riff 2.5 manual rev 2

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Operation Manual

Riff 2.5

Open Riff 2.5 Manual 1



The information in this manual is believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, OpenLabs reserves the rights to mae changes to the specifications at an! time without notice orobligation to update e"isting units. The software described b! this document is sub#ect to a Licens$greement and ma! not be copied to other media. %o part of this manual ma! be copied,reproduced, or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for an! purpose, without prior writtenpermission b! Open Labs &nc.

'its('!tes) *oel +illiard

esign(Testing) -red mith, /att 0resle!, hristopher 'rown, ampus and the rest of the betateam.

Open Labs 2311. $ll rights reserved




Table of Contents

1- Introduction...............................................................................................etting up the $udio........................................................................................................etting up the /&& &nput...............................................................................................1etting up the /&& Output.............................................................................................1

etting up 0lug6ins........................................................................................................1

etting up 8eneral Options.............................................................................................28eneral....................................................................................................................2

etting up 8eneral Options.............................................................................................2

2– Riff Architecture.......................................................................................2$ 0erformance 9nvironment............................................................................................2

et List +indow ........................................................................................................2ound 'rowser ;ound earch<............................................................................2ound 'rowser ;ound List<.................................................................................2ound 'rowser ;urrentl! Loaded 0lugins<.............................................................2ound 'rowser ;?uarantined<..............................................................................2

Tracs ......................................................................................................................Racs Tab..........................................................................................................

e@uencer ........................................................................................................&nstrument 9ditor.......................................................................................................

Live ontrols.............................................................................................................

3– Understanding Riff ....................................................................................3Launch Riff ...................................................................................................................et List in List Aiew ;efault<..........................................................................................et List in 8rid Aiew.......................................................................................................

ong........................................................................................................................Title 'ar....................................................................................................................

/enu 'ar...........................................................................................................Title 'ar ontrols.......................................................................................................Transport ontrols......................................................................................................

Lower ection ontrols...............................................................................................Tracs..........................................................................................................................:

Bnderstanding the Tracs Tab......................................................................................:Racs and e@uencer olumn..............................................................................:ignal hain(La!er..............................................................................................:

ignal hain......................................................................................................:Lower ontrols of the Tracs Tab..........................................................................:

&nstrument 9ditor..........................................................................................................:&nstrument 0arameters...............................................................................................:

9"porting and &mporting Bser 0atches..........................................................................:9"porting AT 0rograms.............................................................................................:

&nstruments with AT 0resets can have each preset e"ported to be categoriCed and tagged i

the ound 'rowser. ...................................................................................................:Live ontrols.................................................................................................................:

8eneral Live ontrol 0roperties ;Right6lic /enu<.........................................................=Dnob 0roperties( HoriContal lider 0roperties( Aertical lider 0roperties.............................='utton 0roperties.......................................................................................................=EF 0ad 0roperties.......................................................................................................=rossfader................................................................................................................=Te"t 0roperties..........................................................................................................=

a– Using Riff! Tutorials................................................................................6tarting up Riff ..............................................................................................................=

Open Riff 2.5 Manual



'! default, starting Riff will open on the ound 'rowser, ound earch Tab.......................=$bout the ound 'rowser....................................................................................40reviewing an &nstrument....................................................................................4

aving a et..............................................................................................................4Rename and ave a ong...........................................................................................4

Bsing Tracs..................................................................................................................4$dding an $dditional &nstruments to a ong..................................................................4

/onitoring eparate Tracs..................................................................................>The ignal hain Trac Rac ;end $udio to eparate Outputs<................................>

reating De!board plits in a ong ;ignal hain<..................................................>$dding 9ffects to an &nput or ignal hain.....................................................................>

$dding /&& -E..................................................................................................7reating and using $udio &nputs...........................................................................7

9dit /ode vs. Live /ode.................................................................................................7/&& Learning Hardware ontrollers.................................................................................7

Learn Relative..........................................................................................................13reating and Bsing Live ontrols....................................................................................13

reate a %ew Live ontrol.........................................................................................13Bsing Oscillators with Dnobs(liders...........................................................................13

/apping Live ontrols to the Lower ontrol ection......................................................13/ap a Live ontrol to an 9"ternal /&& ..................................................................13

aving Live ontrols as a Template.............................................................................13Bsing /ulti6timbral &nstruments ( haring &nstruments.....................................................11

haring &nstruments.................................................................................................11ong 8rid and the /ulti6timbral &nstrument.................................................................11Bsing ifferent 0reset ounds with a hared &nstrument...............................................11

ending and Receiving 0rogram hange /essages...........................................................11Bsing Riff to ontrol Other /&& evices.....................................................................11

ending /&& 0rogram hange...........................................................................12

b - Using Riff! #e$uencer ..........................................................................12e@uencer Tab Aiew.....................................................................................................12Transport and Options..................................................................................................12

Transport ontrols....................................................................................................12

Bsing Time Line Tracs.............................................................................................12

9diting Time Line /&& 0atterns.....................................................................................12

$utomation on Time Line Tracs.....................................................................................12

Bsing Loop Tracs ;Recording<.......................................................................................1

Bsing Loop Tracs ;0la!bac<.........................................................................................1

Bsing Loop Tracs ;$rranging<.......................................................................................1

9diting /&& in the %ote 9ditor......................................................................................1

/i"down -eatures and Rewire........................................................................................1

A%%endi& A #'in (%tions.............................................................................13

Open Riff 2.5 Manual :



1 - I n t r o d u c t i o n1 - I n t r o d u c t i o n

Riff is a multi6effect and multi6instrument rac with a built in /&& e@uencer.

Riff

Riff allows a user to stream the $&O or AT input signal through chains of individual AT effectsso !ou can use !our Open Labs 0roduction tation as a real6time multi6effect processor.

&t enables a user to pla! several AT instruments at the same time. Fou can la!er severalinstruments to create comple" sounds. Or, users ma! pla! instruments on different /&& channels&t turns a computer into a multi6timbral sound generator.




Setting up the AudioTo establish a connection between Riff and !our audio output hardware, !ou will need to select th

correct software driver.

1. elect the $udio Options from the /enuGOptionsG$udio Options tab.2. &n the $udio evice section of this window select !our $&O sound driver ;if not alread!

selected<. This is the setting that allows Riff to communicate with !our audio driver.. Hit $ppl!I, then ODI to commit the changes and e"it.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual =



• Audio Device) Bse this to select the primar! $&O sound driver.

• Audio Input ) Bse this to select !our sound cardJs audio input. This application supports multipleaudio input sources.

• Audio Output ) Bse this to select !our sound cardJs audio output. This application supportsmultiple audio output sources.

Setting up the MIDI InputTo establish an input connection between Riff and !our /&& driver, !ou will need to select thecorrect /&& port. Riff allows !ou to select multiple /&&6in and /&&6out ports. $ll Open Labs

s!stems use the KOpen Labs irectK driver.

1. elect the /&& Options from the /enuGOptionsG/&& &nput Options tab.2. There are four /&& input bo"es. Bse the /&& &nput 1I bo" to select !our /&& hardware

driver.. &f !our s!stem has more /&& ports available, use /&& input bo"es two, three and four to sele




those /&&6in drivers. &f !ou have an >>6e! controller for instance, !ou can select the /&&

driver that device is connected to.:. &f !ou intend to send /&& to an e"ternal device, use /&& outputI 1 to select that e"ternal

/&& hardware driver.5. Hit $ppl!I, then ODI to commit the changes and e"it.

• MIDI Input ) Bse /&& input 1I to select !our primar! /&& driver. The application also allows!ou to select seven additional /&& drivers.

• Invert Expression) &f !ou have an e"pression pedal connected, using this option will allow!ou to invert the phase of that pedal.

• Invert Sustain) &f !ou have a sustain pedal connected, using this option will allow !ou toinvert the phase of that pedal.

• Listen to MIDI Beat Cloc ) Bse this option to have Riff s!nch to the tempo of different /&&hardware.

• Listen to Son! Start "osition) &f !ou have another Open Labs s!stem running Riff, enablethis option so that Riff will start pla!ing when a start song message is received.

• 'loc 9"pression 0edal will allow !ou to toggle between normal e"pression functionalit!, anassignable behavior.

Setting up the MIDI Output

To send /&& from Riff to e"ternal /&& devices,

1. elect the /&& Options from the /enuGOptionsG/&& Options tab.2. There are four /&& input bo"es. Bse the /&& &nput 1I bo" to select !our /&& hardware

driver.. &f !our s!stem has more /&& ports available, use /&& input bo"es two, three and four to sele

those /&&6in drivers. &f !ou have an >>6e! controller for instance, !ou can select the /&&

Open Riff 2.5 Manual >



driver that device is connected to.

• MIDI Output #$MIDI Output 2) Bse /&& Output 1I to select !our hardware /&& river. Riff

allows !ou to select two hardware /&& outputs.

• Output %otes &ro' MIDI Inputs) Bse this option to have the /&& notes !ou pla! mirrored to th

enabled /&& hardware out.

