6. Advanced Setups
PRESSURE MODES:
The malletKAT PRO may be set to operate in one of the following
three Pressure Modes:
Normal Mode
- The normal playing mode. In this mode, if you apply continued
pressure on one or more playing pads, those pads will sustain until
you release them. When you release the pads, the notes will stop
unless the sustain footswitch is down or the programmed Gate Time
for a note has not expired.
Since the flexing of the rattan handle in most mallets will cause a
“bounce” and not cleanly sustain the note, an effective method is to
hold the mallet vertical, when pressing down, or use your fingers
when trying to sustain notes via pressure.
Dampen Mode
- Putting slight pressure on a pad after it has been struck and released
will stop the note from playing. In this mode, standard dampening
gestures will “quiet” the individual notes that you wish to
dampen.
In the Auxiliary Global settings, there is a Dampen Mode Threshold
and a Dampen Mode Count. These settings may be adjusted to
“tweak” dampening to match your playing style. Increasing the
value of either of these settings will make it more difficult to
dampen, decreasing either will make it easier to dampen. The
difference is that if the Dampen Mode Threshold is too small, any
slight pressure of resting your mallets on a pad after you have
played a note on it may cause unwanted dampening effects. If the
Dampen Mode Count is too small, any slight bouncing of the mallets
as you play may cause unwanted dampening effects.
The best approach to tweaking these settings is to start with the
Default settings. If dampening works well for your style of playing,
have fun. If dampening doesn’t occur all the time when you want it
to, lower one of the two settings and try it. If there is an
improvement, lower it more until you get unwanted dampenings,
then back off the setting a bit. Then try the same with the other
setting.
Aftertouch Mode
- Varying the pressure on a pad after it has been struck and before
it has been released, will result in the sending of MIDI aftertouch
messages. There are two types of Aftertouch - Channel Aftertouch
and Key Aftertouch, which can be selected in each Setup. As of the
writing of this manual, many sound sources do not respond to either
type - but you’ll be ready when they do!
Your internal sound source does respond to Key Aftertouch. The result of
the Aftertouch effect depends on the sound. Generally the result is
modulation such as tremolo or vibrato.
To achieve Aftertouch, press the mallet down into the pad and vary
the pressure. Two settings, Aftertouch Mask Count and Aftertouch
Depth, in the Global Auxiliary screens allow you to tweak
Aftertouch to your tastes (see p.31).
42