Keyswitch without a midi keyboard:(???

Set up a drum map?

A drum map can be used as it lets you assign new names to notes in the PRV - So instead of seeing C0 C#0 D0 etc you would see legato, stacato, trill etc.

Note that in some cases you may want to move your key switch notes ahead of the beat to make sure the articulation changes before the note starts to play.

So - keyswitch is used for some synths, to have the base sounds for a given preset be able to be modified without having to load different presets.

So, using Kontakt as an example, with their VSL Strings preset loaded, playing most notes results in normal strings sounds, but if certain notes (key switch notes) are pressed, each one of those kinds of notes would alter the strings sound in some manner.  One key switch note for the VSL Strings preset changes the strings sound from legato to pizzicato (plucked).  Another changes the sound to a sharper attack, simulating a different bowing technique, etc....

Once a key switch note is played, the sound will remain altered per that key switch note's attributes, until another key switch note is played.

For my use, I lowered the note numbers for each of the note switches for the VSL Strings preset by an octave, to expand the range of notes playable for the base sound, without accidentally changing the sound by a key switch.  (I use love octave string notes frequently and I kept hitting low notes that would change the sound attributes without my wanting the sound changed, so lowering the key switch note numbers by an octave gave me an additional octave of low string notes that could be played).


I hope the above explains the concept of key switch notes.  

And Glyn Barnes also posted 2 great ideas:

"A drum map can be used as it lets you assign new names to notes in the PRV - So instead of seeing C0 C#0 D0 etc you would see legato, stacato, trill etc. 

Note that in some cases you may want to move your key switch notes ahead of the beat to make sure the articulation changes before the note starts to play."



Bob Bone

Sorry mister COOL robot pic sir :)

I have never used that technique, so I though it best not to chime in with a guess on my part as to your additional approach.  

I am very early in my coffee intake this morning, and rather than not including anything at all, it would have been better to have included your technique with some sort of note that indicated I had no use of that technique.  

* I REALLY have to spend some time learning to use the Piano Roll View for editing.  Thus far, I have been a Step Sequencer sort of guy, but I DO believe that my learning to use it would result in much faster capture and editing of my midi events.

I really DO like that robot pic you have.  His expression DEFINITELY accurately captures the way my brain feels thus far today.

Bob Bone

I just lost a HUGE bunch of comment on my lack of knowledge in areas of advanced mixing and mastering, and I don't even know what key combination I managed to hit that caused the wiping out of the typing - DOH!

So, here is the shorter version:

I have very little knowledge of advanced techniques for mixing and mastering, Pro Channel use, PRV functionality, mic placement, various effects, V-Vocal, and lots of other stuff.

I find that reading posts from the folks in the forum that ARE masters of those areas of use in Sonar EXTREMELY helpful, and I constantly strive to get better at all of these things, intermingled with my own recording and such.  I actually copy content from threads all the time, and paste it into Notepad or Word, which I then save off in folders and sub-folders for mixing and master and other techniques.

That such information is out there by other folks for the above areas and others is a HUGE motivator for me to want to assist folks in the areas that I DO have a reasonable level of understanding.

Thus, I drink MUCH coffee and jump into helping where I can.

Bob Bone

robert_e_bone


I just lost a HUGE bunch of comment on my lack of knowledge in areas of advanced mixing and mastering, and I don't even know what key combination I managed to hit that caused the wiping out of the typing - DOH!

 Take it easy, sir. 

That such information is out there by other folks for the above areas and others is a HUGE motivator for me to want to assist folks in the areas that I DO have a reasonable level of understanding.

Thus, I drink MUCH coffee and jump into helping where I can. 

Very admirable. My only area of specialty is probably how to use the A-Pro MIDI keyboard. 


@OP:
Ok, my brain seems to have recovered a bit after a nice hot shower, so I'd like to recommend another keyswitch technique.

I used to draw both musical data and keyswitch data (both are just note events, of course) in the same MIDI track. But I found this quite inconvenient because I had to scroll down the piano roll view just to edit those keyswitch notes, and I sometimes accidentally deleted them by deleting the clip itself (when I just wanted to delete the musical data).

So what I've been doing these days is I create two MIDI tracks for the same part (strings ensemble for example) and record musical data onto the first track (whose name is "Strings Ensemble") and draw keyswitch data on the second track (whose name is "KS" --The same applies to other non-musical data such as modulation wheel for organ, expression pedal for hihat, etc. and you can name them "MW" "EP" etc.). Then the first track should use the regular PRV, and the second track should use a drum map. I usually don't need to see the second track so I hide all non-musical data tracks (KS, MW, EP, etc) and save the layout as a screenset. This way, you can display these tracks only when necessary (but be sure to group the Solo buttons of the first and second tracks). As I mentioned earlier, I use the short notes approach so the KS track has only one long song-length MIDI clip. 

This might be possible by simply using take lanes, but I don't like the double-row height of take lanes and they don't allow users to hide clips when collapsed.

HTH

All good techniques: using a separate track, using a drum map. However, we may have only confused the OP, who just wanted to know how keyswitches fit in to the scheme of hand-planting MIDI notes in the PRV.

