How do you use note expression to the best effect?

[raino]

I’m starting to explore note expression, and understand the description in the manual and the video tutorial. But there are a couple of things I’ve run into that aren’t explained there. Additionally I’d like to hear about any techniques that you have discovered that make note expression easier to use or produces superior results - tricks, tips, things to avoid, etc…

One thing I want to do is some very small amounts of pitch shift to notes. But when I try to do this by drawing small curves this still causes the pitch to vary way too much. I was finally able to get the effect I wanted by compressing the curve until it was just moving up and down by a pixel or two - nothing I could ever hope to accurately draw (and a pain in the butt too). Even with the note expression editor set to the largest size, the visual resolution is just too limited to enter small values. FYI, I do not have the vertical snap enabled, which would cause the pitch to jump by notes. I’m guessing there is an obvious setting that I’m missing.

Also in the note expression editor is there any way to accurately ensure that one point on the curve is at the middle zero position vertically. I’d really like to make sure that the very first point in a pitch curve has zero pitch change. Right now I’m just moving the curve up and down until it kinda looks/sounds right. Again the resolution of the editors visual display makes even this hard.

Using Sonic SE I’ve noticed different patches have different note expression parameters available. They all seem to have volume, panning, and tuning. But Shiny Trombone Noteexpression has tone color and emphasis available, while Tender Tenor Sax Noteexpression has crescendo and accent. I assume that whoever programmed the patch just gave those names to whatever combination of instrument parameters (e.g. volume and filtering) they felt created an accent or whatever. Is there any way to see what instrument parameters the note expression data actually controls? Also can I edit SE patches to add note expression to those who don’t have it, or do you need Halion4 for that?

[vic_france]

@raino

One thing I want to do is some very small amounts of pitch shift to notes. But when I try to do this by drawing small curves this still causes the pitch to vary way too much. I was finally able to get the effect I wanted by compressing the curve until it was just moving up and down by a pixel or two - nothing I could ever hope to accurately draw (and a pain in the butt too).

The Logical Editor can help you out here (the following settings will halve the result of your current pitchbend curve, whether applied as Note Expression, or as “regular” pitch bend… just keep applying the preset until sufficiently reduced)…
Create the following, and save as a Logical Editor preset…

Upper section…
Type is___Equal___Pitchbend

Lower section…
Value 2___Divide by___2.0000
Value 2___Add___32

Function = “Transform”

(or, if you want to reduce in a single, bigger step, you could Divide by 4.0000, and Add 48)

Also in the note expression editor is there any way to accurately ensure that one point on the curve is at the middle zero position vertically. I’d really like to make sure that the very first point in a pitch curve has zero pitch change. Right now I’m just moving the curve up and down until it kinda looks/sounds right. Again the resolution of the editors visual display makes even this hard.

As you hover the pencil tool over the Note Expression Editor widow, look at the value that is displayed at the bottom-right.

Using Sonic SE I’ve noticed different patches have different note expression parameters available. They all seem to have volume, panning, and tuning. But Shiny Trombone Noteexpression has tone color and emphasis available, while Tender Tenor Sax Noteexpression has crescendo and accent. I assume that whoever programmed the patch just gave those names to whatever combination of instrument parameters (e.g. volume and filtering) they felt created an accent or whatever. Is there any way to see what instrument parameters the note expression data actually controls? Also can I edit SE patches to add note expression to those who don’t have it, or do you need Halion4 for that?

No, you can’t do that with Halion Sonic SE, but you can do it with the full Halion Sonic (or, as you say, Halion 4)

Of course, you might prefer, instead, to reduce the receiving instruments sensitivity to pitch bend, if that parameter is available .