• Output CC(s fro' MIDI Inputs) Bse this option to have the /&& ontinuous ontrollers from

!our main /&& input device send mirrored /&& events to the enabled /&& hardware out.

Setting up Plug-ins

'! default, all Open Labs production stationJs plug6ins are located in C)*plu!insI. +ith Riff, !oucan add three more additional locations for plugs. +hen !ou install !our own plug6ins, pleaseinstall them to Kc)pluginsK. To add a new plug6in folder)

1. elect the 0lug6in options from /enuGOptionsG0lugins tab.

2. lic on the open space or director! to browse.. 'rowse to the folder where !our plug6ins are located, and select it. +,e default user plu!-in




folder is c)*plu!ins/.

:. %ow press the can for %ewI button. Hit ODI.

• 0S+ "lu!in director1 ) Bse this window to select !our main AT plug6in director!. Bse the lear

button to reset this window. $lso, we have provided !ou three more locations to use as ATdirectories.

• 0S+ "lu!in Scan) $fter adding a AT plug6in director! or directories, use either can for %ewIor Rescan $llI to have Riff scan the folders !ou have added. $ll new plug6ins will be available

after scanning. There is no need to relaunch the program.

• Scan &or "lu!ins On Startup, will automaticall! add newl! installed plugins to !our ound

'rowser.

• "lu!in Cras, "rotection switch will load each instrument and effect plugin as a separate process

+hile this mode does use more 0B and R$/ it also shields !ou from Riff crashing due to buggplugin behavior.

Setting up General Options

The Options window contains a variet! of important user6definable preferences used to configureRiff for !our audio(/&& hardware, plug6in locations, and to customiCe the wa! !ou wor.

8eneralelect Options from the /enuGOptionsG8eneral OptionsG8eneral tab.




• Lirar1 Director1 ) Bse the irI button to browse over and select a director! to be used as thedefault save folder for Riff.

• Start 3p Set ) lic in this window to choose a pro#ect to be the default pro#ect that starts upwith Riff.

• S,o4 +ool tips) Bse this to toggle Tool tips on(off.

• S,o4 Onscreen 6ER+7 ) 9nable this option, so when !ou invoe a te"t field the Onscreen

?+9RTF will appear for !ou to enter te"t.• S,o4 Sound Bro4ser On Startup) This setting ;if enabled< will show the Riff ound 'rowser on

start up

• S,o4 6ave Scroller ) 9nabling this setting will displa! a graphical wave form of the main audio

outputs.

Setting up General Options

To configure the De!board Range, select De!board from the /enuGOptionsGDe!board

OptionsGDe!board tab.




• 8e1oard Lo4 Ran!e) $llows !ou to select the low range of !our e!board. The range is 3613

• 8e1oard 9i!, Ran!e) $llows !ou to select the high range of !our e!board. The range is 36

13

2 – R i f f A r c h i t e c t u r e2 – R i f f A r c h i t e c t u r e

This section contains important information about the la!out and organiCation of the variouselements of Riff. This chapter contains no hands6on tutorials. However, the information here is vitto !our understanding of this awesome application. +,e tutorials start in C,apter :.




A Performance EnvironmentRiff is an environment to organiCe collections of AT sound modules, effects, and performancesets. Fou can thin of Riff as a virtual live performance rac that allows !ou to create songs, setlists, signal chains, effect chains, virtual live controls and even /&& se@uencing. '! reading thissection, !ou will gain nowledge of the Riff hierarch! starting with the et List.

#et *ist +indo, The et List window is where !ou start, allowing !ou to add instruments. There are two views forthe et List. Those are) List 0ie4 and ;rid 0ie4 . Once !ou right6clic !ou will see the following

menu. 9ach slot or s@uare of a et List is called a ong. To add a song to clic in an empt! cell;grid view< or press the M%ew ong lin ;List Aiew< to bring up the ound 'rowser

#ound ro,ser ;ound earch<

The ound earch tab allows !ou add an instrument to the Riff et List.




De!boards.

• Once !ou select a categor! and select an instrument, Riff ma! automaticall! go into ound

0review mode. This is displa!ed in the following screen shot.

• %ot all instruments are able to use preview mode.

#ound ro,ser ;urrentl! Loaded 0lugins<

The urrentl! Loaded 0lugins tab allows !ou to use instruments via sharing. Riff allows !ou to usea currentl! loaded instrument multiple times. This saves s!stem resources.




.

#ound ro,ser ;?uarantined<

The K?uarantinedK tab contains plug6ins that did not pass RiffJs stabilit! test during scanning.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual 1=



&f !ou encounter a plug that constantl! crashes Riff, !ou can @uarantine it b! right6clicing on itand select @uarantine.

Trac's




Rac's Tab

The ignal hain is a collection of plug6ins that start with an audio input stream and end with an

audio output stream. The order is) Routing TracGignal hainGtream 0rocessor. This ise"plained more in hapter .

#e$uencer

Open Riff 2.5 Manual 1>



The se@uencer in Riff allows !ou to @uicl! compose /&& se@uences with AT instruments and

effects.

-eatures of the /&& e@uencer)

• &nput ?uantiCed Recording

• K+ait for &nputK st!le recording

• /ultitrac recording with almost and infinite number of tracs

• Looping

• 0attern &mport(9"port

• $utomation

• 0iano Roll(tep Record st!le %ote 9ditor

• Transpose select note in editor b! octaves or semitones

•

0ost @uantiCation• -ine tuning dial for positioning /&& notes

• tereo and /ultitrac $udio 9"porting

Instruent /ditor




The &nstrument 9ditor allows !ou access to a selected instrument(plug6inJs graphical user interfac

;8B&<. Fou can also reach the &nstrument 9ditor screen b! double6clicing the instrument in the&nstrument Rac or in the ignal hain. This is e"plained more in hapter .

*i0e Controls




This is one of the most powerful features of Riff.

On the Live ontrols screen, !ou can build a custom set of virtual /&& controllers that can belined to instruments, effects, or signal chain controls contained within a ong. Live controls canalso send /&& messages to e"ternal devices. Live controls for a ong are saved within thatong and can be easil! recalled, imported or e"ported.




3 – U n d e r s t a n d i n g R i f f 3 – U n d e r s t a n d i n g R i f f

This section will begin to familiariCe !ou with navigating around Riff. &nitiall!, donJt worr! aboutbeing unsure with the controls 6 all will be e"plained.

Launch Riff +hen !ou first launch Riff, the screen shown below appears. This et list is loaded with a defaultset. Other defaults will have different loos.

Set List in List ie! (Default)

This screen is called the et ListI. The #ong rid Title ar Title ar Controls #tatus ar

and *o,er #ection Controls mae up this screen. This window allows !ou to add and switchbetween virtual instruments. 9ach s@uare of the grid is called a ongI.




Set List in Grid ie!

0ressing the Nhow 8rid button switches Riff from the List view to the 8rid view.

The 8rid view has the same items as the List view. The #ong rid Title ar Title arControls #tatus ar and *o,er #ection Controls are the same.

9ach s@uare of the grid is called a ongI.




Song

+hen !ou add an instrument or audio input to Riff !ou have created a ong.

Bse each s@uare of the grid to create a song. $ song can either be one s@uare, or it can be a group of

s@uares to create all the parts for the song !ou are pla!ing. $s shown in the e"ample below, using thesong grid !ou can arrange songs into a structure, rename and color them for eas! organiCation.

9ach song is not limited to #ust one instrument. Once !ou go into the Tracs of a ong, !ou have tons

options, lie creating e!board splits, se@uencing and adding AT effects.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual 2:



"itle #ar

The Title 'ar is the area of Riff that contains the programJs control menu items. &tems include)/enu, et List, Tracs, &nstrument(9ffects(%ote 9ditor, and Live ontrols.

/enu 'ar

• -ile

▪ %ew et

• reates a new et from scratch.

• Launches a confirmation dialog. reating a new et will eliminate current one.

• &f !ou want to mae a new et, the current et will be replaced with the new et.

▪ Open et

• Opens the et List 'rowser.

▪ Open Recent et

• Lists recentl! accessed ets. electing from here will launch the selected set.

▪ Open et in afemode...

• afemode is a simple wa! of diagnosing aproblematic et. Fou can choose whether ornot to allow an instrument or effect to load.

▪ ave et

• &f no changes have been made to a et, this isgra!ed out.

▪ ave et $s...

• hoose this to save !our et with a customname.

▪ /i"down

• /i"down ong 6 /i"down a song or loop se@uence region to stereo wave audio file.

• /i"down Tracs eparatel! 6 &f !ou have multiple tracs in !our se@uence, !ou can mi" eachtrac down to a separate wave audio stem.

▪ 9"it 6 Exits Riff

• 9dit

▪ Bndo, Redo

▪ ut, op!, P 0aste items to and from the clipboard

▪ lear clipboard of an! items that are there

▪ Live /ode 6 Live mode locs down Riff so !our settings are protected while !ou perform.

