Home

Strum Acoustic GS-1

Contents

1. en 46 61 2 Buttons so mos oko E we do ed a ee UAE p ee dcs 46 Sa deus RATS NUN xor S A S dee Y 47 de we anette ete o e ee ee ee e 47 TT 47 6 2 The Guitar Modules RII 47 62 1 The Strings Module o e e e 48 Nor 49 ES ord md d ades Ge RS 49 6 2 4 The Mute Module cc 49 CONTENTS 6 2 5 The Palm Module 2A 50 6 2 6 The Global Module 2 02 00 002200004 50 Pube ii Mags ena iaa art cana sind rr C 50 T IU ace dea 50 6 4 The Multi EffectModule 0 2 2 0 2002 eee eee 51 644 Dela a aos Yodo Sako Rea EO a oly peus d Se ee es 52 6 4 2 ChOFUS 4 okey ke dk ae E a eA Dl de ee ae A 53 aah oat ata ad Gate aie Ow Gane Cows ut ee Reve eons wine 53 P atat ee ee eee du ee ee ee ee ee 53 AR A e ea a ee a aes weg a Rd Eg he e ee 53 GALO Walls sa Shalt oa od ah a aE he we 54 64 7 Notch Filter 2 ee ee 54 o5 Reverb p 4 24s ede db ee Saka ea ea ee ha ee REOS OD Ee eS 55 6 6 Edit Model i s e asoa ae ee a a a a ee 55 66 The Strings Module 0 000020 0000 56 TT 58 bi BURA ark A 60 66 4 TheMute Module 0 002 020 0220008 60 6 6 5 ThePalm Module 2e 60 para ee oe eae ee ee ie kot ee eee eee 61 6 7 Performance Parameters 2 ee 61 6 7 1 Chord Display 2 2 es 61 6 2 Chord so o o Mad Room be MES GS S m NUR eR e 62 6 7 3 OOP uo ric femme RD RE ER A Roger ere 62 6 7 4 Strumming
2. The Body module of Strum includes only one control in the main view The Tone knobs is used to control the amount of high frequencies radiated by the body which affects the timbre of the instrument Turning this knob clockwise increases the decay time of high frequencies compared to that of low frequencies while turn ing it anti clockwise decreases it 6 3 The Equalizer Module The EQ module provides equalization over the low mid and high frequency bands and is switched on or off using the On button It is composed of a low cut filter a low shelf filter a peak filter and a high shelf filter in series 6 4 The Multi Effect Module 51 The low cut or high pass filter is used to remove from the output sound of the instru ment frequency components below the cut off MIN frequency The cut off frequency of the fil A ter is increased by turning the knob clockwise VILIS T a Mid Freq when this knob is in its leftmost position the filter has no effect on the sound The functioning of the low shelf filter is illustrated in Figure 22 The filter applies a gain factor to frequency components located below a cutoff frequency while leaving those above unchanged The cutoff frequency of this filter is fixed and located at 500 Hz The amount of gain is controlled with the Low knob In its center position there is no attenuation 0 dB Turning it clockwise will boost the amplitude of low frequencies will turning it anti
3. les 63 0 4 5 Tuni g ws dae oa de darks Gawd wa daa doe oe 4 a Pa eevee dd 64 6 7 6 Pitch Wheel ue kx ee ee l x OX o Bed eee 64 6 7 Alterto ch 4 54 4 ooo ooo Roo Oe OE OX RU Xoyog Xo E Rosi 65 67 8 HoldPedal e 65 6 7 9 ModWheel elles 65 CONTENTS cr 1 2 MIDI map ea v4 49 aS Ba dae ad ea R9 x3 a CR Ye eS 7 3 CPU meter 2 2 ommo eRe eA e eae db 4 Value Display eci 5s aod BR a GR xoi ed a eB ws A ew DTP ee Ae ek ea le ee Q4 xS AREA UNES eda SEE RE 8 1 2 Audio Control Panel o a Boia Sb Sem Se ea RO Hd a Gy a a A al Ge Bae OE Gye Or DR e ba gee RU A kG ad UR ue ORO e UR kG edo pics dee deans dd 8 2 4 Deleting MIDI Links o oo e e 8 2 5 Creating a MIDI Map o e IBIRe 8 2 6 Empty MIDI Map rre 8 2 7 Defining a Default MIDI Map o 8 2 8 MIDI Program Changes e 8 3 Latency Settings sosca 5 442 ba ea ba ca rr ee a 9 Using Strum Acoustic as a Plug In 9 1 Window Size c sos soo ea a ea ee 9 2 Audio and MIDI Parameters a wa dd Rags Ca aaa m oe bd NUR Beaks OR Yet at ol bici eee eee eee li 0 6 MIDI Channel 036 Bach BAGS Me a eB ee A 9 7 MIDI program change 2 2 II 0 8 Performance s e ois 6 woo xcu m E BRR Rom A EOS ww Oh A As wm oe eA 10 Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts 1
4. stereo commands community compare contact database backup restoring default MIDI map 70 delay digital delay display documenting presets downstroke driver drop chords 36 edit edit mode strings 56 edition of parameters effect notch filter wah wah 54 equalizer export factory presets fingers flanger mono stereo folder copying creating deleting renaming forum 90 INDEX general parameters getting started 15 global hammer on help hold pedal import individual strings installation knobs tweaking 46 latency loop player 62 MIDI 67 device loop player settings 67 MIDI configuration 16 MIDI controller 68 MIDI links 17 creating 68 deactivate editing factory range MIDI loops creating using MIDI map default documenting empty preset MIDI program change modulation modulation wheel module bypassing modules moveable chords muffled downstroke muffled strokes muffled upstroke multi effect auto wah 54 chorus 53 delay flanger 53 phaser 53 vibrato 53 mute mute all 24 muted strum 33 no 3 61 no 5 61 no match 61 notch filter octave offset open chords 36 output stage overview palm 50 60 palm muted downstroke 31 palm muted upstroke 31 palm muting parameters partial strumming 33 perfo
5. is represented by a blue knob icon followed by its name 5 1 2 The Program list Presets are loaded into the synthesis engine of Strum Acous 1 dreadnought finger tic from a list of 128 numbered presets called programs The Qum ed name of the current program and its number are displayed in the left of the toolbar at the top of the application window The entire list of programs can be viewed by clicking on the W button left of the program number It is important to note that presets in the program list and in the preset library are stored in different locations They are in fact different copies of the same presets which may as explained below differ even if they share the same name The version of a preset available in the program list should be viewed as temporary or as a working copy of the preset whereas the version in the library should be viewed as permanent or as the reference version 40 Presets and MIDI maps When you start the application for the first time the program list contains a selection of presets from the factory preset library At that point the presets in the program list are identical to their version in the library 5 2 Playing and Changing Presets Presets are always played from the program list The name of the current program in other words the one currently loaded in the synthesis engine as well as its number are displayed in the left part of the toolbar Its number and name are also preceded by
6. string with the fretting hand and then moving the fretting finger up or down along the axis of the neck of the guitar across a certain number of frets To choose between a bend or slide effect click on the corresponding button of the pitch wheel section The range of the effect is selected from the Range drop down menu Note that a bend will be applied on the last note played in a chord while a slide will be applied to all the notes forming the chord 6 7 Performance Parameters 65 6 7 7 Aftertouch In addition to the pitch wheel monophonic aftertouch channel pressure can be AFT TOUCH used to control a bending effect The depth of the effect is controlled using the Depth BEND knob from the Aft Touch section In its center position the depth is equal to 1 semi tone i Depth 6 7 8 Hold Pedal The hold pedal MIDI controller can have two functions in Strum When the LIII Hold Chord button is switched on Strum will hold the notes of a chord after the keys on the keyboard have been released as long as the pedal is depressed or until t St another chord is played When the Alt Strum button is switched on the pedal can be used to switch between the main and alternate Strum as described in section 4 4 4 6 7 9 Mod Wheel The modulation wheel is used to control vibrato The speed and depth of the MobwHeeL vibrato is controlled by the Speed and Depth parameters respectively VIBRATO 2 Speed 66 Toolbar 7
7. the center frequency will oscillate around the value fixed by the Freq knob while with the Auto Wah effect the setting of the Freq will fix the starting point of the value of the center frequency The Depth knob controls the excursion of the center frequency of the filter In the case of the Wah Wah effect this excursion is applied around the value fixed by the Freq knob while in Auto Wah effect the value of the center frequency increases from the value fixed by the Freq knob Turning this knob clockwise increases the excursion of the center frequency Finally the Rate knob controls the frequency or rate of the modulation of the center frequency of the filter In the case of the Wah Wah effect turning this knob clockwise increases the rate of the modulation if the Sync function is off In the case of the Auto Wah filter this knob controls the time constant of the envelope follower Turning this knob clockwise decreases the time constant or in other words the reaction time of the envelope follower 6 4 7 Notch Filter The notch filter does essentially the opposite of a band pass filter It attenuates the frequencies in a band located around the center frequency and leaves those outside of this band unchanged as shown in Figure 24 As was the case for the Wah Wah effect the filter is based on a filter having a 12 dB oct slope and can be modulated The Freq knobs is used to control the central frequency of the filter Turning this knob clock
8. wise increases the center frequency The Depth knob controls the excursion of the center frequency of the filter around its center frequency Turning this knob clockwise increases the excursion of the center frequency Finally the Rate knob controls the frequency or rate of the modulation of the center frequency of the filter Turning this knob clockwise increases the rate of the modulation if the Sync function is off 6 5 Reverb 55 Amplitude dB 0dB 3dB Center Frequency Hz Frequency Band Width Q 1 Figure 24 Frequency response of a notch filter 6 5 Reverb The Reverb module is used to recreate the effect of reflec tions of sound on the walls of a room or hall These reflections add space to the sound and make it warmer deeper as well as Type more realistic since we always listen to instruments in a room and thus with a room effect FO The Reverb drop down menu is used to choose between dif O O ferent reverb algorithms representing different types of rooms or Mix Decay Color halls Each algorithm can be adjusted with the knobs located at the bottom of the module The Mix knob is used to set the relative amount of dry and wet signal which is related to the proximity of the sound source The Decay is used to control the reverberation time of the room In a real room the reverberation time is not constant across the whole frequency range because the walls of the hall are generall
9. B4 is depressed while another strumming key is used or if the hold pedal with alt strumming position selected is activated The range of the main and alternate strums can be adjusted by using the Main and Alt controls located below the chord display For each range the lowest and highest strings played when trig gering a chord are specified by click dragging the cursors located at each extremities of the display Note that the range must contain at least one string 6 7 5 Tuning The Tuning module is used to transpose the output pitch of Strum The output pitch TUNING can be increased or decreased by one semi tone by moving the tuning knob clockwise or anti clockwise respectively When in its center position Strum uses standard tuning A4 440 Hz The output can also be transposed by one octave by switching on the Octave button Tune This is useful for reaching notes on the fretboard above C5 MIDI note number 72 where the special strumming keyswitches are located hacia 6 7 6 Pitch Wheel The keyboard pitch wheel is used to perform bends or slides A bend is an in PITSH WHEEL crease of pitch obtained by pressing a string down on a fret and pushing the string up Range or down after triggering the string with the fretting hand It is usually limited to one eme or two semi tones slide is another technique used by guitar players to change the pitch of a note It is obtained by pressing a string down with a finger triggering the
10. BUSINESS INTER RUPTION OR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT TORT OR OTHER CAUSE OF ACTION EVEN IF AAS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES EXCEPT IN RELATION TO GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILFUL BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT BY AAS NO AAS AGENT REPRE SENTATIVE OR DEALER IS AUTHORIZED TO EXTEND MODIFY OR ADD TO THIS WARRANTY ON BEHALF OF AAS THE TOTAL LIABILITY OF AAS FOR DAM AGES WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR TORT UNDER OR RELATED IN ANY WAY TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE LICENSE FEES ACTUALLY PAID BY LICENSEE TO AAS OR IF NO FEES WERE PAID AAS LIST PRICE FOR THE SOFTWARE COVERED BY THIS LICENSE THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WAR RANTIES AND OR THE LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS NOT PERMITTED IN SOME JURISDICTIONS AND SOME OR ALL OF THESE EXCLUSIONS MAY THEREFORE NOT APPLY 6 TERMINATION This License also shall extend to the Software and any updates or new releases thereof obtained by the Licensee if any subject to any changes to this License made by AAS from time to time and provided to the Licensee provided AAS is under a separate obligation to provide to Licensee such updates or upgrades and Licensee continues to have a valid license which is in effect at the time of receipt of each such update or new release This License shall remain in effect until terminated The Licensee may terminate this Agreement at any time upon notification to AAS This Agreement will terminate immediately without notice from AAS if
11. MIDI Link e Move a knob or slider on your MIDI controller this can be a keyboard a knob box or any device that sends MIDI This will link the control of the Strum Acoustic to the MIDI controller you just moved MIDI links can also be created by right clicking Control clicking on a control and choosing the Add MIDI Link command which will open the Add MIDI Link window 8 2 3 Editing MIDI Links MIDI links can be edited in the MIDI Links window which lists all the currently available MIDI links e To edit the MIDI link right click Control click again on the control and choose Edit MIDI Link to open the MIDI links window You can also use the Edit MIDI Link command from the MIDI menu e Click on the MIDI link you wish to modify and then on the Edit button to launch the EDIT MIDI Link window e Specify the MIDI controller number and MIDI channel of the physical controller you wish to link to the parameter in the corresponding drop down menus e You can also adjust the Minimum Value and Maximum Value of the controller which are used to limit the range of MIDI controllers The Minimum Value slider is used to determine the position on the Strum Acoustic control which corresponds to the minimum value sent by the MIDI controller the Maximum Value slider determines the position which corresponds to the maximum value sent by the MIDI controller The leftmost position of the slider corresponds to the Strum Acoustic control minimum position l
