There are a lot of parameters controlling the work of the plug-in, which are gathered into groups located in several windows. Some of the parameters control the sound (Arpeggiation and Velocity windows), others include various settings and preferences. All settings are saved in user presets (current and global). You can reset all parameters to factory presets as well as create your own default preset, which automatically loads on opening the plug-in. You can change the parameter values either by moving the respective sliders, or by typing the value in the edit box (otherwise you can change it by <+>/<->, <left>/<right> keys or by <Page Up>/<Page Down> keys with the increment of 10). All sound related parameters let you change settings and audition the resulting changes in real time. Some parameters are also presented graphically, which lets you not only audition the results, but also perform visual control.

See also:

Arpeggiation

Velocity

Voice Control

The parameters in this group let you correct input and output velocity values. It's very important for MIDI chord parts to balance (in volume) the chord notes. There is a unique controller called Voice Balance, which lets you change the balance of output velocity for every note of the chord in real time by using only 2 parameters. (The program considers the main guitar chord performing principle: when alternating down- and up strums is performed the dynamic center is located at the third string, and the strength of upper and lower string sounds decreases proportionally to the string distance from the dynamic center and the speed of alternating.) The Voice Balance controller has 2 settings: Treble and Bass:

The Treble parameter proportionally changes velocity of the higher chord voices (up from dynamic center) in the range of -40 to +40.

The Bass parameter proportionally changes velocity of the lower chord voices (down from dynamic center) in the range of -80 to +80.

You can easily control the results of edits in the visual indicator:

Velocity balance curve of the Normal Down strum:

Each Stroke type has its own color of balance curve and bars, showing velocity of the chord voices performed with this Stroke type (white arrows show the arpeggio direction. You can control Velocity balance individually for each Stroke type and for 2 levels of Stroke's input velocity:

The Slow section controls Treble and Bass for Slow Strokes, if turned off equals to 0, where output velocity of all notes equals to input velocity in the Stroke.

The Normal section controls Treble and Bass for Normal Strokes, if turned off equals to 0.

The Muted section controls Treble and Bass for mute Strokes (in percents to the Normal), if turned off equals to Normal.

The Up Strum section separately controls Treble and Bass for Up Strokes (in percents of corresponding common settings), is turned off velocity of Down and Up Strokes will be equal.

The Strings section controls Treble and Bass of all "string" Strokes.

The additional Curve section controls Treble and Bass of additional velocity levels (in percents of main level settings).

The On Input Velo section controls additional velocity level.

The Base Curve Velo uses the input velocity values as the main values for editing.

The right column of parameters Velo+ lets you control input velocity values for each Stroke type, helping you balance the volumes of various Stroke types in relation to each other.

This parameter group lets you set various numbers of sounding voices for various Stroke types, sustain some chord voices to simulate guitar strumming as well as automatically control Bass notes functions and articulation in Stroke rhythm.

Number of voices

Auto Strumming

Corrections

These parameters let you maximum realistically simulate guitar strumming. When performing a chord rhythm a guitarist often doesn't use all 6 strings in each and every stroke. Full 6-voice chord with bass strings usually appears on chord change or on the downbeat of the measure to emphasize new harmony or a strong beat. On some weaker beats the chords are played without bass voices, and sometimes even without the first string, which is usually used for accenting the chord. If played this way some chord notes are sustained until the chord change occurs, and most of the strums are played on 3 or 4 higher strings. The same style is created in Auto Strumming mode. There are 3 settings in the mode, which are Bass, Upper and Altering.

The Bass setting sustains bass voices. Full 6-voice chord will be always triggered on chord changes. On the other strums bass voices will sustain until the next chord change . Some other cases when full 6-voice chords will be played are:

• After articulation pause;

• After rhythmic pause longer than a Slow strokes parameter setting;

• After the number of beats set in the Bass Layer On parameter passed.

Stroke Rhythm:

Result:

(If the rhythmic values of Strokes are shorter than the setting in Fast strokes parameter, bass voices will not be retriggered until the chord change occurs.)

The Upper sustains upper voice. It works in the same way as Bass voices sustain, but it also depends on arpeggio direction (Up/Down) and velocity. (The function sustains on the alter arpeggio direction Stroke with lower velocity and releases on the higher velocity Stroke)

The Altering parameter alternatively sustains the 3rd and the 4th voices.

Bass Correct.

When you copy a Bass and Chord or Arpeggio rhythm pattern to different places in rhythm track, the chord change in Chord Chart may occur the same time with a Stroke different from Bass I. This sometimes leads to undesired sound of the part on the chord change. The Bass Correct changes this situation by automatically replacing Bass II Stroke to Bass I on the chord change, or by adding Bass I note to higher voices if no bass voice is assigned in a rhythm track.

The Mono Bass Strings mode doesn't let 2 bass voices sound simultaneously turning Bass I off when Bass II appears or vise versa.

The Mute Length parameter sets the length of Muted chord.

The Articulation chooses between Sustained and Normal mode for the notes incoming from rhythm track:

• The Normal mode performs the note length assigned in the rhythm track.

• The Sustained mode - sustains all Strokes until the next Stroke or chord change occurs.

