I’ve been looking for this previously but now I bumped into it again: I can’t for the death of me figure out how to see/set note velocities in automation window. Apparently velocity column is called volume column but changing volume in automation window changes track volume (as can be expected) and not note velocities, so I don’t get expected variations from VST/AU instruments.
What am I doing wrong here? I would much rather edit velocities graphically than go typing in new hex values one note at a time.
if such an automation curve existed, how should it behave with concurrently playing notes?
as you maybe know, you can have more than one note column inside a single track, which is used to play chords, for example. A velocity automation curve would force you to set the same velocity for every note which starts playing at the same place. Also, MIDI/VST velocity cannot change once a note starts, so what should be the use of a curve if what works is only one point at a time, per note?
In order to change note velocity after the note has started you can either use:
a] Channel Pressure, which is again one single value for every note which is playing. You can use the MIDI Control Device to automate che Channel Pressure (CP in the image below):
b] AfterTouch, which is different from note to note, can be set by setting a different velocity after then note has started, similarly to how you would do with a standard Renoise instrument (not MIDI/VST)
I see… well, on a second though, there is a way I would like such a solution: if moving the automation curve affects the velocity data on the pattern. I mean, let’s say you have this note already written on the pattern:
not in vo
C-4 01 60
if I then set a velocity curve which is a straight horizontal line set to half value, the note gets automatically edited like this:
not in vo
C-4 01 30
this may look confusing, as maybe one would expect the velocity to be set to 40 in this case, but I think that my solution would be far more useful because it could allow for velocity ramping and preserving accentation: the velocity automation curve would act as a velocity data multiplier rather than a velocity data replacer:
newVel = oldVel * curveVal, where 0.0 <= curveVal <= 1.0
The question which arises is how should Renoise treat a velocity value which is put whre there is an existing velocity curve: in the example above, should it automatically halve the input data, or should it leave as it is? I think the second would be better.
In general: what is your point of view about how should Renoise treat patterns where velocity data are written both on pattern and automation?
I don`t see why different modes could not be added in this case:
relative and absolute control of velocity envelopes. You can already have multiplying of values or increse by set amount in advanced edit so why not in the automation lane?
It would make sense that both the multiplier curve and the real value curve were shown imposed on each other in this case.
As for entering data in the pattern editor: The latest entered value should always be applied whether on the real value curve or pattern editor. A checkbox could be used if you wished to link to the multiplyer curve (or an apply button like advanced edit)
If all seems too complex my vote goes for just an absolute value curve.
I was also hoping that we sometime in the future could see all data in the pattern editor represented as graphics as well.
It’s just easier to do some aspect of manipulation with such a view. Like draw/line tools etc.
PR ftw!
I`ve been using samplitude 10 for a while here now more for the notation capabilities than the PR but have found the two to work great next to each other.
Can see the advantages of PRs you have been talking about for a while myself now
I kind of assumed the non-destructiveness is implied in what it-alien said… otherwise the automation envelope would have to vanish after it has been applied or something
What I meant was that any data shown in the pattern editor also will be shown graphically (same data).
You can edit either way. They change the same data.
Then we can have modulation devices that for instance change all the existing velocity data in a relative way, etc.
that makes it kind of independant of each other… we could have graphic display right now… and we could also have “relative modulation devices” right now… or both!
I use combination of plugin ‘veloscaler’ and instrument to obtain editable velocity graph. In fact ‘Veloscaler’ is determined by Renoise as an instrument plugin, not as an effect one.
So,
1 - I use this ‘instrument’, retrace its output to VSTi I need (strings, for example)
2 - Choose ‘Meta’ - ‘Instrument Automation’
3 - Choose in graphs menu ‘Band 1 Velocity Scale’ and voila, we have the velocity automation!
It allows you to ‘paint’ overall structure of song while keeping individual note accentuation. Scaler (as it is obvious from it’s name) just multiply current velocity by some factor. 50% in your graph window corresponds to multiplying by 1.
