written by: earthspot
Thanks everyone. Enough ideas here to get me started.Pico / Belcanto newbie here...
What does a Belcanto script look like which alters the Pico factory settings to 5x samplers (say) instead of 3x samplers + 2x AUs? Or (heck) even 8x samplers?
Quickly browsing past posts -- most people want more AUs or MIDIs. Sorry to be different. But I want to pile on the novelty soundfonts without having to use eigenbrowser in-flight.
Hi earthspot, welcome to the forum.
First of all, which version of EigenD are you using? Under 1.4.x adding new slots is possible but really involved, I wouldn't want to attempt it.
With version 2.0 Pro and later you can add new sampler instruments with workbench, or if you don't have workbench then someone who does can build you a setup with more samplers.
Having said that, adding zillions of samplers is a heavyweight solution, and maybe a better option would be to add some more buttons somewhere that allow you to swap specific soundfonts in and out of the current sampler instruments. (I'm guessing you 're not using more than one or two at once, you just have a load of different soundfonts that you want to switch between without clicking around in the eigenbrowser).
Can anyone help with this? I can't think of the belcanto off the top of my head, is it even possible to refer to soundfont files by name from belcanto anyway?
> First of all, which version of EigenD are you using?
1.4.12.
Though I do have 2.0.38 installed too. No plans to buy Workbench just yet -- will it ever be bundled with EigenD?
> (I'm guessing you 're not using more than one or two at once, you just have a load of different soundfonts that you want to switch between without clicking around in the eigenbrowser).
Yes, this is a better statement of the requirement.
Being a programmer, a Belcanto script would be the most flexible from my pov and one I could run with. I guess I'm always going to have to click the screen, but the intriguing http://eigentab.net/testrpc.htm offers a way I can design my own screen.
Yes, you can load a sample using Belcanto. It's documented in the manual page for the sampler oscillator here. Look towards the end of the section, you can see instructions on how to give soundfonts Belcanto names and how to choose them using a Belcanto phrase. This works in 1.4 as well as 2.0.
John
OK, in principle you could do the following. From the docs on the sample oscillator (which controls the soundfonts used), it looks like you can give the currently selected soundfont in the Eigenbrowser a belcanto name. You can then use this name to set it on the sample oscillator. You could then set up a keygroup and talkers to allow you to switch between soundfonts from the pico directly.
So something like
eigenbrowser listen
sampler X listen
selection to Y name ify
eigenbrowser , sampler X hey
Y choose
If you want 8 or more sampler rigs just to swap between soundfonts, doing it with talkers and the belcanto above will make for a much smaller setup that loads faster.
Although I guess if you want to record live loops, then you need a separate sampler for each layer you are recording at least.
You seem to have a few answers to work with.
Yes, the nice bit about the soundfont player is that it uses the full resolution and bandwidth of the keys. This is not the case with MIDI and AU/VSTs.
The challenge is getting good soundfonts although even very basic ones come to life with this level of control. I'd be very interested in hearing about which you end up using.
The other nice thing is they are typically quite small as samples go so one might reasonably have quite a few loaded.
If you ever do get around to using workbench, another approach would be to use an approach like the Alpha analog synth rig and put multiple sample oscillators in the same rig followed by a mixer. Then load each with whatever you like.
There are a few strategies for switching / fading between them. I might experiment with a controller fed to multiple rangers each of which would feed the gain on a single mixer channel using the ranger to divide up the single controller input into ranges (I've not tried that)
You could actually create a setting much like Moog's AniMoog assuming this works. In which case you could use an AHDSR as well to preset the traversing of the various samples.
I've yet to see practical examples which make use if EigenD's high bandwidth. And it's really only available in the closed system. Whereas MIDI and AU/VSTs played via Eigenharp can make use of the 3D keys, CC mapping, pressure aftertouch, ect.
Thanks everyone. Enough ideas here to get me started.
When I've cobbled together a practical example I'll write it up and post a link.
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