Reason 13.1 Operation Manual
DAW | Rack Plugin
NN-XT Sampler
The basic functions of the NN-XT are very similar to those of its sampler companion in the Reason rack - the NN-19 (see “NN-19 Sampler”). Just like the NN-19, NN-XT lets you load samples and create multi-sample patches by mapping samples across the keyboard. The sound can then be modified by a comprehensive set of synth-type parameters. There are however some major differences between the two. The NN-XT has:
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Support for SoundFonts.
Presets and samples from SoundFont banks can be loaded and used in the NN-XT (see “Loading SoundFonts”).
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8 stereo output pairs.
This makes it possible to route different samples to different mixer channels for individual effect processing (see “Out”).
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The possibility to create layered sounds.
This is done by mapping several samples across the same keyboard range (see “Creating layered sounds”).
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The possibility to create sounds that only play over certain velocity ranges, velocity switched key maps and velocity crossfading.
See “Setting velocity range for a Zone”.
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Key maps with individual synth parameter settings for each sample.
See “Synth parameters”.
Even though the NN-XT is a more advanced sample player than NN-19, it should not be considered as a successor to the NN-19, but rather as a complement to it. The NN-19 will for example probably still be the sampler of choice for those of you who want to be able to quickly load a couple of samples and start playing, since that particular aspect takes a little more doing with the NN-XT.
As previously alluded, you can load complete sample patches as well as individual samples into the NN-XT.
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A patch is a complete “sound package”. It contains information about all the samples used, assigned key zones, associated panel settings etc. Loading a sample patch is done by using the patch browser on the main panel, and works in the same way as with any other Reason device.
The Browse Patch button on the main panel.
For general instructions on how to load and save patches, please see “Loading patches” and “Saving patches”.
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Loading separate samples is done in a similar way, but via the sample browser on the remote editor panel. If you load samples, map them across keyboard ranges and set up the sound the way you want it, you can save your settings as a Patch for easy access later.
The Browse Sample button on the remote editor.
More about loading samples later in this chapter.
#Loading NN-XT Patches
NN-XT Patches are patches made specifically for the NN-XT. Reason ships with a large number of NN-XT Patches, some in the Factory Sound Bank but most in the Orkester Sound Bank. NN-XT Patches have the extension “.sxt”.
1.
Click the Browse Patch button on the front panel to set browse focus to the NN-XT device.
2.
Navigate to the folder that contains the NN-XT patch you wish to load, select it and click Load in the Browser.
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Alternatively, drag an NN-XT patch from the Browser and drop it on the NN-XT device in the rack.
The panel is dimmed in orange and the Patch Replace symbol appears in the center.
#Loading NN-19 Patches
NN-19 Patches have the extension “.smp”. Note that when loading NN-19 patches into the NN-XT, some parameters will not be applicable since the NN-19 and the NN-XT to some extent differ from each other in terms of controls. In these cases, the concerned parameters will either be ignored by the NN-XT or mapped to the most equivalent control.
1.
Click the Browse Patch button on the front panel to set browse focus to the NN-XT device.
2.
Navigate to the folder that contains the NN-19 patch you wish to load, select it and click Load in the Browser.
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Alternatively, drag an NN-19 patch from the Browser and drop it on the NN-XT device in the rack.
The panel is dimmed in orange and the Patch Replace symbol appears in the center.
#Loading SoundFonts
The SoundFont format was developed by E-mu systems in collaboration with Creative Technologies. It is a standardized data format containing wavetable synthesized audio and information on how it should be played back in wavetable synthesizers - typically on audio cards. The SoundFont format is an open standard so there is a vast amount of SoundFont banks and SoundFont compatible banks developed by third parties.
Loading SoundFonts is no different from loading NN-XT Patches. As with NN-19 Patches, the NN-XT does its best to map all the SoundFont settings to NN-XT parameters.
You can load SoundFont presets by using the patch browser, and single SoundFont samples by using the sample browser.
#Loading complete REX files as Patches
REX files are music loops created in the ReCycle program or when editing audio clips inline in Reason (see “Bounce Clip to REX Loop”). In Reason, REX files are primarily used in the Dr. Octo Rex loop player, but they can be used in the NN-XT as well. Possible extensions are “.rx2”, “.rcy” and “.rex”.
1.
Click the Browse Patch button on the front panel to set browse focus to the NN-XT device.
2.
Navigate to the folder that contains the REX loop you wish to load, select it and click Load in the Browser.
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Alternatively, drag a REX loop from the Browser and drop it on the NN-XT device in the rack.
The panel is dimmed in orange and the Patch Replace symbol appears in the center.
When loading a REX file, each slice in the file is assigned to one key, chromatically, starting from C1. All parameters are set to their default settings.
When using REX files in the Dr. Octo Rex loop player, it is possible to make a track play the slices in order to recreate the original loop. To do the same in the NN-XT requires a few extra steps.
1.
Use the Browser to load the REX file into an NN-XT sampler.
2.
Create a Dr. Octo Rex loop player and load the same REX file into a Loop Slot of this device.
3.
Use the Copy Loop To Track feature on the Dr. Octo Rex to create playback data (a group) on the track assigned to the Dr. Octo Rex.
4.
Move that group to the track that plays the NN-XT and play it back from there.
5.
Delete the Dr. Octo Rex loop player.
All of the controls on the main panel are used for globally modifying certain parameters for all of the samples in a patch, by the same amount.
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Movements of the parameters on the main panel can be recorded as automation. However, controls on the remote editor panel (described later) can not!
The following is a description of the controls and parameters on the main panel.
#The Pitch and Modulation wheels
Most MIDI keyboards come equipped with Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels. The NN-XT features settings for how incoming MIDI Pitch Bend and Modulation wheel messages should affect the sound. The wheels on the NN-XT will also mirror the movements of the wheels on your MIDI keyboard.
If you don’t have Pitch Bend or Modulation controls on your keyboard, or if you aren’t using a keyboard at all, you can use the two fully functional wheels on the NN-XT to apply real time modulation and pitch bend.
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The Pitch Bend wheel is used for “bending” the played notes up and down to change their pitch - much like bending the strings on a guitar or other string instrument. The Pitch Bend Range is set on the remote editor panel (see “Pitch Bend Range”).
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The Modulation wheel can be used for applying modulation to the sound while you’re playing. It can also be used for controlling a number of other parameters, as described in “The Modulation controls”.
#The External Control wheel
This section can be used in three ways:
#Receiving MIDI controller messages from external sources
NN-XT can receive common MIDI controller messages, and route these to various parameters. You use the “Source” selector switch to determine which type of message should be received:
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Aftertouch (Channel Pressure)
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Expression Pedal
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Breath Control
If your MIDI keyboard is capable of sending aftertouch messages, and/or if you have connected an expression pedal or a breath controller to it, you can use these to modulate NN-XT parameters. Which parameters should be modulated is set in the remote editor panel (see “The Modulation controls”).
#Recording MIDI controller messages with the wheel
The wheel in the external control section can be used for recording any or all of the three MIDI controller message types into the Reason sequencer. If your MIDI keyboard isn’t capable of sending aftertouch messages or you don’t have access to an expression pedal or a breath controller, you can use the wheel instead.
This is done just as with any other automation recording, see “Recording performance controller automation”.
#High Quality Interpolation
This switch turns High Quality Interpolation on and off. When it is activated, the sample pitch is calculated using a more advanced interpolation algorithm. This results in better audio quality, especially for samples with a lot of high frequency content.
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High Quality Interpolation uses more computer power - so if you don’t need it, it’s a good idea to turn it off! Listen to the sounds in a context and determine whether you think this setting makes any difference.
#Global Controls
All of these knobs change the values of various parameters in the remote editor panel and affect all loaded samples. Thus they can be used for quickly adjusting the overall sound.
The knobs are bi-polar, which means that when they are centered, no parameter change is applied. By turning them to the right you increase the corresponding value, and by turning them to the left, you decrease the value.
Again, the movements of these parameters can be recorded as automation. This is done just as with any other automation recording, see “Recording parameter automation”.
The controls are, from left to right:
#Filter
These two knobs each control a parameter of the filter (see “The Filter section”). Note that the filter must be on for these to have any effect.
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Frequency
This changes the cutoff frequency of the filter.
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Resonance
This changes the resonance parameter of the filter, meaning - the filter characteristic, or quality.