• Options

▪ 8eneral, $udio, /&& &n(Out, 0lugins, De!board

▪

Transport Options 6 etup general se@uencer transport options.▪ in Options 6 Bse in Options to customiCe components of Riff to !our liing.

• Help

▪ Open Help

• Opens the Riff Help -ile.

▪ $bout

• ispla!s the information regarding the build version of Riff.




"itle #ar $ontrols

Transport ontrols• Record ) This will begin recording for Riff Js se@uencer.

•

"la1 )This will begin pla!bac for RiffJs se@uencer or an! ATiJs that re@uirepla!bac, such as drum machines, se@uencers, and other /&& generatorswithin the ong.

• "ause) This will pause the transport of the Riff se@uencer.

• Options) ontains various options for RiffsJ se@uencer see bo" to right.

• B"M ) et tempo for the selected song. &ncludes a tap to tempo button to create a uni@ue tempo on the fl!

• Mini'i<e) /inimiCes Riff

• Close) 9"its Riff

Lo!er Section $ontrols

• ong Aol)This volume nob controls the volume for the individuall! selected song. &t is independent fromthe /ain Aolume control.

• Right6clicing on the volume nob brings up Learn /ode.

• Learn Q Ties the Aol nob to a specific controller

• Learn Relative Q Ties the Aol nob to a controller but sta!s latched to the control volume on theselected preset. +hatever preset is in focus will have its volume controlled.

• $dd Trac) lic this button to add an instrument to Riff via the ound 'rowser.

• Right6clicing the $dd Trac button brings up the @uic add window.

• elected Trac) hows which Trac !ou have selected in a song.• how 8rid) witches from the default List Aiew to 8rid Aiew

• /&& 0rops) Opens the /&& properties for the selected ong.

• Toggle Right lic;/ouse &con<) Bse this to use the touch screen friendl! right6clic function with a mouse

• Learn) witches Riff to /&& learn mode.

• Bndo(Redo) There are 13 levels of undo in Riff.

• 0anic) Bse this to cut off stuc /&& notes.

• elete) Bse this to delete the selected item.


+ransport Bar Options



"rac%s

This is the main window where instrument racs, se@uences and effect chains are created andmanaged. These are the components that comprise the 0resets from the ong(et grid pages.9ach ong button on the ong(et 8rid page has Tracs. /oving from left to right, each Trac canbe composed of up to > instruments. 9ach &nstrument can have up to seven effects added to it;$udio or /&&<.

0reset G TracsG > &nstruments G 1 ignal hain G 1 0lug6in M 4 9ffects

Routing Tab

#e$uencer Tab




Bnderstanding the Tracs Tab

The Tracs tab contains Racs, e@uencer, La!ers and 8enerators. There is also a /aster Trac an

a 8lobal /aster Trac. $ll these will be e"plained in the following pages.

Racs and e@uencer olumn

• Racs Tab is the first stage in the signal process and allows multiple instruments or multiplaudio inputs to be added to a ong. 9ach item that is added is called a Trac. Fou can

create various tracs for instance an instrument, an audio input, or even an empt! /&&trac to use with an e"ternal e!board.

• e@uencer) This tab allows !ou to create /&& se@uences from tracs in !our Racs tab.

• /aster Trac) &s where !ou place effects that are to be used universall! on allinstrument(inputs of that ong.

• 8lobal /aster) Bse this to add effects that are used globall! over the whole Riff et.

The /aster Trac is where !ou place effects that are to be used universall! on all instrument(inputs ofthat Routing arrangement.

9ach Riff et has one 8lobal /aster 'us. This is used to add effects that are used globall! acrossthe entire Riff et.

The 8lobal /aster is located at the bottom of the Routing and e@uencing column.




#ignal Chain*a4er

The ignal hain is the second stage of the signal process. 9ach input from the Trac column getsa ignal hain. The ignal hain(La!er allows !ou to mae advanced setups such as e! splits anla!ered effects.

Fou can even la!er additional instruments within a ignal hain. $ ignal hain can contain up toeight instruments. De!board plits are also possible. ignal hains can even be custom routedthrough one another.

• %e4 La1er Q $ccesses the ound 'rowser, where !ou

can select a plug6in and add it to the &nstrument rac.Bp to eight instruments can be added per Trac.

More infor'ation on usin! t,e Si!nal C,ain can e found inC,apter :.#ignal Chain

The ignal hain is the third and final stage of the signalprocess before !our sound outputs to !our speaers orheadphones. This is where !ou add audio and /&& effects.Fou add up to eight audio effects, and one /&& effect.




← ← ignal hain;left picture< with one instrument inserted.

ignal hain;right picture< with one /&& effect, and three audio effects. → →

Bse the M%ew $udio 9ffect( M%ew /&& 9ffect to open the effect browser.

Fou can also assign a custom hardware audio output for the select tracs tream 0rocessor.

lic on the NOutput 1(2 to do that.

↓

More infor'ation on usin! t,e Strea' "rocessor can e found in C,apter :.

$udio is processed from top to bottom, and effects can be reordered. The first slot is used for a /&&effect. The second uses an instrument, while the plug6in slots below it are for audio effects.

*o,er Controls of the Trac's Tab

+hen !ou select an item from the Tracs tab of Riff, there are various options on the Lower ontrbar. The following entries will help to familiariCe !ou with these options.

&nstrument &nput Lower ontrol




/&& Trac &(O ;&nput Output<

The Trac &(O of an instrument trac is the /&& &(O. This lets !ou assign a particular /&& input device, /&& input channels, and /&& output channels. $lso, !ou canconfigure /&& sends to e"ternal hardware.




&nstrument e@uence Lower ontrol

lone)

• lone 'lan Timeline -rom Trac

• lone 'lan Loop Trac -rom Trac

Transpose De!board)

• =#2 +ranspose 6 Transposes notes sent b! one octave up.

• -#2 +ranspose 6 Transposes notes sent b! one octave down.

• =# +ranspose 6 Transposes notes sent b! one semi tone.

• -# +ranspose 6 Transposes notes sent b! one semi tone down.

• +ranspose Reset 6 Resets an! transposed notes bac to Cero.

$udio Trac &(O;&nput Output<

This lets !ou choose a particular audio input channel and route it to a desire audio rac.

ignal hain Lower ontrol ;&nstrument<

• 0ol Q Aolume control for the ignal hain. $ll instruments and their signal will be affected.

• "an Q 0an control for the ignal hain. $ll instruments and their signal chains will be affected.

• Solo 6 olos the ignal hains and mutes all other ignal hains




• Mute Q /utes the selected ignal hain. $ll instruments and their signal chains will be affected.

• /&& omp 6 Opens a /&& compressor

• De! split 6

• +o!!le Split Q $llows !ou to open or close an! e!board splits !ou have created. This resets thesplit bac to default.

• Set 9i!, Ran!e 6 electing this button brings up the Learn High Range dialog bo" prompting theuser to select the /&& note that will be the highest note sent to the instrument. The user hits thee! on the &vor! e!board and the high ceiling is set. The change will immediatel! be seen on thee!board la!out on the &nstrument rac.

• Set Lo4 Ran!e 6 electing this button brings up the Learn Low Range dialog bo" prompting the us

to select the /&& note that will be the lowest note sent to the instrument. The user hits the e! othe &vor! e!board and the low is set. The change will immediatel! be seen on the e!board la!ouon the &nstrument rac.






/aster ignal hain Lower


• "an Q 0an control for the ignal hain. $ll instruments and their signal chains will be affected.

• Solo 6 olos the ignal hains and mutes all other ignal hains

• Mute Q /utes the selected ignal hain. $ll instruments and their signal chains will be affected.

tream 0rocessor Lower ontrol


• B1pass 6 '!passes the output of the effect.

• "resets 6 Bse this drop to pic a preset patch from an instrument or effect if available

Transpose De!board)





•+ranspose Reset 6 Resets an! transposed notes bac to Cero.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual



Instrument Editor

&f an instrument or plug6in is selected, !ou can access the 8B& b! clicing the &nstrument 9ditortab on the Title 'ar. $lso, !ou can reach the &nstrument 9ditor screen b! double6clicing theinstrument in the &nstrument Rac or in the ignal hain.

• 0ol Q The volume here basicall! controls the amount of output that is sent to the ne"t effect in the ignalhain. The volume is independent from the Trac volume and the signal chain volume

• "resets 6 Bse this drop to pic a preset patch from an instrument or effect.

• S,o4 "ara's Q This button brings up the raw parameters view of the current plug6in. licing it againswitches bac to the plug6inJs 8B&. Refer to t,e next pa!e for an exa'ple.

• Default Settin!s Q Locs user created parameters as the default setting. This

onl! applies to the selected ong. Loading another instance of the ATi will notload with this as the default setting. The onl! e"ception to this of course isKhared &nstrumentsK.

• ;oto) $llows !ou to @uicl! #ump between other editor views in !our song suchas other plugins 8B& to the /&& %ote 9ditor.