A keyswitch is just a MIDI note. You insert it into your track the same way you'd insert any other note. The only difference is that instead of playing a note, it triggers some action in the sampler.

The first step is to refer to the library's documentation to find out which notes have been designated as keyswitches, what action they initiate and what type they are. There are two types of keyswitches: ones that initiate a one-time change, and ones that impose a change only for the duration of the note.

Once you are familiar with what each keyswitch does, it's a simple matter of inserting notes into the MIDI track via the PRV.

Here are some common ways I use keyswitches:

• With an orchestral library, like Vienna, I will go to Staff view and write the notes I want the instrument to play and in the bass clef, I will write the key switches to change articulations.  For example, I will write violin notes on the Staff and I will write notes like C#2, F2, G2 etc. to change from legato to trill to tremelo, etc.   You could also do this in Paino Roll, if that's your preference.
• For a strumming guitar, like RealGuitar, I will use Staff view to write the notes in the chord I want to strum, and then below that, put keyswitches for each strum (like F2 to down-stroke, F#2 for upstroke, etc.)
•  I just bought Bolder Sounds Bluegrass Banjo and their Mandolin.  The Mandolin can do chop chords or mute strums using keyswitches.  In solo mode, a keyswitch can control tremelo.
•  In these examples I am saying the keyswitches are below the musical notes, but some instruments have keyswitches high on the keyboard.

Lots of soft synths (Hollywood Strings, Vienna, RealGuitar, Acoustic Legends, Electri6ity, etc.) use keyswitches.

There are three kinds of common keyswitches:
1. Hit the keyswitch and the instrument plays that sound or articulation until the next keyswitch.  In Staff or Piano roll, put the keyswitch just before the sound you want.   You will have to back the project up before the keyswitches before hitting Play to hear the right sounds.
2. The instrument changes articulation only while the keyswitch is held down.  In Staff or Piano Roll, then, you would have to make the keyswitch last as long as you want that particular sound.
3. A few products try to double up on keyswitches based on velocity: hard key strike (high velocity) on the keyswitch does one thing and a soft touch does another.  I find those a pain in the ****.

Many manufacturers let you define which keyswitch does what.  I tend not to change them around so I don't have to remember what I did on every project.  For example, in Vienna, if I change from Chamber Strings to Orchestra Strings, I don't have to worry that the keyswitches will be screwed up because I always use the default and Vienna tries to be fairly consistent among libraries and patches when possible.

Hope this helps.

konradh

1. Hit the keyswitch and the instrument plays that sound or articulation until the next keyswitch.  In Staff or Piano roll, put the keyswitch just before the sound you want.   You will have to back the project up before the keyswitches before hitting Play to hear the right sounds. 

Konrad, this won't be necessary if you use the consecutive short notes technique I mentioned earlier (you'll be able to start playback anytime between the keyswitch changes).
If Sonar was able to chase long notes (i.e. "If playback starts after a note start, the note will be played as though its start time were at the position at which playback started" - quote from Studio One Reference Manual), all you would need to do is drag the right edge of each keyswitch note until it reaches the beginning of the next keyswitch note. 

Jlien X, If you are saying to put the keyswitch in the sequence over and over again, that is certainly a smart idea with some advantages; but I would rather not clutter my score that way. Still, it is a creative thought that will probably help some folks. FYI, I always use short keyswitches for articulations so I can fir them in between musical notes easily. This, of course, does not apl ply when using the keyswitches for strumming. Thanks.

vintagevibe

John


I am not following all this. I just add a note via the PRV that will do the key switching. Sometimes the key as documented is incorrect but finding the right one is fairly easy. You shouldn't need a drum map or have notes that are lengthy. I do this with Kontakt and GPO all the time. Well not all the time but a lot of the time.

I don't understand the need for long or repeated notes either but... drum maps are a huge blessing.  You have a detailed label for each keyswitch note.  You never have to refer to the manual again for kewswitch lists.  Just look at the PRV and put note by its label.

Now that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. 

John

vintagevibe

John


I am not following all this. I just add a note via the PRV that will do the key switching. Sometimes the key as documented is incorrect but finding the right one is fairly easy. You shouldn't need a drum map or have notes that are lengthy. I do this with Kontakt and GPO all the time. Well not all the time but a lot of the time.

I don't understand the need for long or repeated notes either but... drum maps are a huge blessing.  You have a detailed label for each keyswitch note.  You never have to refer to the manual again for kewswitch lists.  Just look at the PRV and put note by its label.

Now that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. 

Using a drum map also gives you the benefit of being able to Mute or Solo individual articulations as you build your project

Jlien X

vintagevibe

I don't understand the need for long or repeated notes either

For example, you draw a single short keyswitch note just before the beginning of Verse A, which is supposed to play choir "Ahh," and draw a next single short keyswitch note just before Verse B, which is supposed to play choir "Ooh." Then if you go back from the middle of Verse B to the middle of Verse A and start playback, what will happen? You'll hear the unintended "Ooh" choir.

 

Ah I see. Thanks.