Forum,

Have any of you experimented with the use of a BC3 or WX5 with PLG150-AN voices?

My buddy and I have been using breath control with PLG150-VL voices and with K-Sounds’ Articulation sample-based voices for some time, and we both love the results.  I’ve also been using DCP’s Regenerator voices, and tend to spend hours just exploring all of the possibilities...which tends to get me into trouble with my wife (but that’s another story altogether).

I’ve searched the forum archives for related threads, and found several discussions between MSchmeider and Phil, but nothing with any of the particulars relative to marrying the AN Card with BC/WX control.

Since there aren’t any commercially available voice banks for the AN Card employing breath control, we thought it might be a good idea to post a question asking for feedback/tips from any of you who may have customized (or created from scratch) breath controlled AN voices.  (Phil, Dave, Kevin and/or Marc...if one of you decides to develop a bank of AN sounds for use with BC/WX controllers, I know of at least two guys that will buy it...)

As a keyboard player with various controllers (in addition to the BC3) at my disposal, I can achieve quite a bit of sonic control/variety (the real beauty of the AN Card, in my opinion).  However, my wind-playing buddy is limited on his WX5 to breath, lip pressure (which he typically uses for pitch), and 2 separate CCs for mod wheel up and mod wheel down.

I’m guessing that to achieve the most interesting breath controlled AN voices, assigning breath to amplitude/volume, cutoff frequency, and perhaps even the morph function (in varying amounts) would be a good place to start.  For the WX5, this would leave 2 additional CCs for mod wheel up and down that could be applied to the AN parameters associated with AS1 and AS2.

Do any of you have any tips/stories/examples that might help us to get going?  I’m guessing that the control-matrix is where we’ll spend most of our time, assuming we leverage the AN voice presets as a starting point.

Thanks in advance,

Greg

Re: Tips for BC/WX control over PLG150-AN voices?

Greg, I’ll just weigh in and say that it sounds like you’ve already got your hands pretty squarely wrapped around the possibilities.

You obviously understand what the WX5 can send in terms of different MIDI data (two CCs, PB, Volume, BC, etc. etc). 

If you can map those different CCs into the different parameters of the oscillators of the AN module, you ought to be able to do just about anything.  Especially if you can map the SAME CC into DIFFERENT parameters simultaneously…

Can’t help you with the specifics, though, cos I’ve never played with the -AN.

Re: Tips for BC/WX control over PLG150-AN voices?

Of course, VL is the premiere technology in the world for response to Breath Control. Because the technology emulates sound created in a pipe and since the relationship between breath pressure and the sound is 1:1 - it is a natural.

Probably the next most responsive technologies area analog and FM synthesis. In fact the original BC1 was used on an analog synthesizer the CS01 (way back in the early 1980’s...) yes a real analog synthesizer not a virtual analog synth!

You will find that unlike VL you may not get as big a thrill controlling the entire volume of the sound via BC when controlling a PLG150-AN sound… but you will find that if you assign it to various aspects of the Voice, you can get very expressive results.

For example, using it to blast open the filter can be a great application. Or to control the volume of VCO2 in an FM Sync type situation. You have to experiment and see what kinds of things give you the expression you want. Look for things that you can dynamically change and assign the to cc002

The AN Expert Editor you have 15 Control Sets to work with so you can really go crazy… remember you can assign a controller to several different destinations… simply use multiple Control sets

Re: Tips for BC/WX control over PLG150-AN voices?

Thanks BadMister…

As a keyboard player, I’ve already experimented with some of your suggestions.  I agree that using the BC3 for non-volume control of filters, etc. can be very expressive, particularly when both hands are being used on the keyboard.  However, for my wind-playing buddy (Keith, using his WX5), the volume part of the equation is really important (since he doesn’t have the same velocity control that I have on a keyboard).

Do you have any tips for using the AN Card with the WX5 as the only controller?  Keith formerly used a WX7 with a TX81Z, but had stepped away from wind synthesis for several years.  When he heard me using the BC with Kevin’s Articulation voices, he had to get back in the game...and he immediately bought the ES Rack and a WX5.  I convinced him to buy the VL and AN cards in addition to the Articulation bank, but we’ve yet to get the AN card really working to his satisfaction.

I know that 3rd-party breath-controlled DX7 voices will work with the DX card (so I probably should have steered him in that direction instead).  I guess I was so happy with the AN card that I wasn’t thinking about the availability of BC/WX voices for it when making the recommendation.

Any tips/tricks would be greatly appreciated…

Thanks again,

Greg

Re: Tips for BC/WX control over PLG150-AN voices?

Well, biasing the Voice to Breath Control will be the same.

It is done in the VOICE’s CONTROL SET.
Set one of the two controller sets for the PLG150-AN Plug-in VOICE so that

SOURCE = BC(02)
DESTINATION = VOLUME
DEPTH = a positive value to taste

You should be able to get extremely satisfying results with the AN board and a WX5. The key will be finding Voices that are expression to play - and not being afraid to experiment.

Any WX player should be aware of the following site: [url=http://www.patchmanmusic.com]http://www.patchmanmusic.com [/url]

There you will find a wealth of information and items in support of the WX5…

Re: Tips for BC/WX control over PLG150-AN voices?

BadMister,

Thanks again for your reply...and thanks for the link to PatchMan.  We appreciate your experience and your willingness to help.

Greg