• +ranspose 8e1oard )









&nstrument 0arameters

&f an instrument or plug6in is selected, !ou can access the list of the parameters for the plug6in b!clicing the how 0arams tab on the &nstrument 9ditor lower control screen. The last touchedcontrol on the plug6in will be highlighted on the 0arams page. This is helpful for locating hard6to6distinguish parameters.

This is a list of the raw parameters of an &nstrument. This will also displa! parameters that mightnot be accessible from the plug6in 8B&. The Lower control section is the same as the &nstrument9ditor tab.

• S,o4 Editor Q 0ressing this button will tae !ou bac to the &nstrument 9ditor screen.

9"porting and &mporting Bser 0atches

&f !ou twea out a patch in an instrument, !ou can e"port that setting b! going to

Menu>&ile>Export>Export &?" @"ro!ra'. This also applies to 'ans. 9"cept !ou would picExport &?"@Ban instead. The import(e"port -E'(-E0 function is onl! available when theinstrument(effect editor tab is selected.




9"porting AT 0rograms

&nstruments with AT 0resets can have each preset e"ported to be categoriCed and tagged in theound 'rowser.

Live $ontrols




↓

• Rena'e) Renames the currentl! selected Live ontrol.• Color ) 'rings up the olor 0icer dialog bo".

• Cut ) ut the selected Live ontrols

• Cop1 ) op! elected Live ontrols for pasting.

• Save) ave selected Live ontrol set.

• Delete) eletes the currentl! selected Airtual Live ontrol.

Dnob 0roperties( HoriContal lider 0roperties( Aertical lider 0roperties

• Invert This option allows !ou to invert the Airtual Live ontrol. This comes in hand! when woring withATJs that have reversed buttons to b!pass.

• Lo4 Q ets the low boundar! of a nob or slider.

•

9i!, Q ets the high boundar! of a nob or slider.• Oscillator +1pe 6 The nob can be made to self oscillate. 'elow is a listing of the Oscillator t!pes.

▪ Sine - $ sine wave is often thought of as the mostsimple or pure wave because it possess onl! oneharmonic and is a smooth wave.

▪ +rian!le $ triangle waveform that rises @uicl! to aparticular amplitude, then @uicl! drops.

▪ Sa4 - The sawtooth wave ;or saw wave< is named asawtooth based on its resemblance to the teeth on theblade of a saw. awtooth waves ramps upward as timegoes b! and then sharpl! drops. However, there arealso sawtooth waves in which the wave rampsdownward and then sharpl! rises.

▪ Inverted Sa4 &nverts the awtooth wave t!pe.

&nverted aw waves ramps downward and then sharpl!rises.

▪ Suare - The s@uare wave alternates @uicl! betweentwo levels.

▪ Rando' - This randoml! selects oscillator parametervalues.

The following controls are revealed after an oscillator after an oscillatorhas been added. ;hown 'elow<

• +i'e Q hoose the rate of oscillation b! ad#usting this nob.

• Offset 6 Offsets the starting point of the oscillation dependenton the cloc of the host. This is used to mae nobs(sliders hit their high(low ranges on different beats.

• 3se B"M 6 This button allows !ou to s!nc the nob(slider with RiffJs '0/.

• 3se Seuence 6 Fou can latch the oscillators to start with the pla! button of the host and an! otherse@uencer that has been s!nced to the host. +hen !ou hit pla! the oscillators start oscillating along with a

se@uencer ;if !ou have put it to s!nc with the host<. +,is onl1 applies to t,e selected live control.• Loc Q This will loc down all the live controls maing them operable. This is similar to live6mode but still

allows !ou to edit the live controls, with the e"ception of resiCing them.




'utton 0roperties

• Button +1pe 6 The options are Toggle ;On(Off< and /omentar!;Trigger<

▪ +o!!le Q +hen set to toggle, a button remains on until !ou press it again. Hence On(Off

▪ Mo'entar1 Q +hen set to /omentar!, a button triggers when pushed and releases the

trigger when released.

• Invert This option allows !ou to invert the button function.

• Loc Q This will loc down all the live controls maing them operable. This is similar to live6modbut still allows !ou to edit the live controls, with the e"ception of resiCing them.

EF 0ad 0roperties

• Lo4 ?$ 9i!, ? Q ets the low and high ranges for the E a"is on the EF pad.

• 9i!, 7$ 9i!, 7 ets the low and high ranges for the F a"is on the EF pad.• Loc Q This will loc down all the live controls maing them operable. This is similar to live6mode but still


rossfader

• Invert This option allows !ou to invert the button function.• Lo4$9i!, 6 ets the low and high range for side $ of the rossfader.

• Oscillator +1pe 6 The fader can be made to self oscillate.

• +ouc,1 ) +ill change the rate at which the value is increased or decreased.

• Loc Q This will loc down all the live controls maing them operable. This is similar to live6mode but stillallows !ou to edit the live controls, with the e"ception of resiCing them.

Te"t 0ropertiesreates a bo" the user can use for t!ping notes, te"t or labeling in. -or instance, the name of the

song or special trics for that individual song.


Live Control lo4er control ar 4it, +rian!le Oscillator added.



• Edit +ext This allows !ou to input the actual te"t to be displa!ed when in live mode.• Loc Q This will loc down all the live controls maing them operable. This is similar to live6mode but still


Open Riff 2.5 Manual :3



a – U s i n g R i f f ! T u t o r i a l s a – U s i n g R i f f ! T u t o r i a l s

Starting up Riff

'! default, starting Riff will open on the ound 'rowser, ound earch Tab.

The ound earch tab will allow !ou to access the included sounds via the categories or b! grepsearching. -or advanced searching and to see all of !our presets, clic on the ound List Tab.




The ound List tab gives !ou access to the categories on the ound earch tab but also gives !ou

filters on all of the items in the ound 'rowser. $ll items in the ound 'rowser can be filtered b!$ll ATs, Templates, and ongs Templates. Read on for more details.




About the #ound ro,ser

1. Sound Searc, - The ound earch tab allows !ou add an instrument to the Riff et List.2. Sound Lirar1 - The ound Librar! tab allows !ou to filter instruments b! categor!. licing K$ll

shows !ou all instruments. licing KDe!sK for instance, filters out all instruments e"cept thoseconsidered to be De!boards.

. Currentl1 Loaded "lu!ins Bse this to load a sound that is alread! loaded in another ong. Thisis how !ou can KshareK instruments between songs.

:. uarantined &f an instrument does not wor properl! with Riff, !ou can right6clic it and haveit sent to the @uarantine list.

5. S,o4 Drop Do4n Q $llows !ou to show all(onl! certain ob#ects. S,o4 All S,o4 0S+(s S,o4+e'plates. S,o4 Son!s S,o4 +racs S,o4 Racs S,o4 Si!nal C,ains S,o4 Strea'

"rocessors.=. Searc, T!pe in the name of an instrument on the e!board to locate it. Bse the Nlear button

4. Cate!ories Q &nstruments are arranged b! their categor!. Bse this as a wa! to filter throughvarious templates(songs(sounds. ections are color coded for eas! understanding of groupings

>. Options Q This launches RiffJs options page as detailed in hapter 2 0lug6in OptionsI.7. "la1 Button$B"M 6 $llows

13. Add E'pt1 MIDI trac ) This option is used when !ou want Riff to onl! control an e"ternalhardware /&& device.

11. Add Audio +rac ) 0ressing the N$dd $udio Trac button adds an empt! ong to the et List tha

is used for routing in and e"ternal audio device lie a guitar or microphone.

12. Add$Cancel +hen !ou select an instrument in the list, press the N$dd button to add it to the

song. electing Nancel while in the browser, will e"it the browser.




re0ie,ing an Instruent

+hile in the sound browser, some ATJs allow !ou to use the preview feature to audition an! available

presets. ongs and effects can also be previewed with this feature. To preview a plugin or a savedtemplate, simpl! touch on the name of the plugin or template. oing so will load the plugin(template

and itJs presets ;if available, as seen below<.

Once again) %ot all 0lugins support the 0review -eature, but !ou can also preview all templates iRiff.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual ::



%ow that we have auditioned a sound letJs add it to the et List. Once an instrument is added tothe et List, this is what !ou will see. 0lease refer to hapter for an e"planation of this screen.

Fou can now pla! this sound with the ivor! e!s. &f !ou want to ad#ust the settings of theinstrument in the first song, clic the N&nstrument 9ditor tab, which is located on the Title 'ar.




&f !ou add another ong to the et List, the N0revious ong and N%e"t ong buttons appear.

These two buttons will be located on the right side of the list in list view, and lower left corner ofthe screen in grid view and will allow !ou to move to the ne"t song in the et List.

aving a et

To save the current et List, go to /enuG-ileGave et $s....+hen the window pops up, t!pe in a name and hit NOD.

