How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

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RJ Wade Music
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How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by RJ Wade Music »

Never thought I'd have to become a synth programmer :shock: Now it's time learn and it begins now.
The beauty of hardware synths is this; when you're working with a lead synth patch and you move the modulation wheel, you get the vibrato.
Now that I am exclusively using MachFive, I can't figure out how to add it. When I go to a "Stock" MachFive sound like "Skippy Lead" and move the modulation wheel, the vibrato is there but I can't see how it was programmed.

Can someone please help me understand/assign the Modulation wheel to any sound I choose?
I am using an M-Audio Keystation 61es, MOTU 828mkII, and MachFive.

Thank you in advance for your time.
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MIDI Life Crisis
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Re: How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

Are you using ver 1 or 2? If version 2, it's in the manual under Modulation (modulation source in the app). Can't remember ver 1, but should be something similar.
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uncle dunc
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Re: How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by uncle dunc »

I'm with Wade. Totally baffled. - Say I want to give a trumpet vibrato with the mod wheel - I load trumpet #2, click "wheel" in the mod window over there to the right of the GUI, and I get nothing. Click "Wheel >keygroupLFO1" - nothing. Click "Wheel >global LFO 1" - nothing. Messing with rate and rise in the LFO window does nothing. I keep bouncing back and forth in the manual between page 137 and page 123. What totally obvious step am I missing here? (I have no background in programming synths. All I do is make music with the sounds.)

Thanks.

ETA: I'm going for a mariachi trumpet sound, which is supposed to be an 1/8th note vibrato on the long notes. I'm using MachFive2 in a DP sequence that was tracked to a click,
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Re: How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by carrythebanner »

uncle dunc wrote:I'm with Wade. Totally baffled. - Say I want to give a trumpet vibrato with the mod wheel - I load trumpet #2, click "wheel" in the mod window over there to the right of the GUI, and I get nothing. Click "Wheel >keygroupLFO1" - nothing. Click "Wheel >global LFO 1" - nothing.
If you're talking about the "Mod" field in the Keygroup section (along the right side, above the FX section), that Mod field is for the Sample Start slider to its left. It doesn't have anything to do with pitch.
uncle dunc wrote:ETA: I'm going for a mariachi trumpet sound, which is supposed to be an 1/8th note vibrato on the long notes. I'm using MachFive2 in a DP sequence that was tracked to a click,
To program something like this, you need to modulate the pitch. This may sound complicated, but it's not that bad. You're just adding an LFO, and telling the mod wheel to apply it:

- Look for the pitch section, which is to the right of the filter section.
- There's a knob marked "Pitch Mod"; click the "+" button next to it. A semi-transparent overlay will appear.
- In the Modulations section (the bottom half of the overlay), click the "Add" button. A new modulator will be added beneath Pitch Bend.
- Click on the word "None" under Source and choose Internal Sources > Global LFOs > Global LFO 1 (see global vs keygroup LFO note below*).
- Its "Depth" setting will be 1.00 by default. Since we're modulating pitch, this 1.00 corresponds to 1 semitone. If you want full vibrato to be more or less than this, change this value by dragging the slider.
- Play a note: it will have full-on vibrato. To use the mod wheel to apply the LFO, click the word "None" under Sub-Source and choose External Sources > MIDI CCs > MIDI CC 1.
- Now play a note: it will have no vibrato. Play a note and turn up the mod wheel: vibrato will increase as you turn up the mod wheel.
- Click OK to close the dialog.
- To change the LFO speed, look for the LFO section (undeneath the filter section).
- Click the "Global" button so it lights up, then click the "1" button. Drag the Rate knob to change the LFO rate. If you want to sync the rate to your host tempo, click the "Sync" button — now the Rate knob values will be 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc. If you want to change the LFO shape, click the sine graphic and choose a different shape from the pop-up.

It might be hard to grok at first, but as you get familiar with MachFive, you'll see that you can follow this type of process to add nearly any type of modulator to any control.

* There are two kinds of LFOs, "global" and "keygroup". Each keygroup has four LFOs, and all keygroups in a part share the four global LFOs. Global LFOs are _not_ shared across parts — each part has their own.
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uncle dunc
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Re: How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by uncle dunc »

Thanks, CTB. I owe you big time. Perhaps someone will put your tutorial up as a sticky. It would have saved me a good four hours of head-scratching.
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jantoman
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Re: How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by jantoman »

uncle dunc wrote:Thanks, CTB. I owe you big time. Perhaps someone will put your tutorial up as a sticky. It would have saved me a good four hours of head-scratching.
You're absolutely right. The manual is almost useless, in issues like that: it keeps you wandering through the pages like mad. Thanks a lot for your tutorial, CTB: I think I learned the way modulation matrix works.

Just to add my coin... If you need to adjust the Mod Depth bar in small amounts, to match your Mod Wheel range, drag it while holding the Opt-Alt key.
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bobbybland

Re: How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by bobbybland »

Just out of curiosity once you set these all up,can we set every sample we now load up to respond to this globally? If so how?
Thanks again for breaking that all down! :wink:
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Re: How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by carrythebanner »

bobbybland wrote:Just out of curiosity once you set these all up,can we set every sample we now load up to respond to this globally? If so how?
If I understand your question correctly, no — MachFive doesn't have any facility for making default assignments which will apply to all presets.
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bobbybland

Re: How do I assign the Modulation Wheel PLEASE HELP!!!

Post by bobbybland »

carrythebanner wrote:
bobbybland wrote:Just out of curiosity once you set these all up,can we set every sample we now load up to respond to this globally? If so how?
If I understand your question correctly, no — MachFive doesn't have any facility for making default assignments which will apply to all presets.
I see,perhaps creating modulation presets then? I'd love to assign poly after touch globally etc. To affect each instrument. :[
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