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Logic's 'secret' way to deal with dynamics

Vik

Vik

Vi-k
OK - so it's not secret, but my feeling is that many users aren't aware of this or focusing on it: Logic's Modifier (MIDI plug-in).
Screen Shot 2019-02-03 at 11.16.31.png
This little plugin is very useful:
You can set your mod wheel (or other controller) to avoid the upper range in your libraries, if you feel that they are too intense, have too much vibrato etc.
You can set it to focus on a certain range of your dynamic range, in a way which lets you use the full length of your fader to only crossfade between, say, ppp and f.
In short, it does things that some libraries have built in functions for, but which we want to use also in libs that don't have these features.
Soaring Strings, for instance, has a preset which only contain the there most quiet dynamic layers (the least soaring ones). Unfortunately this only exists for the sustains, but with this plugin, one can achieve something similar for the legatos as well.

Berlin Strings has various ways to do something similar: you can for instance enable one or more of the dyn. layers in this preset....
Screen Shot 2019-02-03 at 11.22.29.png
...and also enable "soft low layer", which expands the low dynamic range so it's easier to control with a fader/mod wheel. But unfortunately, manu libraries don't have such functions, and in my experience, some of their presets become a lot more useful by inserting the Logic Modifier into the channel strip.
Click to read more...
 
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I use the modifier a lot.

It's easy to add CC11 to CC1 - following the curve but not full scale. So with mod wheel down it's not dead and not too loud when mod wheel is up, but helping to get additional dynamic. Good for CSS, Century, Cinesamples. Activate the "Through" button to send both: CC1 and CC11. Only one curve to edit but both CCs are sent.

My Windcontroller sends CC2 for dynamic but mod wheel CC1. With the modifier I can use both without switching (modify CC2 to CC1).

Different libraries, different CCs for vibrato. Spitfire CC21, CSS CC2 etc... I use modifiers to have a fixed vibrato-fader.

alt-drag'n'drop to copy modifiers from track to track in the mixer is faster than editing all library CCs separate in all Kontakt instances.
 
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Saxer said:
I use the modifier a lot.

It's easy to add CC11 to CC1 - following the curve but not full scale. So with mod wheel down it's not dead and not too loud when mod wheel is up, but helping to get additional dynamic. Good for CSS, Century, Cinesamples. Activate the "Through" button to send both: CC1 and CC11. Only one curve to edit but both CCs are sent.

My Windcontroller sends CC2 for dynamic but mod wheel CC1. With the modifier I can use both without switching (modify CC2 to CC1).

Different libraries, different CCs for vibrato. Spitfire CC21, CSS CC2 etc... I use modifiers to have a fixed vibrato-fader.

alt-drag'n'drop to copy modifiers from track to track in the mixer is faster than editing all library CCs separate in all Kontakt instances.
Click to expand...
Super useful this!

I was searching for a way to get Strezov Afflatus to do a one ride modwheel run to both cc1 & 11 but with cc11 moderated.

Thanks saxer ( and Vik for initiating this tip!)
 
When I put that modifier into a channel strip, nothing happens! MIDI goes in and out to the instrument unmodified, be it modwheel, pitch, CCs... What am I doing wrong?

Does it have something to do with the environment? I always used to do this kind of routing in the environment but this could be a much niftier way - I only can't get it to work...
 
munician said:
When I put that modifier into a channel strip, nothing happens! MIDI goes in and out to the instrument unmodified, be it modwheel, pitch, CCs... What am I doing wrong?

Does it have something to do with the environment? I always used to do this kind of routing in the environment but this could be a much niftier way - I only can't get it to work...
Click to expand...
No, you don't need to use the Environment window for this. I simply open the modifier and load a setting I have made, close to what I showed in the picture in the initial post. Then, when I send CC1 from my NektarP1 fader (or a foot pedal*), the CC levels are scaled according to my settings.
The easiest way to do this is to experiment with an instrument which actually shows a representation of the incoming CC levels in its GUI.