12. Strum in which neck position to play chords using the Playing Position parameter The position is specified in fret number and indicates the lowest fret on which the lowest note of the chord should be played It is not always possible to satisfy this constraint and Strum will respect this position whenever it is possible This parameter is of course only valid for movable chords and it is therefore inactive when open chords are chosen Time The last parameter in the Chords section is called Time This parameter is used to control the delay between the moment a chord is played on the keyboard and the moment it is triggered by Strum This parameter is necessary because when a chord is played on the keyboard the notes are not necessarily played simultaneously Strum must therefore wait a certain time before sending a group of notes to the chord detection module in order to make sure that it has received all the notes which are supposed to form the chord This delay should not be smaller than the interval between the moment the first and last notes are played Using a value too small for this parameter will result in individual notes of the chord being played before is is actually strummed The value of this parameter should vary depending on the playing skill and style of the keyboard player and should be adjusted to a value allowing enough time for a chord to be played on the keyboard and be well detected by Strum 6 7 3 Loop The loop player is used
13. Toolbar The toolbar at the top of the Strum Acoustic interface allows you to monitor important information related to your current set up GOHA 1 nylon_bright Untitled Midi Links Value 0 CPU 1 4 7 1 Program Display Located on the left of the toolbar displays the number and name of the program cur rently loaded in the synthesis engine The and buttons on the left of the program number or alternatively the and keys on the computer keyboard are used to nav igate upwards and downwards in the program list The complete list of 128 programs can be viewed by using the V button located on the left of the program number When the preset associated with the current program is different from the version saved in the preset library the preset icon to the left of the buttons changes color in order to indicate that saving is necessary in order not to lose the changes that have been applied 7 2 MIDI map In the center of the toolbar displays the name of the currently opened MIDI map For more information on MIDI maps please refer to Section B 2 7 3 CPU meter On the right of the toolbar displays the percentage of the total CPU resources currently used by Strum Acoustic 7 4 Value Display Just before the CPU meter displays the value of the currently selected control on the interface The values range from 0 to 127 for knobs and 0 or 1 for buttons depending on whether they are in their on or off position For some contr
14. a check mark in the program list The current program can be changed in different ways e scroll up or down in the program list by clicking on the and buttons located on the left of the program name or use the and keys from the computer keyboard e Display the content of the program list by clicking on the V button and select a program by clicking on its name e Use the Switch to Program command from the Programs menu and enter a specific pro gram number This command can also be activated by using the Ctrl P Apple P keyboard shortcut e Send MIDI program changes from your MIDI controller Strum Acoustic will load the pro gram having the same number as the program change number received by the application A Preset can also be loaded from the preset library It is then stored in the current program replacing the preset that was already stored in this location It then becomes immediately available to the synthesis engine Different options are available to load a preset from the preset library into the current program e In the browser double click on a preset icon e Drag and drop presets from the browser onto the Strum Acoustic interface e Select a preset by clicking on its icon and use the Enter key from the computer keyboard Once a preset has been selected in the library it is possible to navigate in the library using the Arrow keys from the computer keyboard A preset is selected when its name is hig
15. a coefficient The Wet knob is used to adjust the amount of wet signal present in the output signal from the effect When the knob is adjusted in the left position only the original or dry signal is sent to the output Turning this knob clockwise increases the amount of processed or wet signal sent to the output In its rightmost position only wet signal is present in the output signal The Feedback knob is used to adjust the amount of signal re injected into the delay lines or in other word the amount of feedback introduced in the line In its leftmost position there is no signal re introduced 6 4 The Multi Effect Module 53 and the effect module only delays the input signal Turning this knob clockwise increases the amount of signal reflected back at the end of the line Finally the Time knob controls the length of the delay lines and therefore the delay between echoes 6 4 2 Chorus The Multi Effect module includes both a mono and stereo chorus effect The chorus effects can be controlled with the three knobs appearing at the bottom of the module The Mix knob is used to adjust the ratio of dry and wet signal in the output signal from the module When the knob is adjusted in the left position only the original or dry signal is sent to the output while in the right position only the processed or wet signal is sent to the output The Depth knob is used to control the amplitude of the effect whil
16. allows you to keep real time for a reasonable number of voices of polyphony To adjust these parameters e Launch the Audio Control Panel e Choose the sampling frequency and the audio format 16 24 32 bits e Adjust the buffer size Note that this might not be possible on Mac OS or with ASIO drivers on Windows Using Strum Acoustic as a Plug In 71 9 Using Strum Acoustic as a Plug In Strum Acoustic is available in VST AudioUnit and RTAS formats and integrates seamlessly into the industry most popular multi track recording and sequencing environments as a virtual instrument plug in The plug in versions will work exactly the same way as the standalone version except for the audio MIDI and latency configurations that will be taken care of by the host sequencer Furthermore Strum Acoustic works as any other plug in in these environments so we recommend that you refer to your sequencer documentation in case you have problems running Strum Acoustic as a plug in We review here some general points to keep in mind when using a plug in version of Strum Acoustic 9 1 Window Size The size of the Strum Acoustic window is fixed when it is used as a plug in 9 2 Audio and MIDI Parameters When Strum Acoustic is used as a plug in the audio and MIDI ports sampling rate buffer size and audio format are determined by the host sequencer 9 3 Automation Strum Acoustic supports automation functions of host sequencers Automation can usually
17. any voicing and still obtain a guitar chord in root position Finally the Playing Position parameter from the Chord section allows one to specify the lowest fret on which the lowest note of a chord should be played This control gives Strum an indication of the position on the neck where chords should be played and chords are voiced accordingly when possible This parameter is of course only valid for movable chords and it is therefore inactive when open chords are chosen Although there is no general rule and there are many ways to play in different musical styles or obtain different effects we give some guidelines on chord types and performance settings which should work well in specific situations e Folk Open Root and medium strumming speed e Country and Bluegrass Open Root with a high strumming speed e Pop Rock Moveable Root e Arpeggios with bass motion Moveable Lowest or Open Lowest e Jazz Drop chords e Samba Bossa Drop chords Use the arp 6 strumming key to play the bass and arp keys 4 3 and 2 simultaneously to play the rest of the chord 38 Playing Strum e Funk Moveable Root with Playing Position on a high fret e Flamenco Open Root with a rapid strumming speed Use the alternate strum on the four highest strings Presets and MIDI maps 39 5 Presets and MIDI maps Strum Acoustic comes with several factory presets covering a wide range of sounds This collection of presets lets you play and familiariz
18. be done by using MIDI links and recording MIDI events or by recording the motion of controls on the interface 9 4 Multiple Instances Multiple instances of Strum Acoustic can be launched simultaneously in a host sequencer 9 5 Saving Projects When saving a project in a host sequencer the program list is saved with the project in order to make sure that the instrument will be in the same state as when you saved the project when you re open it even if the preset library of the instrument was modified MIDI links are also saved Note that the default program list the same as that loaded in standalone mode appears when Strum Acoustic is opened in a new project or if a new instance of the plug in is opened in an existing project To change the default program list use the Save All Programs command from the Programs menu in an instance of the instrument which displays the desired program list 72 Using Strum Acoustic as a Plug In 9 6 MIDI Channel Make sure that the MIDI controller sequencer and Strum Acoustic all use the same MIDI channel If you are not certain of the channel used by your controller or sequencer set the MIDI channel of Strum Acoustic to Omni 9 7 MIDI program change MIDI program changes are supported in the plug in versions of Strum Acoustic When a MIDI program change is received by the application the current program used by the synthesis engine is changed to that having the same number as that of the MIDI pro
19. clockwise will reduce it The high frequency content of the signal is controlled with a high shelf filter that works in the opposite manner as the low shelf filter as illustrated in Figure The filter will multiply a gain factor to components located above a cutoff frequency while leaving those below unchanged The cutoff frequency of this filter is located at 3 KHz and the amplitude of the high frequencies is controlled using the Hign knob which works similarly to the Low knob Amplitude dB Amplitude dB Gain 30 dB Gain 30 dB Gain 20 dB Gain 20 dB Gain 10 dB Gain 10 dB OdB OdB To Gain 30 dB Gain 30 dB Freq Frequency Hz Freq Frequency Hz Figure 22 Low and high shelf filters The mid frequency content of the signal is adjusted using a peak filter as illustrated in Fig ure 23 The filter applies a gain factor to frequency components in a band located around the cutoff frequency of the filter The cutoff frequency of the filter is adjusted with the Freg knob while the gain coefficient is varied with the Mid knob When the Mid knob is in its center position there is no attenuation 0 dB Turning it clockwise will boost the amplitude of low frequencies will turning it anti clockwise will reduce it 6 4 The Multi Effect Module The Multi Effect module allows one to process the output signal from the guitar and add effects to the sound Available effects include three different types of delays ping
20. in A a o s 28 pda 244 24145405 a a doi 29 4 2 3 Chords and Change of Pitch o o oo e 29 4 2 44 Hammer On and Pull Offf llle 30 NN 30 4 3 1 Down and Upstroke Strum o e e e 30 path ole ale OR Oh a T 31 ou glee ae DE e 31 Gah ae al os Eiger cer ea St Rah el cet De 31 D 33 ATA uie Sm ee Se oe em oe ea Sos 33 4 4 2 Tremolo Picking RI 33 pr 33 4 44 Partial Strumming 0 00000 0000 2 eee 33 4 4 5 Bass amp Chords 22e 34 4 4 6 Stationary Bend eA 34 447 Power Chords o ee 35 P 35 4 5 Creating MIDI Loops IRA 36 46 Chord Voiciip s vos oko omm hc Rm ch e oak m X EO XO RU E Ee Re oe 36 CONTENTS 5 Presets and MIDI maps 39 5 PresetSh comu a RE A ee wae gue ee Sn a Bw a deer a 39 CT 39 5 1 2 The Program list cio deor RR ey dp eR a 39 i Bid DANN Bees etre ae a ee adn Sey 40 p m 41 5 4 Saving the Program List o o e e 42 5 5 Organizing the Preset Library 42 5 5 1 Creating Folders o oed oso Tow yox ae 42 rre 42 dl oS oan Gen olive ark areas ah lk 43 TP 43 NTH ah es ait ee ae wie ee Ee TT 43 pda dob mong ha RE ba ub hg 43 CTI cT 43 TL ds TVETPETTITT TUTTI 44 vor xem dO t a URS ee 44 a ic Gy oe ie ick es a 44 Kd b a a Bok Ra cm 45 6 Parameters 46 bath bd iba odes d eae deii bd 46 61 1 Tweaking Knobs
21. position of the current program You can also use the arrow keys on the computer keyboard in order to navigate in the preset list and then the Enter key to load a preset For additional information on presets and programs please refer to Chapter 5 of this manual 1 4 3 Using MIDI Links Every parameter on the Strum Acoustic interface can be linked to an external MIDI controller To assign a MIDI Link right click control click on Mac on a control knob button or slider and a contextual menu will appear Select Learn MIDI Link and move a knob or slider on your MIDI controller to activate the link To deactivate the link right click control click on Mac on the control and choose the Forget MIDI Link command Refer to section 8 2 for more details on MIDI links 1 44 Using MIDI Program Changes The synthesizer responds to MIDI program changes When a program change is received the current program is changed to the program having the same number as that of the program change message received by the application 1 4 5 Using Strum Acoustic as a Plug in Strum Acoustic integrates seamlessly into the industry s most popular multi track recording and sequencing environments as a virtual instrument plug in Strum Acoustic works as any other plug in in these environments so we recommend that you refer to your sequencer documentation in case you have problems running Strum Acoustic as a plug in 1 5 Getting Help A A S technical support represe