It's extremely difficult (if at all possible) to simulate chordal guitar performance on a piano keyboard. This happens mostly because of the major difference between the ways the sound is produced on those instruments. While piano playing style assumes picking/muting sound through pressing/releasing a key, a guitar player takes chords with his left hand and strums or picks strings with his right hand. Because of this difference piano performing style does not allow to simulate a whole lot of characteristic guitar techniques (fast equal bi directionally arpeggiated chords, fast arpeggiated high range passages, chord glissando, etc.).

We have created a MIDI system letting you simulate chordal guitar playing style on MIDI keyboard and incorporated it in the plug-in. The principle of keyboard playing via the plug-in is similar to guitar performing, with the difference of using keys instead of strings. You take chords with your left hand while create rhythm pattern with your right. Such an unusual for a keyboard player performing style requires some skills, however it lets simulate guitar performance with maximum reality. You don't have to know guitar chord voicing, since the plug-in will construct chords for you automatically, also you can use piano-style keyboard playing technique which you're used to in your keyboard performing experience.

On assigning the plug-in to a Cakewalk track an external MIDI keyboard automatically splits to 2 virtual parts: Chord Zone (Left Hand Zone) and Rhythm Zone (Right Hand Zone), which have different functions. Open the Keyboard zones page:

You see the keyboard image showing splitting of Zones and reflects your actions on an external MIDI keyboard.

The red line on F# separates Chord Zone from Rhythm Zone.

Orange colored Chord Zone keys make it possible to select, change and articulate chords (dark green keys let you audition chords assigned in Chord Chart, see the Chord Chart, Audition ).

The Rhythm Zone keys make it possible to trigger the chord, selected in the Chord Zone.

Let's see how the keys in each Zone work.

Pressing keys in the Chord Zone does not create any sound. Their function is similar to that of guitarist's left hand, taking chords on the guitar. The Chord Zone keys work in 2 modes:

1. allowing to select and consequently change chords assigned in Chord Chart (Chart chord source mode);

2. allowing to select chords freely from the keyboard in real time (Keyboard chord source mode).

The Chart mode is selected from the Chord source menu in the Additional Parameters/Manual play window:

This mode lets you use only the chords you have assigned in Chord Chart. Chord changes are made either manually, or automatically, depending on the Stop or Play mode of CakeWalk.

• In Stop mode pressing any white key selects current chord, then pressing another white key selects next chord (cueing chord changes). The same way pressing any black key selects previous chord, then you can step-rewind chord changes by pressing black keys one after another. Pressing the same key once again does not cause any changes.

• In Play mode chords are changed automatically. Consequent pressing different white keys causes changing chords ahead of a progression (see Rhythm. Push chord change ), but this will be limited to the time window set in Additional Parameters/Chart settings/Push Chord change/Time window:

The free chord select modes (Kbd/Straight, Kbd/1 finger, Kbd/Root position) turn off Chord Chart (which becomes gray and no chords from it are transmitted to the plug-in):

These modes let you enter chords freely from the keyboard both in Stop and in Play mode.

When Kbd/Straight mode is selected all chords played on a MIDI keyboard are transmitted to the plug-in right as they are played.

When Kbd/1 finger mode is selected the plug-in identifies root and chord type played on a MIDI keyboard in 1 finger way (similar to chord identification mode in auto-accompaniment MIDI keyboards) and immediately constructs their guitar versions. In this mode only 8 chord types are available:

• Major (any key as a root),

• Minor (root key + lower black key)

• Dominant seventh (root key + lower white key)

• Minor seventh (root key + lower white & black keys)

• Diminished (root key + 2 lower black keys)

• Augmented (root key + 2 lower white keys)

• Sus4 (root key in octave)

• 7sus4 (root key in octave + lower white key)

When Kbd/Root position mode is selected, the plug-in identifies root, chord type, extensions and alterations of the chords played on a MIDI keyboard with root note in lower voice and constructs their guitar versions (up to 67 chord types, extensions and alterations are available).

Pressing keys in Rhythm Zone lets you play the chords transmitted to the plug-in close to the way guitarist plays with his right hand (see Rhythm ). When you press these keys on a MIDI keyboard either current chord from Chord Chart (if Chart chord source mode is selected) or the chord played on a MIDI keyboard (if Kbd/… chord source mode is selected) will be triggered. The Rhythm Zone keys are split into groups containing various guitar techniques of chord performing: Strum, Strings, Top strum:

(If no sound refer to Troubleshootings)

Pressing any key from this group strums the whole chord. The right half of the group (forward slashed) plays down strums, while the left half (back slashed) plays upstrums. The position of down strum and upstrum groups is assigned in the Additional Parameters/Keyboard Zones/RH zone options/Upstrum position window:

(When set to Off all chords will be played with down strums).

Pressing String keys plays the chord voices separately:

• B key plays the 1st voice,

• A key plays the 2nd voice,

• G key plays the 3rd voice,

• F key plays the 4th voice,

• E key plays Bass I - the root note,

• D key plays Bass II - alternative bass.

Any of the Top Strum keys strums on the upper chord voices.

Here you can assign additional chord performing techniques.

For Strum and Top Strum groups:

Normal performs the same technique as white keys;

Top Strum performs a strum on the higher voices of the chord;

Bass layer performs a strum on the lower voices of the chord;

Grace Strum strums a chord semi-tone lower than the required chord.

For Strings group:

Top strum performs a strum on the higher voices of the chord,

Grace note picks a note a semitone lower than required (available for all voices),

Grace (except 1st) does the same as Grace note, but is not available for the 1st voice.