#Amp Envelope
These three knobs control the Amplitude Envelope (see “The Amplitude Envelope”) in the following way:
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Attack
This changes the Attack value of the Amplitude Envelope. That is, how long it should take for the sound to reach full level after you press a key on your keyboard.
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Decay
This changes the Decay value of the Amplitude Envelope. Decay determines how long it should take for the sound to go back to the sustain level after it has reached full value (see “The Amplitude Envelope”) and the key that triggered the sound is still being pressed.
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Release
This changes the Release value of the Amplitude Envelope. Release works just like Decay with the exception that it determines how long it should take for the sound to become silent after the key has been released.
#Mod Envelope
This knob controls the Decay value of the Modulation Envelope (see “The Modulation Envelope”). Also see above for a brief description of Decay.
#Master Volume
This controls the main volume out from the NN-XT. Turn the knob to the right to increase the volume.
It is in the Remote Editor Panel that the main NN-XT action is going on, especially if you’re creating your own patches. The remote editor is dominated by the key map display, and this is also the part on which we will concentrate to begin with.
#The Key Map display
The key map display consists of a number of separate areas that let you do different things. To help you navigate the key map display, these areas are described below.
#The Info area
This displays the following information about the currently selected sample: Sample rate, mono/stereo information, bit resolution and file size.
#The Sample area
This area displays the names of the samples in each zone. It also allows you to change the order of the zones by clicking and dragging them up and down.
#The Group area
This area does not show any information. However, by clicking in it, you can instantly select all the zones that belong to a certain group. See “Working with Grouping” for information on how to create groups.
#The Keyboard area
Aside from the fact that is a guideline for setting up key ranges, it is also used for setting the root keys of, and auditioning loaded samples. See “About the Root Key” and “Auditioning samples” respectively for more information.
#The Tab Bar area
This area gives you a visual indication of the key range of a selected zone. By clicking and dragging the “handles” at the key range boundaries, you can resize the key ranges, and by clicking in between the handles, you can move the key ranges without changing their length.
#The Key Range area
This area in the middle of the key map display is where you keep track of all the zones and the relationship between them. You can also move and resize the zones just like in the Tab Bar area, as described above.
#The Scrollbars
There are both horizontal and vertical scrollbars that work just like regular scrollbars. Whenever there is more information in the key map display than what fits on a “single screen”, you can use the scrollbars to reveal it. Either click on the arrows or click and drag the scrollbar handles.
#Sample parameters
This area shows the current values of basic parameters you can set for zones, such as root key, play mode, output etc. The parameters are changed by using the knobs directly below the key map display.
#Group parameters
These parameters are adjusted on a per group basis (see “Group parameters” for more information on groups). Most of them relate to performance or playing style.
#Synth Parameters
The bulk of the parameters on the remote editor are used for adjusting the sound of the samples by applying filtering, envelope shaping, modulation (like vibrato and tremolo) and so on. We call these the synth parameters, since they are to a large extent identical to those on a regular synthesizer.
For a clear understanding of the terminology used when describing the various operations that can be performed in the key map display, it is important to clarify the distinction between a sample and a zone:
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A Sample is a piece of audio that can be loaded into the NN-XT and played back.
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A Zone could be viewed as a “container” for a loaded sample.
All loaded samples are placed in “Zones” in the key map display. You can then organize the zones as you please, and make various settings such as key- and velocity ranges separately for each zone.
In other words, the settings you make are actually performed on the zones, but affect the samples in them. Hence, when we talk about making settings for a zone, it is synonymous with making settings for a sample - the sample that the zone contains.
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Two or more zones can play the same sample, but with different parameter settings, making them sound completely different.
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A zone can be empty, playing no sample at all.
Almost all operations in the remote editor are performed on one or more selected zones or on the zone with edit focus. Several zones can be selected at once, but only one zone at a time can have edit focus.
This is important since:
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Editing operations that can be performed on several zones (like deleting), always apply to the selected zones.
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Editing operations that can be performed on one zone only, always apply to the zone with edit focus.
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The front panel always shows the settings for the zone with edit focus.
Here no zone is selected.
Here the middle zone is selected but does not have edit focus.
Here the middle zone has edit focus but is not selected. Notice the thicker border and the additional handles in the key range area.
Here the middle zone is selected and has edit focus.
Here, all three zones are selected, but the middle one has edit focus.
#Selecting Zones
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To select a zone, click on it.
Clicking on a zone will also automatically give it edit focus.
You can also select multiple zones in several ways:
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By holding down [Shift], or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and clicking on the zones you wish to select.
This way you can select several non-contiguous zones. You can also deselect a selected zone by clicking on it again.
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By holding down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and pressing [A].
This will select all of the zones in the key map display. To deselect all zones, click in an unoccupied area in the Sample column or the key map area.
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By clicking and dragging a selection box in the key map area.
Note that the zones don’t have to be completely encompassed by the selection box. The selection box only have to intersect parts of the zones to include them in the selection.
#Selecting zones via MIDI
You can also select zones via your MIDI keyboard. By clicking the button marked “Select zones via MIDI” above the key map display so that it lights up, you enable selection via MIDI.
This way, you can select a zone and give it edit focus by pressing a key that lies within the zone’s key range (see later in this chapter for information about setting up key ranges).
In this case, this zone can be selected by pressing any key between C2 - C3 on your MIDI keyboard.
Note also, that selection via MIDI is velocity sensitive. Zones may have specific velocity ranges. This means that they won’t be played unless the key that triggers the zone is played with a certain velocity. The same rules apply when selecting via MIDI, only zones that meet the velocity criteria will be selected. Read more about setting up velocity ranges on “Setting velocity range for a Zone”.
#Selecting All Zones in a Group
The concept of zone groups is fully introduced on “Working with Grouping”. For now we will only describe how to select all samples that belong to the same group:
#Moving Edit Focus
#Moving Edit Focus
A zone can be given edit focus independently of selection:
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When you click on an unselected zone, it both gets selected and gets edit focus.
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When you select several zones using [Shift], or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac), the one you select last always gets edit focus.
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To set edit focus to a zone when several zones are already selected, click on it without holding down any modifier keys.
This way, you can move edit focus between the selected zones freely without deselecting any of them.
#Adjusting Synth parameters
The synth parameters are the ones that occupy the bulk of the remote editor panel (see “Synth Parameters”). Changes you make to synth parameters always apply to all selected zones.
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The panel always shows the settings for the zone with edit focus.
More about this below.
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To make adjustments to one zone, select it (which also gives it edit focus) and adjust the parameter on the front panel.
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To set several zones to the same value, select them and adjust the parameter.
All zones will be set to the same value for the parameter you adjusted.
#Adjusting Group parameters
Group parameters apply to a group. That is, they are settings that are shared by all zones in a group.
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To make adjustments to one group, select one or more zones that belong to the group, and adjust the parameter on the front panel.
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To set several groups to the same value, select at least one zone in each group you want to adjust, and adjust the parameter.
All groups will be set to the same value. More about this below.
#About “Conflicting” parameters
Often you will find yourself in a situation where you select multiple zones and parameter settings differ between them. This is quite normal. For example, you will often find yourself making adjustments to for example level and filtering to balance the sound between several samples across the keyboard. However, if you have multiple selections this can sometimes lead to confusion: Enter the NN-XT’s “conflicting parameters” indication:
Whenever two or more selected zones have conflicting parameter settings, NN-XT will notify you about this by showing a small “M” (for multiple) symbol, next to the parameter.
In this example, Level and Spread have conflicting settings.
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The controls on the panel always show the setting for the zone with edit focus.
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By clicking your way through the zones within the selection, you can see the settings for each zone.
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If you adjust a parameter, all selected zones will be set to the same value for this parameter.
You can put this functionality to good use when checking how a patch has been created and when checking that your own settings are consistent through the various zones.
#Sample parameters
The Sample parameters allow you to specify various properties for one or several selected zones, such as tuning, key and velocity ranges.
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To set several zones to the same value, select them and adjust the parameter.
All zones will be set to the same value for the parameter you adjusted.
#Copying parameters between zones
You can easily copy parameter settings from one zone to any number of other zones. Proceed as follows:
1.
Select all the zones you want to involve in the operation.
By this we mean the zone with the settings you wish to copy, and the zone(s) to which you want to copy the settings.
2.
