How-To: Morphing Patches in Dimension

This is just a little exploration to try for those of you with Dimension. I used the DX Tines.prog [10 - Electric Pianos] as a starting point, so I hope that's available in both versions of Dimension. This is an easy way to get multiple patches out of the same Dimension program, using morphing techniques.

First, a couple of quick tweaks to the program are needed, to setup the morph. I've listed those only parameters that differ from the original:
*In each of the LFOs, right-click four times on the graphical LFO waveform. You'll get a layered, squared-off waveshape.
Any one of the LFO shapes will do, but this one is what I used here. Just select the same waveshape in each LFO.


The key to creating easy morphing patches in Dimension in within the MIDI Matrix. Select the third icon from the left (in the group of four), and bring it up now. It's empty, but you can add as many as 16 routings there. Here, we're going to make all the Sources the same: the Mod Wheel on your keyboard controller. But we're going to send this MIDI message to 8 different destinations. That way, a full throw of your Mod Wheel will change all of the parameters, and result in a completely different sound to the patch.

Morphing is much more than a simple crossfade between patches. Each intermediate value in the range of the Mod Wheel produces a unique combination of Destinations, so each position of the Wheel makes a new "patch". So here's the chart of what I used as an example, from top to bottom:



The result? A push on the Mod Wheel morphs this DX-7 emulation into a pitch-shifted, resonant sound with a different harmonic structure. The effect (chorus) is dropped out, and it's hard-panned from left to right. Sounds like there's a delay line on it, but that's the LFOs in action, and their speeds change with the amount of Mod Wheel applied. I deliberately exaggerated the parameters to demonstrate how many variations can be controlled with one wheel.

You don't have to use the Mod Wheel; you can use anything that you have. Changing all the Sources to a sustain pedal [CC#64 - Sust) will instantly change this from one extreme to another. But you'll lose the morphing variations between, and Dimension will struggle with all of the rapid parameter changes.
Using a slider or knob mapped to any CC# will allow you to hold the intermediate "morph" positions.

Of course, there's still eight more empty Slots ...

I appreciate you checking it out, Dale. It's a little demo on how versatile that the intermediate level of Dimension programming can be.
I haven't even scratched the surface in this How-To (as you well know).

What I usually do is to group four sets of morphs, or some similar combination.
Each one has four morphing parameters, all assigned to a single CC# on a slider.
The number of variations at your fingertips goes up exponentially. And you can do it in real-time.

Experimentation is key, but it's almost too easy. For example, in the patch described above:
1). Go to the Slot 1 [Pitch LFO Depth 1], and double-click on the Depth [700] value. It resets to zero.
2). There is no step 2. That's it.

This one change gets rid of the "fifths" compound pitches, and reveals a pedal steel-like synth morph.
It's much more consonant, and it evolves through a very natural-sounding glide (thanks to the Smooth parameter).
Different patch. One reset. I love this synth.

Cool B--------The only thing is.......I don't enjoy messing with my pitches.......anyideas on how I can do this without changeing the harmonic structure?

OK, one more quick tweak before we let this one go. It's more of a "self-morphing" patch that modulates itself with each subsequent MIDI Note press.
We'll start with the base patch from the original post, and I've highlighted the changes made in bold italic here.





So play a few notes. Now there's a random pitch played in a random spot in the stereo field that changes with each note press. The range of pitch variation depends on where your start note is. But notice that your start note gives a different result with each subsequent press, so you can just hit one key, and still hear a variety of changes.

So what, right? How's this useful? Well, for one thing, you can follow it up with an Arpeggiator. I used the Project5 per-track arp at default settings. Now we're getting somewhere. We're approaching what's come to be known as the "classic sample & hold" effect. A noise (random) source was sampled, quantized into discrete levels, and then sent out to control both pitch and filter cutoff. Use this when you're looking to conjure up a "computer-generated" cliche sound.

But you may not have access to an arpeggiator. Not a problem. Bring up any MIDI-capable application, launch Dimension, and plug in this patch. Go to your Piano Roll View, and draw in a single 16th note at the start. Loop this sixteenth note continuously, and hit play. Hands-free "sample & hold". Realize that there's a lot more to a sample & hold configuration, but when most people think of it, this type of patch is what they're referring to.

Because the randomized range is centered around your lonely sixteenth note, changing it's location on the keyboard scale shifts the range of notes with it. So drag it up & down the musical scale while the loop rolls until you find an area that fits your mix. And there's one last thing to try (for now): go to Slot 1, and bring up the Pitch LFO Depth 1 to +2400.

Now the patch repeats your target pitch, because the Pitch LFO Depth 1 value offsets your Pitch 1 Depth. But not perfectly, due to the oddball LFO shape. So you'll get all sorts of nasty little glitching jumping in to the repeated note pattern, along with random panning and filter settings. Morph-alicious.