Tag Archives: MIDI

Practical Reaktor – Remapping MIDI Controllers

This post was inspired by Twitter user @urbster1 who asked whether Reaktor could remap MIDI CCs (continuous controllers). The answer is an unqualified yes and here’s how:

We have here a simple ensemble with four macros, each of which has “from” and “to” selectors for MIDI controller and channel. If you want to remap more CCs, just clone the macros and arrange them on the front panel.

Each macro contains MIDI channel message in and out modules, plus controls to filter the incoming messages with routers. The type of message is set to 3 for MIDI CC, and if the incoming event matches that, it gets passed to the next router, which tests whether it’s on the correct channel. Finally, a third router lets through only events for the MIDI CC number you have selected.

Similarly, there are controls to select the outgoing MIDI CC number and channel you want to send to. Technical note: the order of events for the Channel Message module is from top to bottom for the incoming module, and from bottom to top for the outgoing module. You’ll need to know this if you want to modify and enhance these structures.

So what is this good for? It’s useful whenever you have a device or plugin that sends inflexibly fixed CCs and you want to send them to another device – which may have different fixed CCs.You can also perform operations on the controller data to invert or scale it, by adding a few simple math modules.

Download your copy here. Questions? Ask away!

Got a QuNeo

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After some hemming and hawing I pulled the trigger on this today – very happy so far! The sliders are much less dodgy than I’d been warned by some people, very usable actually. I’m still fiddling with sensitivity and touch technique. Tip: if you want one of the vertical sliders zeroed, press and release right at the bottom instead of sliding down to that point.

I’ve been experimenting with mapping filter cutoff, the most obvious parameter, to one of the faders and found you can do a nice tremolo effect by rolling your finger back and forth across it. Edit: the finger roll technique works super well to adjust values in general, not just for vibrato. Nice smooth transitions. Set your finger vertically across the vertical sliders, horizontally across the horizontal ones, and roll, roll, roll your way to fitness. Edit 2: one of the cool things about the slider / faders is, the way the LEDs are staggered and use variable brightness gives you a more accurate than expected idea of what values they represent.Sorry for liveblogging – this is exciting!

Will def have to make a more minimal preset, then start bringing in more controllers as they become necessary or desirable, because my goodness does it sends a lot of stuff by default. The editor software is intelligent enough to select and alter a bunch of controls at a time which is nice. And it was easy to change a drum pad preset to use different banks with one of the up and down arrow pairs.

Build quality and overall feel are great. Plus by default it doesn’t have every single light lit up like in the pictures, so it’s easier on the eyes.

Next step is to figure out how to use the rotary controllers to set sample start and loop length in Loupe 2.

Adding MIDI out to Reaktor Krypt (and other sequencers)

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Someone on the Reaktor forums asked about adding MIDI out to Krypt, so I thought I’d post up a quick guide and a macro for adding quick and dirty MIDI send capabilities to it or most other Reaktor sequencers that otherwise send their signals through an event rate wire in the structure.

Here’s the finished product:

The numbered note pitch controls correspond to each drum sequencer to determine which MIDI notes the sequencer will send on. In this example I’ve set them to the note pitches for the first six drum synths in Drumspillage but a click and drag will set them to something else. You could also send the output to a melodic instrument and create 6-pitch phrases… might be nice for gamelan type sounds.

Here are the MIDI out macros connected inside Krypt’s SEQ instrument:

…and here I’ve drilled down into one of the MIDI out macros:

…and finally into the NoteOff macro inside that:

The point of the NoteOff macro is to send a MIDI note off before sending a new note. Some polyphonic instruments don’t react kindly to having too many notes activated at the same time, and will eat lots of CPU and make your computer sad and crackly. Don’t worry too much about the structure inside here for now. I’ll explain in a future post.

Finally, you will want to make sure that the SEQ instrument (or whatever instrument you’ve added MIDI out to) is actually directed at something. You can do that in the SEQ instrument properties on the connect tab:

If you’re using Reaktor in a host, use the “plugin” output. Note: Mac people, do this with the VSTi version of Reaktor. The AU version, as is the case with all AUs due to the plugin specification, has no MIDI out.