Make sure the zone that contains the settings you want to copy has edit focus.
3.
Pull down the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu and select “Copy Parameters to Selected Zones”.
All the selected zones will now get the exact same parameter settings.
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Observe that this only applies to the synth parameters (see “Synth parameters”). Sample parameters (root key, velocity range etc.) can not be copied.
#Creating a Key Map
When you add an NN-XT sampler to the rack and select “Reset Device” from the context menu or Edit menu, its key map display becomes empty. That is, it contains no samples.
To create a new key map, proceed as follows:
1.
Either click the Browse Samples button, select Browse Samples from the Edit menu or select Browse Samples from the NN-XT’s context menu.
The NN-XT device gets browse focus.
The Browse Samples button.
2.
Select the sample or samples that you want to load in the browser and click the “Load” button in the Browser.
The selected sample(s) are loaded into the NN-XT.
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Alternatively, drag one or several sample files from the Browser and drop it on the NN-XT device in the rack.
The panel is dimmed in blue and a Sample Replace symbol appears in the center.
When new samples are loaded into the NN-XT they have the following properties:
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Each sample is placed in its own zone.
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Each zone spans a key range of five octaves on the keyboard - C1 to C6.
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All the newly added sample(s)/zones are automatically selected.
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The first added zone gets edit focus.
A key map with four newly added samples.
#Setting Root Notes and Key Ranges
The next step after loading the samples is most likely to adjust the key range, root note and tuning of the samples, so that they play sensibly across the key range. There are many ways of doing this, described in “Working with Key Ranges” and onwards. However, we will here briefly describe a procedure for quickly creating a complete key map out of a set of loaded samples.
This example assumes that the samples you load is a set of multisamples for a pitched instrument (like guitar, piano, flute etc.).
1.
Load the samples.
2.
Use “Select All” on the Edit menu to select all the loaded samples.
3.
Use “Set Root Notes from Pitch Detection” to automatically set up the root notes (pitches) for the samples.
4.
Select “Automap Zones” from the Edit menu.
All selected zones are automatically arranged into a basic key map. You can now proceed with adjusting the synth parameters on the front panel to shape the sound!
#About file formats and REX slices
The audio file format support differs depending on which computer OS you are using.
The NN-XT can read audio files in the following formats:
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In Windows:
.wav, .aif, .mp3, .aac, .m4a and .wma.
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In macOS:
.wav, .aiff, .3g2, .3gp, .mp1, .mp2, .mp3, .mpeg, .mpa, .snd, .au, .sd2, .ac3, .aac, .adts, .amr, .caf, .m4a .m4r and .mp4.
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SoundFont samples
This is a standardized data format containing wavetable synthesized audio and information on how it should be played back in wavetable synthesizers - typically on audio cards. SoundFont banks are hierarchically organized into different categories: User Samples, Instruments, Presets etc. The NN-XT lets you load single samples from within a Soundfont bank.
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REX file slices
A slice is a snippet of sound in a REX File (see “Loading complete REX files as Patches”). To import a REX slice, browse to a REX file and open it as if it was a folder. The browser will then display the slices as files inside that “folder”. In the rest of this manual, when we refer to importing samples, all that is said applies to REX slices as well.
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Any sample rate and practically any bit depth.
#Adding more samples to the Key Map
You can add additional samples to an existing key map way described above.
1.
Make sure that no already loaded sample has edit focus.
If you don’t, there’s a risk that the selected sample will be replaced, see below. To remove the edit focus, click in an unoccupied area in the Sample column or the key map area.
2.
Open the Sample Browser.
3.
Select the sample(s) you want to load in the browser and click the “Load” button in the Browser.
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Alternatively, drag one or several sample files from the Browser and drop it on the NN-XT device in the rack.
The panel is dimmed in blue and a Sample Replace symbol appears in the center.
The new sample(s) are added to the key map.
#Replacing a sample
To replace the sample in a zone, proceed as follows:
1.
Make sure the zone has edit focus and do one of the following:
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Click the Browse Samples button.
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Select Browse Samples from the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu.
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Double click in the zone.
Any of these methods will set browse focus and open the standard file browser in which you can select new samples for the zone.
2.
Select one and only one sample in the Sample Browser.
If you select more than one sample in the browser the samples you load will not replace the one with edit focus. They will instead be added below it.
3.
Click the Load button in the Browser.
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Alternatively, drag a sample file from the Browser and drop it on the NN-XT device in the rack.
The panel is dimmed in blue and a Sample Replace symbol appears in the center.
#Quick browsing through samples
If you want to quickly browse through a number of samples, for example to see which one of them would fit best in a certain context, proceed as follows:
1.
Set up the zone as desired and make sure it has edit focus:
2.
Use the arrow buttons in the Browse Samples section to select the next/previous sample in the directory.
#Removing samples
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To remove a sample from a zone, select it by clicking on it and then select “Remove Samples” from the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu.
This will remove the sample from the zone, leaving it empty. Note that you can remove the samples from several selected zones at the same time.
#Auditioning samples
You can audition the loaded samples in two ways:
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By pressing [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) and clicking a sample in the sample column.
The mouse pointer will take on the shape of a speaker symbol when you move it over the sample column.
Clicking a sample will play it back at its root pitch (see “About the Root Key”). Furthermore, the sample will play back in its unprocessed state. That is, without any synth-parameters applied (see “Synth parameters”).
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By pressing [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) and clicking a sample in the keyboard column.
The difference here is that you will hear the sample at the pitch corresponding to the key you clicked and with any and all processing applied. The click mimics a key played with velocity 100. Also note that this may trigger several samples, depending on whether they are mapped across the same or overlapping key ranges, and the velocity range settings (see “Setting up Key Ranges” and “Setting velocity range for a Zone” respectively).
#Adding empty Zones
You can add empty zones to a key map. Empty zones are treated just like zones containing samples, in that they are automatically selected, gets edit focus and are assigned a five octave key range when they are first created. However, you can only add one zone at a time. It is also possible to resize, move and edit empty zones in the same way as zones containing samples.
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To add an empty zone, pull down the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu and select “Add Zone”.
An empty zone is added below any existing zones in the key map. An empty zone is indicated with the text “**No Sample**”.
After you have added an empty zone, you can assign a sample to it, just as when Replacing a Sample, or when Quick Browsing, as described above.
#Duplicating Zones
You can duplicate any number of already existing zones (containing samples or empty).
1.
Select the zone(s) you want to copy.
2.
Pull down the edit menu or the NN-XT context menu and select “Duplicate Zones”.
The selected zones will now be copied and automatically inserted below the last one in the key map display.
The duplicated zones will contain references to the same samples as the original zones. They will also have the exact same key ranges and parameter settings.
#Using Copy and Paste
The Copy Zones function on the Edit menu allows you to copy all selected zones to the clipboard. Selecting Paste Zones from the Edit menu will paste the zones into the selected NN-XT device, below the existing zones.
This is a handy way to transfer zones (complete with all settings) from one NN-XT device to another.
#Removing Zones
To remove one or several zones, select them and do one of the following:
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Press [Delete] or [Backspace] on the computer keyboard.
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Select “Delete Zones” from the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu.
When removing zones, you will remove any samples in them as well.
#Rearranging Zones in the List
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To move a zone to another position in the list, click on it in the samples column and drag up or down.
An outline shows you where the zone will appear when you release the mouse button.
#About Groups
Grouping has two purposes:
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To allow you to quickly select a number of zones that “belong together.”
For example if you have created a layered sound consisting of piano and strings, you could put all string samples in one group and all piano samples in one group. Then you can quickly select all piano samples and make an adjustment to them by trimming a parameter.
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To group zones that need to share group settings together.
For example, you may want to set a group to legato and monophonic mode and add some portamento so that you can play a part where you slide between notes.
Note that there is always at least one group, since the zones you create are always grouped together by default.
#Creating a Group
1.
Select the zones you want to group together.
The zones don’t have to be contiguous in order to be grouped. Regardless of their original positions in the samples column, they will all be put together in succession.
2.
Select “Group Selected Zones” from the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu.
The zones are grouped.
#Moving a Group to another position in the List
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Click on the group in the Groups column and drag up or down with the mouse button pressed.
An outline of the group you move is superimposed upon the display to help you navigate to the desired position.
Dragging a group to a new position.
3.
Release the mouse button at the desired position.
The group and all its zones appear at the new position.
