By Sooty_G
Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:07 am
I want to use this thread to get some feedback & suggestions for a possible new request for OS 2: Parameter Locks.
if anyone has heard about Elektrons Machinedrum, one of the major features of this drum machine is parameter locks. Here is how one review describes it:
when you hold down a pad and twist a knob in Grid mode, the new value is applied to the currently selected drum for only that step, a feature that Elektron calls Parameter Lock. Using Parameter Lock, you can subtly alter the decay of a cymbal throughout a bar, add a blast of reverb to every other snare hit, or create bass lines by varying a note's pitch, for example. By invoking the Slide function, you can make the values change smoothly rather than jumping.
basically, the MPC already has something like this in STEP EDIT. the problem is that step edit is a pain in the a$$ to use. it's a crappy system left over from the Akai code that JJ never bothered to update because i don't think many people use it much (because it's hard to use!).
the thing is: there is a lot of power in step edit. so what if we had a different & easier way to access it? i'm thinking that parameter locks is a good way to do this. here is one way that it could work. let's say that you've got a sequence already recorded:
1. go into grid edit
2. move the cursor over an event
3. press SHIFT. right now there are 2 things at the bottom of the screen: q-real & 16(or 6)pad. i would add a third option: p-lock.
4. press p-lock and it would bring up a new screen
this screen would have a few empty lines that you could fill with the parameters you wanted to lock for that event. basically, all of the stuff that step edit can do would be there, plus all of the new stuff that OS 2 added with the instrument programs (ADSR, aftertouch, etc). the key to this would be that the parameter lock would only last as long as a single step (the duration of which would be whatever you have set in T.C.: 1/8, 1/16, etc) and then the parameter would automatically snap back to normal after that step is over.
so in theory, parameter locks:
1. would control everything step edit can plus more (ideally all of the MPC parameters!)
2. easier to work with than step edit
3. parameter changes would always be synced to the tempo
4. parameter changes would always snap back to normal at the end of the step
5. you can change the length of the step by changing your T.C. value (i would make this doable right in the parameter lock screen.)
6. could have multiple locks per step (adjust pitch, filter, attack all at once)
7. could apply to just one pad in a step, or all the pads that are playing at that particular step in the sequence.
i hope this makes sense. what do people think of this? what would you add/change, etc? i can think of other cool things to do with this such as copying the parameter locks from one track or sequence to another, shifting the locks forward or backwards in time in Sequence Edit, etc. if other people think this is a worthwhile idea, maybe we can come up with a request for JJ.
if anyone has heard about Elektrons Machinedrum, one of the major features of this drum machine is parameter locks. Here is how one review describes it:
when you hold down a pad and twist a knob in Grid mode, the new value is applied to the currently selected drum for only that step, a feature that Elektron calls Parameter Lock. Using Parameter Lock, you can subtly alter the decay of a cymbal throughout a bar, add a blast of reverb to every other snare hit, or create bass lines by varying a note's pitch, for example. By invoking the Slide function, you can make the values change smoothly rather than jumping.
basically, the MPC already has something like this in STEP EDIT. the problem is that step edit is a pain in the a$$ to use. it's a crappy system left over from the Akai code that JJ never bothered to update because i don't think many people use it much (because it's hard to use!).
the thing is: there is a lot of power in step edit. so what if we had a different & easier way to access it? i'm thinking that parameter locks is a good way to do this. here is one way that it could work. let's say that you've got a sequence already recorded:
1. go into grid edit
2. move the cursor over an event
3. press SHIFT. right now there are 2 things at the bottom of the screen: q-real & 16(or 6)pad. i would add a third option: p-lock.
4. press p-lock and it would bring up a new screen
this screen would have a few empty lines that you could fill with the parameters you wanted to lock for that event. basically, all of the stuff that step edit can do would be there, plus all of the new stuff that OS 2 added with the instrument programs (ADSR, aftertouch, etc). the key to this would be that the parameter lock would only last as long as a single step (the duration of which would be whatever you have set in T.C.: 1/8, 1/16, etc) and then the parameter would automatically snap back to normal after that step is over.
so in theory, parameter locks:
1. would control everything step edit can plus more (ideally all of the MPC parameters!)
2. easier to work with than step edit
3. parameter changes would always be synced to the tempo
4. parameter changes would always snap back to normal at the end of the step
5. you can change the length of the step by changing your T.C. value (i would make this doable right in the parameter lock screen.)
6. could have multiple locks per step (adjust pitch, filter, attack all at once)
7. could apply to just one pad in a step, or all the pads that are playing at that particular step in the sequence.
i hope this makes sense. what do people think of this? what would you add/change, etc? i can think of other cool things to do with this such as copying the parameter locks from one track or sequence to another, shifting the locks forward or backwards in time in Sequence Edit, etc. if other people think this is a worthwhile idea, maybe we can come up with a request for JJ.
