MIDI and Kyma Notes

The simplest way of sending a note is to use the MIDI Note event. Assign this event, and choose the note number. The note will be sent by default with a fixed velocity (64).

You can also alter the velocity of all the notes on a MIDI channel by assigning the Channel Velocity value to an existing message. Likewise, you can change the Pitch Bend wheel by using the Pitch Bend value.

OSCulator can be used to send more complex notes with individual pitch, velocity and aftertouch. It is also possible to use a single OSC message to trigger polyphonic Notes.

To create such a Note event, OSCulator needs to know several informations:

1. The Note Parameters
   • Pitch
   • Velocity
   • Aftertouch (aka Timbre for Kyma users)
2. The Note Trigger

The Note Params event stores the informations until the MIDI Note w/ Params or Kyma Note w/ Params event actually triggers the note. When the note is triggered it will use those stored parameters to create and send the note with proper pitch, velocity, aftertouch, on the desired channel.

1. Decide which OSC message will store the note properties and assign the Note Params event to them with the Value set to the desired note parameter ;
2. Choose which OSC message will trigger the note and assign the MIDI Note w/ Params or Kyma Note w/ Params Event Type, and choose the Value that is holding the note parameters.

Say we want to use the Wiimote as a MIDI keyboard with the Roll attitude angle that controls the pitch of the note, and the Pitch angle that controls the velocity. We would like the note to be triggered when the button B is pressed.

1. Connect the Wiimote
2. In the /wii/1/accel/pry OSC message:
   • for the pitch argument, set 'Event Type' to Note Params and 'Value' to Velocity
   • for the roll argument, set 'Event Type' to Note Params and 'Value' to Pitch
3. Press the button B (the trigger button)
4. for the /wii/1/button/B OSC message, set 'Event Type' to MIDI Note w/ Params and 'Value' to /wii/1/accel/pry, this will tell OSCulator that when this trigger is on, it must use the note values stored in /wii/1/accel/pry.

You can also use the overall acceleration of the Wiimote to trigger a note:

1. Connect the Wiimote
2. In the /wii/1/accel/pry OSC message:
   • for the pitch argument, set 'Event Type' to Note Params and 'Value' to Velocity
   • for the roll argument, set 'Event Type' to Note Params and 'Value' to Pitch
   • for the accel argument, set 'Event Type' to MIDI Note w/ Params and 'Value' to /wii/1/accel/pry.

OSCulator is able to manage one note for every Note w/ Params message [^actually there's a trick for doing more, see Note Indices.^].

1. Connect the Wiimote
2. In the /wii/1/accel/pry OSC message:
   • for the pitch argument, set 'Event Type' to Note Params and 'Value' to Velocity
   • for the roll argument, set 'Event Type' to Note Params and 'Value' to Pitch
3. Press the button B (the trigger button)
4. for the /wii/1/button/B OSC message, set 'Event Type' to MIDI Note w/ Params and 'Value' to /wii/1/accel/pry
5. Now, connect the Nunchuk
6. In the /wii/1/nunchuk/accel/pry OSC message, we will use the same scheme as for the Wiimote:
   • for the pitch argument, set 'Event Type' to Note Params and 'Value' to Velocity
   • for the roll argument, set 'Event Type' to Note Params and 'Value' to Pitch
7. Press the button Z (the trigger button)
8. for the /wii/1/nunchuk/button/Z OSC message, set 'Event Type' to MIDI Note w/ Params and 'Value' to /wii/1/nunchuk/accel/pry

The Wiimote and the Nunchuk will play on the same instrument because they share the same MIDI channel. If you want to play another instrument with the Nunchuk, set the MIDI channel to another value.

Other parameters for notes are accessible in the Parameters window. Click on the Parameters icon in the toolbar, or click in the menu View→Parameters … to open the Parameters window.

These parameters are saved with the current document.

Lower Pitch

Sets the pitch associated with OSC value 0.0. MIDI notes have values ranging from 0 to 127.

Upper Pitch

Sets the pitch associated with OSC value 1.0. MIDI notes have values ranging from 0 to 127. If Upper Pitch is lower than the Lower Pitch, then the note range is inverted.

Those options apply to MIDI notes only:

Repeat notes as controller send events

As long as the OSC message trigger a note, the MIDI note will be repeated in short events.

Emulate Pitch Bend Wheel

This option is active only when the previous one is disabled. Instead of repeating notes, this option produces a portamento-like effect by emulating the pitch bend wheel.