#Moving a Zone from one Group to another
This is done just as when rearranging samples in the list, as described on the previous page. The only difference is that you drag the zone from one group to another.
#Selecting a Group and/or Zones in a Group
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Clicking on a group in the groups column selects the group and all the zones in the group.
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Clicking on a zone in the samples column selects the group (and that zone).
#The Group Parameters
There are a few parameters on the front panel that apply specifically to groups. see “Group parameters” for details.
#About Key Ranges
Each zone can have its own separate key range, the lowest and the highest key that will trigger the sample.
A good example of use for this is when sampling a certain instrument. Sampling of a piano for example is usually performed by making several recordings of different notes at close intervals, and then mapping these samples to separate, contiguous, fairly narrow key ranges. This concept is called multi-sampling.
The reason for this is that if one single sample is played across the entire keyboard, it will most likely sound very unnatural when played too far from its original pitch, since the amount you can transpose a sound without negatively affecting its timbre is very limited.
#Setting up Key Ranges
You can adjust the key range of zones in a number of ways:
#By Dragging the Zone Boundary Handles
1.
Select the zone in the Key Range area.
2.
Point and click on one of the handles that appear at each end.
3.
Drag the handle left/right.
Dotted lines extend from the edges of the zones up to the keyboard area. These lines give you a visual indication of which keys the key range will encompass. There is also an alphanumerical indication at the bottom left of the display.
4.
Repeat the procedure with as many zones as you wish, to create a complete key map.
#By using the Lo Key and Hi Key controls
Directly below the key map area you will find the sample parameters. These are used for changing various parameters that affect how the zones are played back. They can affect single or multiple selected zones. In the middle of the sample parameters area are two knobs called “Lo Key” and Hi Key”.
These can be used for setting the low key and the high key of a zone’s key range.
1.
Make sure the zone which you want to set the key range for is selected.
2.
Use the Lo Key/Hi Key knobs to change the key range.
Check the display right above the knobs for an indication of the key. You can also keep an eye on the lines extending from the zone edges to the keyboard area.
Setting key ranges for multiple zones
You can set key ranges for multiple selected zones simultaneously. This can only be done by using the Lo and Hi Key controls. It works as follows:
*
If you have three selected zones that each have different high keys and then turn the Hi Key knob, they will all automatically get the same High Key value as the zone with edit focus.
In other words, if the selected zone with edit focus has the high key set to C4, and you change this to D4 by turning the Hi Key knob, all other selected zones will also be extended to D4 as the High Key.
*
If any selected zone’s low key setting is higher than the edit focused zone’s high key before turning the Hi Key knob, the zone range will be scaled down to one semitone, starting from the low key setting.
The high key can naturally never be set to a value lower than one semitone above its low key setting - the zone would otherwise disappear!
*
The inverse is also true - i.e. turning the Lo Key knob for several selected zones will apply the edit focused low key setting to all selected zones.
A low key can never be set higher than one semitone below the high key in a zone, so if the edit focused zone has a low key above the high key of another zone, the other zone will be scaled to the minimum semitone range.
#By Dragging the Zone Boundary Handles on the Tab Bar
As previously described, the area directly below the keyboard area is called the tab bar. This shows the key range for the currently selected zone, and also contains boundary handles.
Dragging a boundary handle on the tab bar.
These handles can be used much to the same effect as when dragging the boundary handles in the key map display. However, the handles on the tab bar can change the key range of multiple zones at the same time.
The following applies:
•
The tab bar shows the key range for the zone with edit focus.
•
Dragging the boundary handles for that zone will also simultaneously change the key range for a number of surrounding zones if:
*
The high key or low key (depending on which handle you drag) of the other zones are the same as the zone with edit focus.
*
The other zones are adjacent to the zone with edit focus.
*
Note that it doesn’t matter whether the other zones are selected or not. They will be affected anyway.
In the example in the picture above, the zone in the middle has edit focus. Its left handle (the low key) is placed differently from any of the other zones, but all of the zones have the same high key setting. This means that...
•
Dragging the left handle will only move the low key position of the zone with edit focus (the pictures show before and after dragging).
•
Dragging the right handle will move the high key position for all of the zones at the same time, since they all have the same high key position (again, the picture shows before and after dragging).
#Moving Zones by Dragging the Zone Boxes
You can also move entire zones horizontally, thereby changing their key ranges.
1.
Select all the zones you want to move.
You can move several zones simultaneously.
2.
Point on any of the selected zones, and press the mouse button.
3.
Drag left/right and release the mouse button.
Dragging multiple zones.
#Moving Zones by Dragging in the Tab Bar
You can also move a zone by dragging anywhere between the zone boundary handles on the tab bar. When you do, the surrounding zones will be affected just as when dragging the boundary handles in the tab bar (see above).
This can be used to “slide” a zone in relation to its surrounding zones, as the picture example below shows (before and after dragging).
#About the Lock Root Keys function
Normally, when you move zones (as described above), the root note of the zone(s) you move will change accordingly. In other words, the zone(s) will be transposed. If this is not desired, you can activate the Lock Root Keys function prior to moving the zone(s) by clicking on the button above the key map display.
Moving zones without changing their root notes can be used for some interesting effects, since it will completely change the timbre of the sample(s) as they are played back.
#About the Solo Sample function
The Solo Sample function lets you play a selected sample over the entire keyboard and disregarding any velocity range assigned to the sample. All other loaded samples are temporarily muted.
This is useful if you for example want to check how far up and down from its root key a sample can be played on the keyboard before starting to sound “unnatural”. The solo sample function can therefore be useful as a guide for setting up key ranges, as described in “Setting up Key Ranges”.
1.
Select one and only one zone, or - if you have a selection of multiple zones - make sure the one you want to hear has edit focus.
2.
Activate Solo Sample by clicking on the button so that it lights up.
3.
Play the MIDI keyboard
#Sorting Zones by Note
The Edit menu and the NN-XT context menu contains an item called “Sort Zones by Note”. This option lets you automatically sort the selected zones in descending order according to their key ranges.
When you invoke this option, the selected zones will be sorted from top to bottom in the display starting with the one with the lowest range.
Note however, that the sorting is done strictly on a group basis. That is, only zones that belong to the same group can be sorted in relation to each other.
Before sorting and after.
If two zones have the same key range, they are sorted by velocity range.
#About the Root Key
All instrument sounds have an inherent pitch. When playing a sample of such a sound on the keyboard, the keys you play must correspond to that pitch. For example, you may have recorded a piano playing the key “C3”. When you map this onto the NN-XT key map, you must set things up so that the sampler plays back the sample at original pitch when you press the key C3.
This is done by adjusting the root note.
*
Many samples files from different sources already have a set root key in the file. If they do, the root key will be correctly set automatically when you load the sample into a zone.
*
However if the sample doesn’t have a root note stored in the file, (if you for example have recorded it yourself) you will need to adjust it
#Setting the Root Note manually
To set the root key for a zone, proceed as follows:
*
Make sure the zone has edit focus (for example by clicking on it), and do one of the following:
*
Use the knob marked “Root” in the sample parameter area below the display.
Turning it to the right will raise the pitch of the root key. The selected key is displayed alphanumerically directly above the knob, and you can also look at the keyboard area for a visual indication (see below).
*
Press [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and click on the desired root key in the keyboard area.
The set root key is shaded so you can easily distinguish it.
#Tuning samples manually
In addition to setting the root note, you may need to fine tune your samples, in order for them to match other instruments and/or each other:
*
Make sure the zone has edit focus (for example by clicking on it).
*
Use the knob marked “Tune” in the sample parameter area.
This allows you to tune each sample in a key map by +/– half a semitone (-50 – 0 – 50).
#Setting the Root Note and Tuning using pitch detection
The NN-XT features a pitch detection function to help you set the root keys. This is useful if you for example load a sample that you haven’t recorded yourself, and you don’t have any information about its original pitch.
Proceed as follows:
1.
Select all the zones you want to be subject to pitch detection.
2.
Pull down the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu and select “Set Root Notes from Pitch Detection”.
The samples in all the selected zones will now be analyzed, and the detected root keys will automatically be set for you.
*
Note that for this to work properly, the samples must have some form of perceivable pitch. If it is sampled speech, or a snare drum for example, it probably doesn’t have any discernible pitch.
