Access Virus Rack XL, User Manual

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CHAPTER 11
The Virus and Sequencers
PARAMETER CONTROL VIA
MIDI
Virtually all parameters of the Virus are accessi-
ble via MIDI so that, for example, you can ma-
nipulate knobs and buttons and record these
movements to a sequencer. You may then route
these commands back to the Virus, which will
respond to these automated instructions auto-
matically. MIDI controllers have proven effective
for this external control option since these com-
mands – in contrast to system exclusive data –
are transported very swiftly. Beyond that,
they’re easy to edit graphically in all standard
sequencer programs.
ORGANIZATIONAL
INFORMATION
In order to be able to record the movements of
knobs and status changes of buttons on the Vi-
rus to a sequencer, you must connect the MIDI
Out of the Virus to the MIDI In of the computer
or sequencer. You also have to enable reception
of MIDI controllers and MIDI polypressure com-
mands in the sequencer so that this data is not
subject to one-sided filtering. Whenever appro-
priate, you also have to enable reception of this
automation data on the Virus. To this end, go to
the Cntrl menu and take a look at the MIDI pa-
rameters. You’ll find a parameter called Panel
that offers the options Internal, IMidi
and MIDI. This is where you determine the des-
tination to which the knobs and buttons send
their data. Internal means that the knobs and
buttons send data exclusively to the sound
generator and not to MIDI. Therefore, select In-
Midi or MIDI so that data is sent to the
sequencer via MIDI. Note that the MIDI option
disconnects the knobs and buttons from the Vi-
rus’ internal sound generation system. When
this setting is enabled, data generated by knobs
and buttons is only acknowledged by the Virus
when it is routed back in a roundabout way via
the computer/sequencer (the Virus must be se-
lected as a track instrument in the sequencer
and the ”Thru” function of the sequencer must
be activated).
Now scroll to the two parameters called LoPage
and HiPage: LoPage should be set to Contr
(MIDI controller), HiPage to PolyPrs (MIDI poly-
pressure). There are only 128 controller num-
b e r s p e r M I D I c h a n n e l , s o t h a t n o t a l l
parameters of a Virus PART can be covered by
controllers. On the Virus, this problem was
solved by splitting up its parameters into three
Parameter PAGEs for data transport purposes.
Each of these three PAGEs can contain up to
128 parameters. A SINGLE program consists of
the parameters of the two first PAGEs. Parame-
ters of the first PAGE are assigned to the MIDI
controllers, while the parameters of the second
PAGE are sent and received by so-called poly-
pressure data. This structure of this data type is
identical to that of controllers; polypressure is
also supported by sequencer programs. (This
data type was initially created to allow the pres-
sure exerted on keys to be transmitted poly-
phonically, but this required a special approach
to playing that never really caught on. The Virus
is the first instrument to exploit this data type in
the interest of putting further controllers at your
disposal.)
Please note that the Virus allows you to con-
trol several PARTs via the same MIDI channel.
This means that an incoming controller would
collectively address this parameter in all PARTs.
This of course defeats the purpose of routing
several of these PARTs via the same channel,
which is to double up different sounds. For this