22. presets and MIDI maps is just as easy Simply click on the Import command from the File drop down menu and select the file to import A new folder will then appear under the Imports directory in the browser containing all of the files contained within the imported package These can then be dragged and dropped to a new folder or remain in the Imports directory 5 8 Backuping Presets and MIDI Maps There are basically two ways to backup your presets and MIDI maps exportation and database backup The database backup is more efficient when there is a large number of elements to backup The exportation methods consists in using the Export command from the File menu as ex plained in section Once you have exported the elements you wish to archive just save the export file s to your usual backup location or medium The second backup method will enable you to archive the entire material present in the browser The content of the browser including presets MIDI maps and folders is saved into a database file This second backup method simply consists in archiving this file The database file location is different whether you are working on a Mac OS or Windows system 5 9 Restoring the Factory Presets and MIDI Links 45 e On Windows systems C Documents and Settings User Application Data Applied Acous tics Systems Strum Acoustic 1 0 e On Mac OS systems System Drive Users User Library Application Support Applied Acoustics Systems Stru
23. signal of the individual strings of the guitar The output of this module corresponds to the signal that would actually be measured at the bridge of the instrument and which is transmitted to the body of the instrument The body module completes the instruments and simulates how sound is radiated both from the top plate of the body or soundboard and the air cavity of the body Fi nally in addition to the modules reproducing the guitar itself an output stage has been included to allow further processing of the sound radiated by the instrument It is important to note how the MIDI signal received by the synthesizer is parsed Signal received from the MIDI input or MIDI player module is interpreted in terms of the fretting hand usually left hand and picking hand usually right hand of a guitar player MIDI notes with number ranging between 40 El and 70 Bb4 are associated with the fretting hand and their corresponding signal is sent to the chord detector Notes with number ranging between 71 B4 and 84 C6 are special strumming keys used to trigger different picking hand techniques and are therefore used to control the strumming engine The use of these strumming keys is explained in more details in section 3 22 An Overview of Strum Acoustic MIDI Loop Player Lead amp Chord Keys Strumming Keys Strumming Engine Chord f Detector effects Voicing One signal per string Audio Signal Figure 9 General ar
24. the air cavity and plate vibrations is controlled with the help of the two Decay knobs and it is increased by turning the knobs clockwise The Size selector knob allows one to control the size of the body Basically reducing the size of the body shifts its frequency response toward higher frequencies while increasing it results in a shift toward lower frequencies Available sizes are very large xl large 1 medium m small s and very small xs 6 7 Performance Parameters 6 7 1 Chord Display The Chord Display is where Strum displays the name of the detected chord or note and the corresponding voicing selected Strings are labeled from lowest to highest as follows e String 6 E2 MIDI note number 40 e String 5 A2 MIDI note number 45 e String 4 D3 MIDI note number 50 e String 3 G3 MIDI note number 55 e String 2 B3 MIDI note number 59 e String 1 E4 MIDI note number 64 Notes played are identified by a circle on the corresponding string and the position on the fretboard is determined by the fret number appearing in the upper left corner of the display which corresponds to the number of the first fret in the display Strings that are not played are marked with an X at the top of the chord display When a string is triggered its number is highlighted at the bottom of the display while it vibrates For a list of all the chords detected by Strum please refer to section 62 Parameters Additional infor
25. the keyboard without having to know or learn special voicings used by guitar players For example you could play chords in close position with the left or right hand you could also play the root with the left hand and the rest of the chord with the right hand or play the chords with the notes spread across both hands Strum will take care of finding the right voicing and playing position on the guitar depending on the settings of the chord type and playing position controls as described in section The name of the chord detected as well as the specific voicing chosen by Strum is displayed in the fretboard located in the lower portion of the graphical interface Note that the voicing chosen by Strum varies depending on the chord type chosen by the user as is described in Section 4 6 Strum will try to detect a chord as soon as three or more keys are depressed on the keyboard Otherwise Strum will assume that a melody or interval is played Please refer to section 11 for a list of the chords detected by Strum 20 An Overview of Strum Acoustic 2 2 Strumming On a guitar notes and chords are triggered by the action of the picking hand usually right hand The resulting sound is very typical of a guitar as the guitarist triggers the strings sequentially more or less rapidly with an up and down motion of the hand Strings can also be played individually in different order to create arpeggio patterns Different sonorities can be obtained by dampi
26. therefore depends whether the Auto Strum mode is on or off When it is on Strum will play chords as they are played on the keyboard and then trigger them again when strumming keys are played in the loop It is therefore usually simpler to switch the Auto Strum mode off chords are then triggered following the pattern of strumming keys in the MIDI loop In other words chords are plucked on the keyboard and strumming patterns are applied to them 36 Playing Strum through the MIDI loop player Note that loops are note limited to strumming keys and can also include melodies and chords 4 5 1 Creating MIDI Loops Loops for Strum are easily created in your favorite sequencer by respecting the following rules 4 6 All the events must be on MIDI channel 1 The loop must begin at the start of the file and finish at the end of the track In other words if the track lasts for four bars but there are notes only in the first bar Strum will still loop over the four bars The tempo and the time signature must be defined at the beginning of the loop and must not change during the rest of the loop Strum indeed ignores tempo changes occurring in the middle of a loop The loop must be recorded on disk on a file using MIDI format 0 or 1 and having a mid extension Here are other advices which help to create more realistic loops Always slightly vary the velocity of strumming keys in order to get a more lively result If the loop is short
27. to control Strum with MIDI loops Loops can contain both chords and strumming key sequences In this case playing a loop is similar to playing a tune Loops can also 6 7 Performance Parameters 63 only contain strumming sequences and the loop player is then used to play rhythmic or strumming patterns over chords currently played on the keyboard Using loops is useful to carefully control or edit a performance or execute passages that are difficult to play on the keyboard Loops are loaded using the Load button of the player This Loop Player will open a folder from which loops can be selected If a loop Bossa was already loaded in the player the Load button will open the 4 4 140 BPM folder where this loop is located If the player is empty this button will open a default loop folder which can be specified in the Preferences dialog from the Edit menu of the application Loops can also be loaded by clicking on them and drag and dropping them onto the MIDI loop player Once a loop is loaded its name is displayed in the top part of the loop player Information on the tempo and time signature of the loop is displayed just below its name The loop is started by clicking on the Play button located in the lower part of the player Once a loop has been started it can be stopped by clicking on the Pause button and then restarted again by clicking on the Play button While a loop is being played indication on the current position within the loop
28. to the string The main effect of this parameter is to determine the interaction time between the plectrum and the string The Edge parameter is used to determine the sharpness of the edge of the pick It is used to fine tune the profiles of the three different plectrum models which affects the shape of the force signal exerted by the plectrum on the string and therefore the tone of the resulting sound Turning this knob clockwise results in a rounder edge and a softer sound while turning it clockwise makes it sharper with more high frequencies in the tone Finally the Position knob is used to control the position of the interaction point of the plectrum along the string This is a parameter currently used by guitar players to change the tone of the sound In its leftmost position the pick is very close to the bridge resulting in a more metallic sound Turning the knob clockwise moves the pick toward the fretboard resulting in a rounder sound 60 Parameters 6 6 3 The Hammer Module The Hammer module is used to control hammer on et pull off effects as explained in section 6 2 3 In Strum hammer ons and pull offs are triggered when legato playing on the keyboard is detected The three parameters of this section are Tone Amp and Velocity The Tone knob is used to set the harmonic content of the excitation produced by the finger moving on the string as explained above Turning this knob to the left results in a smoother sound while turning 1t clo
29. using the same keys but by also holding the alternate strum key B4 The alternate strum can also be activated by using the hold pedal when it is set to A t Strum mode which can be more convenient EZ eB Figure 19 Changing the strumming range using the Alt Strum key 34 Playing Strum Another technique to obtain partial strums consists in releasing strumming keys before the strum is completed In this way the strings still not strummed are not played In other words partial strumming is achieved by playing staccato on the strumming keys while full strums are obtained by playing them normally This technique is easier to perform when the strumming speed is relatively slow Figure 20 Reducing the strumming range by playing staccato 4 4 5 Bass amp Chords In certain musical styles such as country and bluegrass music one often finds rhythm guitar pat terns obtained by switching between the root or fifth played on the bass string and a strum on the remaining strings To obtain this effect it is therefore important that the lowest string is note in cluded in the stroked part of the pattern In order to reproduce this effect with Strum one must first use the bass or alternate bass key E5 or F5 and hold it while playing one of the stroke trig gers Indeed when Strum detects that a stroke key is played while the bass or alternate bass key is depressed it removes this st
30. 1 Appendix Lists of Chords Detected by Strum 66 66 66 66 66 67 67 67 67 67 67 68 68 69 69 69 70 70 70 71 71 71 71 71 71 72 72 72 73 79 CONTENTS 12 License Agreement 86 Introduction 1 Introduction Strum Acoustic GS 1 is a synthesizer dedicated to the emulation of acoustic guitars The syn thesizer is entirely based on the AJA S physical modeling technology and uses no sampling nor wave tables Instead it produces sound by solving on the fly mathematical equations modeling the different components of a guitar and how they interact This elaborate synthesis engine responds dynamically to the control signals it receives while you play thereby reproducing the richness and responsiveness of real instruments Strum Acoustic features elaborate modeling of the vibrations of the strings pick or finger action and the body of the guitar Strum Acoustic also includes many functionalities which make it easy to reproduce the playing techniques of a guitarist on a keyboard Strum Acoustic includes a chord detection module and performs automatic voicing of chords In other words you play the chords you know on the keyboard and Strum will voice them automatically for different musical styles as a guitarist would have played them The picking hand technique of a guitarist is reproduced by an auto strum function special strumming keys or using standard MIDI loops Before discussing the synthesizer in more det
31. 4 871 8100 Worldwide Click Next to enter the response code Figure 3 The challenge key appears automatically after entering the serial number support issues and notify you of product updates promptly This information is kept completely confidential Registration of your product will entitle you to receive support and download updates when available as well as take advantage of special upgrade prices offered from time to time to registered A A S users Note that if you already purchased or registered another A A S product the information that you have already supplied under the same email address will appear in the form Feel free to update this information if it is outdated Click on the Submit button and your response 13 Authorization and Registration 13 a PRODUCTS SUPPORT NEWS PRESS ABOUT US COMMUNITY wa L j 7 APPLIED ACOUGUES S Zub AN UNLOCK Please enter your email address for registration of your product Email Address Serial Number LL 0123 4567 89AB C Challenge Key Question 50CB DDE AD9B 7743 DCCD BC69 Figure 4 Enter your registration information on the A A S webserver key will appear on screen C PRODUCTS SUPPORT NEWS PRESS ABOUT US COMMUNITY C EY We Noon ACI NEE Qe UNLOCK Thank you for your registration Challenge 689E D9FF D9BF 33B2 A3B3 0335 Response 6D88 771C A809 E274 51BE A copy of this information wil
32. 5 C749 11 C7 13 no 5 C7b13 C759513 CMaj9 11 C9 no 5 C9sus4 C955 CmMaj9 C69 Cm11 C13 no 5 C1309 CMaj13 no 5 C719 C7549 C7411 CMaj7f11 C7 9111 no 3 Cm7 13 CMaj7 13 C749b13 C9513 Csus2 Csus4 C 55 III O II e Cm 5 C7sus2 C7sus2 no3 C7sus4 Yn qum mm mmm m aj7sus2 CMaj7sus4 Tm Osus4 COsus4 no 5 nim C Cm 5 C1359 84 Appendix Lists of Chords Detected by Strum List of Chords Example of a possible position on the keyboard e e e C1359 no 5 CMaj13 CMaj13 no 5 e e e e e e e e C759 C759 no 5 C749 e C749 no 5 C75559 C7549 e C74599 C7459 C7t11 e e e e e Cm7 11 Cm7 11 no 5 CMaj7f11 TM LL C7b9411 C7 9411 C7 9 11 no 3 nm n I nmm 86 License Agreement 12 License Agreement IMPORTANT CAREFULLY READ ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREE MENT BEFORE OPENING THIS PACKAGE OPENING THIS PACKAGE INDICATES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT PROMPTLY RETURN THE UN OPENED PACKAGE AND ALL COMPONENTS THERETO TO THE PARTY FROM WHOM IT WAS ACQUIRED FOR A FULL REFUND OF ANY CONSIDERATION PAID This software program any printed materials any on line or electron