#About changing the pitch of samples
The procedures above should be used to make sure the samples are consistently pitched across the keyboard, and that they all match an absolute reference (for example A 440 tuning).
If you need to tune the samples to match other material, or to get a certain effect (for example detuning two sounds against each other for a chorus effect) you should use the Pitch section among the synth parameters, not the sample tuning parameters.
The automap function can be used as a quick way of creating a key map, or as a good starting point for further adjustments of a key map.
Automap works under the assumption that you intend to create a key map for a complete instrument, for example a number of samples of a piano, all at different pitches.
1.
Load the samples you want to Automap.
Now you have three options:
*
Trust that the root note information in the files is already correct.
*
Manually adjust the root notes (and tuning) for all the samples.
*
Use “Set Root Notes from Pitch Detection” to automatically set up the root notes.
2.
Select all zones you want to automap.
3.
Select Automap Zones from the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu.
All the selected zones will now be arranged automatically in the following way:
*
The zones will be sorted in the display (from top to bottom - lowest key first) according to the root keys.
*
The zones will be assigned key ranges according to the root keys.
The key ranges are set up so that the split between two zones is exactly in the middle between the zones’ root notes. If two zones have the same root key they will be assigned the same key range.
#Automapping zones chromatically
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This Edit menu item will give each zone a key range of one semitone (i.e. one key), starting from C2 and upwards.
The function does not take root key into account. It simply places each selected sample on successive keys according the position in the sample list (from the top down).
#Creating layered sounds
You can set things up so that two or more zones have overlapping key ranges - either completely or partially. This way you can create layered sounds, i.e. different samples that are played simultaneously when you press a key on your keyboard.
In the picture above, you can see a set of piano samples at the top, mapped across the key range.
Below these are a set of string samples that also span the entire key range.
Whenever you play a key within this keyboard range, the sound produced will be a combination of the piano and the string sample.
In addition, in the example above, the user has arranged the piano samples into one group and the string samples in another. This is convenient since it allows for quick selection of the entire piano map, for example for balancing its level against the strings.
#About velocity ranges
When zones are set up so that their key ranges overlap – completely or partially – you can use velocity switching and crossfading to determine which zones should be played back depending on how hard or soft you play on your MIDI keyboard.
This is done by setting up velocity ranges, with or without crossfading.
Each time you press a key on your MIDI keyboard, a velocity value between 1-127 is sent to Reason. If you press the key softly, a low velocity value is sent and if you press it hard, a high velocity value is sent.
This velocity value determines which samples will be played and which will not.
Let’s say for example that you’ve mapped three different zones across the same key range:
•
Zone 1 has a velocity range from 1-40.
This means that the sample in it will be triggered by velocity values between 1-40.
•
Zone 2 has a velocity range of 41-80.
The sample in this zone will be played back by velocity values between 41-80.
•
Zone 3 has a velocity range of 81-127.
The sample in this zone will be triggered by all velocity values above 80.
#Overlapping velocity ranges
Let’s change the values above slightly:
•
Zone 1 has a velocity range from 1-60.
•
Zone 2 has a velocity range of 41-100.
•
Zone 3 has a velocity range of 81-127.
Now, velocity values between 41 and 60 will trigger samples from both Zone 1 and Zone 2. Likewise, velocity values between 81 and 100 will trigger sounds from Zone 2 and Zone 3.
#About full and partial velocity ranges
You can see which zones have modified velocity ranges in the key map display:
•
Zones with a full velocity range (0 - 127) are only shown with an outline.
•
Zones with any other velocity range are shown as striped.
The top zone has a full velocity range (1-127), and the lower zone has a partial velocity range (any other range), which is indicated by stripes
#Sorting Zones by velocity values
The Edit menu and the NN-XT context menu contain an item called “Sort Zones by Velocity”. This option lets you automatically sort the selected zones in the display in descending order according to their set low or high velocity values.
When you invoke this option, the selected zones will be sorted from top to bottom starting with the one with the highest “Lo Vel “value.
Note however, that the sorting is done strictly on a group basis. That is, only zones that belong to the same group can be sorted in relation to each other.
If two zones have the same velocity range, they are sorted by key range.
#Setting velocity range for a Zone
To set up a velocity range for a zone, proceed as follows:
1.
Select one or more zones that you want to adjust.
2.
Use the knobs marked “Lo Vel” and “High Vel” in the sample parameter area to set the desired low- and high velocity values.
Adjusting the “Lo Vel” value for a zone.
“Lo vel” is the lowest velocity value that should trigger the sample in the zone - i.e. if a key is pressed so softly that the velocity is lower than this value, the sample will not be played.
“Hi vel” is the highest velocity value that should trigger the sample, which means that if a key is pressed so hard that the velocity is higher than this value, the sample will not be played.
#About Crossfading Between Zones
At the bottom right in the sample parameter area are two knobs marked “Fade In” and “Fade Out”. These are primarily used for setting up velocity crossfades for smooth transitions between overlapping zones. In order to set up crossfades you adjust the fade out and fade in values for the overlapping zones.
#Crossfading Between two Sounds
An example:
•
Two zones are both set to play in the full velocity range of 1-127.
•
Zone 1 has a fade out value of 40.
This means that this zone will play at full level with velocity values below 40, With higher velocity values, it will gradually fade out.
•
Zone 2 has a fade in value of 80.
This has the effect that as you play velocity values up to 80, this zone will gradually fade in. With velocity values above 80, it will play at full level.
Another example:
Crossfading can be used to only fade in or fade out a certain sound. One common example is to set things up so that one sound plays the entire velocity range and another is faded in only at high velocity values.
•
Zone 1 is set to play the entire velocity range with no crossfade.
•
Zone 2 is set to play the velocity range 80 to 127, with a fade in value of 110.
This means that this zone will start fading in from velocity values 80 and will play at full level in the velocity range 110 to 127.
This can be used for example to add a rimshot to a regular snare sound or a harder attack to a softer violin sample.
#Setting crossfading for a Zone
#Manually
To set up a crossfade for a zone, proceed as follows:
1.
Select one or more zones that you want to adjust.
2.
Use the knobs marked “Fade In” and “Fade Out” in the sample parameter area, to set the desired values.
*
You can change the values with finer precision by pressing [Shift] while turning the knobs, and you can reset the standard values by pressing [Command] (Mac)/[Ctrl] (Windows) and clicking on the knobs.
#Automatically
If you find it tedious to manually set up crossfades between zones, NN-XT can do it for you! The Edit menu and the NN-XT context menu contain an item called “Create Velocity Crossfades”.
1.
Set up the zones so that their velocity ranges overlap, as desired.
2.
Select the zones.
You can select as many zones as you wish, not just one pair of overlapping zones.
3.
Select “Create Velocity Crossfades” from the Edit menu.
NN-XT will analyze the overlapping zones and automatically set up what it deems to be appropriate fade in and fade out values for the zones.
*
This operation will not work if both zones have full velocity ranges.
At least one of the zones must have a partial velocity range (see “About full and partial velocity ranges”).
*
This operation will not work if the zones are completely overlapping.
#About the Alternate function
At the bottom right in the sample parameters area is a knob marked “Alt”. It only has two states - On and Off. This is used for semi-randomly alternating between zones during playback.
There are several practical uses for this. Here follows two examples:
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Layering several recordings of the same snare drum. By alternating between them you get a more natural repetition.
•
Layering string up- and down strokes. By alternating you get the realistic effect of switching between the two directions of the stroke.
You can layer as many sounds as you will and the algorithm switches between them in a way that provides as little repetition as possible.
To set up an alternating set of zones, proceed as follows:
1.
Set up the zones so that they overlap completely or partially.
2.
Select them all.
3.
Set “Alt” to On for all the zones.
Now, the program will automatically detect how to alternate between the zones, depending on their overlap.
The Sample parameter area is found below the screen. They allow you to adjust parameters for one or several selected zones. Adjusting a parameter with multiple zones selected, will set the parameter to the same value for all selected zones. Below follows a run-down of the various parameters:
#Root Note and Tune
These parameters are described in “Setting Root Notes and Tuning”.
#Sample Start and End
By turning the knobs you offset the start and end positions, so that they will play back more or less of a sample’s waveform. Typical examples of use for this would be:
•
Removing unwanted portions from samples.
This could be anything from noise to “dead air” at the beginning or end of a sample.
•
To create variations out of a single sample.
