I've really enjoyed these tips and tricks, the one on the score editor was the reason I bought it in the first place; until saw it the score editor was a big headache! Now, I get it, thanks to you. I have a breath controller and would like some tips on how to use this. Perhaps the tips would appeal more broadly if the tips were on midi controllers like wheels and levers found on keyboards, or the breath controller keyboardist can use that looks like a headset [url]http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Yamaha-BC3A-Breath-Controller?sku=420103[/url]. (My EWI has both breath and vibrato midi controllers in the mouth piece.) I would also like some tips on using Logic or MainStage to record a loop and then using a keyboard command or midi controller foot pedal, tell logic to keep repeating the loop, while another command via keyboard or foot pedal tells logic to begin recording on another track preset in advanced. I'm trying to figure out if it is possible to create a composition live like Michael Brecker did in this amazing performance [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOEF7f2HGoE[/url] (Would the Augustus Loop Pluggin work for this? [url]http://www.expert-sleepers.co.uk/augustusloop.html[/url]) Brecker's logic environment is a work of art [url]http://www.ibrecker.com/images/whitty_ewifull.jpg[/url] Thanks for the great tips. I look forward to more and to the downloadable environments.

Wow! Now that's a request! Michael was a friend of mine we live(d) in the same town and he was very into Logic and one of the most gracious, thoughful and friendly person on this planet! Michael's amazing MIDI Environment was created by the very talented George Whitty. I had a chance to peruse it one afternoon at Mike's studio. It's design and application are very elegant. The Augustus Loop plug has been a mainstay of my live performance arsenal for years... and YES, it works great for building up looped patterns. Re. the breath controller. In it's most basic form it's really no different than a midi pedal of a mod wheel... it puts out a midi CC value that is proportional to the pressure of you breath... and you can use it to control any MIDI CC parameter! Do they only make it for Yamaha? Steve H.

Hi! Finding a solution for breath controlled sounds created by a softsynth seems to be one of the big and well kept secrets. I have managed to convert my AKAI Z4 Sax and Trumpet sample programs to Logic's EXS 24 and I also can play them with my Yamaha WX5 through Logic's MainStage - that's the easy part. It seems that ES2 and Sculpture would also be great for "Wind-Midi friendly" programming but there is no literature or tutorials around that discuss the routing in the basic setup. The macProVideotutorials for ES2 and Sculpture are great but - of course - focused on keyboard players. Although I was sending a request by mail to the moderator, I did not get an answer how to setup ES2 and Sculpture for the use with a wind midi controller. So the good news for all EWI and WX5 players out there is, you can use Logic's Mainstage as your "Wind Midi Host" for softsynths, route CC2 to Volume at the instrument setup and play about every AU-plugIn right away. It's a little more complicated to modify programms and patches to be more "VL70 or EWI" like or even to create new instruments with Sculpture. I hope to get the basic answers from one of the Logic pro's to finally start making Wind Midi Instruments on Sculpture and ES2. Merry Christmas and a happy new year Oliver W. Austria/Europe [i]PS: If any of you readers should feel offended by my wording, expressions or mistakes in my writing, please excuse me - I am no native speaker.[/i]

[quote:85592]Hi! Finding a solution for breath controlled sounds created by a softsynth seems to be one of the big and well kept secrets. I have managed to convert my AKAI Z4 Sax and Trumpet sample programs to Logic's EXS 24 and I also can play them with my Yamaha WX5 through Logic's MainStage - that's the easy part. It seems that ES2 and Sculpture would also be great for "Wind-Midi friendly" programming but there is no literature or tutorials around that discuss the routing in the basic setup. The macProVideotutorials for ES2 and Sculpture are great but - of course - focused on keyboard players. Although I was sending a request by mail to the moderator, I did not get an answer how to setup ES2 and Sculpture for the use with a wind midi controller. [/quote] Whether you're using a KBD or a wind controller you access the parameters on the ES2 and Sculpture the same way. Sculpture gives you 2 external cc inputs and the ES2 gives you 6! I explain how to access them in my tutorials. Do you have a specific question? By the way, your english is great! :)

