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Assignments and Modulators

Assignments and Modulators are a key way to add expressivity to your sets in Sensory Percussion. In short, they allow you to control parameters with your playing -- and with ultra fine detail.

Assignments

A screenshot of the right-click pop out menu to create a new assignment

To make an assignment, right click on a parameter in Sensory Percussion and select New Assignment.

From the dropdown menu you can select the assignment type: Velocity, Timbre, Speed, Envelope, LFO, MIDI Control (more on each in the sections below).

A screenshot of the pop-up assignment creation window

Once you create a new assignment, a window pops up that allows you to select its source, change its type, set the sensitivity, set the parameter control range, and set the parameter control type (continuous, momentary, toggle, target).

In the example above, you can see the assignment window for a velocity assignment on the "transpose" parameter of a sampler. This will change the pitch of the sampler based on how hard you play.

tip

When selecting a source on a module assignment, you generally want to select "Default," as that will allow you to drag & drop, and cut, copy & paste the module around the software without breaking assignment links.

A few notable exceptions include:

  • Cross control, where you want a parameter to be controlled by a different Virtual Input than the Virtual Input that is triggering the module.
  • Modulators - when you want more than one parameter to be controlled by the same assignment, you can use a Modulator. More on Modulators below.

Modulators

If you know you are going to be reusing an assignment type more than once, you can create a Modulator and drag and drop it to parameters in your modules. To access the Modulator panel of modules, select the panel selector in the top right corner of the module. From the dropdown, select "Modulators" to view the Modulator panel. Click the plus button in the bottom right of the Modulator panel to add a modulator.

Once created you can drag and drop to assign the modulator to parameters in any child module.


Assignment/Modulator Types

Velocity

A screenshot of the velocity modulator type

Sets a range between soft and hard. For example, if you assign velocity to filter cutoff without adjusting the range, quiet hits will set the filter cutoff close to 20 Hz, while loud hits will open the cutoff to around 20,000 Hz.

Timbre

A screenshot of the timbre assignment type

Sets a range between two timbral zones, for example: center and edge. You could right click on a Reverb mix knob, select New Assignment, and select timbre: center to edge. Now hits in the center will send the mix knob close to 0 (no reverb) and hits on the edge will send the mix knob to close to 100.

Speed

A screenshot of the speed modulator type

Sets a range between slow and fast. Playing fast (like buzz rolls) will set the parameter to its top value. As with all assignments you can adjust the sensitivity: maybe you want the parameter to be at its low value at medium fast playing, and move to its top level with brisk 16th notes, in that case you would drag both sides of the sensitivity range inwards.

Envelope

A screenshot of the envelope modulator type

Sends a shape (attack, decay, sustain, release) to a parameter range. And because Sensory Percussion is a drumming system (in most cases you won't be interfacing with envelopes using a piano keyboard) there are the additional parameters of* start*, peak, hold, end, and use velocity which simulates the pressing and holding of a key.

LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator)

A screenshot of the oscillator modulator type

Sends an automated wave pattern to a parameter range. This is a nice way to control a parameter without actually playing a drum. Available shapes are sine, triangle, sawtooth up, sawtooth down, square, and random. You can scale the shape, add smoothing, adjust the phase, change the rate (0.01 Hz - 40,000 Hz), and add jitter.

MIDI

A screenshot of the MIDI control modulator type

To add a MIDI assignment, first make sure you have enabled your MIDI device in Sensory Percussion audio settings, and added a Hardware MIDI input.

Make sure you have a MIDI virtual input added to your set.

Now right click on a parameter and select that virtual input as the assignment input. Select "learn" in the top right hand corner and press a button or key on your MIDI device. Now that button/key is the input to the assignment.

If you want a knob or fader to control a parameter, select a MIDI Control as the assignment/modulator input. Select "learn" and wiggle a knob to set the assignment input.

This "learn" button exists in the MIDI control assignment window as well as the MIDI control modulator:

A screenshot of the MIDI control assignment type