These controls can be used to pick out any section of a recording for use as a sample.
•
Together with velocity sample start control.
You can for example increase Sample Start and then apply negative velocity modulation to Sample Start. Then, the harder you play the more you will hear of the attack portion of the sound.
*
If you hold down [Shift] when adjusting these parameters, the adjustment is in single frames (samples).
#Loop Start and End
A sample, unlike the cycles of an oscillator for example, is a finite quantity. There is a sample start and end. To get samples to play for as long as you press down the keys on your keyboard, they need to be looped. For this to work properly, you have to first set up two loop points which determine the part of the sample that will be looped.
The instrument samples in the sound banks included with Reason are already looped. The same will be true for most commercial sample libraries. However, if you need to, you can use these controls to adjust the looping.
•
The size and position of the loop – in the sample – is determined by two parameters, Loop Start (the beginning of the loop) and Loop End (the end point of the loop).
•
The NN-XT then keeps repeating the section between the Loop Start and Loop end until the sound has decayed to silence.
#Play Mode
By using this knob you can select one of the following loop modes for each zone:
•
FW
The sample in the zone will play only once, without looping.
•
FW-LOOP
The sample will play from the sample start point to the loop end point, jump back to the loop start point and then loop infinitely between the start and end loop points. This is the most common loop mode.
•
FW - BW
The sample will play from the sample start point to the loop end point, then from the loop end point to the loop start point (backwards), and then loop infinitely forwards-backwards between the start and end loop points.
•
FW-SUS
This works like FW-LOOP with the exception that it will only loop as long as the key is held down. As you release the key, the sample will play to the absolute end of the sample, that is beyond the boundaries of the loop.
This means that the sound may have a short natural release even if the release parameter is raised to a high value (which is not true for “FW-LOOP”, where the release parameter always controls the length of the sound after the key is released).
•
BW
The sample will play only once - from the end to the beginning - without looping.
#Lo Key and Hi Key
These parameters are described in “Setting up Key Ranges”.
#Lo Vel and Hi Vel
These parameters are described in “About velocity ranges”.
#Fade In and Fade Out
These parameters are described in “About Crossfading Between Zones”.
#Alt
This parameter is described in “About the Alternate function”.
#Out
The NN-XT features eight separate stereo output pairs (see “Audio Output”). For each zone, you can decide which of these output pairs to use. Thus, if you have created a key map consisting of eight zones, each of these can have a separate stereo output from NN-XT, and can then be routed to a separate mixer channel if you so wish.
*
To select which output a selected zone should be directed to, use the knob marked “Out” in the sample parameter area.
The output pairs are indicated above the button.
*
Note that you still have to route the outputs the way you want them on NN-XT’s back panel. If you assign a zone to an output pair other than 1-2 (which is the default) no connections or auto routing are made. You have to do that manually.
#A Stereo example
One possible way of utilizing this would be to create a drum kit. In this case you could load up to eight different stereo drum samples, assign them to separate outputs, route each to a separate mixer channel and then use the mixer to set levels and pan, add send effects etc.
#Using a stereo output as two mono outputs
If, on the other hand, you are using mono samples, you can use one stereo pair as a two separate outputs, effectively giving you a total of 16 separate outputs.
1.
Assign two zones to the same output.
2.
Us the Pan control to pan one of the zones hard left and the other hard right.
3.
Connect each of the two outputs in the stereo pair to a separate mixer channel.
The group parameters are located at the top left on the remote editor panel. These are parameters that in various ways are directly related to playing style.
Group parameters apply to a group, that is they are settings that are shared by all zones in a group.
*
To make adjustments to one group, select one or more zones that belong to the group, and adjust the parameter on the front panel.
*
To set several groups to the same value, select at least one zone in each group you want to adjust, and adjust the parameter on the front panel.
#Key Poly
This setting determines the number of keys that you can play simultaneously (the polyphony). The maximum number is 99 and the minimum is 1, in which case the group will be monophonic.
Users of other samplers may want to note that the polyphony often means setting the number of voices that should be able to play. The NN-XT is different in this aspect, since the polyphony setting instead determines the number of keys, regardless of how many voices each key plays.
#The Group Mono button
The Group Mono button beside the Key Poly section can be used to quickly set a group to play monophonically regardless of the polyphony setting. E.g. if you have a group with open and closed hi hats, you can switch this on so that an open hi hat is automatically muted when you play a closed hi hat.
Group Mono overrides the Key Poly setting - except when playing the same note.
So you can play your open hi-hat repeatedly without the sound cutting itself off. When you play the closed hi-hat, this cuts off the open hi-hat.
Note that activating this button is not the same as setting polyphony to 1. E.g., it can not be used for Legato or mono Retrig (see “Legato and Retrig”).
#Legato and Retrig
#Legato
Legato works best with monophonic sounds. Set Key Poly (see above) to 1 and try the following:
*
Hold down a key and then press another key without releasing the previous.
Notice that the pitch changes, but the envelopes do not start over. That is, there will be no new “attack”.
*
If Key Poly is set to more voices than 1, Legato will only be applied when all the assigned keys are “used up”.
For example, if you had a polyphony setting of “4” and you held down a 4 note chord, the next note you played would be Legato. Note, however, that this Legato key will “steal” one of the keys in the 4 note chord, as all the assigned keys were already used up!
#Retrig
Retrig is the “normal” setting for playing polyphonic patches. That is, when you press a key without releasing the previous, the envelopes are triggered, like when you release all keys and then press a new one. In monophonic mode, Retrig has an additional function; if you press a key, hold it, press a new key and then release that, the first note is also retriggered.
#LFO 1 Rate
This is used for controlling the rate of LFO 1 if it is used in “Group Rate” mode. In that case, this knob will take precedence over the rate parameter in the LFO 1 section. See “The LFOs” for detailed information about this.
#Portamento
This is used for controlling portamento - a parameter that makes the pitch glide between the notes you play, rather than changing the pitch instantly as soon as you hit a key on your keyboard. By turning this knob you set how long it should take for the pitch to glide from one note to the next as you play them.
In legato mode, there will only be any portamento when actually playing legato (tied) notes.
With the knob turned all the way to the left, portamento is disabled.
#The Modulation controls
As previously described, the Modulation wheel (and the External Control wheel) can be used for controlling various parameters. These controls allow you to define which parameters the wheels should modulate and to what extent.
*
Below each of the knobs are the letters “W” and “X”.
These are used for selecting the source that should control the parameter, and represent the “Modulation Wheel” and the “External Control wheel” respectively.
*
By clicking on any of the letters, you decide which source should control the parameter.
You can select either, both or none. When a letter is “lit”, the corresponding source is set to control the parameter.
*
By turning the knobs, you decide how much the modulation and/or external control wheel should modulate the corresponding parameter.
Note that all of the control knobs are bi-polar, which means that they can be set to both positive and negative values. Positive values are set by turning the knobs to the right, and negative values are thus set by turning the knobs to the left:
•
Setting them to positive values means that the value of the controlled parameter will be raised if the source wheel is pushed forward.
•
Setting them to negative values means that the value will be lowered when a wheel is pushed forward.
•
Keeping the knobs in the center position means that no modulation control is applied.
There is one exception to these rules, and that is the LFO 1 Amt control, which works in a slightly different way. See below for more information about this.
The following parameters can be modulated:
#F.Freq
This sets modulation control of the Filter’s cutoff frequency (see “The Filter section”).
#Mod Dec
This sets modulation control of the Decay parameter in the Modulation Envelope (see “The Modulation Envelope”).
#LFO 1 Amt
This determines how much the amount of modulation from LFO 1 is affected by the Modulation wheel and/or the External Controller wheel. It does this by “scaling” the amounts set with the three destination knobs in the LFO 1 section (Pitch, Filter and Level, see “The LFOs”). We’ll explain this with an example:
To use the Modulation Wheel to increase pitch modulation (vibrato), proceed as follows:
1.
Turn the Mod Wheel all the way down, so that no modulation is applied.
2.
Activate the “W” button for LFO 1 Amt in the Modulation section.
3.
Set the corresponding knob to “12 o’clock” (zero).
4.
Set up LFO 1 so that as much vibrato is applied as you want it to be when the Modulation wheel is turned all the way up.
5.
Increase LFO 1 Amt until you hear as much vibrato as you want it to be when the wheel is turned all the way down.