33. Auto Strum mode is switched off notes and chords are processed by the chord detec tion and voicing modules but the strings are not triggered In order to play them one must use the different strumming keys as described in section 3 2 As soon as a strumming key is depressed the strings are triggered Using strumming keys involves thinking like a guitarist and use the left hand to play chords or melodies while using the right hand to control the triggering of strings Note that strumming keys are always active whether the Auto Stum mode is switched on or off In the case where the Auto Strum mode is switched on and chords are played simultaneously with strumming keys the strumming keys override the normal behavior of the Auto Strum mode 4 2 Playing with Auto Strum For the first examples it is necessary to put Strum in Auto Strum mode by clicking on the Auto button located in the Strumming section of the the lower part of the interface 4 2 1 Strum Down Play a chord in the chord amp lead section of the keyboard as shown in Figure The chord is detected by Strum and voiced on the guitar fretboard This triggers a downstroke from the strumming module and consequently the strings are played from the lowest to the highest In order to trigger a new downstroke without muting the strings just release one note from the chord and play it again as shown in Figure 12 aya Figure 11 A simple strumming sequence 4 2 Playing with Aut
34. USER MANUAL Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc The software described in this manual is furnished under a license agreement The software may be used only in accordance of the terms of this license agreement It is against the law to copy this software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement No part of this manual may be copied photocopied reproduced translated distributed or converted to any electronic or machine readable form in whole or in part without prior written approval of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc Copyright 2008 Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc All rights reserved Printed in Canada Program Copyright 2008 Applied Acoustics Systems Inc All right reserved Strum VG is a Trademark of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc Windows 98 2000 NT ME XP and DirectX are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation Macintosh Mac OS and Audio Units are registered trademarks of Apple Corporation VST Instruments and ASIO are trademarks of Steinberg Soft Und Hardware GmbH RTAS is a registered trademarks of Digidesign Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems incorporated All other product and company names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owner Unauthorized copying renting or lending of the software is strictly pro
35. ail we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for choosing an A A S product We sincerely hope that this product will bring you inspiration pleasure and fulfill your creative needs 1 1 System Requirements The following computer configuration is necessary to run Strum Acoustic Mac OS e Mac OSX 10 2 Jaguar or later e G4 733 MHz Processor e 256 MB RAM e 1024 x 768 or higher screen resolution e MIDI Keyboard recommended e Ethernet Port Windows e Windows 98SE ME 2000 XP e PIII 800 MHz e 128 MB RAM e 1024 x 768 or higher screen resolution e DirectX or ASIO supported sound card e MIDI Keyboard recommended 10 Introduction Keep in mind that the computational power required by Strum Acoustic depends on the number of voices of polyphony and the sampling rate used These computer configurations will enable you to play the factory presets with a reasonable number of voices 1 2 Installation Mac OS Insert the Strum Acoustic program disc into your CD ROM drive Open the CD icon once it appears on your desktop Click on the Strum Acoustic Install icon and follow the instructions of the installer If you purchased this software online simply double click on the installer file that you have downloaded and follow the instructions of the installer Windows Insert the Strum Acoustic program disc into your CD ROM drive Launch Explorer to view the content of the CD ROM and double click on the installer
36. and will over write the original preset If you are not certain of which preset will be overwritten in the library first use the Locate Program in Browser command from the Programs menu or the Ctrl L Apple L shortcut in order to locate it in the browser e To create a new preset use the Save Preset As command from the File menu A window will appear asking for a name for the new preset Once the preset is saved using this command a new preset icon will appear in the browser directly under the Library folder e To create a new preset it is also possible to rename the program using the Rename Current Program from the MIDI menu or the Ctrl R Apple R keyboard shortcut and use the Save Preset or Save Preset As commands When editing presets it is very helpful to go back and forth between the different stages of your modifications and adjustments To move back step by step through every modification that was ap plied to a preset use the Undo command from the Edit menu or the Ctrl Z Apple Z shortcut Once the Undo command has been used it is also possible to move up again through the modifications by using the Redo command from the Edit menu or the Ctrl Y Apple Y command The number of Undo levels is unlimited and this command is effective on any control of the interface but not on the different Save commands Once a preset has been modified it is also possible to move back and forth between the current state of the preset in the program list an
37. aneously by ctrl clicking Windows or Command clicking Mac OS on the corresponding knob and moving it Finally note that some of the parameters are framed by a lighter color background This simply means that these parameters can be controlled from the general view obtained when clicking on the All button 6 6 1 The Strings Module The vibrational motion of a string can be decomposed into two different components one perpen dicular to the plane of the body of the guitar and the other one parallel to that plane At the bridge the string is fixed and energy is transfered to the body of the guitar but also exchanged between these two components of the string motion This exchange is responsible for both the characteristic beating effect present in the sound of the guitar and the typical decay curve or envelope of the sound Both these motion components are modeled in Strum and they are referred to as polarity A and B 6 6 Edit Mode 57 For each polarity one can adjust three parameters called Decay Tone and Inharm The Coupling knob is used to adjust the amount of energy exchanged between the two polarities of the string motion Turning this knob clockwise increases the coupling and therefore the amount and frequency of the beating in the sound When this knob is in its leftmost position there is no coupling between the two polari ties Both of these components exist but completely independent of each other resulting in a sound with no b
38. ays contain the same presets when you open the application and that your modifications to presets will be lost unless they have been saved in the preset library e To save the current list of programs and replace the default program list use the Save All Programs command from the Programs menu This command is helpful if you wish to modify the program list or if you wish to restart the application in exactly the same state as when you left it Note that this operation is not necessary when using Strum Acoustic as a plug in in a host sequencer as the program list is always saved with a project The default program list will be loaded only if a new project is started or if a new instance of Strum Acoustic is opened within a project 5 5 Organizing the Preset Library 5 5 1 Creating Folders Sub folders can be created by first selecting a folder by clicking on it and using the New Folder command from File menu 5 5 2 Copying and Moving Presets and folders Presets and folders can be copied and moved from one location to another First select an item by clicking on its icon and use the Copy command from the Edit menu Ctrl C Apple C shortcut in order to copy it Then click on the destination folder and use the Paste command from the Edit menu Ctrl V Apple V shortcut in order to paste it Groups of items can be copied and pasted at the same time In order to select many items at once click on different icons while keeping the Control Apple key d
39. bridge where they can be radiated efficiently It is also the strings that fixes the pitch of the sound we hear depending on their effective lengths In a real guitar the material of the sting affects the sound of the instru ment For example the sound of a metal string is brighter than that of a nylon one The Tone knob controls the decay time of high frequencies in the sound relatively to that of low frequencies which is a parameter related to the ma terial of the string Turning this knob clockwise enhances high frequencies resulting in a more metallic sound while turning the knob anti clockwise has a damping effect on high frequencies Strings are usually considered to be harmonic meaning that all the frequency components of the sound appear at frequencies that are multiple integers of the fundamental frequency of the note being played Real strings however are not perfectly harmonic due to the fact that there width is not exactly constant along their entire length As the inharmonicity is increased we will say that the sound becomes more and more dissonant In Strum the amount of inharmonicity in the sound is controlled using the Inharm knob Turning this knob clockwise detunes the partials toward higher frequencies while turning it anti clockwise reduces the inharmonicity of the strings The Coupling knob is used to control the amount of beating in the sound Turning this knob to the right increases the amount and frequency of the beat
40. chitecture of Strum Keyboard Layout 23 3 Keyboard Layout Strum reacts to MIDI signal differently than a traditional synthesizer It uses a special keyboard layout and associates signals from standard MIDI controllers with specific effects or techniques on the guitar In this chapter we will describe how the keyboard is used to play Strum The MIDI signal received by Strum is interpreted in terms of the fretting hand usually left hand and picking hand usually right hand of a guitar player The range of the MIDI keyboard has therefore been divided into two sections the Lead amp Chord keys section and the Strumming Keys section as illustrated in Figure 10 3 1 Lead and Chord Keys This section is associated with the fretting hand of the guitarist and includes notes ranging from MIDI note numbers 40 E1 to 70 Bb4 This section of the keyboard is where melodies and chords are played and it is the MIDI signal from this section which is sent to the chord detection and voicing modules Strum will try to detect a chord and find a corresponding voicing as soon as three keys or more are depressed on the keyboard otherwise it will play the notes as a melody or an interval 3 20 Strumming Keys Notes with MIDI number ranging between 71 B4 and 84 C6 are interpreted as special strum ming keys and are used to trigger different picking hand techniques as shown in Figure De pending on the strumming keys used one can trigger downstrokes u
41. ckwise results in a sharper sound The Amp parameter controls the amplitude of the excitation generated by hammer ons and pull offs 6 6 4 The Mute Module In Strum strings are muted when using the muffled downstroke or upstroke strumming keys or in auto strum mode when a note is released on the key board This reproduces the muting effect obtained by guitarists by releasing the pressure on the notes held by the fretting hand The pressure applied on a given string is controlled using the Contact knob In its leftmost position the contact 1s very light and one can slightly hear the sound of the open string When this knob is in its rightmost position the pressure between the finger and the string is strong and one can hear the pitch of the fretted note In its middle position the string is muted efficiently and one can depending on the fret where the finger is located hear harmonics ringing The tone and decay time of these harmonics are set using the Tone and Decay knobs which fix the decay time and the spectral content of these tones respectively When muting a string it takes a little time for the guitar player to release the pressure on the finger on the string in order to place them in muting position This time is set using the Time knob and the release time is increased by turning the knob clockwise HARMONICS 6 6 5 The Palm Module In Strum palm muting is achieved by using the palm muted downstroke and up stroke keys The
42. click on the Strum Acoustic icon located on your desktop or select Strum Acoustic from the Start gt All Programs gt menu 16 Introduction e Mac OS Double click on the Strum Acoustic icon located in the Applications folder Before you start exploring the factory presets take a moment to set up you audio and MIDI configuration as explained below Audio Configuration Audio configuration tools are available from the Audio menu The Audio Settings function allows you to select an audio output device from a list organized by driver type of those available on your computer On Windows if you have ASIO drivers available these should be selected for optimum performance Multi channel interfaces will have their outputs listed as stereo pairs e Select your sound card port from the list in the Audio Configuration dialog from the Audio gt Audio Settings menu For more detailed information on audio configuration sampling rate selection and latency ad justments please refer to section 8 3 MIDI Configuration MIDI configuration tools are available from the MIDI menu e Select your MIDI input device from the list in the MIDI Configuration window available from the MIDI gt MIDI Settings menu For more detailed information on Audio and MIDI configuration MIDI links and MIDI maps please refer to Chapter 8 1 4 4 Exploring the Factory Presets Factory presets can easily be accessed using the and buttons
43. current program in the program list Change the current program Save the entire program list including modifications to programs The list will be in exactly the same state the next time you open the application 78 Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts Help Menu Command Windows MacOS Description About Srum Acoustic GS User Manual Quick Reference Sheet Authorize String Studio Visit www applied acoustics com Join the user forum Get support Fi Display the About Stum Acoustic window Display the user manual Display the keyboard layout reference sheet Display the Authorization window Active only if the application has not been authorized Launch the browser and go to the AAS website Launch the browser and go to the AAS forum Launch the browser and go to the support section of the AAS website Appendix Lists of Chords Detected by Strum 79 11 Appendix Lists of Chords Detected by Strum We present here a list of the main chords recognized by Strum and for which it can find a guitar voicing The following guidelines should be kept in mind e The chords are presented using C as the root They can be transposed in any key e For all chords inversions are recognized except if they conflict with another chord from this list e Inverted chords on the keyboard do not necessarily have a corresponding voicing on the guitar In these cases Strum will s