You can download the MIDI out macro here. Note that the Krypt sequencer sends velocities between 0 and 1, which is perfect for this macro. If you have some oddball sequencer that sends a different range of velocities you’ll need to scale it with a multiplier module.

Chroma Update 1.0.3

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Here is version 1.03 of the Chroma and Gris Gris sequencer and synth, which adds a few features and fixes a couple of minor bugs. The Gris-Gris synth now has two additional filter types, bandpass and high pass, and a ring mod control for metallic and bell tones. It comes with a much expanded and refined Lemur template that allows full editing of sequences.

To celebrate the release of this new version, the Chroma and Gris-Gris sequenced synth ensemble is temporarily reduced in price from $24.99 to $19.99

Chroma can be purchased and downloaded right now. Remember, Chroma is a Reaktor ensemble and requires a full installation of Reaktor 5.8.0, not just Reaktor player.

Buy Chroma and Gris-Gris Now

A link will be emailed to you immediately upon completion of payment.

I’ve also added further support for Lemur. The new template has three pages – the original quickpage, plus a sequence edit page and a full synth edit page that offers control of every parameter in the Gris-Gris synth. The quickpage now has controls for sequence speed, key and scale type.

Here’s the sequencer page. Swipe a finger across to set pitch and velocity, or use multiple fingers to adjust many values at once. If you enable bidirectional control, all parameters in Lemur will update on snap change, including sequence lengths and values. Note the cursors – their position will move as Chroma plays, letting you know where you are in the sequence without having to keep your eyes on the computer screen.

Here’s the synth page. All Cgris-Gris parameters are editable and also update when you change snaps in Reaktor. The filter section features a drop down menu to select scale types.

Here’s the updated cheat sheet – new features on the GUI are highlighted in blue.

Now, about that bidirectional control – in order to have your Lemur controls update when you change Reaktor snapshots, simply create an OSC target called Lemur, and direct it to port 8000 and whatever the IP address of your iPad is on your local or ad hoc network. Here’s what my config looks like:

Pretty easy, actually. Make sure you use port 8000 for Lemur though – that is its standard port and cannot be changed. (I use port 10001 for Konkreet Performer and TouchOSC)

More info on Chroma and Gris Gris, including video, is here.

Chroma and Gris-Gris: Sequenced Monster Monosynth

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Ladies, Gentlemen, Exalted Bipeds, may I introduce to you my latest creation, the Chroma and Gris-Gris ensemble:

Chroma is a performance oriented monosequencer and VA carefully tuned for ergonomic ease of use and glitch free operation in standalone and plugin mode. Slur features in Chroma match up with legato and glide features in the Gris-Gris synth to create a slinky sinuous note articulation.

Sequences can be created and controlled via mouse, MIDI, Konkreet Performer, TouchOSC and Lemur. Since there is now full OSC support in the Reaktor plugin version, you can do everything with Chroma in your preferred DAW that you can do stand-alone. A dream come true!

Now, about those Konkreet Performer mappings:

TouchOSC and Lemur templates are included in the package but there’s something special about Konkreet Performer that sets things on fire when it’s paired with Chroma and Gris Gris, a certain magic in the way it morphs and distorts sound. It is my firmly held opinion that not nearly enough people use KP and if you want something really special and unusual on your iPad you should rush right over to Konkreet Labs or head straight for the App Store and buy a license.

The Gris-Gris synth is easy to program, surprisingly versatile, screams like a bastard and can be played on its own with MIDI input. Check out the effects bank for some wild quasi-modular sounds. A dedicated filter LFO with a morphing shape control and chaos flux knob provide mutating automation. Flux controls are also provided for the mix and filter feedback sections. Want more sounds? Here ya go:

Chroma’s MIDI output can be used to trigger external synths as well, depending on the completeness of the synth’s MIDI implementation. Tested and fully working synths include NI Massive, NI Absynth, U-he Tyrell and Tal Noisemaker. Some synths may work perfectly for note sequences but not for slur and glide.

Here’s the full cheat sheet:

Chroma is 24.99 USD temporarily reduced in price to $19.99 and can be purchased and downloaded immediately. Remember, Chroma is a Reaktor ensemble and requires a full installation of Reaktor 5.8.0, not just Reaktor player.

Buy Chroma and Gris-Gris Now