Rename and ave a ongRight6clic a ong, then choose KRenameK and finall! t!pe in a name. Fou can also save ongsindividuall! from ets. $ll saved songs will be displa!ed in the ound 'rowser. This allows !ou toeasil! import and e"port songs from different sets.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual :=



&sing "rac%s

$dding an $dditional &nstruments to a ong

$ ong can contain multiple instruments. To add multiple instruments to one ong, select theTracs Tab at the top of the screen, then clic on the Racs sub tab.

N%ew Trac 6 This allows for additional Tracs to be created with a signal chain containing a ATi, or

an empt! signal chain with no AT. &n order to use the ATiJs and pla! them, a Trac must be selectedwith the desired plug6in.

N%ew La!er Q Bse this button to create additional signal chains with a ATi, or create an empt! signa

chain for uni@ue e! splits. Touching the screen on a blan signal chain will give !ou the same addoption.

To add that additional sound to this song, press the N%ew Trac button. $gain, !ou can decide topic a sound b! the categor!, or b! using the ound 'rowser.

The ne"t image shows !ou that there are now two Tracs in this song. licing on each trac will

pla! the la!ers on that trac.




+hen more than one Trac has been added to the ignal hains page, new options becomeavailable on the et list

These new controls allow !ou to scroll the previous and ne"t instrument in the &nput hain of theselected ong. %OT9) Fou can also assign a /&& button to toggle between ne"t and previoustracs. This allows !ou to change tracs without leaving the et List page.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual :>



onitoring #e%arate Trac's

Riff gives !ou the abilit! to monitor multiple Tracs at the same time. %ormall!, when !ou select aTrac, incoming /&& notes and Js are onl! sent to that trac. The following directions will show!ou how to monitor multiple Tracs.

-irst, add two or more Tracs to a ong.

-or each trac !ou wish to pla! simultaneousl!, press the /i" 'utton, then press the /onitorbutton.




The #ignal Chain Trac' Rac' 7#end Audio to #e%arate (ut%uts8

To elect a different $udio Output for a trac simpl! select a trac, then clic on the Output buttonlocated below the signal chain.




$reating 'e()oard Splits in a Song *Signal $hain+

reating e!board splits are now easier than ever -or this tutorial, we have two instances ofReator.

The above image shows the two items in the Trac.

There are a couple wa!s to create splits. Fou can use the mouse and arrow pointer to create thesplit. Or !ou can use the touch screen. elect the signal chain instrument that !ou want to split

and either touch screen(left6clic and drag from the right or left of the e!board. +hile !ou aredragging, the ranges will split. The other wa! is to use the et RangeI buttons.

&f !ou are not satisfied with a split and want to revert, select the ignal hain instrument andpress the NToggle plit button. This will spread the e!board bac to full range with no split.

elect the first signal chain. 0ress the Net High Range or NLow Range buttons. These are locateat the bottom of the screen.

0ressing the NHigh Range button followed b! pressing the highest e! !ou wish to have in !ourrange, will ad#ust the high

0ress the 5I e! on the /iDo(%eDo ivories.




$ll notes above 5I are split off.

%ow, select the second ignal hain. $nd press the Net Low Range button. Fou will see thefollowing)

0ress the S5I e! on the /iDo(%eDo ivories.

$s !ou can see !ou now have the lower section of the first ignal hain split from 5 down, andignal hain 2 split from S5I up.




Adding /ffects to an In%ut or #ignal Chain

Fou can add a AT effect or /&& effect to the desired signal chain. $ ma"imum of seven audio, o

seven /&& effects can be chosen per signal chain. More infor'ation re!ardin! t,e Strea'"rocessor @effects colu'n can e found in C,apter .

$udio -E lot) This is

where all the audioeffects are stored for the

chosen signal chain.

0ressing N%ew $udio 9ffect will bring up the effects browser. Fou can also right6clic to add an $udioeffect.




The ne"t screen shot shows an effect in the tream 0rocessor under the Airtual &nstrument.

+hen the effect is selected the 9ffect 9ditorI will be present in the title bar. &f !ou press on the

editor it will show !ou the 8B& of the selected plugin. ;ee below< -rom here !ou can maead#ustments to the plugin parameters and latch them to !our hardware or software Livecontrollers.




Adding MIDI ,

To add a /&& -E, press the N%ew /&& 9ffect button. This will bring up the effects browser. $screen similar to the sound browser will appear, here !ou choose the /&& effect. The t!pe of /&effects !ou can e"pect to find in Riff are arpeggiators, /&& note repeaters, basic /&& stepse@uencers, humaniCers, etc. *ust lie regular audio effects, a /&& effects parameters can beedited via the effect editor tab.

reating and using $udio &nputs

Riff allows !ou to feed the signal chain a signal from a live input device, such as a guitar, bass, ormicrophone.

Right6clic on KM %ew TracK and select the N$dd $udio &nput button to insert the audio input to

the signal chain.

Once the input is inserted, clic the NTrac &O button on the left hand corner of the lower controlsection. Bse this to configure !our audio input source.




Edit Mode vs. Live Mode

To loc down Riff when in a live performance, use Live Mode. 8o to Menu>Edit>Live Mode.

9dit /ode) hanges can be made to a songJs parameters.




Live /ode) Locs down man! of the parameters associated with songs.




MIDI Learning /ard!are $ontrollers

/ost parameters in Riff can be latched to !our /&& controllers.

The first tutorial will show !ou how to /&& learn an Riff nob to a hardware nob on an Open Lab0roduction tation.

LetJs start with the ong Aolume nob located on the lower info bar of the et List

Right6clic on the Nong Aol nob, as shown below.

These are the items !ou can see in this window.

1. Learn Q /&& learn maps Riff ob#ects to /&& controllers, virtual live controls to ATJs, andvirtual live controls to /&& controllers.

2. Learn Relative Q Learning a parameter to KLearn RelativeK, allows the latched hardware tocontrol the parameter across all the pertaining items. &n this case, the hardware latched to the

ong Aolume will also control an! other selected songs volume.. 3nlearn Relative Q Releases a parameter from a universal KlearnedK latching.




:. Learn Relative "roperties $llows !ou to customiCe the hardware parameters. Bse this feature

if !ou are attempting to latch %O%6Open Labs /&& hardware.

Once !ou select LearnI the screen will turn red which means Riff is waiting for !ou to press abutton on the Open Labs 0roduction tation. &f !ou loo at the Lower ontrol 'ar, !ou will see theNLearn button now sa!s LearningI.




elect a nob on the Open Labs 0roduction tation, once !ou do this the control will be latched.The following picture shows a small letter KHK in the lower right corner of the Nong Aol nob. Threpresents that this control has been latched to a controller.

Here are some common right6clic /&& learn options !ou will see in Riff.

1. Learn /&& learn maps host buttons to /&& controllers, virtual live controls to ATJs andvirtual live controls to /&& controllers.

2. Learn Relative Learning a parameter toFLearn RelativeF , eeps that mapping universal

for all ongs and ets.

. 3nlearn 9ard4are Q Bse this to release amapped item from itJs /&& controller. This

option is onl! available when !ou have an item

mapped.:. 3nlearn Relative Q Releases a parameter from a

universal KlearnedK latching.

5. Learn$3nlearned "roperties Q The following

image shows the options in learn properties.+,is option is onl1 availale 4,en 1ou ,ave an

ite' 'apped. +,is also is t,e sa'e for ite'slearned Relative.

• Info) hows which /&& and /&&hannel the selected Live ontrol is assignedto.

• 9ard4are +1pe)

• "ot ;Dnob, lider<)

• +o!!le Button) +hen set to toggle, abutton remains on until !ou press itagain. Hence On(Off.

• Mo'entar1 Button) +hen set to/omentar!, a button triggers whenpushed and releases the trigger whenreleased.

• Encoder ) &nforms Riff that an encoderhardware control is being used toperform as a regular nob. &nstead ofsending M(61 it will scale from 1 to124. Touch!) +ill change the rate at which the value is increased or decreased.

• "ot "roperties)

• Soft +aeover ) $llows the user to realign a latched hardware controller to the correspondinAT parameter smoothl!.

• &nvert ;Low(High<) Reverses the high(low or on(off settings of a Live ontrol.

Low/High) Refers to the minimum and ma"imum value of a parameterJsrange.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual =3



*earn Relati0e

Aarious controls in Riff can be set to /&& KLearn RelativeK.

Learning a parameter to KLearn RelativeK, eeps that mapping consistent for all songs and sets. -or

e"ample, lets Learn RelativeI the mute /i" button on a trac, then Right lic on the /ute 'utton andselect.

&t will mute the selected trac of an! song and an! set globall!.