If you turn LFO 1 Amt all the way up, there will be no vibrato at all when the wheel is all the way down.
To instead use the Modulation wheel to decrease vibrato, process as follows:
1.
Turn the Mod Wheel all the way down, so that no modulation is applied.
2.
Activate the “W” button for LFO 1 Amt in the Modulation section.
3.
Set the corresponding knob to “12 o’clock” (zero).
4.
Set up LFO 1 so that as much vibrato is applied as you want it to be when the Modulation wheel is turned all the way down.
5.
Turn the Modulation wheel all the way up.
6.
Decrease LFO 1 Amt until you hear as much vibrato as you want it to be when the wheel is turned all the way up.
If you turn LFO 1 Amt all the way down, there will be no vibrato at all when the wheel is all the way up.
#F.Res
This sets modulation control of the Resonance parameter in the Filter (see “The Filter section”).
#Level
This sets the amount of amplitude envelope modulation of each zone’s level. The level set here will be the level of the highest point of the Amp Envelope.
#LFO 1 Rate
This sets modulation control of the Rate parameter in LFO 1 (see “The LFOs”).
#The Velocity controls
Velocity is used for controlling various parameters according to how hard or soft you play notes on your keyboard. A typical use of velocity control is to make sounds brighter and louder if you strike a key harder. By using the knobs in this section, you can control if and how much the various parameters will be affected by velocity.
Just like the modulation controls, all of the velocity control knobs are bi-polar, and can be set to both positive and negative values.
•
Setting them to positive values means that the value of the controlled parameter will be raised the harder you play.
•
Setting them to negative values means that the value will be lowered the harder you play.
•
Keeping the knobs in the center position means that no velocity control is applied.
The following parameters can be velocity controlled:
#F.Freq
This sets velocity control of the Filter’s cutoff frequency (see “The Filter section”).
#Mod Dec
This sets velocity control of the Decay parameter in the Modulation Envelope (see “The Modulation Envelope”).
#Level
This sets velocity control of the Amp Envelope.
#Amp Env Attack
This sets velocity control of the Attack parameter in the Amplitude Envelope (see “The Amplitude Envelope”).
#Sample Start
This sets velocity control of the Sample Start parameter (see “Sample Start and End”), so that it will be offset forwards or backwards, according to how hard or soft you play.
This allows you to control how much of the attack portion of the sample you hear when playing harder or softer.
To be able to make use of negative values for this parameter, you must increase the sample parameter Sample Start.
#The Pitch section
This section contains various parameters related to controlling the pitch, or frequency, of the zones.
#Pitch Bend Range
This lets you set the amount of pitch bend, i.e. how much the pitch changes when your turn the pitch bend wheel fully up or down. The maximum range is +/- 24 semitones (2 Octaves).
#Setting the pitch
Use the three knobs marked “Octave”, “Semi” and “Fine” to change the pitch of the sample(s):
•
Octave
This changes the pitch in steps of one full octave. The range is -5 – 0 – 5.
•
Semi
This lets you change the pitch in semitone steps. The range is -12 – 0 – 12 (2 octaves).
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Fine
This changes the pitch in cents (hundredths of a semitone). The range is -50 – 0 – 50 (down or up half a semitone).
#K. Track
This knob controls Keyboard Tracking of the pitch.
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In the center position, each key represents a semitone This is the normal setting.
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When turned all the way down, all keys play the same pitch. This can be useful for percussion like timpani where you might want to play the same pitch from a range of keys.
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When turned all the way up, each key on the keyboard shifts the pitch one octave.
#The Filter section
Filters can be used for shaping the character of the sound. The filter in NN-XT is a multimode filter with six different filter types.
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To activate/deactivate the filter, click the On/Off button in the top right corner.
When the filter is activated, the button is lit.
#Filter mode
To select a filter mode, either click the Mode button in the bottom right corner or click directly on the desired filter name so that it lights up:
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Notch
The notch filter is used for cutting off frequencies in a narrow frequency range around the set cutoff frequency, while letting the frequencies below and above through.
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HP 12
This is a highpass filter with a 12 dB/Octave roll-off slope. A highpass filter cuts off low frequencies and lets high frequencies pass. That is, frequencies below the cutoff frequency are cut off and frequencies above it pass through.
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BP 12
This is a bandpass filter with a 12 dB/Octave roll-off slope. A bandpass filter could be viewed as the opposite of a notch filter. It cuts off both the high and the low frequencies, while frequencies in the band range pass through.
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LP 6
This is a lowpass filter with a gentle, 6 dB/Octave slope. A lowpass filter is the opposite of a highpass filter. It lets the low frequencies through and filters out the high frequencies. This filter has no Resonance.
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LP 12
This is a lowpass filter with a 12 dB/Octave roll-off slope.
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LP 24
This is a lowpass filter with a fairly steep roll-off slope of 24 dB/Octave.
#Filter controls
The following filter controls are available:
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Freq
This is used for setting the filter cutoff frequency. The cutoff frequency determines the limit above or below which frequencies will be cut off depending on the selected filter type. In the case of a lowpass filter for example, frequencies below the cutoff frequency will be allowed to pass through, while frequencies above it will be cut off. The farther to the right you turn the knob, the higher the cutoff frequency will be.
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It is very common to modulate filter frequency with the modulation envelope, as described in “The Modulation Envelope”.
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Res
Technically, this knob controls feedback of the output signal from the filter, back to its input. Acoustically it emphasizes frequencies around the cutoff frequency. For a lowpass filter for example, increasing Res will make the sound increasingly more hollow until the sound starts “ringing”. If you set a high value for the Res parameter and then vary the filter frequency, this will produce a classic synthesizer filter sweep.
For the notch and bandpass filter types, the Resonance setting instead adjusts the width of the band. That is, the higher the resonance setting, the narrower the band will be where frequencies are cut off (notch) or let through (Bandpass).
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K. Track
This lets you activate and control keyboard tracking of the filter frequency. If keyboard tracking is activated, the set cutoff frequency of the filter will change according to the notes you play on your keyboard. That is, if you play notes higher up on the keyboard, the filter frequency will be raised and vice versa.
When the knob is set to its center position, filter frequency is adjusted so that the harmonic content remains constant across the keyboard.
Keyboard tracking is deactivated by default (the knob all the way to the left). This means that the filter frequency will remain unchanged regardless of where on the keyboard you play.
#The Modulation Envelope
The Modulation Envelope parameters let you control how certain parameters, or destinations, should change over time - from the moment a note is struck to the moment it is released again.
The destinations you can use are:
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Pitch
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Filter frequency
#Parameters
The following are the available controlling parameters:
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Attack
When you press a key on your keyboard, the envelope is triggered. The attack parameter then controls how long it should take before the controlled parameter (pitch or filter) reaches the maximum value, when you press a key. By setting attack to a value of “0”, the destination parameter would reach the maximum value instantly. By raising the attack parameter, the value will instead slowly “slide” up to its maximum.
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Hold
This is used for deciding how long the controlled parameter should stay at its maximum value before starting to decrease again. This can be used in combination with the Attack and Decay parameters to make a value reach its maximum level, stay there for a while (hold) and then start dropping gradually down to the sustain level.
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Decay
After the maximum value for a destination has been reached and the Hold time has expired, the controlled parameter will start to gradually drop down to the sustain level. How long it should take before it reaches the sustain level is controlled with the Decay parameter. If Decay is set to “0”, the value will immediately drop down to the sustain level.
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Sustain
The Sustain parameter determines the value the envelope should drop back to after the Decay. If you set Sustain to full level however, the Decay setting doesn’t matter since the value will never decrease.
A combination of Decay and Sustain can be used for creating envelopes that rise up to the maximum value, then gradually decrease to, and stay on a level somewhere in-between zero and maximum.
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Release
This works just like the Decay parameter, with the exception that it determines the time it takes for the value to fall back to zero after the key is released.
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Delay
This is used for setting a delay between when a note is played and when the effect of the envelope starts. That is, the sound will start unmodulated, and the envelope will kick in after you have kept the key(s) pressed down for a while. Turn the knob to the right to increase the delay time. If the knob is set all the way to the left, there will be no delay.
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Key To Decay
By using this, you can cause the value of the Decay parameter (see above) to be offset depending on where on your keyboard you play. If you turn the knob to the right the decay value will be raised the higher up you play, and turning the knob to the left will lower the decay value the higher up you play. With the knob in the center position, this parameter is deactivated.