44. d into the Software AAS retains ownership of and title to all intellectual property rights in the Software underlying technology related written materials logos names and other support materials furnished either with the Software or as a result of this Agreement including but not limited to trade secrets patents trademarks and copyrights therein Licensee shall not remove or alter any copyright or other proprietary rights notices contained on or within the Software and shall reproduce such notices on all copies thereof permitted under this Agree ment or associated documentation 4 LIMITED WARRANTY Except for the foregoing THE SOFTWARE IS provided AS IS without warranty or condition of any kind AAS disclaims all warranties or conditions writ ten or oral statutory express or implied including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantable quality or fitness for a particular purpose title and non infringement of rights of any other person AAS does not warrant that THE SOFTWARE will meet the Licensee s requirements or that the operation of the software will be uninterrupted or ERROR FREE License Agreement 87 5 LIMITATION OF LIABILITY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLI CABLE LAW IN NO EVENT WILL AAS BE LIABLE TO THE LICENSEE OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL INCIDENTAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF REVENUE OR PROFIT LOST OR DAMAGED DATA
45. d its original version archived in the preset library To hear the original preset simply click on the Compare button at the top of the interface or use the Compare command from the Edit menu Once this button has been pressed the original settings of the preset are loaded In this mode the graphical interface is frozen and it is therefore not possible to modify the preset To further modify the preset click on the Compare button again or uncheck the Compare command in the Edit menu to revert to the modified version of the preset and unfreeze the interface To reload the original version use the Locate Preset in Browser command from the View menu or the Ctrl L Apple L shortcut and double click on its icon in order to reload this version into the current program Strum Acoustic will make sure that you do not loose modifications to a preset In the case where a program holds a modified version of a preset and when trying to load a new preset from the library into this program the application will ask you if you want to save the modified preset 42 Presets and MIDI maps in the library This behavior might not always be convenient and it is possible to deactivate it by deselecting the Ask to save preset before opening another option in the Preferences command from the Edit menu 5 4 Saving the Program List When you open Strum Acoustic the applications always loads the same program list This implies that by default the program list will alw
46. d on the string on which it is played in the chord it is triggered by the alternate bass arp key and it is not repeated on another arp key These rules imply that the arp keys 6 to 1 do not necessarily correspond to string 6 to 1 lowest to highest In fact they only do when the six strings are used in a chord and when the bass is played on string 6 This is true for example with bar chords played using the six strings To illustrate these rules lets consider different chords played in movable position A G major chord with bass played on G2 on the keyboard will be voiced by Strum with the bass on the sixth string The arp key will then follow the order of the guitar strings Playing a C major chord with the bass played on C3 on the keyboard results in a chord voiced by Strum with the bass on string 5 and the alternate bass on the sixth string The bass and alternate bass arp keys will therefore trigger the fifth and sixth string respectively The remaining arp 4 3 2 1 keys will trigger the fourth third second and first strings respectively Finally playing a G Major chord one octave higher than previously bass on G3 on the keyboard results in a chord played by Strum on the four highest strings of the guitar strings 4 3 2 1 In this case the bass arp key will trigger the fourth string the alternate bass will be played on the fifth string and the remaining three notes of the chord strings 3 2 and 1 will be triggered by arp keys 4 3 and 2 respec
47. ding to the MIDI program change received by the application 8 3 Latency Settings The latency is the time delay between the moment you send a control signal to your computer for example when you hit a key on your MIDI keyboard and the moment when you hear the effect Roughly the latency will be equal to the duration of the buffers used by the application and the sound card to play audio and MIDI To calculate the total time required to play a buffer just divide the number of samples per buffer by the sampling frequency For example 256 samples played at 48 kHz represent a time of 5 3 ms Doubling the number of samples and keeping the sampling frequency constant will double this time while changing the sampling frequency to 96 kHz and keeping the buffer size constant will reduce the latency to 2 7 ms It is of course desirable to have as little latency as possible Strum Acoustic however requires a certain amount of time to be able to calculate sound samples in a continuous manner This time depends on the power of your computer the preset played the sampling rate and the number of voices of polyphony used Note that it will literally take twice as much CPU power to process audio at a sampling rate of 96 kHz as it would to process the same data at 48 kHz simply because you need to calculate twice as many samples in the same amount of time Depending on your machine you should choose for a given sampling frequency the smallest buffer size that
48. e is only wet signal Note that turning further the knob clockwise has no effect 6 4 5 Phaser The phasing effect colors a signal by removing frequency bands from its spectrum The effect is obtained by changing the phase of the incoming signal and adding this new signal to the original 54 Parameters The phaser effects can be controlled with the three knobs appearing at the bottom of the module The Mix knob is used to adjust the ratio of dry and wet signal in the output signal of the module When the knob is adjusted in the left position only the original or dry signal is sent to the output while in the right position only the processed or wet signal is sent to the output The Depth knob is used to control the amplitude of the effect while the Rate knob is used to fix the modulation frequency of the effect when the Sync function is off 6 4 6 Wah The Multi Effect module includes 2 different types of wah effects wah wah and auto wah Both of them are based on a specially designed bandpass filter with a 12 dB oct slope In the wah wah effect the center frequency of the bandpass filter varies at a certain rate In the case of the auto wah the variations of the center frequency is controlled by the amplitude envelope of the incoming signal The Freq knob is used to control the central frequency of the filter Turning this knob clockwise increases the center frequency In the case of the Wah Wah effect
49. e loaded by double clicking on the corresponding MIDI connector icon that appears in the browser when a MIDI map is saved Furthermore a MIDI map can be loaded automatically when an instrument is launched e To assign a default MIDI map right click Control click on the MIDI map icon and choose the MIDI Link Info command In the Edit Information Window select the Set as default MIDI Links option 8 2 06 Empty MIDI Map The factory MIDI maps include a MIDI map called No MIDI link As its name suggest this map is empty Loading this map deactivates all the MIDI links It is possible to reload the original version of this MIDI map by importing the factory MIDI maps file as explained in Section 5 9 in case it was modified by mistake 70 Audio and MIDI Settings 8 2 7 Defining a Default MIDI Map It is possible to define a default MIDI map that will be loaded automatically when Strum Acoustic is launched e First select a MIDI map by clicking on its icon in the browser and choose the MIDI Link Info command from the Edit or the Ctrl I Apple I keyboard shortcut One can also right click control click on the MIDI map icon and choose the MIDI Link Info command e To change the default MIDI map select the Mark As Default option 8 2 8 MIDI Program Changes MIDI program changes can be used to switch between programs while playing Strum Acoustic will change the number of the current program used by the synthesis engine to the number corre spon
50. e the Rate knob is used to fix the modulation frequency of the effect if the Sync function is off 6 4 3 Flanger The Multi Effect module includes both a mono and stereo flange effect The flanger effects can be controlled with the three knobs appearing at the bottom of the module The Mix knob is used to adjust the ratio of dry and wet signal in the output signal from the module When the knob is adjusted in the left position only the original or dry signal is sent to the output while in the right position only the processed or wet signal is sent to the output The Depth knob is used to control the amplitude of the effect while the Rate knob is used to fix the modulation frequency of the effect if the Sync function is off 6 4 4 Vibrato The vibrato effect introduces a periodic low frequency pitch modulation in the signal The Rate knob is used to set the frequency of the vibrato effect when the Sync function is off The Depth knob enables one to control the depth of the effect or in other words the amplitude of the frequency variations In its leftmost position there is no vibrato and turning the knob clockwise increases the amount of pitch variation The Mix knob is used to determine the proportion of dry and wet signals in the output signal from the effect In its leftmost position the output is dry turning the knob clockwise increases the amount of wet signal until in its center position ther
51. e yourself with this synthesizer without having to tweak a single knob Soon however you will be experimenting and creating your own sounds and projects that you will need to archive or exchange with other users You may also want to control the parameters of Strum Acoustic with a specific MIDI controller In this chapter we will review the management of presets and MIDI maps 5 1 Presets There are two concepts involved in the management of presets the preset library and programs 5 1 1 The Preset Library The preset library contains the factory presets modified ver C Imports sions of the factory presets you might have made or any other new 2 Presets presets you might have saved The library may also contain im dreadnought_finger ported presets as well as MIDI maps as explained in Section nylon_bright and 5 7 In other words the preset library is a repository of all the nylon_soft_finger presets and MIDI maps available to Strum Acoustic steel jumbo pick steel medium finger All the operations on the preset library are conveniently man steel medium pick aged with the help of the Strum Acoustic browser similar to those found in most email programs which use a hierarchical tree structure and a visually intuitive drag and drop approach To explore the different presets available in the library open the different fold ers by clicking on the icon Windows or symbol on Mac OS to the left of folders Each preset
52. ease refer to the manufacturer s documentation for details on configuring it for optimum performance Most sound card manufacturers also update their drivers regularly It is strongly recommended that you visit your sound card manufacturer s website regularly to ensure you are using the most up to date drivers and support software On Mac OS systems this command launches the Audio MIDI Setup configuration application 8 2 MIDI Settings 8 2 1 Selecting a MIDI Device To select the MIDI device used by Strum Acoustic e Go to the MIDI menu and choose the MIDI Settings option A list of the MIDI devices installed on your computer will appear in the MIDI Configuration window e Select the MIDI device you want to use and click on the OK button 68 Audio and MIDI Settings 8 2 2 Creating MIDI Links Every control on the Strum Acoustic interface can be manipulated by an external MIDI controller In most cases this is much more convenient than using the mouse especially if you want to move many controllers at once For example you can map the motion of a knob on the interface to a real knob on a knob box or to the modulation wheel from your keyboard As you use the specified MIDI controllers you will see the controls move on the Strum Acoustic interface just as if you had used the mouse To assign a MIDI link to a controller e On the interface right click Control click on a control knob button a contextual menu appears Select Learn
53. eating and a regular decay envelope The Balance knob is used to control the mix between both polarities in the output sound In its leftmost position one only hears polarity A while in its rightmost position only polarity B is heard In its middle position an equal mix of both is heard In general to get the most realistic realistic sound the knob should be turned toward the left or in other words one should listen more to polarity A This is because in a real guitar vibrational motion perpendicular to the body is more efficiently transmitted Interesting effects can however be obtained by mixing both polarities Note that even when the balance knob is fully turned to the left coupling between both polarities is still taken into account as soon as the Coupling knob is turned to the left which will introduce beating in the sound of polarity A In a real string the material of the string affects how it vibrates For example a metal string oscillates for a longer time than a nylon one its sound also contains more high frequencies and is brighter This behavior is adjusted with the Tone and Decay knobs The Tone knobs are used to set the respective amount of high frequencies in polarity A or B of the string motion with respect to low frequencies In their leftmost position the decay time of high frequencies in the sound is lower than that of low frequencies in their rightmost position it is longer The overall decay time of the vibrations is cont
