Zeppelin Design Labs Altura Theremin, User Manual

Page: 18 / 25

18
velocity usually impacts the volume of the note, but your synth might use this data to influence
other effects, such as brightness or voice switching. This controller acts like a slider: Set velocity
to a particular number; remove your hand and that number will “stick”. All notes will now play
with that velocity value. You can now switch to another function and the velocity will continue
unchanged.
FUNCTION 4: CHANNEL VOLUME
The Channel volume emulates the Master volume slider found on many MIDI controllers. Channel
volume defaults to 127 upon startup. Use the DATA NEAR and FAR knobs to set a maximum
and minimum value for volume. (Keeping a minimum volume of at least 30 will prevent you
from accidentally silencing your Altura!) This affects the overall output volume of your synth, and
is most useful for creating swells as a note sustains. This function lacks the resolution for subtle
tremolo effects. It is better to use your Modulation effect for that.
FUNCTION 5: PORTAMENTO
Portamento means a smooth glide between notes. When you play a slide flute or trombone, you
can portamento all the time. This glide effect is what you need to emulate that good ol’ theremin
sound. We designed the Altura’s Portamento function to work well with the Macchiato Mini
Synth. Many synthesizers do not implement Portamento at all. Some only implement it with a few
voices. Some allow you to edit portamento behavior, more or less easily. We have tested the
Altura on some Korgs, for instance, that responded immediately, with fantastic results; and other
Korgs that did not respond at all, and could not easily be made to do so. You may need to do
some fiddling with your synth or your DAW software to get results with this feature.
When the FUNCTION knob is set to 5, and Portamento Time is other than zero, the Altura sends
a “Portamento ON” message (Control 65, value 127, on the currently selected Send channel).
If you send a Portamento Time = 0 message, or if you send any Pitch Bend messages, the Altura
will send a “Portamento OFF” message (control 65, value 0, current Send channel).
Waving your hand in front of the left sensor transmits a Portamento Time message (control 7,
value 0 – 127, current Send channel). Zero represents an infinitely short glide from note to
note, which is the same as no glide at all; that’s why Portamento Time = 0 will switch off the
effect. Portamento Time = 1 means a very fast glide between notes, almost too fast to perceive.
Portamento Time = 127 produces a glide about 1 second long. Intermediate numbers produce
glide times along a linear interpolation. It is an absolute time: the glide will last the same number
of milliseconds whether the interval is one semitone or six octaves. For pleasant melodic playing
reminiscent of 70’s classic pop and progressive rock sounds, you will need Time values below
about 20. The Altura sounds most like a theremin at Time values around 30. Higher numbers
give you the long, dramatic sweep you remember from REO Speedwagon’s live “Riding The
Storm Out” and Styx “Suite: Madame Blue”. Set the DATA FAR knob to the slowest effect you
want to hear, and DATA NEAR knob to the fasted. See the section “PRESETS” on page 24 for
suggestions on how to achieve the most faithful emulation of a theremin, as well as some other
sounds.