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Can Snippets Control Tempo and Custom Parameters? How?

Posted

Obviously snippets can be used in Global Parameter Group to control "Harmony"-Parameter.

This is very useful, because you interactively play with different Harmonies (Chords) for the currently running snippets, save memories of good combinations and drag them into a library for later reuse.

It also works fine with "Modulation"-Parameter. Place different Modulation parameters in a global parameter group, and see how running snippets react to it. Especially for orchestral grids this is perfect way to play with different levels of dynamics, swells, crescendi,...

I tried the same "trick" with "Tempo"-parameter, and I thought, that should be a perfect way to hear running snippets in different tempos, memorizing the ones that work fine. Also tempo changes like Accelerandi,... could be part of the game. So I created snippets with different "Tempo"-parameters in the global parameter group. But any change to tempo parameter always changed the "Tempo"-parameter in all snippets. Even when I delete tempo parameter in one snippet, it was deleted in all snippets of all groups.

It seems, that tempo-parameter is somehow global for the whole grid? Is this correct, or have I missed something?

I also tried the same thing with "Custom Control A-H"-parameter. There the result was a little bit different.

For me it seems, that parameters "Custom Control A-H" are ignored by snippet playback. You can set them individually in the snippets, but they are always immediatly sent to the plugin, when you change them (no matter in which snippet).

It would be great, if "Tempo" and "Custom Control A-H" could also be used in snippets and memories :-)

 


Mon, 2024-06-10 - 17:18 Permalink

Tempo is indeed global for the grid and synchronized with the default tempo of the arrangement. 

I don't remember exactly why, but it can be pretty confusing. Every phrase comes with its own tempo and you certainly don't want your grid (or arrangement for that matter) to change tempo all the time. That's why it is ignored unless you set it manually. And when you do that, it is also copied to the root container of the arrangement to keep them in sync.

That said, I see how tempo changes can be interesting to play with in the grid. Not sure how that is best done without complicating things to much.

Custom controllers should compile as usual. Of course they are defined by a device and won't compile for a sound that's from a different device.