54. ecific voicings chosen by Strum are displayed This section of the interface also includes parameters determining how the voicing and strumming is performed by Strum a MIDI loop player tuning parameters and controls determining how signals from some standard MIDI controllers are interpreted by Strum 2 4 Signal Flow The general signal flow of Strum is presented in Figure 9 and illustrates schematically how the dif ferent modules in Strum interact From left to right the synthesizer first includes a chord detection module which parses the MIDI signal it receives and determines the chords played on the keyboard This information is then sent to the voicing engine which taking into account how a guitarist would actually play the different chords determines which notes are played on the different strings of the guitar The corresponding information for each of the six strings of the instrument is then sent to a triggering or strumming module which generates an excitation signal for each of the individual 2 4 Signal Flow 21 MIDI Channel e Omni Mid Freq Decoy Color x x ing Position p O Bend 3 b lend Depth Depth njn njanja Loop Player HOLD PEDAL o Ww Hold Chord B Speed 4 4 120BPM 111 ones 8 Figure 8 Control modules and output stage of String Studio Panel A Ld Velocity string This is the signal received by the synthesis or string module which then simulates the vi bration
55. eeping the Shift key depressed Once the group of items has been selected use the Delete function as explained above 5 5 5 Documenting Presets It is possible to document a preset and view related information To view or edit information on a preset first select it in the browser and choose the Preset Info command from the Edit menu or use the Ctrl I Apple I shortcut It is also possible to right click control click on the preset icon and choose the Preset Info command Information on a preset includes the author s name copyright notice date of creation last modification date and a text description 5 5 6 Locating a Preset in the Browser It might sometimes be helpful to locate in the preset library the preset currently being played or in other words that corresponding to the current program To rapidly locate the current preset in the browser use the Locate Program in Browser command from the Programs menu or the Ctrl L Apple L shortcut The Locate command will automatically expand the folder containing the currently used preset and select the preset 5 5 7 Resizing the Browser In standalone mode the browser can be resized In order to change the size of the browser position the mouse cursor on the line separating the browser from the Strum Acoustic control panel When the cursor changes to a double headed arrow click hold and move the mouse to the left or right as 44 Presets and MIDI maps desired In order to hide the browse
56. eft position for a knob while the rightmost position of the slider corresponds to the Strum Acoustic control maximum position right position for a knob 8 2 MIDI Settings 69 e Note that the range of a knob can be inverted by setting the value of Maximum Value to a smaller value than that of Minimum Value Click on the OK button and the link appears in the list of controllers linked to the control Click on the OK button again to confirm the change and to leave the MIDI Links window Note that the Minimum Value and Maximum Value of a MIDI link can also be set by right control clicking on the corresponding control and selecting the Set MIDI Link Mini mum Value or Set MIDI Link Maximum Value command The value corresponding to the control position will then be saved as the minimum or maximum value of the MIDI link 8 2 4 Deleting MIDI Links e To remove a MIDI link right click Control click again on the control and choose Forget MIDI Link or choose the Forget MIDI Link command from the MIDI menu e MIDI links can also be removed from the MIDI Links window by clicking on the MIDI link to be removed to select it then by clicking on the Remove button and the OK button to confirm the change 8 2 5 Creating a MIDI Map A set of MIDI links can be saved into a MIDI map by using the Save MIDI Link As from the File menu Different MIDI maps corresponding to different MIDI controllers can thereby be saved for Strum Acoustic A MIDI map can b
57. epressed Alternatively to select within a folder all the presets located between two presets click on the first one and then on the second one while keeping the Shift key depressed Once a group of items has been selected use the Copy and Paste functions as explained above 5 5 Organizing the Preset Library 43 5 5 3 Renaming Presets and folders On Windows systems to rename a preset or folder click a first time on the corresponding icon in the browser in order to select it Then click a second time to enter in name edition mode Note that this sequence of operation is different from double clicking on the icon which loads the preset in the case of a preset icon or opens a folder in the case of a folder icon In other words there must be a pause between the two clicks On Mac systems first select the item to be renamed and the use the Rename command from the Edit menu It is also possible to ctrl click on the selected item and then choose the Rename command 5 5 4 Deleting Presets and Folders To delete a preset or folder first select it by clicking on its icon in the browser then use the Delete command from the Edit menu or use the Del key from the computer keyboard In order to select and then delete many items at once click on different icons while keeping the Control Apple key depressed Alternatively to select within a folder all the presets located between two presets click on the first one and then on the second one while k
58. eters knob This parameter is used to control the amount of high frequencies in the resulting sound turning this knob to the left decreases the amount of high frequencies relatively to low frequencies while turning it to the right increases it 6 2 5 The Palm Module Palm muting is a technique used by guitar players to muffle the strings slightly while simultaneously playing the strings with the picking hand It is obtained by letting the side of the picking hand touch the strings just before the bridge In Strum palm muting is achieved by using special strumming keys as explained in section 3 2 The resulting sound of this effect can be adjusted with the help of the Tone knob This parameter is used to control the amount of high frequencies in the resulting sound turning this knob to the left decreases the amount of high frequencies relatively to low frequencies while turning it to the right increases it 6 2 6 The Global Module The Velocity knob is used to decrease or increase the modulation effect from the MIDI velocity signal This parameter affects all the parameters modulated by the MIDI velocity 6 2 7 The Body Module The role of the body or soundboard of an acoustic guitar is to radiate the vibra tion energy from the strings The body also adds a filtering effect to the vibration from the string which depends on its size and shape The body of an acoustic guitar also includes an air cavity which boosts low frequencies
59. ewed in detail Chapter 7 describes the different functionalities available from the toolbar while Chapter 8 explains the dif ferent functionalities related to Audio and MIDI and their settings General issues involved in the use of Strum Acoustic as a plug in in different host sequencers is covered in Chapter 9 Finally a list of available commands and shortcuts is given in Chapter 10 Throughout this manual the following conventions are used e Bold characters are used to name modules commands and menu names e Italic characters are used to name controls on the interface e Windows and Mac OS keyboard shortcuts are written as Windows shortcut Mac OS shortcut An Overview of Strum Acoustic 19 2 An Overview of Strum Acoustic Strum Acoustic is a synthesizer which was designed with the goal of enabling keyboard players to easily create realistic guitar tracks This is a task which is usually difficult to achieve due to the very different nature of these two types of instruments Strum was therefore designed to reproduce not only the sounding mechanism of a guitar but also the main elements of the playing technique of a guitar player Very generally playing on a guitar can be described in terms of fretting hand usually left hand and picking hand usually right hand techniques The fretting hand is used to fix the chords or notes played on the different strings of the guitar while the picking hand is used to set the different string
60. f the Multi Effect module reveals a drop down menu with a set of possible settings for the control Adjustment of the control is obtained by clicking on a selection or using the up and down arrows and the Enter key of the computer keyboard 6 1 4 Bypassing a Module The different effect modules of Strum can be turned on or off by clicking on the button appearing on the right of the module label A module is active when the button is in its on position and is lit Note that when a module is not activated calculations associated with this module are not performed reducing CPU usage 6 1 5 Modulation Signals Some parameters such as the Speed parameter from the Strumming section can be modulated with MIDI velocity When it is the case a Velocity knob appears below the parameter and both knobs are linked by a thin vertical line 6 2 The Guitar Modules Depth Rate Decay Color This is the main view of the instrument and is activated when the A button located in the upper left corner of the guitar shape is switched on In this mode the different modules forming the guitar are visible each with a few control parameters This mode is used to play the different presets and if necessary easily make adjustments Only a selection of the parameters actually used by the synthesis engine are visible in this view The full range of parameters for each string is accessible by clicking on the numbered buttons next to the A button each representi
61. ferent strings It is not always possible to play notes simultaneously when playing live and it is therefore recommended to play the highest note of the interval slightly before the lowest Otherwise Strum may decide to play the highest note on the lowest string and then will also need to voice the lowest note on the lowest string which will result in both notes being played one after the other A power chord voicing on three strings is obtained by playing the root the fifth and the root again one octave higher on the keyboard 4 5 Using MIDI Loops Reproducing complex patterns played on the guitar can rapidly become complicated and requires to be a good keyboard player The good news however is that patterns in other words sequences of chords and strumming keys can easily be played using Strum s MIDI loop player Furthermore Strum is supplied with a library of MIDI loops which you can use to easily start creating a new piece The standard loop library is accessible directly from Strum s interface by clicking on the Load button of the loop player which will automatically bring you to the default MIDI loop library folder Loops can be used as they are or can easily be edited in a sequencer and then be played using the Strum MIDI loop player It is important to note that Strum makes no distinction between MIDI signal coming from the standard MIDI input keyboard or sequencer or the MIDI loop player How Strum interprets the MIDI signal it receives
62. file to launch the installer If you purchased this software online simply double click on the installer file that you have downloaded and follow the instructions of the installer 1 3 Authorization and Registration Strum Acoustic uses a proprietary challenge response copy protection system which requires au thorization of the product A challenge key is a long string of capital letters and numbers that is generated uniquely for each machine during the registration process In other words for each machine you install this program on a different challenge key will be generated by the program The response key is another unique string of capital letters and numbers generated from the data encrypted in the challenge key In order to obtain a response key you will need to connect to the A A S website and provide the following information e A valid email address e Your product serial number on the back of the sleeve of your CD or in your confirmation email for downloads e The challenge key generated by the program Note that it is possible to use the program during 15 days before completing the authorization process This period can be convenient if you are installing the program on a computer which is not connected to the internet After that period the program will not function unless it is supplied with a response key In the following sections we review the different steps required to generate the challenge keys and obtain the respon
63. gram change message 9 8 Performance Using a plug in in a host sequencer requires CPU processing for both applications The load on the CPU is even higher when multiple instances of a plug in or numerous different plug ins are used To decrease CPU usage remember that you can use the freeze of bounce to track functions of the host sequencer in order to render to audio the part played by a plug in instead of recalculating it every time it is played Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts 73 10 Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts File Menu Command Windows Mac OS Description New Folder Apple Shift N New Folder in the Browser Open Preset Ctr O Apple Option O Open the selected preset Save Preset Ctrl S Apple S Save the current preset Save Preset As Save the current preset under a new name Save MIDI Links Ctrl Shift S Apple Shift S Save the current MIDI links Save MIDI Links As Save the current MIDI links under a new name Import Import a strumA file Export Export a strumA file Restore Factory Library Exit Quit on Mac Restore factory library and programs Everything else in the browser is deleted Quit the application 74 Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts Edit Menu Command Windows MacOS Description Undo Ctrl Z Apple Z Undo last command Redo Ctrl Y Apple Shift Z Redo last command Copy Ctrl C Apple C Copy selected item Paste Ctrl V Apple V Paste Dele
64. hibited Visit Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc on the World Wide Web at www applied acoustics com Contents 1 Introduction rm 1 2 Installation 5 92 oo o o gos ee oos ER vow yox RE X XO Reo E papp R E a A a a 1 3 1 Step I Generating the Challenge Key E a 1 3 4 Obtaining your Response Key and Registering by Fax or over the Phone 1 4 Getting Started 1 4 1 Using Strum Acoustic in Standalone Mode Serer eer ero eee ia Gk Ge Se Ses ani es id ee wh abc ra Ae ee be A es at ed ada ae 1 5 Getting Helple i 92m 9 RE xm dox ehe esha een a abla 1 6 Forum and User Library A 1 7 About this Manual English 2 An Overview of Strum Acoustic 2 1 Chord Detection and Voicing 2 2 Strumming 2 3 The Graphical Interface 2 es 2 4 Signal Plow ooo bee rc Rome Gm ee es 3 Keyboard Layout 3 1 Lead and Chord Keys o o e e 3 2 Strumming Keys ee ee 3 2 Downstroke and Upstroke 3 2 2 Palm Muted Downstroke and Upstroke CONTENTS at Goa Ge we eR Ge Go le a a a ee 24 5 24 Mute All 5 2 ee e dex a SG HEE Se ea es 24 CITIES 24 CIIM 24 3 3 Pitch Bend Wheel e i stana e aa e aa a a a a a a a a 25 3 4 Aftertouch 2 oaee ea a a e a e a a a E o a 26 35 Modulation Wheel ona aaa ee ee ee 26 B 6 Hold Pedal eiii rs s kb Rem a A ee as e 26 28 cardio da ad ia 28 A EN 28 4 2 1 Strum Down ss 65 5625 Sk
