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Motion Control tutorials?

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Are there any explanations about motion control, what it is and what to do with it?

 
Posted : 17/11/2021 7:44 pm
Bad Mister
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Are there any explanations about motion control, what it is and what to do with it?

Yes, there are. The Motion Control concept is really about putting synth sounds, parameters in motion beyond the normal musical vibrations. The very first Performance "CFX + FM EP" is an example of Motion Control controlling Part Volume. Turn the Super Knob (either directly or via FC7 plugged into the Foot Controller 2 jack) to decrease Part volume of the acoustic piano and raise the Part Volume of the electric piano.
Morphing one sound or music atmosphere to another - motion
Arpeggiators (8 simultaneous) that not only put musical phrases in motion with Note-oriented Phrases, but there are Arp Phrases that are exclusively Controller (CC) messages, used to automate parameter change. From the “Getting Started” article…

”Let's use the appropriately named "DJ MONTAGE" as an example. You might feel that the composition is already done, and much like a DJ, you are simply putting the turntable in motion. What's left for you to do? If you are asking that question... Move on and come back to this later. But be aware that what you are hearing is a programmer combining the Motion Control Synth Engine's various tools (arps, motion sequences, automated controllers, etc.) into a musical montage. It's sound designing. It's very much like when working with a room full of analog modules and patch cables, where you are putting in motion a musical patchwork of connections. Here you can potentially have 64 Oscillators (or more), 64 Filters, 64 Ampitude Envelope Generators, tons of LFOs, Effects, even external sources all patched together to create a musical result.”

Motion Sequencing which extends the Arpeggiator concept of Control Arps beyond just the standard CC messages, to include virtually any parameter within the synth architecture or Effects. The Motion Sequencer is a Step Sequencer that can automate parameter changes.

There are four must read articles on the Motion Sequencer basics — we’ll provide links and page numbers to the Music Production Guide PDFs that contain the articles.

__ Motion Sequencer Part 1 - Page 16

__ Motion Sequencer Part 2 - Page 7

__ Motion Sequencer Part 3 - Page 14

__ Motion Sequencer Part 4 - Page 9

The Motion Sequencer is one part of what “Motion Control” is all about.

The Super Knob and the Control Assign Knobs are another important component in “Motion Control” — it ushers in a new level of real-time control while performing. You can control as many as 8 synth sounds directly from the Keyboard — any combination of sample-based (AWM2) and/or DX style FM (FM-X) sounds simultaneously—each sound called a PART.

Each Part has 24 dedicated Quick Edit knobbed parameters plus 8 Assignable Knobs. The Part’s Assignable Knobs can be linked to movement of a “Super Knob” - allowing you to specifically address any individual Part and any assignable parameter within that synth Part… and scaling the amount and direction of change per assignment! This is at the heart of Motion Control.
Each Part has 16 Control Sets — which is a Source (Controller) paired to a Destination (Parameter) — this is massive.
It’s a “Super” Knob because it can address individual parameters within any Part and can be moved with an optional FC7 Foot Controller — making possible the precise control over scores and scores of parameter changes, hands-free.

Imagine doing call and response lines with your Horn Section (Saxes answer Trumpets/Bones), high trumpets on the Super Knob… motion here is about access to musical articulations “on demand”. You can even seamlessly switch sounding Elements within an instrument sound while they are sounding… this motion lets you smoothly “blow more air into the horn” — in one continuous note-on you can transition from mellow brass sample waveforms through to a full tone sample waveform and all the way to a overdriven chaotic brass waveform… accomplished by the ability to individually control Element Levels without restriking keys. You actually “morph” between Elements — in a single gesture you fade in and then out Waveforms, as the mellow starts to fade out, the full tone waveform smoothly takes over and fades up, until it starts to fade and the chaotic overdriven wave fades in… Motion - all you do is increase the Super Knob, the overlapping fades take place smoothly transitioning the sound. Far more authentic sounding than peeling open a Filter Cutoff parameter!
__ Link — Mastering MODX ArticleSeries Portal

The SmartMorph function added to the FM-X engine opens new doors to synth motion programming by putting FM parameters in a mixer and spinning the dial. You can choose several (as many as 8) FM programs, this “machine learning” routine will create what’s called a Self Organizing Map on a 32x32 grid. Your selected sounds are placed randomly on the grid 1024 pixels… each pixel in-between represents some interpolation of parameters made from the combination of selected FM programs.

In programming this is like taking a wormhole to the Delta Quadrant, you are in a portion of the universe that is completely unexplored. Creating unique FM synthesis sounds has never been easier. You can move you finger (or use the ‘Super’ Knob to morph between the resulting 1024 grid of timbres generated with each LEARN session. The more you process the deeper you go into the unexplored.
__ Link — Mastering MODX Smart Moprh

 
Posted : 17/11/2021 7:58 pm
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Thank you so much! I can't wait to dig into this.

 
Posted : 18/11/2021 7:01 pm
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