Here are some controls that can be learned relative)

• et list lower section Aolume

• et list lower section pla! button

• ignal hain page lower section volume

• ignal hain page lower section /onitor button

• ignal hain page upper control pla! button

• '0/ Tap tempo button

• '0/ M1(61 buttons

• ignal hain instrument lower section volume

• ignal hain instrument lower section pan

• ignal hain instrument lower section mute

• ignal hain instrument lower section transpose up(down

• ignal hain instrument lower section transpose reset

• &nstrument editor lower section volume

• &nstrument editor lower section transpose up(down

• &nstrument editor lower section transpose reset

• &nstrument editor lower section previous(ne"t preset buttons

• Live controls lower section low(high nobs ;all live controls Airtual Live ontrols<

• Live controls lower section nob(horiContal properties time and offset nobs




$reating and &sing Live $ontrols

The Live ontrols are where virtual nobs, sliders, buttons and EF pads can be created, imported,and mapped to /&& controllers on ATi plug6in parameters and even other applications. Fou canalso create Live ontrols for AT effect plug6ins.

Here is an e"ample of a Live ontrol set made for a Asti.

These controls can be directl! lined to the parameters of a ATi or AT.




Create a 9e, *i0e Control

To create and use a Live ontrol with an instrument or effect, follow the steps below.

-irst, add an instrument plugin to a song. -or this e"ample we will use !nth1.

lic on the instrument editor tab to show the 8B& of !nth1.

This Live ontrols lesson will be to create and /&& learn

the $TTI, 9I, BI, and R9LI sliders in the $mplifie9nvelop section.




lic on the Live ontrolsI tab. lic an!where on the page to add a Aertical lider to the grid.

Repeat this step three more times for a total of four Aertical liders, then press the loc button at the

lower right of the screen. The loc button will allow !ou to ad#ust the sliderJs position. ;-igure $,Bnloced, -igure ', Loced<

-igure $ -igure '

-rom here press the LearnI button at the bottom of the screen.

Once !ou do this, the entire grid will turn red indicating a control read! for LearningI.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual =:



+hen Riff is in Learning mode, the program awaits for !ou to select two parameters to latch.1. tart b! touching the first Live control.

2. %ow select the parameter !ou wish to control.

lic the &nstrument 9ditorI tab to get bac to the 8B& of !nth1. Touch the K$K slider using either the

touchscreen or the touch pad

This screen will turn bac to the default color and this control learned to the Live ontrol. lic onthe Live ontrolsI tab once again.

Fou will see that the Live control is latched to the parameter, b! the LI indicator ne"t to the Liveontrol. $lso !ou can view what the Live ontrol is assigned to b! looing at the lower info bar.

Hovering over the first fader shows it to be mapped to !nth1, 0aram 1= -ilter $ttac.




Repeat the steps to learn the remaining Live ontrols to other !nth1 0arameters.

Using (scillators ,ith :nobs#liders

Dnobs and sliders can have an oscillator added to them. Refer to hapter for the t!pes ofoscillators used in Riff.

-irst off, setup a nob in !our Live ontrols. -or this tutorial, & am going to use the same Liveontrols made in the last tutorial with !nth1.

lic on the nob, then select the KOscillator T!peK. 0ic the t!pe of oscillator !ou would lie to

use. Once !ou do this the oscillator will tae control over the nob.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual ==



• Fou can s!nc the oscillator to the '0/ of the current song b! clicing on the NBse '0/ button.

•

$lso, !ou can s!nc to the se@uencer host b! using the NBse e@ button.

Fou can latch the oscillators to start with the pla! button of the host and an! other se@uencer that has

been s!nced to the host. +hen !ou hit pla! the oscillators start oscillating along with a se@uencer ;if

!ou have put it to s!nc with the host<. +,is onl1 applies to t,e selected live control.

a%%ing *i0e Controls to the *o,er Control #ection

&f !ou have an oscillator latched to a Live ontrol nob, !ou can have that oscillator control thevolume or pan control of a signal chain. The following tutorial will show !ou how to /&& learn aLive ontrol Oscillator to the volume nob of a signal chain.

reate a new ong and add an! instrument.




1. 8o to the NLive ontrols taband add a new nob. elect thenew nob and add an oscillator.

2. elect the NLearn button,

then select the Dnob.

. elect the Nignal hains

tab and select the volumenob in the Lower ontrols.

a% a *i0e Control to an /&ternal I;I CC

Live ontrols can also be assigned to control a parameter from another application which offerscontrols that respond to /&& messages. uch as, trac faders, transport controls, etc. -irst

!ou will need to now what the of the other program is using. This information can usuall! befound in the particular products documentation.

Once !ou now the /&& , itJs ver! simple to assign a Live ontrol to that particular item.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual =>



Right6clic on the Live ontrol and elect N/&& Output.....

Once !ou choose the MIDI CC Output.... The

0roperties window will pop up. This is where !ou assignthe output and the /&& hannel the target control is

residing.




#a0ing *i0e Controls as a Te%late

Fou can save a Live ontrol or a whole Live ontrol set. To this, #ust left6clic drag to select all the

elements of the Live ontrols !ou want to save as a template.

1. elect all the items to be saved.

2. Right6clic on the page and select Nave.

. hoose a name for the Live ontrols that are being saved.




• &ile 6 This is where !ou t!pe in the name for the Live ontrol being saved.• Description 6 8ive the Live ontrol a brief description.

• Save ALL Live Controls - 0lace a chec mar here to save all the Live ontrols on thecurrent page.

• Save Selected Live Controls 6 elect this option if !ou onl! want to save the currentl!selected Live ontrols.




&sing Multi-tim)ral Instruments 0 Sharing Instruments

This section of the tutorial will focus on using /ulti6timbral instruments in Riff, but will also give!ou some insight on using the Khared &nstrument featureK. +e will !ou show !ou two wa!s to usa multi6timbral instrument.

$ multi6timbral instrument is a ATi that can load multiple sounds and assign them to different/&& channels. %ative &nstrumentsJ Dontat is an instrument that falls into this categor! and we

will use it in our demonstration. &f !ou do not have a Dontat a free version can be downloaded

from ,,,.nati0einstruents.co.

LetJs start with how to share an instrument.

#haring Instruents

To hare an instrument, first create a new ong, and add a ATi to pla!. $fter doing that, go to anempt! grid of the et list, select N$dd, the sound browser appears. However, this time instead of

adding a sound from the ound List, select the Nurrentl! Loaded 0lugins tab.


http://www.nativeinstruments.com/

http://www.nativeinstruments.com/



Here !ou will see !our list of urrentl! Loaded 0lugins. elect Dontat : press the add soundI button

Fou are now using a shared instance of Dontat : in two different songs.

#ong rid and the ulti-tibral Instruent

8o to the NTracs tab., then clic on the NRacs sub tab. Loo at the tream 0rocessor, Dontat

is now !ellow and the word KH$R9K is present in the tab. This confirms this instrument is indeeshared.

%ow letJs add few sounds across some /&& channels in Dontat.

The goal here is to have one instance of Dontat running, utiliCing its multi6timbral interface to be

able to pla! different sounds per song.

-or this tutorial, onl! four Dontat /&& channels and sounds will be used.

8o bac to the et list page, select the first song containing the instance of Dontat, then selectthe N&nstrument 9ditor tab. %e"t, add four different sounds from Dontats 'rowser. '! default,Dontat will allocate each sound to a separate /&& channels.




%ow that !ou have added : different sounds into Dontat, go to the NTracs then NRacs sub tab and

set up our /&& channels. Touch the Dontat : De! split to show the properties in the lower bar. Onthe Lower 'ar, press the hain &O button. This will allow !ou to route the incoming /&& channel to

channel 1 of Dontat.

%ow go to ong 2 on the et List, and select the NTracs tab, then the NRacs sub tab. Repeat thesteps above and assign the De! plit to channel 2 as shown in the diagram below.




Fou can now go bac to the et List and easil! switch between songs, pla!ing the different sounds

assigned to channels 1 and 2 in Dontat.

%e"t, letJs add a third ong sharing this instance of Dontat. &nstead of simpl! changing the hain &Osetting to channel , we are going to create a la!er of channels 1 and 2. Once !ouJve added the rd

song containing the shared instance of Dontat, go to the NTracs tab, then the NRacs sub tab.-ollowing the previous e"amples set the 1st hain &O setting to /&& channel 1. %e"t, press the MLa!e

button and select $dd 9mpt! ignal hainI. elect the empt! ignal hain, then press the hain &Obuttons and assign the /&& channel to 2. Lastl!, change the Output ignal hainI from %o e"terna

RoutingI to Dontat :. ;ee picture below<




Fou can now pla! both sounds in Dontat simultaneousl! as a la!er, or ad#ust the De! plit settingto create a split. ;ee figures $ and '<

-igure $) hows a simple e! split between channels 1 and 2




-igure ') hows a e! split between all : midi channels.

%ote) 9ach trac can have up to 1= la!ers with different e! split and channel settings. This notonl! allows !ou to use the full capabilities of !our multitimbral instrument, but also will help !ouconserve s!stem resources.




Using ;ifferent reset #ounds ,ith a #hared Instruent

&f !ou are sharing a non multitimbral instrument over multiple ongs, !ou will more than liel!

want to use different presets in each song.