65. hlighted e Select a preset and use the Open Preset command from the File menu or the Ctrl O Apple O keyboard shortcut Note that when a preset is loaded from the preset library to the list of programs the program name displayed in the toolbar changes but not its number This indicates that the current program number used by the synthesis engine is still the same but that the preset corresponding to that program has changed The 128 programs can therefore be customized by selecting different pro gram numbers by using the and buttons from the toolbar or selecting programs from the program list and loading presets from the library 5 3 Editing and Saving Presets 41 5 3 Editing and Saving Presets Moving the different controls on the Strum Acoustic interface modifies the preset loaded in the current program As soon as the current program is modified the preset icon located on the left of the program name in the toolbar changes color and a sign is appended to its name in the program list In this state the preset loaded in the current program is different from its original version stored in the preset library even if they share the same name If you wish to keep a permanent copy of the modifications you must save this new version in the preset library e To save the new version in the preset library use the Save Preset command from the File menu or the Ctrl S Apple S shortcut Be careful however as using this comm
66. ial using the Import command If you forgot to export material before restoring the factory library or 1f you wish to bring back the preset library to its state before restoring the factory library it is still possible to recover material from the backup file of the preset database which was created automatically when restoring the factory library as explained in Section 5 8 This method should be considered as a last resort however as recovering material from this backup file will remove the factory library which you have just installed and force you to redo the operation Using the Export command before restoring the factory library is much simpler Note that the restore of the factory library is actually performed the next time you re open the application It is still possible to cancel this operation before exiting the application by using the Cancel Library Restore command from the File menu 46 Parameters 6 Parameters This section can be used as a reference on the different controls appearing on Strum s graphical interface We begin by describing the behavior of the different types of controls appearing on the interface 6 1 6 1 1 General Functioning of the Interface Tweaking Knobs All the knobs on the interface are selected by clicking on them Once selected they can be con trolled in different ways depending on the effect you want to achieve For coarse adjustment click hold on a knob and drag the mouse upwards
67. ic documentation and any and all copies of such software program and materials the Software are the copyrighted work of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc AAS its subsidiaries licensors and or its suppliers 1 LICENSE TO USE The Licensee is granted a personal non exclusive and non transferable license to install and to use one copy of the Software on a single computer solely for the personal use of the Licensee Use of the Software is subject to this Agreement 2 RESTRICTIONS ON USE The Licensee may not nor permit third parties to i make copies of any portion of the Software other than as expressly permitted under this Agreement 11 modify translate disassemble decompile reverse engineer or create derivative and or com petitive products based on any portion of the Software iii provide use of the Software in a network timesharing interactive cable television multiple CPU service bureau or multiple user arrangement to users not individually licensed by AAS other than as expressly permit ted by the terms of this license The Software is licensed to you as a single product Its component parts may not be separated for use on more than one computer 3 OWNERSHIP AAS retains title to the Software including but not limited to any titles computer code themes objects dialog concepts artwork animations sounds audio effects methods of operation moral rights any related documentation and applets incorporate
68. ich are described below 4 3 2 Palm Muted Down and Upstroke Palm muting is a technique used by guitar players to muffle the strings slightly while simultane ously playing the strings with the picking hand It is obtained by placing the side of the picking hand on the strings just before the bridge Palm muted down and upstroke are triggered by using Ct and Db 5 respectively Figure 15 Palm muting with the arp keys 4 3 3 Muffled Down and Upstroke On a guitar fretted notes can be muted by decreasing the pressure applied by the fretting fingers on the string The guitarist can control the effect by applying more or less pressure on the strings and obtain a percussive effect by striking the strings with the picking hand This effect is also known as scratching Now play a chord on the keyboard and use the muffled Down and Upstroke keys F and Gj 5 The strings are played as if the guitarist was muting them with the fretting hand The effect is the same as using the down and upstroke keys without playing a chord on the keyboard but these strumming keys allow one to obtain the effect without releasing the chord 4 3 4 Arpeggios A chord can be arpeggiated using the bass alternate bass arp 4 arp 3 arp 2 and arp 1 strumming keys E5 F5 G5 A5 B5 and C6 The effect of these keys depends on the chord played by Strum as explained in section As many chords include only four strings a bass and th
69. in the lower left corner of the toolbar These buttons are used to navigate through a list of 128 numbered presets called programs The content of this program list can be viewed by clicking on the V button of the toolbar The number of the current program used and the name of the associated preset appear on the right of this button Programs can also be changed by using the and keys from the computer keyboard or by selecting programs directly from the list displayed after clicking clicking on the V button Presets can also be accessed using the browser appearing on the left of Strum Acoustic This browser is similar to the browser your operating system generates to display the contents of your hard disk or your email program uses to organize your mail and address book When launching the 1 5 Getting Help 17 application for the first time this tree view will include a destination folder for imported presets as well as a Presets folder To open a folder click on the symbol on Windows or symbol on Mac OS which will reveal the folder content The preset library is different from the program list and can be viewed as a repository con taining all the presets available to the application Presets are loaded into the synthesis engine by copying them from the library into the program list To load a preset double click on a preset icon blue knob or preset name This will insert the preset into the program list at the
70. ing while turning it to the left reduces it This beating effect is characteristic of real guitar strings it is due to the coupling between two different components in the motion of the string as will be explained in more details in Secion 6 6 1 hence the name of this knob 6 2 The Guitar Modules 49 6 2 2 The Pick Fingers Module The Pick Finger module allows one to control the excitation of the string with a pick or fingers The Stiffness parameters de termines the flexibility of the plectrum or in other words the re sistance it exerts against the string Increasing the value of this parameter mainly increases the amplitude of the sound The Edge parameter is used to control the rounding of the edge of the plec trum Turning this clockwise increases the sharpness of the edge resulting in a brighter sound The Position parameter allows one to modify the pick position on the strings while playing This is a parameter used by guitarists to change the tone of the sound In deed playing near the bridge results in a dryer and more metallic sound while playing over the hole of the body or toward the fretboard results in a fuller sound In its leftmost position the pick is very close to the bridge Moving this knob clockwise moves the pick toward the fretboard 6 2 3 The Hammer Module The Hammer module is used to control hammer on and pull off effects Hammer ons and pull offs are playing techniques used by guitar players to play legato o
71. inst the string Increasing the value of these parameters will mainly increase the amplitude of the sound The Stiffness parameter is used to control the stiffness of the plectrum used Increasing this parameter by turning the knob clockwise results in thicker or stiffer Stiffness plectrum The Damping parameter controls the amount of damping in the plectrum The parameter is mainly effective during the attack O S 5 of notes Raising its value by turning the Damping knob clockwise Edge Velocity results in additional impact noise when the plectrum first comes into contact with the string when attacking a note These two parameters are modulated with the note velocity trough the use of the Velocity knob When the knob is in its leftmost position there is no modulation from the MIDI note velocity turning this knob clockwise gradually increases the amount of modulation The Jut parameter enables one to control the distance between the edge of the plectrum and the string when they come into contact In other words it simulates how far behind the string a guitar player introduces the plectrum before picking the string This parameter affects the loudness and the spectral content of the sound as well as the the interaction time between the plectrum and the string This parameter can also be modulated with the MIDI note velocity signal using the Velocity knob below The Speed knob is used to control the speed of the plectrum relatively
72. is displayed on the right of the middle section of the player The position is indicated from left to right as the current bar number and current beat within this bar When a loop is loaded in the player it is possible to scan the loops in the same folder using the skip forward and skip backward buttons The loops are scanned in alphabetical order starting from the currently loaded loop Once a loop has been selected it might be necessary to modify it A loop can rapidly be exported to the MIDI track of a sequencer by using the Drag MIDI button To export the loop click on the Drag MIDI button then drag and drop the file onto a MIDI track of a sequencer Strum is supplied with a library of MIDI loops which you can use to easily start creating a new piece The factory setting for the default MIDI loop folder is the folder where the library was first copied when Strum was installed 6 7 4 Strumming The Strumming section includes parameters which are used to determine how STRUMMING the strumming is performed The Speed parameter controls how rapidly the dif _ ferent strings are played when a strum is triggered The speed of the strum is Auto increased by turning the knob clockwise This parameter can be modulated by the keyboard velocity using the Velocity knob When in its center position the speed T is always that corresponding to the value of the Speed knob Turning the velocity knob clockwise increases the strumming speed for high ke
73. it may be preferable to repeat the same patterns many time with different velocities for each repetition If the loop includes chords always make sure that they are well quantized and that there is always a strumming key played at the same time This will avoid unwanted strokes when the loop is played while the Auto Strum mode is switched on Avoid using MIDI controllers whose effect can be changed by the user For example the pitch wheel can either be used to create a bend or a slide the hold pedal can either hold the current chord or be used to trigger an alternate strum Chord Voicing On the guitar there are usually many different ways to play the same chord Each of these positions or voicing sounds differently and suits different musical styles The specific voicing chosen by Strum for a chord depends on the Type parameter from the Chord section of the interface One can choose between three types of chords e Open Chords These are chords played with a combination of fretted notes and open strings These chords are usually played only within the first three frets of the fretboard Open chords are easy to play and extensively used when playing folk music Note that all chords do not necessarily have an open position on the guitar 4 6 Chord Voicing 37 e Movable Chords These chords do not use open strings As a result they can be moved along the fretboard of the guitar allowing one to easily play the same voicing in different to
74. l be sent to you by email LIMWUNTY Figure 5 Generation of the response key on the A A S server If your computer is not connected to the internet take note of your serial number and challenge key and proceed to an internet connected computer Launch your browser and go to the unlock page of the A A S website at http www applied acoustics com unlock htm Enter your email address serial number and challenge key and click next You will then receive your response code on screen as described above 14 Introduction 1 3 3 Step 3 Completing the Unlock Process The response key corresponding to your serial number and challenge key will be printed in your browser window In order to complete the unlock process copy the response key and paste it into the corresponding field of the installer window of Strum Acoustic If you obtained your response key from another computer type the response key by hand in the installer window SE Response Please enter the response code in the field below Response code 1123 4567 894B CDEF 0123 Click Next to validate the response code Figure 6 Final step of the unlock process Enter your response key in the window Click on the Next button and a pop up window will appear informing you that the authorization process has been successful Click on the Finish button to complete the process and launch Strum Acoustic You will normally only need to go this process o
