I would like to set up a strings patch on my S70XS which, through the travel of my expression pedal, would morph from a small ensemble at low pedal to a full orchestra at full pedal. I’m pretty sure I can’t actually set up custom pedal response curves, but can anyone suggest an approach that would accomplish the same thing with just the expression pedal?

MrWhiteKeys - 21 April 2016 11:21 PM

I would like to set up a strings patch on my S70XS which, through the travel of my expression pedal, would morph from a small ensemble at low pedal to a full orchestra at full pedal. I’m pretty sure I can’t actually set up custom pedal response curves, but can anyone suggest an approach that would accomplish the same thing with just the expression pedal?

Use your FC2, program the voices in voice mode. Example:
Strings: Common edit>Control Set> Assign Source to FC2>Destination>Volume -64
General>Play Mode>Volume 127

Orchestra: Common Edit>Control Set> Assign Source to FC2>Destination>Volume +63
General>Play Mode>Volume 0

Constructed in a Performance, this will do what you wish. However, the Voice with the positive volume setting will sound first depending on your controller reset choice made in the Utility Mode set up.

Due to its global effect, assigning FC1 to FC2 in Utility would create havoc in that you would need to reprogram all of your User Data and you’d lose the benefit of the Expression Pedal. Also in the above example you can assign other applicable sources in lieu of FC2 if desired(Mod Wheel etc.).

Stone

Thanks for your reply! I’m actually looking to do this within a single voice and that voice will be volume controlled via FC2, so using FC2 to mix the small section and orchestra while FC1 controls the patch volume/expression won’t work for what I have in mind, but I will set things up as you suggested once I get the unit set back up in the house and see how it works - I’m always ready to learn a new programming technique.

I actually have this partially working by using FC2 to control patch volume while also setting FC2 to negatively control the small section’s element levels, so the small section’s volume increases through about half the pedal travel, then begins to decrease and drops completely out at full pedal.

I can’t get the orchestral elements to drop out at low pedal though, so at best, I have a mix between the small section and orchestra at low pedal, and 100% orchestra at full pedal, giving me a pleasant textural change as the pedal changes… just not as much of a change as I would like.

I don’t have it quite polished up, nor do I really know what to do with it, but thought I’d post a short ad-lib of the performance I’m working on using the string patch I asked about in this post, where my FC2 blends small & large string sections as it changes volume.

In this performance I have piano on FC1, strings, orch brass, woodwinds & timpani on FC2, with brass triggered by AF1, winds by AF2 and timpani on velocity only.

Very enjoyable performance to play - lot of nice textures available.

https://soundcloud.com/chuck-mayo/dynamic-orch-demo

Dynamic Orch Demo.mp3  (File Size: 2485KB - Downloads: 576)