(*I actually use the Environment to get this right, but that's only because I use a foot pedal which sends out CC7, so I have created a real time transformer in the Environment which converts all incoming CC7s to CC1s. I could have done this with a Modifier as well - but then I'd have to insert Modifiers on all channel strips, I guess. )
 
Thanks Vik - exactly like you I have all kinds of transformers in the environment, but they work globally. The nice thing about the modifier is that you can put it in only one instrument/channel strip - I just can't get the darn thing to do anything!

The input monitor before the sequencer input shows the unmodified data from the modwheel, no matter what I try to modify it to. When I record, only CC1 are recorded, or pitchbend, or cc11. Whatever I send into it comes out unchanged. I must have turned it on and off a hundred times...

It should work - I think - whether an instrument is inserted onto the channel strip or not - but doesn't, either way.

I'm sure Logic is making faces at me when I'm not looking...
 
munician said:
The input monitor before the sequencer input shows the unmodified data from the modwheel, no matter what I try to modify it to. When I record, only CC1 are recorded, or pitchbend, or cc11. Whatever I send into it comes out unchanged. I must have turned it on and off a hundred times...

It should work - I think - whether an instrument is inserted onto the channel strip or not - but doesn't, either way.

I'm sure Logic is making faces at me when I'm not looking...
Click to expand...
Hi, the Modifier-activity doesn't happen before the DAW/sequencer input, so I think you wouldn't see any changes in an Input Monitor object. I don't see that here either - even if it works as expected here.

I use it for modifying not the CC number (1, 7, 11 etc) but the actual CC value. Have a look at the uppermost picture below: The MIDI In display shows a value of 127, but the circle shaped display of the CC value in Berlin Strings still goes only halfway to 127.

Screen Shot 2019-02-04 at 19.12.48.png

This is because I made a setting like the one you can see in the next image.

Screen Shot 2019-02-04 at 19.15.52.png
 
Looks good, but in my case...

I also suspected that data might not show up in an input monitor - but I should be able to record them, shouldn't I? Doesn't work.

Can't figure out what the problem is...
 
So this could be used to solve the issue with the inconsistent ways of dynamics-controlling in the EW Hollywood series, right? Very cool - seems obvious in retrospect. Thanks for bringing it to light!
 
In case you're wondering, this doesn't result in the creation of multiple cc lanes in the Piano Roll of different type. i.e. if you modify cc01 to cc11, then as you record you toggle only your cc01 fader, it is 'affecting' cc11 as well, but it isn't creating data in your Expression cc11 lane?

At first I thought it would clone the data to a new cc parameter, but that wasn't doing it. Peter Schwartz ended up helping me by building a script that actually cloned the cc into a new lane in realtime. Really is cool to ride one fader, and get two data lanes, then I can go back and simply sculpt the cc data. I use this for linking dyn x-fade and vibrato, but then can go back and retool the vibrato based on where I don't want it- even though often vibrato would increase along with dynamics.
 
If you want to record one CC value (eg CC1) and then use it for something else as well (make a copy you can edit and use for CC11), here's another option:

Record CC1 (Modulation), and then select another parameter (eg Expression) in the track list with the Alt-key held down - see pic below.

This will let you create a new lane with eg CC11 values - and give you a choice of either converting the current CC1 data to eg CC11 data, or to copy the current CC1data into a new lane with the eg CC11 data instead. And when you have two lanes with identical curves but different CC types (Modulation and Expression), you can go back and sculpt each of the lanes any way you want.

This is of course possible without the MIDI plugin or some special script.


Screen Shot 2019-02-05 at 00.10.46.png
 
Vik said:
If you want to record one CC value (eg CC1) and then use it for something else as well (make a copy you can edit and use for CC11), here's another option:

Record CC1 (Modulation), and then select another parameter (eg Expression) in the track list with the Alt-key held down - see pic below.

This will let you create a new lane with eg CC11 values - and give you a choice of either converting the current CC1 data to eg CC11 data, or to copy the current CC1data into a new lane with the eg CC11 data instead. And when you have two lanes with identical curves but different CC types (Modulation and Expression), you can go back and sculpt each of the lanes any way you want.

This is of course possible without the MIDI plugin or some special script.


Screen Shot 2019-02-05 at 00.10.46.png
Click to expand...
Thanksso much for this! Brilliant tip!
 
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