Basic Trigger Finger Question

Hey, hey. I searched for an answer to this first, and only got a page of results. Most discussions were about note cut-offs, so I decided to ask here.

When using a Trigger Finger with Renoise, does the software correctly interpret changes in velocity (i.e. how hard you hit the pads) as volume? Or is the velocity sensitivity of the device ignored? I like it more than the PadKontrol because it has more knobs (plus faders), so I might pick one up.

Unfortunately, I’m assuming that you can’t get crazy advanced with the setup, like for example, having an open hi hat assigned to a pad that ONLY cuts off when you hit the pad assigned w/ a closed hi hat… but I can just go in manually afterwards and edit.

Thanks!

Velocity works.

You can do very twisted things with velocity other than just volume control aswell.

You can’t make it close hihat like that. But some VST plugins will allow you to do it.

Damn, man. Fastest reply EVAR. So velocity of the pads works? Sweet. Definitely want to buy one.

I don’t want to get my hopes up, but are you implying that you can assign the pressure sensitivity of the pads to parameters of VST effects (like filter cutoff)? Oooh, that would be insane. I figured it was locked in as being interpretted as volume.

I believe that would be determined by how you have configured the Trigger Finger itself. For example, with my Novation Remote SL 25, it’s possible to make the pads send MIDI notes + velocity, or to send MIDI CC values, etc. If you use MIDI CC, then you can assign the pad to any effect slider/parameter in Renoise and do some fun stuff, but you would of course lose the ability to trigger instruments in this mode. Up to you, really.

Another interesting possibility is that you use the Trigger Finger pads in normal MIDI note + velocity mode, triggering an instrument in Renoise, THEN you add a Velocity Device inside Renoise to interpret the velocity and automate other parameters with that data, so you can kinda get the best of both worlds in that case.

Lots of options :)

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Thanks dblue! It sounds like there are a ton of combinations available during setup that I hadn’t even thought of. I’m looking forward to messing around. Doing something like recording the drums w/ velocity and then using THAT to control something like lo-fi or a filter would be quite sick.

Velocity is just numbers that can be assigned to many different things in synths, samplers etc.

For example a lot of synths will let you use velocity to control the cutoff of a filter. This creates a sound that is richer in harmonics when you hit it harder, and duller when you hit it softer.

Also in sampling we use velocity to trigger different samples. If you are sampling a snare drum sound, you could use up to 128 different samples of you hitting that snare drum at different “velocities” (from ultra soft to extremely hard). You would notice how the timbre of the drum changes based on how hard it’s hit, rather than simple volume increase. You would then layer all these samples on one midi note and use velocity to choose which one you want to play, so when you hit the trigger finger soft it references the sample of you hitting the snare drum soft, and when you hit the trigger finger hard, it references the hard snare hit.

Velocity is fun my friend, and renoise definitely accepts it, so definitely go grab your trigger finger and fool around with it and make some whacked out sounds!

BTW, i like my PadKontrol better. You can’t do THIS with a Trigger Finger :P

Yet another use for the velocity signal that I hadn’t thought of! Hm, I wonder if it’s legal to marry a Trigger Finger anywhere in the U.S.

Is what you described possible in Renoise? It’d be amazing to split a pad’s veloc. signals in half, so for example, you could assign 64 samples of a kick drum at different velocities, and then 64 samples of a snare at different velocities. Then you could play both the kick and snare of a beat with just one pad.

I think my brain just exploded.

Technically you can do it with evil hackery. But I recommend you using some sampler VSTi plugin which has layered instruments until renoise gets layered instruments that is. :)

Ah, good suggestion. Although, I’ve never used a sampler VSTi (only synths), but… wouldn’t effect commands (like 0b00, 09xx, etc.) not work if you did your drums that way, because it would then be a MIDI instrument? Or would the notes still be considered sample-based, even though the signal is via a VST?

I wouldn’t want to record drums that way if I had to sacrifice those commands. :(

P.S. I found someone in my city selling a Trigger Finger for $80. I’m picking it up today. Booyaaaah.