Performance Settings

Config

Play Mode

• Mono: Only one string is played by all of the keys — can be used for solo lead-guitar presets — no polyphony possible unless Mono Mode Intervals are enabled. For MIDI Out, GeoShred will only send notes on a single channel.
• String: Each row of the playing surface represents a string — most common way of playing in a lead guitar style. Polyphony accomplished by playing keys on one or more strings at the same time. For MIDI out, this corresponds to MIDI mode 4 using a channel-per-row.
• Poly: All keys on the playing surface are treated like separate voices. Most common way of playing in a piano style, especially from a MIDI controller that sends out on a single channel. For MIDI Out, this corresponds to MIDI Mode 3 using a channel-per-note.

• Spec. Vel. This is called "Special Velocity" because we couldn't come up with a short way to say it. First of all, the Guitar, and all GeoSWAM instruments have Enable Velocity Override and Velocity Override controllers. However, the GeoSWAM instruments all share the same controller, even though they appear to be independent. Now, if Special Velocity is enabled, then notes coming in from MIDI, Key Y velocity or Force Touch velocity are used instead of the Velocity Override value. If Special Velocity is not enabled, which is the default, then the velocity value of incoming notes is overridden by the Velocity Override value.
• Key Y Touch: With Key Y Touch turned on, the vertical position of the initial touch on the key will be used to determine the velocity, with the min velocity on the bottom of the key, and the max on the top of the key.
• Legato: Legato us used to perform legato passages where there is a new noteOn before the noteOff for the previous note. For the GeoShred Guitar, the legato note is not rearticulated with a new excitation.

Quantization (Pitch Rounding Modes)

Pitch Rounding, or Quantization, allows playing in tune without having to touch the exact horizontal-center of each key. There are several settings related to this in the Quantization pane under Config:

• Piano: In Piano Mode, each Key is quantized to Standard Pitch in the current Scale, with no bending or finger vibrato. The next row of settings is disabled because they would have no effect in this mode: Conceptually, Snap is on and Round and Slide Speed have nothing to do because no pitch-bend is allowed.
• Guitar: Piano Mode plus Vibrato: In Guitar Mode, a key-touch starts out on Standard Pitch for the current scale, so Snap is always on. Horizontal finger motion gives pitch-bend in a one-semitone range, allowing vibrato to be performed. A new note is played when your finger crosses into the next Key to the left or right, like crossing a "fret". When Round is on, any pitch-bend relaxes back to the key's center pitch at a speed controlled by the Slide Speed setting. In addition to hearing it, you can watch the motion of the circle around your touch indicating the currently playing pitch.
• Slide: "No Frets": In Slide Mode, you can slide left or right along the same string to get large amounts of pitch bend (or wide vibrato) without triggering a new note, like on a slide guitar or fretless fingerboard, or when bending a note along a fret. Whenever your finger enters a new key, the pitch will start to approach the new key's pitch according to the Slide Speed setting. Snap, Round, and Slide Speed operate as in Guitar mode.
• Round: When on, the pitch will drift exponentially toward the current key's assigned pitch at the current Slide Speed.
• Snap: When on, the key's assigned pitch is initially played no matter where your finger happens lands on the key, except when sliding into the key from the left or right in Slide Mode. When Snap is off, the initial pitch is sharp or flat according to where your finger lands to the right or left of the key center, respectively. If Round is on, the pitch will drift toward the key-center pitch at a rate controlled by the Slide Speed setting.
• Slide Speed: Could also be called Round Speed: Controls the speed at which the playing pitch slides toward the key-center pitch. A large value for Slide Speed (towards the right on the slider), means the pitch will move faster, a small value for Slide Speed (towards the left on the slider) means the pitch will move slower. Watch the circle drawn around your fingertip to see it in action.

Mono Mode Intervals

Here you can define a list of intervals that will sound when playing a single note. This is called a Mono Mode Interval or an MMI. Currently 8 MMIs can be defined for each preset. You can also define a separation time, in seconds, so the chord plays as an arpeggio. The separation time can also be set from Arpeggiator or Master Rate. If you enable the Arpeggiator, the separation time controls will become unavailable. If you select use Master Rate however, the separation time derived from the Master Rate will stick.

Note: If Mono Mode Intervals are enabled without the arpeggiator then there are no noteOffs between noteOns. If the arpeggiator is enabled then there are noteOffs between noteOns, i.e. With arpeggiator: noteOn, noteOff, noteOn, noteOff..., without arpeggiator: noteOn, noteOn, noteOff, noteOff.

Arpeggiator

If the arpeggiator is enabled, notes that are being played will be arpeggiated. You can arpeggiate chords you play if the preset is in String Mode or Poly Mode, or you can arpeggiated Mono Mode Intervals.

Tempo

Speed of the arpeggio, can be tied to Master Rate.

Note Order

The Note Order determines which order the arpeggio will be played.

Octave

Octave indicates how many octaves the arpeggiator will play.

Control

Master Rate

System-wide Master Rate. Master rate can be taken from MIDI Clock, tapped out or specified in terms of bpm, Hz or seconds. Certain parameters on given effects, such as Echo delay, can subscribe to Master Rate, and also specify a multiplier. Anywhere you see a Master Rate button this can be done

Preset's MIDI Configuration

MIDI Configuration used by the current GeoShred Preset, overrides the default MIDI configuration

MIDI Out Tuning

Coarse, RPN1 and Fine RPN2, tune for when sending MIDI Out

Finger Expression

Finger Expression provides a way to either take input from the Expression Pad Y axis or Key Y/Key Z, or both.

If Enable is turned off and Finger Expr is turned off or on then there is no effect.

If Enable is turned on and Finger Expr is turned on then parameters assigned to the Expression Pad Y direction are NOT sent when finger is moved on the Expression Pad. Parameters assigned to Poly Expression ARE sent when a finger is moved up and down a key, (Key Y) or pushed into a key if Key Z is used.

If Enable is turned on and Finger Expr is turned off, then it's the reverse, the Expression Pad Y direction are NOT sent and Poly Expression ARE sent.

Debugging tip: Turn on Parameter Trace in the Trace Window to verify what you are hearing

Keyboard

Layout

Number of Strings is the number of rows on the playing surface.

Number of Frets is the number of columns on the playing surface.

Width and Pan can be used to modify the width of the keys, and their horizontal translation.

Diatonic changes the keyboard from Chromatic (all notes) to a Diatonic Keyboard (only notes in the current scale).

Scale/Root

Scrape

The effect of Scrape parameter is repeated excitation of the strings that are being played.

The faster you move your finger, the louder the scraped notes will be, with the maximum velocity being 1.0

The value of the Scrape parameter is not settable from Performance Settings, but it is a parameter you can choose when you make Control Surface, Expression Pad or Key Y mapping.

• Create a new Preset, and map Scrape to Expression X.
• Play a note and hold it down
• With another finger touch down on the left side Expression Pad and move it to right
• You will hear the scraping sound
• Increase the value of scrape parameter to make it louder.
• Decrease the value of the scrape parameter to make it softer.
• A value of zero means no scraping, a value of 1 means minimal scraping, and value of 1000 means maximum scraping.
• The faster you move your finger, in one direction the louder the scrape
• The slower you move your finger, in one direction the louder the scrape
• If you switch directions the scrape get louder as you turn around then proceed as described above.

You can turn on Note Update trace to see the effect your choice of scrape has

You may want to pick different scaling factors for Key Y scrape mappings than you do for the Expression Pad or Control Surface sliders, because the keys are often physically smaller.