-or instance, if !ou are using the patch from the plug6in +usistation in ong 1, but in song two!ou also want to have +usistation using a different patch. There is no need to add a brand newinstance of +usistation.

-ollow the steps below to set up a shared plugin with the ong Restore feature.

1. $dd an instance of +usistation to a new song and select a sound. -or this e"ample, wewill use the first preset from +usi, N$coustic 'ass 2

2. Once !ou have selected !our sound, press the Nefault ettings button in the lowercontrols section, then press the N/ae efault button and lastl! press the Nong Restorebutton. ;ee figure $<

. %ow go to the et List to add a new song. elect +usistation from the Nurrentl! Loaded0lugins list.

:. lic on the &nstrument 9ditor and select a new sound in +usistaion. -or this e"ampleselect the preset Nlap 'ass

5. %ow #ust repeat the steps in step 2 will tell Riff to load a different sound in +usi when

clicing between song 1 and song 2.

-igure $

Here is a @uic recap of this section.

1. reate a ong with an! ATi.

2. 8o into the &nstrument 9ditor and find a patch !ou lie, then hit N/ae default, then hit Nongrestore.

. $dd a new ong, once !ou reach the Kound 'rowserK clic the Nurrentl! Loaded 0lugins tab.Here !ou will see !our list of loaded instruments. &nstead of loading a new instance of an

instrument, select the instrument that is to be shared, and either press the N$dd ound butto:. 8o into the &nstrument 9ditor of the new ong, find a new preset, Then hit the N/ae efault

button. $fter !ou hit the N/ae efault press the Nong Restore button in this song.

5. %ow !ou can change songs while getting different sounds from the same plug6in.




Sending and Receiving Program $hange Messages

Riff has the capabilit! to send and receive /&& program change messages. This section will help!ou understand handles /&& program change.

Using Riff to Control (ther I;I ;e0ices

&f !our setup involves multiple /&& s!nths, and !ou want the Open Labs s!stem to controlprogram changes, plug in !our devices as shown in the following e"ample.

1. /&& out of the Open Labs s!stem to the......2. /&& in of the first s!stem to control it. /&& THRB to the ne"t s!stem in line.. Then step two and three for ever! s!stem in line.

7our external MIDI device s,ould e set to receive MIDI pro!ra' c,an!e. Refer to t,at particulardevices docu'entation.

$ Riff ong can send a /&& program change message on a particular /&& channel, or all /&&channels. This can be used to mae Riff the /aster controller for !our /&& setup.

The ong that controls this /&& program change can either have an instrument, audio input or

empt! /&& trac. 9ver! ong in !our et could have a /&& program out attached to it, an!time!ou select a ong it will send program change to !our e"ternal /&& device if !ou have thoseoptions enable.




#ending I;I rogra Change

/&& 0rogram hanges can be assigned to an! song on the et List. To access this feature, select a song on theet List and press the /&& 0rops button in the Lower ontrols section.

ong /&& 0roperties Options

Input "ro!ra' C,an!e) +hen an e"ternal /&& device is set to send/&& program change, use this option to assign the selected ong aprogram change number.

Input "ro!ra' C,an!e C,annel ) elect the incoming 0rogram hange/&& channel.

Output "ro!ra' C,an!e) et a /&& program change message to besent from the selected ong.

Output "ro!ra' C,an!e C,annel ) Tells the selected ong which /&&channel to transmit a program change.

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b - U s i n g R i f f ! # e $ u e n c e r b - U s i n g R i f f ! # e $ u e n c e r

Se1uencer "a) ie!

The /&& se@uencer in Riff can be used to record and pla!bac /&& se@uences. 'elow is an

overview of the basic functions. LetJs start with the Transport and itJs options.




"ransport and Options

Transport ontrols• Record ) This will begin recording for

RiffJs se@uencer.• "la1 )This will begin pla!bac for RiffJs

se@uencer or an! ATiJs that re@uire

pla!bac, such as drum machines,se@uencers, and other /&& generatorswithin the ong.

• "ause) This will pause the transport ofthe Riff se@uencer.

• Options) ontains various options forRiffsJ se@uencer see bo" to right.

• Record 6ait &or Input ) +hen enabledRiff will wait for the first note to bepressed to start recording

• Loop Son!) +hen enabled, Left andRight Locators will be displa!ed in RiffJs

Time Line that will loop the pla! cursorbetween.

• uanti<e On Record) 9nabling thisoption will @uantiCe notes as !ou recordthem.

• "re Roll 6it, Metrono'e) +ill give !ou a1 bar count in before recording.

• Metrono'e) +hen enabled, provides aclic sound during recording.

• B"M ) et tempo for the selected song.&ncludes a tap to tempo button to create

a uni@ue tempo on the fl!.




&sing "ime Line "rac%s

Time Line tracs in Riff wor lie traditional $+Js and tape recorders. Fou can record !ou

entire performance from start to finish, and overdub as needed, or !ou can record in loopmode and arrange !our parts separatel!.

To start recording on a Time Line track, simply select the track and press the Record button on theTransport as shown below.

'! default Riff records one trac at a time. &f !ou wish to record multiple tracs simultaneousl!,

!ou can press the /i" button on each trac and enable /onitor and Record. Fou will see a monitoicon and a record icon on the trac as shown below.




Editing "ime Line MIDI Patterns

Patterns recorded on Time Line tracks can be edited in multiple ways. Patterns can be moed left or right on thtime line or you can moe and copy them to other Time Line tracks or Loop Tracks. !ee "igures # and $.

-igure $) /oving patterns left and right.

-igure ') /oving patterns from trac 1 to trac 2.

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$dditional editing options can be found b! right clicing on the 0attern.

• nap to 8rid) This option will loc pattern movements to the visible grid lines of the Time

Line.• Rename 0attern) electing this will let !ou name !our pattern

• et 0attern olor) LetJs !ou color code !our patterns

• ut(op! 0attern) +ill perform a cut ;remove< or create a cop! of a pattern to !ourclipboard

• 9"port 0attern) +ill save !our pattern into !our sound browser for importing it to anothersong.

• elete 0attern) eletes the pattern.

On the Lower ontrol section, pressing the 0attern button will bring up the following options.

• $ctive button) +ill mute and unmute a selected pattern• ?uantiCe button) naps the position of the patter to the nearest grid line

• plit button) plits a pattern into two based on the position of the pla! cursor• 0rint urve button) +ill embed an! time based automation curves into the pattern.

• Loop button) 9nables the selected pattern to be looped b! grabbing the left or right edge




oom button will provide close up view of the currentl! selected pattern

• The nap button enables and disables snap to grid functionalit!.

• Transpose buttons will shift the notes of a selected pattern up or down in pitch in octaves osemitones.

• 8oto button provides a shortcut to the instrument 8B& !our pattern is pla!ing

• 0anic button sends all note off messages to all instruments.

• The Trash an buttons will delete the selected trac or pattern.

Automation on "ime Line "rac%s

$utomating Riff parameters and plugin parameters is eas!. To record automation on a parametersuch as volume or pan, or perhaps a plugin parameter lie a cut off, simpl! ad#ust the desiredparameter while Riff is recording. 'elow is a description on how to record and edit automation.

-irst lets setup a : bar loop in Riff and record a simple /&& pattern.

1. $dd an instrument of !our choice to a Time Line trac. 9nable Loop Record mode in theTransport Options as shown below

2. %e"t, press Record and pla! some notes.




. $fter !ou have recorded notes in the the loop, !ou can grab the volume nob on the tracpanel and record the movements.

:. 0ress top when finished and !ou will see !our movements recorded on the time line.

5. %e"t, lets record a parameter from s!nth1. 0ress Record again, then clic on the&nstrument 9ditor tab.

=. 8rab the -R? parameter on the 8B& !nth1. /ove the parameter up and down, then presstop and clic on the Tracs tab. Fou will now see !our additional automation curve underthe pattern.

4. %e"t lets edit the curves. To do so, clic on the 0encil icon on the trac. This will displa!

the $utomation /enu and allow !ou to select which curve !ou wish to edit as well as otheroptions such as Learn %ew urveI and selecting specific parameters in !our trac.

Open Riff 2.5 Manual >>



>. -or now select !nth1 AT) Rac(&nput Aolume ontrol.

7. %ow !ou can grab the points and move them to ad#ust the volume. To get bac to the maieditor press the 0encil button again and select 9dit %otes.

'! default, recording automation on a trac is time based. &f !ou moved !our pattern to a earlieror later point in time !ou would see that the curves sta! in place. ;ee below<

LetJs sa! !ou would want to have !our automation curves follow !our pattern. -ollow the stepsbelow to achieve this.

1. 0ress the 0attern button in the Lower ontrol section.2. 0ress 0rint urves, then 0rint Trac urve to 0atterns,




. -inall! press 0rint $ll urves.

This will appl! all of the recorded curves to the pattern so !ou can move it, or cop! it with theautomation. %OT9) urves that are printed into 0atterns can still be edited in the %ote 9ditor.

