Instrument Editor

Instrument Editor

Basic Instrument Properties

The top row of the instrument editor contains a number of things. From left to right, they are:

New Instrument

Create a new "blank" instrument. This will not create any new samples.

TODO: The newly created instrument will have all samples mapped to some random sample. I have no clue to the logic behind this. It seems random.

Import Instrument

Open a file dialog allowing you to import a previously saved instrument from a variety of formats. The supported formats are:

• .iti - Impulse Tracker Instrument
• .xi - Fast Tracker Instrument
• .wav - Standard wave file

Save Instrument

Open a file dialog allowing you to save the current instrument to disk. The supported formats are:

• .iti - Impulse Tracker Instrument
• .xi - Fast Tracker Instrument

Play

Clicking this will play the instrument once at C-5. Note: It's generally _much_ more useful to play the instrument using your keyboard (standard or MIDI). C-5 isn't really all that interesting...

Instrument Number

This is the instrument's unique identifier in the song. Each instrument has a number. Use this to navigate between different instruments in the song.

Instrument Name

This is the name of the instrument as it will appear in the instrument list in the Pattern Editor.

Instrument File Name.

The file name of the instrument. This is the default file name when saving. If not set, the Instrument Name will be the default file name when saving.

General

Global Volume

This sets the master volume for this instrument. See Effect Commands for an explanation of how different volumes affect each other.

Fade Out

This determines how quickly the instrument fades out if the Fade Out action is performed on the instrument. Higher is faster.

The Fade Out action is used if:

• "Note Fade" is used as either New Note Action or Duplicate Note Action
• The note is released with "Key Off" and the instrument doesn't have a Volume Envelope.

Pan

If this is checked, the instrument will set its panning every time it is played. The panning value is set between 0 and 256 where 0 is to the far left, 128 is dead center and 256 is to the far left. If the instrument does not set its panning it will subjected to either the panning set in its samples or whatever panning value the channel it is playing in currently has.

Pitch/Pan

These two control how the pitch and the panning of the instrument correlate. On a real-life grand piano for example, the long bass strings are located in the left hand side of the piano while the short treble strings are located in the right hand side. This means that lower notes will pan slightly to the left while the higher notes will pan to the right. This effect can be emulated with these controls.

Seperation

This determines how quickly the instrument pans out when you move away from the center note. The higher the value, the more the instruments pans out from center for each step away from the center note. Setting a negative seperation will reverse panning (e.g. high notes go left instead of right).

Center

This controls which note should be at the "acoustic center" of your instrument. Generally you'll want this to be in the middle of the area where the instrument plays most. So if, for example, your instrument mainly plays between C-5 and A-5 you would probably place the center at E-5 or F-5.

Attack

When new notes are played they don't start off at full volume but rather it is faded to avoid pops & clicking noises. This setting determines how that fade-in is. Higher means a longer fade. If your instrument clicks and pops on new notes, try increasing this.

TODO: What is the default value?

Filter

The filter and resonance parameters can be used for shaping the sound of the instrument by applying a low-pass and optionally resonance filter This is best suited for special effects controlled dynamically with either the Filter Envelope or Zxx Macros? but can occasionally be useful on a static setting, for example, for filtering out high-frequency hiss from a bass sample.

Cutoff

If this is checked, a low-pass filter will be applied to the instrument and the slider will select the cut-off frequency. The frequency can be adjusted between 130 Hz (far left) and 5.1 KHz (far right).

Resonance

If this is checked, a narrow-band resonance filter centered around the filter frequency is applied on top of the low-pass filter. The resonance increases as the slider is dragged to the right.

Random Variation

Volume

Low levels of random volume variation will often make instruments sound more natural and less mechanical while higher levels are suited for special stuff like for example percussion tracks that generally add spice rather than carry the tune.

Panning

Low levels of random panning variation is good for widening a mono track while higher levels are good for special effects - especially in combination with delay effects.

New Note Action

These options control what happens to a note when a new note is played.

Action

• Note Cut will cut the note abruptly.
• Continue will play the note until the end of the sample (or forever if the sample is looped)
• Note Off will have the same effect as a == in the pattern : the instrument will quit the "sustain mode" and play the end of the volume envelope)
• Note Fade will just fade out the note, according to the value of the "Fade Out" option.

Duplicate Check ans Duplicate Action

Duplicate Action will work the same way as Action, but only on a duplicate note/sample/instrument/plugin (according to the value of the Duplicate Check option).

Plugin / Midi

These parameters allow you to control how the instrument relates to VST plugins?, VST instruments? and MIDI?.

The drop down list allows you route the instrument through a VST plugin. Note that this means that means that the instrument will be "immune" to any VST plugins attached to the channel it is playing through. Clicking the Editor button will bring open the selected plug-ins interface like it does in the General Tab.

Midi / VSTi Channel

This indicates which MIDI channel the instrument will send its notes out, and to which channel it responds (*I think*). Complex VSTis may, for example, play different instruments on each channel. Using this, you would only have to load the VSTi once, and assign each instrument a different channel. Generally, channel 10 is used for percussion.

Midi Program

TODO: Somebody who know how this works in MPT - update this.

Midi Bank

TODO: Somebody who know how this works in MPT - update this.

Sample Map

This controls how the instrument's notes are mapped to notes. Before being played each note in an instrument is translated to a sample number and the note that that sample should be played with. Example:

F-4 C-5 01
F#4 C-6 02

Playing the F-4 note with this instrument would actually play a C-5 using sample 01, while playing F#4 would play C-6 using sample 02. This is useful for creating instruments that seamlessly use multiple samples.

Note: If you want to transpose an entire instrument, it's usually much easier to transpose the samples using the transpose parameter in the Sample Editor in or transpose the relevant notes in the Pattern Editor.

Right-clicking anywhere in the sample map will bring up a context menu:

• Edit Sample Map - brings up the Sample Map Editor
• Edit Sample > - Shortcuts to bring up intrument's samples in Sample Editor
• Map all notes to sample <n> - Copy the sample number from the currently selected note to all other notes.
• Reset note mapping - Reset all sample notes to map directly to the instrument's notes.
• Duplicate instrument - Create a new instrument identical to this one.

Sample Map Editor

This allows you graphically edit the sample map of an instrument by selecting an instrument from the drop-down and then clicking on the notes you want to map. By default, the instrument drop-down will only contain the samples currently in use by the instrument so if you want to add new ones, check "Show all samples". Move the slider at the bottom of the window to select octaves.

Instrument Envelopes

Volume Envelope

TODO

• Release Envelope

Panning Envelope

TODO:

Pitch / Filter Envelope

TODO: