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Glossary

Assignment​

A connection that lets something move a control while you play. Right-click almost any knob or slider to assign it to a source, like velocity, timbre, speed, the hi-hat pedal, an LFO, a MIDI controller, or a macro. See Assignments & Modulators.

Audio bus​

A shared channel that several layers or modules can send audio to, so they can share one set of effects, like a single reverb. See Audio Buses.

Blend​

A control on Drum Pads and the Hit Controller that crossfades between neighboring zones or steps. With blend off, a sound switches abruptly from one to the next. With blend on, they fade into each other as you play between them.

Buffer size​

The number of audio samples the software processes at a time. Smaller buffers mean lower latency but more work for your computer, and if it can't keep up you'll hear clicks and pops. 128 samples gives good latency, and 64 is better if your computer can handle it. Set it in Settings → Audio, and watch the CPU meter for dropouts.

Checkpoint​

A dated copy of a session, saved inside its session folder so you can go back to an earlier version. See Session Folders and Checkpoints.

Controller​

A module that holds other modules and decides which of them plays, and how. For example, it can send each zone to its own sound, step through sounds one hit at a time, or pick a pitch. Controllers can hold generators and other controllers. See Controllers.

Drum Pads​

The most common controller: it sends each zone of a drum to its own module, so the center, the edge, and the rim can each play a different sound. See Drum Pads.

Drum Trigger​

A hardware input for a conventional single- or dual-zone drum trigger, played like a drum without any training. See Drum Trigger Inputs.

Edit view​

The view where you build and edit sets. Every layer is laid out as a tree of modules that you can add to, rearrange, and fine-tune. See Edit View.

Effect​

A module that processes the sound of the module it sits on, like a reverb, delay, compressor, or EQ. Any generator or controller can carry effects. See Effects.

eKit​

A hardware input for an electronic drum kit connected over MIDI, with its pads mapped to drums and zones. See eKit Inputs.

Environment​

A saved snapshot of your setup: your audio device, hardware inputs and outputs, MIDI devices, and OSC settings. Environments let you switch between setups, like home and stage, without touching your sessions. See Environments.

Generator​

A module that makes sound or sends messages, like a sampler, an Audio Insert (which plays a live input such as a mic), or a MIDI generator. Most generators can't hold other modules (a MIDI Kit is the exception), but they can all carry effects. See Generators.

Global Set​

A set that's always playing, whichever set you've selected. It's useful for things that should run through a whole performance, like a vocal mic or a click. See Global Set.

Hardware input​

Something physical that sends a signal into the software: a drum or cymbal sensor, a drum trigger, an eKit, a MIDI controller, or an audio source like a mic. Hardware inputs belong to your environment, not to a session. See Hardware Inputs.

Hardware output​

Where the software sends its signal: speakers or headphones on your audio interface, or a MIDI device. See Hardware Outputs.

Hot Swap​

A way to audition instruments while you play: select a drum, then page through similar instruments, and each one replaces the last without any rewiring. See Hot Swap.

Input filter​

A setting on a layer or module that decides which hits reach it, like Snare 1 or All Toms. Modules inherit their parent's filter unless they have their own. See Input Filtering.

Instrument​

A ready-to-play module, like a snare, a drumset, or a MIDI Kit, that you can drop into any set and swap for another. Each instrument has a role, like snare or kick. You can also save your own. See Instruments.

Layer​

One part of a set, like the drums or the chords: a row in the Edit view and a fader in the mix. A layer holds modules and has its own input filter, so different layers can listen to different drums, and one hit can play several layers at once.

Macro​

A single knob or switch that controls several settings at once. Macros live on sets, layers, and modules. See Macros.

Main Mix​

The panel in the Play view where you balance your layers: a fader, mute, and pan for each. The Mix view shows the same mix in more detail.

Metro​

A controller that plays its modules in time with the tempo, for click tracks, patterns, and anything that should keep time on its own. See Metro.

MIDI Kit​

A generator that turns your whole kit into MIDI notes for drum software or external gear, with one set of note mappings per drum. See MIDI Kit.

Mix view​

The view for mixing: every layer and bus as a channel strip, with levels, panning, sends, and submixes. See Mix View.

Modulator​

The other way to make an assignment: start from the source (velocity, an LFO, and so on) in a module's Modulators panel, then drag it onto the controls it should move. See Modulators.

Module​

Any generator, controller, or effect: the building blocks of a set. Modules are the boxes you see in the Edit view, and they can be nested inside controllers. See Modules.

Note Controller​

A controller that pitches each hit to a note in a scale, chosen by how you play, for example by how hard you hit. See Note Controller.

Play view​

The front page of a set, and where you'll spend most of your time playing. It shows the set's kit graphic and Input routing, its macros, the Main Mix, and Hot Swap. You can also fill empty drums from here with the + buttons. See Play View.

Preset​

Saved settings for one type of module or effect, like a favorite reverb, that you can recall on any module of the same type. See Presets.

Sample rate​

How many times per second audio is measured, in kilohertz (kHz). At 44.1 kHz, the signal is measured 44,100 times a second. Higher rates add CPU load, and we recommend 44.1 kHz. 48 kHz is common in film and video work. If you connect two interfaces over ADAT, set both to the same sample rate.

Sensor expansion​

A second EVANS Portal used only for its sensor inputs, giving you seven more. See Sensor Expansion.

Sequencer​

A controller that plays the modules inside it one step at a time, so each hit plays the next sound in order, in reverse, or at random. See Sequencer.

Session​

A file (.sp2) that holds a list of sets, like a gig or a project. The sets run across the top of the window, and you switch between them while you play. You always work either in a saved session or in the Workspace. See Workspace and Sessions.

Session folder​

A folder that keeps a session together with its samples, images, and checkpoints, so you can move it to another computer intact. See Session Folders and Checkpoints.

Set​

One complete sound world, like a song: its layers, macros, and look. A set can be as simple as one sampler on one drum, or as rich as a full kit with chords, sequences, and effects. A session holds several sets.

Speed​

How fast you're playing: how close together your hits are. Speed can drive any control, so buzz rolls can sound different from single strokes. See Speed.

Tempo​

The session's shared clock, in BPM. It drives Metros, tempo-synced effects like delays, and the metronome, and it can follow MIDI clock or your DAW. See Tempo.

Timbre​

The character of a hit, on a smooth scale between two zones, for example how far from the center toward the edge you hit. Timbre can choose a sound or shape one, the way the sound of an acoustic drum changes from center to edge. See Timbre.

Training​

Teaching Sensory Percussion how your drums sound by playing a few hits in each zone. A machine-learning model uses those hits to recognize which zone each hit is. Cymbals and hi-hats use a pre-trained model and need no training. See Drum Training.

Velocity​

How hard you hit. Velocity can control volume, choose a sound, or drive any other control. See Velocity.

Virtual input​

A set's version of an input, like Snare 1. Sets are written for virtual inputs, which are matched by name to your hardware inputs. So a set from the library plays on your kit, and your sessions play on any setup. See Virtual Inputs.

Workspace​

An always-saved scratchpad that holds a list of sets without being a named file. It and a saved session are the two places your work can live. See Workspace and Sessions.

Zone​

A distinct way of hitting a drum or cymbal, each of which can trigger its own sound. Some zones are places, like the center or the edge. Others are gestures: hitting the rim with the tip of the stick or its shoulder, a rimshot, a cross-stick, or a stickshot, which lands on the same part of the head as a center or edge hit but sounds different. Sensory Percussion recognizes up to 10 zones on snares and toms, 6 on kicks, 5 on cymbals, and 6 on hi-hats.