#Destinations
The following are the available Mod Envelope destinations:
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Pitch
This will make the envelope modulate the pitch, as set in the Pitch section (see “The Pitch section”). Turn the knob to the right to raise the pitch and to the left to lower the pitch. In the middle position, pitch will not be affected by the envelope.
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Filter
This will make the envelope modulate the cutoff frequency of the Filter (see “The Filter section”). Turn the knob to the right to increase the frequency and to the left to lower the frequency. In the middle position, the envelope will have no effect on the cutoff frequency.
#The Amplitude Envelope
The Amplitude Envelope parameters let you control how the volume of a sound should change over time - from the moment a note is struck to the moment it is released again.
#Parameters
Most of the Amplitude Envelope parameters are identical to those of the Modulation Envelope. So for a detailed description of the following parameters, please refer to the modulation envelope section in “The Modulation Envelope”:
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Attack
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Hold
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Decay
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Sustain
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Release
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Delay
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Key To Decay
The following are the parameters that are unique for the Amp Envelope section:
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Level
This knob sets the level of the zone. Turn it to the right to raise the level.
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Spread and Pan modes
These two parameters are used for controlling the stereo (pan) position of the sound. The Spread knob determines the sound’s width in the stereo image (how far left – right the notes will be spread out). If this is set to “0”, no spread will take place. The Mode selector switch is used for choosing which type of spread you want to apply:
| Mode
| Description
Key
This will make the pan position shift gradually from left to right, the higher up on the keyboard you play.
Key 2
This will make the pan position shift from left to right and then back again from right to left in a sequence of eight keys. Playing 4 adjacent semitones thus makes the pan position gradually go from left to right. The next 4 higher semitone notes will then change the pan position from right to left in the same way, and this cycle will then be repeated.
Jump
This will make the pan position jump between left and right each time a note is played.
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Pan
This controls the stereo balance of the output pair to which a zone is routed. In the middle position, the signal appears equally strong on the left and right channel in a stereo pair. By turning the knob to the left or right, you can change the stereo balance.
Note that if you for instance turn the Pan knob all the way to the left, you cause the signal to be output from the left channel of the stereo pair only.
You can use this to treat a stereo output as two independent mono outputs, if required.
See “Out” for information on routing zones to output pairs.
#The LFOs
NN-XT features two Low Frequency Oscillators - LFO 1 and LFO 2. “Normal” oscillators generate a waveform and a frequency, and produce sound. Low frequency Oscillators on the other hand, also generate a waveform and a frequency, but there are two major differences:
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LFOs only generate sounds of a low frequency.
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LFOs don’t produce sound, but are instead used for modulating various parameters.
The most typical use of an LFO is to modulate the pitch of a sound (generated by an oscillator or - in the case of NN-XT - a sample), to produce vibrato.
#About the Difference between LFO 1 and LFO 2
There are two fundamental differences between LFO 1 and LFO 2:
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LFO 2 is always key synced, that is, each time you press a key, the LFO waveform starts over from scratch. LFO 1 can be switched between key synced and non-key synced modes.
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LFO 2 only has one waveform, triangle.
The following parameters are available for the LFOs:
#Rate (LFO 1 and 2)
This knob controls the frequency of the LFO. For a faster modulation rate, turn the knob to the right. The Rate knob of LFO 1 is also used for setting the timedivision when synchronizing the LFO to the song tempo (see below).
#Delay (LFO 1 and 2)
This can be used for setting a delay between when a note is played and when the LFO modulation starts kicking in (gradually). This way, you can make the sound start unmodulated, and then have the LFO modulation start after you have kept the key(s) pressed down for a while.
Turn the knob to the right to increase the delay time.
#Mode (LFO 1 only)
This lets you set the “operation mode” for the LFO. Click the button to switch between the available modes:
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Group Rate
In this mode, the LFO will run at the rate set for its group in the group section, rather than at the rate set here (see “Group parameters”). This way, all zones in the group will have the exact same modulation rate.
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Tempo Sync
In this mode, the LFO will be synchronized to the song tempo, in one of 16 possible time divisions.
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When tempo sync is activated, the Rate knob is used for selecting the desired timedivision. Turn the Rate knob and observe the tool tip for an indication of the timedivision.
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Free Run
In free run mode, the LFO simply runs at the rate set with the Rate parameter. Furthermore, if Key Sync is deactivated, the modulation cycle will not be retriggered each time you press a key - it will run continuously.
#Waveform (LFO 1 only)
Here, you select which type of waveform should be used for modulating the destination parameters.
Click the button to switch between the following waveforms:
| Waveform
| Description
Triangle
 
This is a smooth waveform, suitable for normal vibrato.
Inverted Sawtooth
 
This produces a “ramp up” cycle. If applied to an oscillator’s frequency, the pitch would sweep up, after which the cycle immediately starts over.
Sawtooth
 
This produces a “ramp down” cycle, the same as above but inverted.
Square
 
This produces cycles that abruptly change between two values, usable for trills etc.
Random
 
Produces random stepped modulation to the destination. Some vintage analog synths called this feature “sample & hold”.
Soft Random
 
The same as above, but with smooth modulation.
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LFO 2 always uses a triangle waveform.
#Key Sync (LFO 1 only)
By activating key sync, you “force” the LFO to restart its modulation cycle each time a key is pressed.
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Note that LFO 2 always uses Key Sync.
#Destinations for LFO 1
The following parameters can be modulated by LFO 1:
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Pitch
This will make the LFO modulate the pitch, for vibrato, trills, etc. It can be set to -2400 – 0 – 2400 cents which equals 4 octaves. The set pitch will change up and down by this amount, with each modulation cycle. Turning the knob to the right will make the modulation cycle start above the set pitch, while turning it to the left will invert the cycle. Keeping this in the middle position means that the pitch will not be affected by the LFO.
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Filter
This will make the LFO modulate the cutoff frequency of the Filter, for auto-wah effects, etc. The positive/negative effect is the same as for pitch.
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Level
This will make the LFO modulate NN-XT’s output level, for tremolo effects, etc. The positive/negative effect is the same as for pitch.
#Destinations for LFO 2
The following parameters can be modulated by LFO 2:
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Pan
This makes the LFO modulate the pan position of a zone. The sound will move back and forth in the stereo field. Turning the knob to the left makes the sound move from left to right, and turning it to the right thus makes it move from right to left. The middle position provides no modulation at all.
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Pitch
Just like for LFO 1 (see above), this makes LFO 2 modulate the pitch. The range is also the same as for LFO 1.
On the back panel of NN-XT are a number of connectors. Many of these are CV/Gate related. Using CV/Gate is described in the chapter “Routing Audio and CV”.
#Sequencer Control
The Sequencer Control CV and Gate inputs allow you to play the NN-XT from another CV/Gate device (typically a Matrix or a Redrum). The signal to the CV input controls the note pitch, while the signal to the Gate input delivers note on/off along with velocity.
#Modulation Input
These control voltage (CV) inputs (with associated voltage trim pots), can modulate various NN-XT parameters from other devices. These inputs can control the following parameters:
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Oscillator Pitch
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Filter Cutoff Frequency
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Filter Resonance
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LFO 1 Rate
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Master Volume
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Pan
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Modulation Wheel
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Pitch Wheel
#Gate Input
These inputs can receive a CV signal to trigger the following envelopes:
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Amplitude Envelope
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Modulation Envelope
Note that connecting to these inputs will override the normal triggering of the envelopes. For example, if you connect a Matrix Gate Out to the Gate In Amp Envelope, you would not trigger the amp envelope by playing notes, as this is now controlled by the Matrix Gate Out. In addition you would only hear the Gate Out triggering the envelope for the notes that you hold down.
#Audio Output
There are 16 audio output jacks on the NN-XT’s back panel - eight separate stereo pairs. When you create a new NN-XT device, the first output pair (1L & 2R) is auto-routed to the first available channel on the audio mixer.
The other output pairs are never automatically routed. If you wish to use any of the other output pairs, you have to manually connect them to the desired device - typically a Mix Channel device. The basics on Routing is described in “Routing Audio and CV”.
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Note that when you use any other output pair than the first, you also have to route one or more zones to it if you want it to actually output sound, since all zones by default are routed to outputs 1 & 2. How to route zones to other outputs is described in the “Out” section.