning off the MPK!

To save a preset just tap the preset button once, tap the right cursor key, pick a memory slot and name the preset, then push the data wheel in till it clicks.


That's all there is to it. Anytime you want to change what a control on the MPK does...just tap the edit button...press or move a control on the MPK, and then tweak it to send what you want sent with the cursor buttons and data wheel...test it out, and save it all when you're set

Be sure to read your Garritan Library manuals to see what interesting (and sometimes hidden) CC messages they support. Solo instruments tend to have extra parameters that can be tweaked via MIDI CC in real time (filters, noises, buzzes and breaths, etc.). The Garritan Jazz and Big Band Library also hides stuff like brass doits, kisses, shakes, and falls under various combinations of CC triggers.

Some very common CC Messages accepted universally by the ARIA player itself are:
CC-1 - Values 0 - 127 Expression (Mod wheel)
CC-7 - Values 0 - 127 Volume (Channel Volume)
CC-10 - Values 0 - 127 (Pan)
CC-11 - Values 0 - 127: Expression Volume (Redundant to CC-1 in many Garritan Libraries)
CC-91 - Values 0 - 127 (Channel effect send or Reverb Amount)

[Tom Davis]

After years of asking, you have just given me the best answer. I actually believe this may work for me.

One other question. I assume these settings are good only when playing live and would be of no particular use when entering music to the score?

Again with great thanks,

Tom

[Credo]

After years of asking, you have just given me the best answer. I actually believe this may work for me.

One other question. I assume these settings are good only when playing live and would be of no particular use when entering music to the score?

Again with great thanks,

Tom

That depends upon your scoring package and how it's designed to handle remote controls.

In CuBase, one can do pretty much anything in the program via MIDI remote control by setting up remote maps, and I do mean everything...if there is a dial, slider, knob, menu option or a key press for it in CuBase, you can assign it to a MIDI event. Just as an example, I've mapped out note values to the MPC drum pads for step-input. I.E. Tap Pad 1, then hit a key, and it enters a whole note. Tap Pad 2, play a key, and I get a half note. Etc.... I also have common dynamic markings on another bank of the MPC drum pads. I.E. Either cursor to a spot in the score, or click it with my mouse, then tap a drum pad and the dynamic marking I've assigned to it drops into the score.

So, with CuBase at least...the sky is the limit on remote controlling things.

Also in CuBase, there's a MIDI buffer that's always listening and recording, so it's really easy to set a slider, or whatever on the MPK, then paste that right into a track/staff wherever I want it.

I also have Sibelius, but I don't spend much time composing in that so I'm not aware of any advanced remote control features of that software (check the manual...they might be there).

One thing you might indeed find useful with any music software out there....
Some of the MPK models will let you assign 'keyboard' values to the S1 - S8 buttons, as well as the 'DAW CONTROL' cursor keys. So with that in mind, you could store a few of your most commonly used qwerty keys or combos on those buttons.

While I don't know of any off the top of my head, there's also bound to be third party applications out there that can be trained to turn MIDI commands into standard qwerty keyboard commands and pass those to any program you like...it might be worth researching if you're using a scoring package that doesn't have much in the way of MIDI remote control support.

[Tom Davis]

Credo,

Why in the world haven't you written a book on all of this. Your understanding of the issues and ability to express solutions in down-to-earth ways that are clear and concise are without compare.

I will reload my Cubase software and begin to explore.

Incidentally, due to an accident many years ago, playing a keyboard is very difficult for me. I write everything in Finale 2014 and make adjustments as well as I can not using a DAW. With all the Garritan libraries and the EW Symphonic Choirs I get fairly good results - at least for potential publishers.

Thank you again,

Tom

[Credo]

Credo,

Why in the world haven't you written a book on all of this. Your understanding of the issues and ability to express solutions in down-to-earth ways that are clear and concise are without compare.

I will reload my Cubase software and begin to explore.

Incidentally, due to an accident many years ago, playing a keyboard is very difficult for me. I write everything in Finale 2014 and make adjustments as well as I can not using a DAW. With all the Garritan libraries and the EW Symphonic Choirs I get fairly good results - at least for potential publishers.

Thank you again,

Tom

Thanks Tom...glad I could help a bit.

Right now I don't have Finale installed, but I'll do some digging and see what I can learn about MIDI remote control with that package.

I just remembered the name of something (Bome MIDI Translator, or MIDI Translator Pro) you might find interesting, as it could theoretically be used to remote control anything on your PC with the MPK.

Here's a quick write up about it ( http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/qui ... audio-6914 ). Essentially this bit of software can change MIDI events of your choosing into actual computer keyboard strokes. I think the article is about PC version(s), but something similar or identical is bound to exist for Mac as well.

I almost forgot to mention something that'll come in handy if you're using the MPK with stand alone multi-temberal synths/samplers.

You'll notice that when choosing a MIDI channel and port, that there is also a channel called 'common'. 'Common' refers to a universal channel place holder that you can change in the Controller's 'Global' settings.

Why it's important:
If you were to make a nice preset for controlling ARIA, it'd be nice to be able to easily use it with any of the 16 instruments that ARIA can load at a time right? In this case, setting the channel to 'common' on all your controls would allow you to quickly change it for all the controls at once...in a single place.

When using a Sequencer, Scoring Package, or DAW, it's pretty rare you'll ever need to worry much about the channel (unless you're getting into really complicated multi-layered remote maps) as those programs tend to offer instant rerouting without you having to think or do much about it. When simply playing an instrument live, you may well need a quick way to change the channel a preset talks over...hence the 'common' channel.

To set that 'common channel' variable you simply tap the GLOBAL button, then use the cursor keys to find and set it as you like.