The Logic Off Topic list

Marky Kang (I think) wrote:

>i read the same article, and the easy ones are 9:00 and 3:00, but the
>writer goes on to use times like 10:45 and 2:15!! i think the
>question is what do those times mean?? i know i was confused reading
>the article. if anybody can throw out some midi panning settings such
>as +27 or -45 that would be fantastic.
>-mark

Hmmm. Off the top of my head, I would set about it this way.

First, the problem of volume ... some things being "in front" and other 
things being "behind". In MIDI-land, all the CC's go in pairs, separated by 
32. Thus 0 is paired with 32, and both of them deal with bank change 
messages. 1 is paired with 33. This pairing is simply intended to give one 
a more refined way of dealing with things if necessary. It's kind of the 
way that pitch bend works. Thus CC2 is pared with CC34.

The basic idea is that one of any such pairing controls 'coarse' 
resolution, while the other controls a 'fine' resolution. This means that 
for example we could leave Controller 2 (chosen arbitrarily) set at say a 
value of 15 (also chosen arbitrarily) ... and then use Controller 34 to 
explore a whole range of 128 values. This increases the resolution we have 
to work with because we now have 128 x 128 values using our 2 controllers 
instead of only the 128 we had with one.

Everyone's familiar with CC 7 which is usually used for Volume. People are 
considerably less familiar with CC11, however, which is "Expression" -- or 
with its partner in crime, CC43. 11 is then Coarse Expression while 43 is 
Fine Expression.

The purpose of an Expression CC is to affect a percentage of Volume. That's 
to say, if you send a MIDI signal at CC7 and set your volume to 84 (again 
arbitrary), you can then use Expression to affect volume. So if you set 
Expression at 64, which is half-way through its 128-value range, then the 
volume of the part you are concerned with would in fact play at 50% of the 
Volume as set by CC7. In this case it would play at 43.

You can use Expression to give swells up and down in volume around your 
Main Volume as set by CC7. That's why it's called Expression. The system is 
designed to reduce MIDI traffic. When you bring in CC 43 you can then use 
MIDI messages to move your instruments back and forth dynamically in the 
stereo field to a very high resolution.

I hope that's clear as mud.

To try to clarify ... what Expression allows you to do is to have 
crescendos and decrescendos without the system having to do lots of 
algebra. Notice, though, that Expression cannot increase your volume beyond 
what is set by CC7 -- which controls the true or actual Volume. You must 
therefore always set your loudest sound by CC7. This should be what you 
consider to be the most up front and in your face of the sounds your 
dealing with. That done, you can then position everything else backwards in 
the stereo field by using CC11. So, for example, just as people often use 
the Pan Controller to swing things left and right for effect, so also can 
you use CC11 to make things move dramatically backwards and forwards in 
your stereo field. Look on CC7 as the individual faders for your mix with 
Expression then being a way of doing some group fader stuff.

Therefore ... the 6 o'clock position is set by your Main Volume Controller 
which is CC7. Everything else is set backwards from that. If you want a 
totally circular field, then I suppose, you would set Expression at 64 
(i.e. 50% of the frontmost sound) for your hard right and hard left 
positions -- because they would be half-way back, no? Then since you have 
12 steps forwards and 12 steps back (look at your clock) you divide your 
available dynamic range by 12.

One thing you need to be careful of though ... if you set Expression to 
zero then you are not going to hear anything because 0% of whatever CC7 is 
set as is a big fat zero. So ... you would have to decide on the dynamic 
level of your quietest sound ... then work out what percentage that is of 
your loudest or frontmost sound ... If in your opinion your quietest sound 
is 1/3rd the volume of your loudest sound then, pretty much, your minimum 
value for your Expression controller would be 42 which is basically one 
third of the 128 values you have available. You can then map everything 
between 42 and 127 depending on how far forwards or backwards you wanted 
it. In this particular case, half-way through the field -- which would also 
be hard right and hard left -- would be a MIDI value for Expression of 86 
because we are no longer going from 0 to 128, but rather from 42 to 128.

I'm sure it's a lot simpler than I'm making it seem, actually.


As for panning ... you again have 128 values stretching from right to left. 
Frankly, I can't be bothered with a proper true circular mapping, but you 
could do that if you wanted. It would surely be easiest to just divide 128 
by 12. That's to say each 'hour' on your clock is represented by 10-2/3rs 
MIDI values. Dead centre is 64. 9 o'clock is zero, 3 o'clock is 128, and I 
leave it up to you to work out all the positions in between.

So ... you can now shuffle backwards and forwards perfectly happily in your 
stereo field according to your clock ... and also pan backwards and 
forwards perfectly happily.

Truth is ... I've never done anything REMOTELY like this so I have 
absolutely no idea how it would work. And, to be honest ... I don't really 
much feel like trying it out either!!

If anyone tries this out, do let me know how it goes!!


Sheesh!!!! I really must get a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Kool Musick
Keep Musick Kool



_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @... address at http://mail.yahoo.com