Aftertouch control?

GX-80 is Cherry Audio's visionary flagship synthesizer that combines the unparalleled sound and features of the fabled GX-1 "Dream Machine"and its renowned descendant the CS-80 to create a powerhouse hybrid.
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timg11
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Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2022 5:39 pm

Aftertouch control?

Post by timg11 »

I just installed the GX-80 and am auditioning presets using the standalone mode under Windows 10.

I founds a couple with Aftertouch in the name (Aftertouch Flute and Aftertouch Superstar).

I don't hear any response from channel aftertouch. I'm using a Korg Kronos as a controller and have verified it is sending channel aftertouch with MidiOx.
I have not found any settings to enable aftertouch in the GX-80 Audio/MIDI settings.

Do the patches respond only to polyphonic aftertouch? Is there a way to map channel aftertouch if that is all that is available from the controller? (EDIT - the answer is both - explained in the user guide section on "Aftertouch Mode")

I also tried some mouse gestures while holding a key on the built-in keyboard (mouse wheel, dragging up/down the key) and did not hear any changes in timbre that might be controlled by aftertouch.

PS - I was able to hear aftertouch response on Aftertouch Flute by setting After Brilliance to 10 on both ranks. Then the filter opens with aftertouch. I'm still curious about the sound creator's intentions for the patch (as delivered) in term of aftertouch?
UrbanCyborg
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Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:23 pm

Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by UrbanCyborg »

Go into the GX-80's settings menu and set your controller active. Then, on another of the menu pages, set MPE active (assuming your controller is MPE-capable).

Reid
Cyberwerks Heavy Industries -- viewforum.php?f=76
Ade
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Joined: Tue May 04, 2021 10:47 am

Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by Ade »

UrbanCyborg wrote: Sun Dec 25, 2022 7:20 pm Go into the GX-80's settings menu and set your controller active. Then, on another of the menu pages, set MPE active (assuming your controller is MPE-capable).

Reid
On the GX-80? I'm not sure that's correct. The GX-80 always responds to aftertouch, channel or poly, depending on the front panel switches. There's no MPE enable as in some other Cherry audio synths.
Steve W
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Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:55 pm

Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by Steve W »

As with the original instruments, GX-80 responds to polyphonic aftertouch, but you'll need a controller capable of transmitting it . . . . GX-80 incorporates a unique Last mode, which lets you mimic true poly aftertouch pretty effectively using a MIDI controller that only transmits mono (channel) aftertouch data.

The aftertouch modes operate as follows:
Mono- Increasing pressure to any held key varies mod amount equally for all currently sounding notes.
Last- Increasing pressure to any held key varies mod amount for the most recent note played only.
Poly- Increasing pressure to a held key sends aftertouch control data independently for each key played. As mentioned, poly aftertouch requires a keyboard controller capable of transmitting poly aftertouch, but Last mode is an effective substitute.
My Casio DH-100 Horn Controller generates channel AT from the breath controller mechanism. Gonna have to try it with the GX-80!!!
timg11
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2022 5:39 pm

Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by timg11 »

UrbanCyborg wrote: Sun Dec 25, 2022 7:20 pm Go into the GX-80's settings menu and set your controller active. Then, on another of the menu pages, set MPE active (assuming your controller is MPE-capable).
That MPE setting does not exist in my GX-80 - maybe you have a different version or it is not in the settings menu.

Out of curiousity, I dusted off my old Ensoniq SD-1, which does support polyphonic aftertouch, and hooked it up. (aftertouch is reported as "Key Aftertouch" in MidiOx).

When I route the SD-1 MIDI to the GX-80, and select the Poly button in the Aftertouch Mode switches, it does indeed respond by opening the filter individually for each note. If the GX-80 Aftertouch mode is "Mono" it ignores poly aftertouch, and If the Aftertouch mode is "Poly" it ignores channel aftertouch.

Unfortunately the SD-1 requires such excessive pressure to elicit any aftertouch response it isn't practical to use in playing.
Steve W
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Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by Steve W »

timg11 wrote: Sun Dec 25, 2022 5:57 pm I don't hear any response from channel aftertouch. I'm using a Korg Kronos as a controller and have verified it is sending channel aftertouch with MidiOx.
I have a channel pressure knob I assigned on my usb keyboard that send out data in the range Dn 00 to Dn 7F, verfied with midi-ox. It works with the GX-80. It was very noticeable with Brass presets, including 0 Blade, A Slow Burn, All Saints Brass. It also worked with Aftertouch Flute and Aftertouch Superstar. The effects channel pressure added varied and is most noticeable with higher values. I have not tested with a DH-100.
Steve W
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Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by Steve W »

timg11 wrote: Sun Dec 25, 2022 5:57 pm PS - I was able to hear aftertouch response on Aftertouch Flute by setting After Brilliance to 10 on both ranks. Then the filter opens with aftertouch.
timg11 wrote: Wed Dec 28, 2022 6:11 pm Out of curiousity, I dusted off my old Ensoniq SD-1, which does support polyphonic aftertouch, and hooked it up. (aftertouch is reported as "Key Aftertouch" in MidiOx).

When I route the SD-1 MIDI to the GX-80, and select the Poly button in the Aftertouch Mode switches, it does indeed respond by opening the filter individually for each note. If the GX-80 Aftertouch mode is "Mono" it ignores poly aftertouch, and If the Aftertouch mode is "Poly" it ignores channel aftertouch.
My usb keyboard does not have poly aftertouch. With all of the presets I tested that responded, channel pressure/aftertouch affected a parameter often called amount (as in amount of contour). On most of them it seems to affect a filter parameter directly, but on Aftertouch Flute and Aftertouch Superstar, it affects the amount of LFO modulation presumably routed to a filter parameter and possibly a bit of loudness.
EricP1954
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Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2022 5:58 am

Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by EricP1954 »

Once GX-80 is loaded into my DAW, the DAW takes over the keyboard options, although Arturia has its own keyboard app, but I can't get at any of the controller options mentioned in the earlier posts.

I have a Starr Laboratories Ztar controller (looks like a guitar with keys), and the controller claims to have polyphonic aftertouch. My best results are going through Polyphonic Pitch Generator (a Voltage Modular plugin). Trouble is that the aftertouch feature can sometimes have varying results and be somewhat hard to control.
UrbanCyborg
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Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:23 pm

Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by UrbanCyborg »

Sorry for my earlier post; you are correct that there aren't any system settings to be enabled on the GX-80 for aftertouch. I had just set up one of the CA synths that did do it that way, and misremembered which I'd been working on. My bad.

Reid
Cyberwerks Heavy Industries -- viewforum.php?f=76
EricP1954
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Re: Aftertouch control?

Post by EricP1954 »

Has anyone set up an aftertouch trigger that uses something other than velocity pressure? I was hoping to get it done with the mod wheel.
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