&sing Loop "rac%s *Recording+

Loop Tracs are a great wa! to record !our music ideas in sections in order to trigger them liveand or arrange them later.

To add a Loop Trac to !our song simpl! press the M%ew Loop Trac ;see figure $< lin below !oucurrent trac. This will bring up the ound 'rowser and an! instrument !ou choose will beassigned to a loop trac. Fou can also add a loop trac b! pressing the lone button ;see figure b

when selecting a trac. -rom here !ou can add a copied Time Line or a new Loop Trac that willroute to the same instrument.




-igure $ -igure '

Recording on *oo% Trac's.

ethod 1. <ust do it.

The @uicest wa! is to clic the record icon ;shown in -igure $< on an empt! cell. +hen !ou do,!ou will hear a 1 bar count in ;if enabled in the transport options< then !ou can startpla!ing(recording into the cell. 0ress stop ;shown in figure '< when !ou are finished and thepattern will begin to loop ;as seen in -igure <.

-igure $ -igure ' -igure

This method is good to use if !ou are not sure how man! bars !ou want to !our loop to be, but

now the desired tempo. &f !ou are not certain on how man! bars !ou want to record or whattempo !ou want !ou can use the Tap 'eat feature as described in method 2.

ethod 2! Ta% eat Recording

The Tap 'eat feature will initiate recording into a blan loop cell and set the se@uencer tempobased on !our performance. HereJs how it wors.

1. The first thing !ou want to do is mae sure the /etronome and 0re Roll are disabled in theTransport Options

2. elect an empt! cell on a loop trac.. imultaneousl! press the Tap 'eat button and start pla!ing !our instrument. &t is importan

that !ou eep pressing the Tap 'eat button in @uarter notes while !ou are pla!ing.:. 0ress the top Loop button when !ou are finished recording. This will set !our tempo and

start pla!ing the loop !ou #ust recorded.




ethod 3! Using =i&ed ar *oo% Cells

Fou can set up empt! Loop ells with fi"ed bar cells. This can be done b! selecting an empt! ellthen clicing %ew 0attern in the Lower ontrols.

To set the pattern siCe, clic on the 0atter iCe buttons ;-igure $<. This will displa! a dialog

allowing !ou to select the pattern siCe ;in bars<. Once !ouJve selected !our desired pattern siCe,press the %ew 0attern button and !ou will see !our empt! cells populate with fi"ed bar patterns

;-igure '<. 0ressing the record button on the 0attern or the Lower ontrols section will initiaterecording

-igure $ -igure '

&sing Loop "rac%s *Pla()ac%+

Once !ou have recorded a few patterns !ou can trigger their pla!bac b! pressing the 0la! icon othe Loop ell. 0ressing pla! on another loop cell on the same trac will stop the pla!bac of theprevious cell and start the pla!bac of the current cell.

The transition time between switching pla!bac can be ad#usted in bar counts b! the Launch 'arbutton on the Lower ontrol section.




Other controls for Loop ells include $utopla! and a Loop toggle button.

$utopla!) +hen enabled will start the pla!bac of cell upon pressing pla! on the main transport

Loop) +hen enabled, it will loop the pla!bac of a cell. +hen disabled, triggering a cell will onl!pla! it once.

&sing Loop "rac%s *Arranging+

Once !ouJve recorded all of !our parts into Loop ells, !ou arrange the pla!bac order on a TimeLine trac.

To do this, !ou must first select !our Loop trac, then press the lone button on the Lower ontro

section. elect lone a 'lan Timeline TracI.




This will create a lined Time Line trac as shown below.

%ow !ou can drag and drop !our Loop ells on the Time Line trac.

'! grabbing the right edge of the pattern !ou can drag and loop each pattern to !our desiredlength. o this until !our song is complete.

Editing MIDI in the 2ote Editor




To access the /&& 9ditor, simpl! double clic on a /&& 0attern or Loop ell. 9diting /&& is ver!simple. Fou can grab individual notes and move them left or right or transpose them up or down.'! using the Lasso button, !ou can select and edit multiple notes simultaneousl!. $dditionall!, !ocan press the elect $ll button to select ever! note in the midi pattern.

+hen !ou select a single note or multiple, !ou can access additional editing features b! pressingthe %ote button.

The button controls on the %ote button editor perform the following actions• M12 button) /oves the selected notes up in pitch b! 1 octave

• 612 button) /oves the selected notes down in pitch b! 1 octave• M1 button) /oves the selected notes up in pitch b! 1 semitone

• 61 button) /oves the selected notes down in pitch b! 1 semitone• UU button) %udges the selected notes left b! 1 grid line

• GG button) %udges the selected notes right b! 1 grid line• On button) /utes(unmutes the selected notes

• el button) eletes the selected notes

• ?uant button) ?uantiCes the selected notes. Fou can ad#ust the strength of the @uantiCe b




ad#usting the tr nob below the ?uant button

• /ove 9ncoder) /oves selected notes left and right in between grid lines. This is useful forshifting notes slightl! ahead or behind the grid lines

• tart(9nd 9ncoders) hrins and(or grows the left and right edges of the selected /&&notes.

• Ael 9ncoder) $d#usts the velocit! of the notes

Other Lower ontrol functions.

• /i" button) 0ressing this displa!s the tracJs channel strip.

• Loop 0rops) The Loop 0rops button will allow !ou enable or disable looping of !our pattern

•

2" Loop) This button will double !our /&& pattern siCe• 1(2 Loop) This button will cut !our pattern in half.

• uplicate Loop) This button will duplicate !our pattern siCe and duplicate !our notes.

• 8rid iCe) This will let !ou set the grid siCe

• 0encil button) $ccesses the $utomation urves printed in the pattern. Fou can also assignand edit new automation parameters here as well.

• $ll and oom buttons will @uicl! ad#ust !our view of !our entire se@uence. 0ressing the $button gives !ou three different view of all patterns ;on all tracs< across the Time Line. Thoom button will provide close up view of the currentl! selected pattern

• nap button) 9nables and disables the snapping of notes to the grid.

• Record button ;Loop ell 9ditor onl!<) Triggers the selected ellJs recording function.• 0la! 'utton ;Loop ell 9ditor onl!<) Triggers the selected ellJs pla!bac function.

Mi3do!n ,eatures and Re!ire




Riff has two mi" down options for songs, /i"down ong and /i"down Tracs eparatel!

◦ i&do,n #ong will mae a stereo wave file of !our song.

◦

i&do,n Trac's #e%aratel4 will mae a stereo wave file of !our mi"edsong and will mae individual wave files for all of !our tracs. This maesporting completed se@uences in Riff to other $+Js such as 0ro Tools,

ubase, and Reaper, etc.

Re,ire

Riff can also be ran ne"t to Rewire compatible $+. This feature gives !ou the abilit! use presets!ouJve made in Riff in other applications. To set up Riff in Rewire mode follow these steps

◦ Launch the $+ !ou wish to s!nc with Riff first. This establishes the Rewire /aster◦ Launch Riff. On the et List window, !ou see the te"t Rewire lave printed in the uppe

left corner. ThatJs it

A % % e n d i & A # ' i n ( % t i o n sA % % e n d i & A # ' i n ( % t i o n s

RiffJs in 9ditor allows !ou to completel! modif! the visual appearance of the program. 8o toN/enu G NOptions G Nin 9ditor.

The first page of the in 9ditor allows !ou to choose, load and save a sin.




To load a sin, choose a sin in the Kin ListK. Then press the NLoad button.

• Load) $llows !ou to load the selected sin.

• ave) aves b! over writing the selected sin.• ave $s) $llows !ou to save custom sin options as a new sin.

hoose NOD to mae the sin changes active. hoose Nancel to den! sin changes.

The second tab is the olors Tab. Fou can change the colors of various elements within Riff.




The following list shows all items that can be set to a distinct color)

'utton bacground, ialog 'acground, ialog Title bar, ialog eparator, rop down 'o",-lowchart, 8rid, Dnob 'acground, Dnob enter, Dnob et, Dnob -ill, Learn Overla!, List &tem, Lis'order, List elected &tem Outline, List eparator, List $udio &tem, List /&& &tem, /enu'acground, 0roperties 'acground, croll bar 'acground, croll bar $rrow, croll bar Thumb,croll bar Thumb Outline, election, lider 'acground, lider -ader, lider -ill, tatus bar'acground, Tab 'acground, Tab selected, Te"t, Title 'ar 'acground, Title 'ar Te"t, Title 'ar'uttons, Tool tip 'acground, Transport 'acground, Transport Outline, AB /eter 'acground, AB/eter Outline, AB /eter -ill, +indow 'acground.

The third tab is the t!le stab. The options of this page allows !ou to ad#ust the appearance ofvarious elements within Riff.




8eneral)

• Corner) $d#ust the roundness of Riff windows, buttons and drop down windows.• S,ado4s) Toggle drop shadows on or off.

• Bac!round I'a!e) This button toggles on and off the bacground image associated withthe currentl! selected sin.D t C t t $d# t th t t f th b d f Riff

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