Control Parameters in a Program

The Program control parameters are adjusted by sliders and switches on the Synful Orchestra Control Panel.  The positions of the sliders and switches reflect the values of the currently selected program — see The Synful Orchestra Control Panel. All of the control parameters except for Synful pitch wheel mode switch can be automated using MIDI continuous controllers — see MIDI Control and Automation of Synful Orchestra Parameters in the Synful Orchestra Help.

Details of Individual Program Control Parameters

All control parameters except for the Synful pitch wheel, and pitch wheel range parameters are relative trim values. This means, the sliders make the value bigger or smaller than the original default Program value associated with the Synful Orchestra Instrument. Generally the values being controlled in the Instrument are determined in a complicated way from pitch, velocity, volume, note articulation, etc. The relative trim control parameters simply influence this complex behavior in one direction or another.  

• Synful pitch wheel  — To the right of the Program Select Box on the Synful Control Panel is the Synful Pitch Wheel switch. This is an on-off switch that displays red when on and gray when off. This determines whether the currently selected Program is in normal Pitch Wheel mode or the special Synful Pitch Wheel mode. Synful Pitch Wheel mode is essential for creating realistic pitch slides and portamento for string and wind instruments (see Synful Pitch Wheel for details).

• pitch wheel range — This determines how far the pitch wheel bends the pitch when the wheel is all the way up or down. This applies to both normal Pitch Wheel mode and Synful Pitch Wheel mode. The value displayed is in units of half-steps. The default value is the maximum 12.0 half-steps. With this setting the pitch is bent up one octave when the Pitch Wheel is all the way up and down one octave when the Pitch Wheel is all the way down. The center detent position of the Pitch Wheel is always zero pitch bend regardless of pitch wheel range.

• harmonic tilt — Part of Synful's RPM technology is the additive synthesis of harmonics (see RPM - Reconstructive Phrase Modeling). The amplitude or loudness of the individual harmonics of a note are constantly changing with time in a complex manner dependent on Instrument,  MIDI Volume, Velocity and other factors. The harmonic tilt slider allows you to adjust the harmonics so that higher frequency or lower frequency harmonics are emphasized. The value displayed is in dB units and determines the slope that will be applied to the harmonics across frequency. With harmonic tilt at zero no slope is applied so you hear the harmonics of the original Synful Orchestra Instrument.  With the value adjusted to a positive value -- for example, 20 dB -- you hear the highest frequency harmonics boosted 20 dB relative to the lowest with a linear ramp determining the level of intermediate harmonics. So a mid-frequency harmonic would be boosted 10 dB relative to the lowest. With the value adjusted to a negative value -- for example, -20 dB -- you hear the lowest frequency harmonics boosted 20 dB relative to the highest frequency. harmonic tilt functions as a kind of EQ or treble-bass control for a Program.  

• release trim — This determines the release time or how quickly a note dies away when a note-off occurs (or a key is released). The release time of the original Synful Orchestra Instrument is complicated and varies for different notes, different harmonics, different Instruments, etc. The release trim slider allows you to influence  the release time.  The value displayed is in arbitrary units -6 to 6. A zero value results in the release time of the original Synful Orchestra instrument. A negative value speeds up the release time and a positive value slows down the release time.

• sustain noise trim — Sounds in Synful Orchestra are made up of pure tone harmonics and noises. There are two kinds of noise: transient noise which occurs during an attack or a note transition; and sustain noise which occurs during the sustain part of a note. The sustain noise trim  slider controls the relative loudness of the sustain noise. The displayed value is in units of dB relative to the original Synful Orchestra instrument. Sustain noise, is an important component of bowed string and flute sounds and control of the sustain noise level can have a strong affect on the character of the instrument. Other instruments make little or no use of sustain noise and for these the sustain noise trim slider may have little or no affect. When sustain noise trim is at zero the level of the sustain noise is that of the original Synful Orchestra Instrument.

• gain — when you change MIDI velocity or the expression control (MIDI Expression or MIDI Volume depending on what you have selected in expression select) not only do Synful Orchestra Instruments get louder and softer, but their tone color or timbre changes in complex ways similar to that of a real instrument. Sometimes however, you want to adjust the loudness or gain of an Instrument without changing the timbre. This may be important for balancing instruments or changing the overall levels in recordings. The gain slider allows you to accomplish this. The gain slider controls the output gain of the instrument without affecting timbre or tone color. The displayed value is in dB units relative to the original Synful Orchestra Instrument value. If you have selected "expression (cc11) and volume(cc7)"  on the expression select switches of the synthesizer you can also change synthesizer gain with MIDI continuous controller number 7 in a manner similar to the gain slider.

• transient gain — as mentioned above for sustain noise trim, Synful Orchestra combines pure tone harmonics with two kinds of noise: transient noise and sustain noise. Transient noise occurs during note attacks and transitions -- the chiff of a flute, the scratch of a bow, etc. The transient gain slider allows you to adjust the overall level of transient noise for an instrument. The displayed value is in dB units relative to the original Synful Orchestra Instrument transient noise levels.

• harmonic parity — The harmonic parity slider allows you to adjust the relative balance of odd and even harmonics. Positive values of harmonic parity boost the odd harmonics, creating a more clarinet like sound. Negative values of harmonic parity boost the even harmonics creating a more "even harmonic" sound. The displayed value is in dB units relative to the original Synful Orchestra Instrument level.  

• tune instrument — The tune instrument slider tunes  the individual Program relative to the orchestra tuning applied to the whole Instrument. Interesting section sounds can be made by creating   several Programs based on the same Instrument playing the same melody but with slightly different tunings (see Creating, Copying, and Deleting Programs in the Synful Orchestra Help ). The displayed value is in cents (1/100 of half step) relative to the orchestra tuning frequency.

• Player Loc X — see Localization and Section Controls

• Player Loc Y — see Localization and Section Controls

• midi pan — see Localization and Section Controls

• direct — see Localization and Section Controls

• 2 walls — see Localization and Section Controls

• 4 walls — see Localization and Section Controls

• num players — see Localization and Section Controls

• X spread — see Localization and Section Controls

• Y spread — see Localization and Section Controls

• time spread —  see Localization and Section Controls

• detune —  see Localization and Section Controls

• vel spread —  see Localization and Section Controls

• HT spread —  see Localization and Section Controls

• mod spread —  see Localization and Section Controls

• Absorb — see Localization and Section Controls

Listening to Results While Adjusting Program Control Parameters

The currently selected program is not necessarily the program you are currently listening to. For example, assume that you want to adjust control parameters for the clarinet Program and want to simultaneously listen to the results of the adjustments by playing live on a MIDI keyboard. You must assure the following:

1. The MIDI keyboard is driving a MIDI track or Audio Instrument track in the sequencer Project (see documentation for the host program); and

2. A Synful Orchestra Synthesizer is associated with that MIDI track or Audio Instrument track in the Project (see tutorials in this document for setup of Synful Orchestra with various host sequencers); and

3. The output MIDI channel of the MIDI track is assigned to a particular Synful Orchestra MIDI Channel.

4. The clarinet Program is assigned to the same channel that the MIDI track is driving ); and

5. The synthesizer is routed to the audio output channel you are listening to.

When all of these conditions have been met then when you play on the MIDI keyboard you will here the clarinet Program and any changes to the Control Panel slider and switch adjustments..