Adding REAL values to velocity -- not the TRIM function

Is there a way in Sonar 8 to add real values to the velocity? I know Trim adds value internally to the velocity, but the velocity tales in the controller pane remain what they were when you hit the note, with the Trim added behind the scenes, so to speak.
 
For example, if I play a note and it registers 90 from my keyboard and Sonar records this, is there a way to add 10 levels to that note automatically at the moment of me pressing the note -- so that the note ends up in the PRV with a velocity of 100?
 
In effect, I'm trying to change the velocity curve on my Oxygen 88 (which only has a few set velocity maps). It's hard to get high velocities out of the 88 without banging the keys really hard.
 
Thanks,
Mahlon

It's a feature of most controllers to be able to set the velocity sensitivity. My Roland PC 100 has a slider that goes from full sensitivity to full on ( 128)  For playing organ  I put it half way which seems to give me mostly 80- 100. I'll put it on full for recording a percussive sound I want to sound even. I'll lower the velocity in editing to get the right tone from the patch.
 And for any MIDI newbies reading this:
 Most MIDI patches change in timber with velocity.
That is what velocity is for. It can be used to make something quieter or louder, but be aware that you might change the sound too.
Volume is for level.

Glyn Barnes


To do this on data you have already recorded use scale velocities, by percentage. The start and end percentages can be the same or different, so for your scenario scaling by 111% should get you close. I am not at my DAW now but IIRC you will find the command in the edit menu of 8.5.
 

Also, there is the Cakewalk Midi FX which has a feature that allows you to add a set amount to all velocities. Cakewalk Midi FX also has the percentage feature.

Thanks for all the replies. Unfotunately, not all midi controllers have extensive velocity curves. The Oxygen 88's preset curves don't really cut it for me. My old Roland A90, now that was control over velocity curves for ya. You could set it to respond any way you wanted.

Chappel, yes this is what I'm talking about. I just would like to be able to add these set amounts to the velocities in real time as I play, rather than editing after the fact.

Thanks again for the answers.

Mahlon

I am a big fan of this plugin. My problem is usually that my MIDI track is too dynamic and I need to rein it in. This plugin is just the ticket for that.

Now, if I was facing the same dilemma as the OP, where the controller's velocity curve is just too weighted toward the low end, I'd just go ahead and record it that way and subsequently raise the velocities for every note in the track. That's very easy to do, easier than tweaking a MIDI note-modifier like Velocity.

But if the problem is that you're playing a soft synth in real time and are unable to judge how hard to hit the keys, then I'd look at the soft synth and see if there isn't a velocity mapper available. Most sampled instruments offer this feature.

Which Velocity Curve are you using? Here are the ones your controller has according to its manual. It looks like C3 would be best suited for what you want.

"Velocity Curve

The Velocity Curve Select key (VEL CURVE) is used for changing the touch sensitivity of the keyboard. This setting lets
you decide how the force with which you hit a key affects the volume at which a note plays. Oxygen 88 provides 7
different sensitivity options:

1 = C1 is a sensitivity setting that generates lower velocity values for the same force. This setting is useful for playing more quietly, even if you tend to strike the keys harder.

2 = C2 is the default setting, and is designed to be useful for most players with an "average" touch (people who play with an average amount of force).

3 = C3 is a sensitivity setting that generates higher velocity values for the same force. This setting is useful for playing more loudly, even if you tend to strike the keys with less force.

4 = C4 is a sensitivity setting that generates an equal velocity value for a given amount of force, resulting in a linear (or neutral) keyboard response.

5 = F1 is a setting that effectively disables sensitivity, meaning the keyboard will generate a fixed velocity value of 64 (on a scale of 0-127) regardless of how hard or soft the keys are struck.

6 = F2 is a setting that effectively disables sensitivity, meaning the keyboard will generate a fixed velocity value of 100 (on a scale of 0-127) regardless of how hard or soft the keys are struck.

7 = F3 is a setting that effectively disables sensitivity, meaning the keyboard will generate a fixed velocity value of 127 (on a scale of 0-127) regardless of how hard or soft the keys are struck."

I use the Cakewalk Velocity plugin all the time.  The only problem I've run into is that I haven't found a way to make a hot-key to bring it up faster. 

Jim

But none of this addresses the "real time" issue. I would like to have the velocities added when I press the key. This doesn't seem like too far of a technological stretch. Or at least a "plug-in" stretch. I know nothing about programming, though, so maybe it's more difficult than I think.

Mahlon

You're right, it does add velocity to the note being played, but that velocity addition doesn't show up as added in the controller lane. If I played a velocity of 95, that's what would end up being shown in the controller pane, even though an actual velocity of, say 110 (if I had determined to add 15 levels with vst+) sounds from the vst.

When editing a bunch of complex midi data which depends of velocity for which instrument is being played, I need to see the correct velocity displayed in the controller having that match what I'm hearing.

Mahlon

Mahlon


But none of this addresses the "real time" issue. I would like to have the velocities added when I press the key. This doesn't seem like too far of a technological stretch. Or at least a "plug-in" stretch. I know nothing about programming, though, so maybe it's more difficult than I think.

Mahlon

I think you're overcooking the "problem" here.

If I'm reading you correctly, then what you want to do is this:

1 - you record a performance on your keyboard
2 - you decided a particular note (or notes) needs more velocity adding to it
3 - you then need to identify exactly where the note  is - say it's an A# at 03:04:480
4 - you scroll to the note in the PRV
5 - then you want to hit your keyboard with the correct velocity and have Sonar record this

Is this what you're saying?

If so, then it's surely much easier & faster to simply right click the offending note and enter the new velocity in the dialog box yes?

If not then please explain further, 'cos I'm missing the point.

Bristol_Jonesey

Mahlon


But none of this addresses the "real time" issue. I would like to have the velocities added when I press the key. This doesn't seem like too far of a technological stretch. Or at least a "plug-in" stretch. I know nothing about programming, though, so maybe it's more difficult than I think.

Mahlon

I think you're overcooking the "problem" here.

If I'm reading you correctly, then what you want to do is this:

1 - you record a performance on your keyboard
2 - you decided a particular note (or notes) needs more velocity adding to it
3 - you then need to identify exactly where the note  is - say it's an A# at 03:04:480
4 - you scroll to the note in the PRV
5 - then you want to hit your keyboard with the correct velocity and have Sonar record this

Is this what you're saying?

If so, then it's surely much easier & faster to simply right click the offending note and enter the new velocity in the dialog box yes?

If not then please explain further, 'cos I'm missing the point.

Seems pretty clear to me the OP's wanting to offest/scale the velocity of an entire performance in real-time, and have the MIDI recorded with the offset/scaling embedded in the recorded MIDI Events.

A perfectly reasonable desire, I think. Unfortunately, SONAR can't do it, as all track parameters and MIDI FX are applied at the Output of the track, not the input.

I believe the closest you can get is to apply the MIDI FX immediately after recording by Process > Apply Effect > MIDI Effects, or export the MIDI track (i.e. drag to desktop), and re-import it. Exporting writes the track parameters and FX into the exported clip. By all rights it should be possible to bounce to clips with FX and track parameters applied, but that doesn't work, either.