Hi Steve! Thanks for your reply. First I have to say, that I really like your tutorials and I made a giant leap with my sound design after going through the videotutorials. "The Brecker Sound Thing" is a different story because the real interesting sounds he used were not sampled but programmed. Take the performance of "in a sentimental mood" for example (http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=TPPdtdx8jhw). Mr Brecker was using a sound that was built with 4 Oscillators and programmed to perfection - apart from his playing. So this is what I would like to do, create new Instruments for WMC based on Soft Synths. The question and/or problem is the activation of the velocity, let me explain. A KBD-Player is striking a key and sending a certain value to the sound module while a WMC-player is pressing a key and sending constantly changing values controlled by the breath to the sound module. In EXS24 the solution is quite easy because I can send "Velocity" via "Breath Control" to e.g.. "Sample Start" My approach of programming sampled instruments for WMC is to only use one sample per note and play it on full level "(127) the volume can either be controlled by a Lowpass/Cutoff Filter via CC#2 or by routing CC#2 to the volume-slider when using Mainstage. The color and brightness of each sound can easily be changed by using several filters or EQ-PlugIns within the Mainstage channel strip and they can also be controlled by the WMC or an external Midi Foot Controller. I know this is only one solution and there might be more elegant ones. I'm also aware of the "realism-factor" but if I want to play a sax I take a real one and use it - if I play a WMC I want to build new Instruments like a "Flumpet" (Flute and Trumpet) or a "Truharm" (Trumpet with Harmonica). As far as I understood Sculpture the "String" as "Mother" of the new instrument is activated by the velocity value sent by the KBD but there is no control to remap "velocity via CC#2". All other Midi controllers seem to be effective after the very first impulse. Yes I know I can control the volume by amplification and I can control this by CC#2 but think of a bowed instrument being played crescendo. It makes a big difference if a signal is amplified to a certain volume or created. To me it seems very important to use all advantages of the WMC which are the total control of the volume at any time and the huge amount of expression that cannot be achieved with a KBD. So wether it's an AKAI EWI or Yamaha WX5 or even a Yamaha BC3 Controller they all share the same power and only few WMC-friendly solutions are available (I know Patchman has them all) and there are hardly any for Softsynts. Until now I was focusing on Sculpture because I like the clear layout and structure of this PlugIn. Do I have the right approach with focusing on the velocity as the major impulse for the string? Is there a solution within Sculpture to route CC's? Starting with the default settings of, what would be the first necessary adjustments for using CC#2 to control the velocity? ES2 has the same routing features as ESX24 so I could start with Velocity via CC#2 - but where to for a good start? Looking forward to an interesting discussion that hopefully will encourage more WMC-Players to join in and share their experience. Best regards from Austria, Oliver

Try this. Turn off all Objects apart from the first one. Then turn VeloSens right down for Object 1, because that is going to be affected by CC#2. Then map CC#2 to Ctrl A which is, in turn, mapped to Object1 as a continuous controller - push the slider all the way to the right. You will probably need to play with the Strength parameter in Object1 as well to get the sound right. If you get continuous sound out of the synth, you might want to look at the sensitivity settings on the BC3 or EWI. I had that problem and found that Sculpture is very sensitive to even small breath-control values. Mapping CC#2 to Strength doesn't work for patches that use the Strike mode but it does for Blow and Bow - which makes sense if you think about what you're trying to emulate. Blow into the breath controller and Sculpture should respond like a clarinet or sax. The harder you blow, the more the virtual breath or bow excites the string or tube in the physical model. Velocity, as I recall, only goes with Key On and Key Off events, so trying to map CC#2 to Velocity is not likely to help - although I could be wrong.

Hi Chris! Thanks for your "tutorial", I'll be trying it on the weekend and report about the results - sounds very encouraging! Best Oliver