75. l is not released If a new chord is detected while the pedal is still depressed the new chord will be played The pedal therefore enables one to do instantaneous chord changes In Alt Strum mode the pedal acts exactly as the first strumming key MIDI note 71 B4 described above As long as the pedal is depressed all the strumming keys will used the range of the alternate strum when triggering strings When the pedal is released the main strum range is used 3 6 Hold Pedal 27 Strum Acoustic GS 1 QUICK REFERENCE SHEET Figure 10 Sections of the MIDI keyboard as used by Strum STRUMMING KEYS LEAD amp CHORD KEYS 28 Playing Strum 4 Playing Strum Strum can be played in different ways directly from a MIDI keyboard or using MIDI loops In this section we describe these different approaches an how to reproduce specific techniques used by guitar players We conclude this section by describing the different voicing options used by Strum 4 1 Auto Strum Mode and Strumming Keys Notes and chords are triggered as they are played on the keyboard when the Auto Strum mode is selected This mode is switched on or off by clicking on the Auto button in the Strumming section of the interface In Auto Strum mode the notes forming the chord are played using a downstroke or in other words notes are played from lowest to highest When the
76. m Acoustic 1 0 The name of the database file is StrumAcoustic tdb In order to archive your database just copy this file to your usual backup location or medium In order to restore a database replace the version of the StrumAcoustic tdb file with a previously archived one It is also possible to synchronize different systems by copying this file on different computers where Strum Acoustic is installed 5 9 Restoring the Factory Presets and MIDI Links If necessary it is possible to restore the original factory library and program list by using the Restore Factory Library from the File menu This operation makes a backup of your current database file in the preset database folder as explained in Section 5 8 and creates a new preset database containing only the factory presets and MIDI maps The next time you open Strum Acous tic both the browser and the program list will be in exactly the same state as when you first installed the application Note that restoring the factory library should be done with caution as you will loose all the work you might have saved into the library and that this operation can not be undone easily If you wish to recuperate a certain number of presets and MIDI maps after restoring the factory library we recommend that you first export all the material you wish to keep using the Export command as explained in Section 5 7 After re installation of the factory library you will easily be able to re import this mater
77. mation on the chord is available at the top of the display above the name of the chord itself When the chord detected contains no third or no fifth the corresponding no 3 or no 5 message is highlighted Finally while Strum can recognize a great variety of chords and find most voicings used by guitar players it is possible that it will not find a voicing in its chord database for a particular chord played on the keyboard In these cases the no match message is lit Strum will still display the chord name and propose a guitar voicing constructed according to a certain set of rules The chord should still sound right but the message is displayed in order to indicate that the voicing chosen by Strum is probably very difficult to play on the guitar and might therefore not be commonly used by guitar players 6 7 2 Chord On the guitar chords can be voiced in many different CHORDS LOOP ways The specific voicing chosen by Strum for a chord de Tupe pends on the Type parameter One can choose between open re movable and drop chords as described in section The Playing Position voicing can also be made more precise by specifying what Frets should be the lowest note of the chord played by Strum In bu root position the lowest note of the guitar voicing is always the root of the chord played on the keyboard and detected by Strum In lowest position the lowest note of the voicing follows the lowest note played on the keyboard It is also possible to tell
78. nalities This type of chords includes barre chords which are obtained by using one finger to press down multiple strings across the fretboard Movable chords always use the maximum possible number of strings and are therefore useful to play arpeggios Furthermore they allow one to play the same arpeggio patterns in different keys e Drop Chords These are four note chords which allow for fast and subtle movement between chords The positions used by Strum are based on drop 2 and drop 3 chords These chords are obtained by dropping the second or third voice of a chord down one octave Chords played on the keyboard with three notes will always be played on three strings by Strum If the chord contains 4 or more notes the corresponding voicing will always be played on four strings This type of chord sounds lighter and is extensively used in jazz In addition to these voicing categories the voicing can be made more precise by specifying what should be the lowest note of the chord played by Strum e Lowest The lowest note in the guitar voicing chosen by Strum is the lowest note played on the keyboard This type of voicing is useful if it is necessary that the bass of the chord sequence follows a specific movement e Root The lowest note in the guitar voicing chosen by Strum is the root of the detected chord It is very common for guitar chords to have the root in bass position This choice of chord type allows one to play chords on the keyboard using
79. nce for a given computer except for some special cases On Windows computers your will need to unlock again if e You change your computer e You reformat or upgrade your hard drive e You change or upgrade your operating system On Mac OS computers this will only be necessary if e You change your computer e You change the motherboard of the computer 1 4 Getting Started 15 j ust 190 Thank you for completing the authorization process Click Finish to use the software Figure 7 Authorization has been successful 1 3 4 Obtaining your Response Key and Registering by Fax or over the Phone Should you not have access to the internet A A S support representatives are available to assist you in the unlock and registration process Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm EST You may contact us by phone at e North America Toll free number 1 888 441 8277 e Outside North America 1 514 871 8100 e Fax Number 1 514 845 1875 e Email support applied acoustics com 1 4 Getting Started 1 4 Using Strum Acoustic in Standalone Mode The Strum Acoustic comes with a wide range of factory presets right out of the box which amounts to a huge range of sounds before you have even turned a single knob As you would expect the best way of coming to grips with the possibilities Strum Acoustic offers is simply to go through the presets one at a time We recommend that you first start using Strum Acoustic in standalone mode e Windows Double
80. ng or muting the strings either by applying the picking hand on the strings near the bridge palm muting or releasing the pressure on the notes played with the fretting hand scratching while strumming Using these different types of hand motions and techniques the guitarist can create complex melodic and rhythmic patterns In Strum these different effects can be achieved through a strumming module which is controlled by special strumming keys or MIDI loops as will be explained in more details in Chapter 3 4 and 6 2 3 The Graphical Interface The graphical interface of the instrument is divided in three sections From top to bottom on the interface one first finds the output effect section which is used to shape the final sound of the instrument This effect section includes and equalizer a multi effect module with sync capabilities and a reverb The middle guitar shaped section of the interface is where all the parameters controlling the synthesis engine are located The different control parameters refer to the strings the pick and its interaction with the strings the action of fingers on the fretboard and the body of the guitar This section has seven different views The main and simplest one A is used to display parameters acting on the six strings of the guitar while the other six views reveal parameters for the individual strings The bottom part of the interface is centered around a fretboard where the chords detected and the sp
81. ng a string number These different parameters are described in section 6 6 48 Parameters The Global Pick Fingers Strings Hammer Mute and Palm modules are related to the modeling of the individual strings of the guitar The Body module on the right of the guitar shape represents the body of the guitar and allows one to adjust its behavior The different knobs in this view are so called offset knobs Each of them is related to a specific parameter of the strings or body of the instrument They are used to vary the value of a parameter around its current value in other words the value visible when selecting individual strings In the case of the strings parameters these offset knobs alter the value of the same parameter for the six strings at once Note that after varying parameters with these offset knobs it is possible to apply the changes to the parameters This is done by clicking on the down pointing arrow located on the right of the module labels and selecting the Apply Offset command This will add the offset value to the current value of the parameter move back the offset knob to its center position and update the knob position in the individual string views 6 2 1 The Strings Module In an acoustic guitar most of the sound we hear is radiated from the body of the instrument The strings themselves radiate just a small amount of sound directly but it is their vibrations that are transmitted to the body of the guitar through the
82. ng provisions shall continue in full force and effect ENTIRE AGREEMENT This Agreement is the entire agreement between AAS and the Licensee relating to the Software and i supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral or written communications proposals and representations with respect to its subject matter and 11 prevails over any conflicting or additional terms of any quote order acknowledgement or similar communication between the parties during the term of this Agreement except as otherwise expressly agreed by the parties No modification to the Agreement will be binding unless in writing and signed by a duly authorized representative of each party NON WAIVER No delay or failure to take any action or exercise any rights under this Agreement shall constitute a waiver or consent unless expressly waived or consented to in writing by a duly authorized representative of AAS A waiver of any event does not apply to any other event even if in relation to the same subject matter Index aftertouch alternate strum apply offset arp keys arpeggios ASIO drivers audio configuration device format auto wah auto strum bass and chords bend body browser customizing hide resize buffer size buttons tweaking challenge key chords change change of pitch 29 detection detection time display drop 36 list 79 lowest 36 moveable open root 36 type 62 voicing chorus 53 mono
83. ng the fretting hand on the strings without depress ing them and then striking the strings with the picking hand This produces a percussive sound and the guitar player can control the effect by applying more or less pressure on the strings In Strum the muffled downstroke and upstroke are obtained by depressing MIDI note number 78 F 5 and 80 G 5 respectively 32 4 Mute All A muted strum is a stroke which is immediately muted by applying the full hand on all the strings in order to completely stop the sound In Strum this is effect is reproduced by depressing the MIDI note number 82 Bb5 3 2 5 Alternate Strum It is common for guitar players to vary the number of strings which are strummed when playing rhythmic patterns on a chord In Strum it is possible to define a main and an alternate strum using the strumming range control as explained in section 6 7 4 The MIDI note 71 B4 is used to switch between these two types of strum When this key is depressed while another strumming key is used the alternate strum is played The main strum range is used when it is released This rule applies to the standard up and down strums but also to the palm muted and muffled strokes The alternate strum can also be triggered with the hold pedal when the Alt Strum button is switched on as explained in section 3 2 6 Playing Individual Strings The strings of the guitar can be played individually enabling one to arpeggiate or create finger picking pa
84. ntatives are on hand from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm EST Whether you have a question on Strum Acoustic or need a hand getting it up and running as a plug in in your favorite sequencer we are here to help Contact us by phone fax or email at e North America Toll Free 1 888 441 8277 18 Introduction e Worldwide 1 514 871 8100 e Fax 1 514 845 1875 e Email supportO applied acoustics com Our online support pages contain downloads of the most recent product updates and answers to frequently asked questions on all A A S products The support pages are located at www applied acoustics com support php 1 6 Forum and User Library The A A S community site contains the Strum Acoustic user forum a place to meet other users and get answers to your questions The community site also contains an exchange area where you will find presets for your A A S products created by other users and where you can make your own creations available to other users http community applied acoustics com php community http community applied acoustics com php forum 1 7 About this Manual In the next chapter the general functioning of Strum Acoustic is presented Chapter 3 describes the special keyboard layout used to play Strum Acoustic Playing techniques are then presented in chapter 4 Chapter 5 explains how to use the application browser and how presets and MIDI maps are managed In Chapter 6 the different modules and controls are revi
85. o Strum 29 4 2 2 Chord Change Figure 12 Re triggering a downstroke Once a chord has been played the chord detection voicing and strumming modules are only triggered when a new note is played releasing notes from a chord has no effect Consequently Strum holds the current chord as long as all its notes are not released This can be used to make rapid chord changes For example it is possible to switch from a C chord to a G chord without muting the strings by playing C E G and then by replacing C and E by B and D without releasing the G as shown in Figure The same effect can be obtained with chords which do not share common notes by using the hold pedal in Hold Chord mode AA PES Figure 13 Smooth chord transition On the other hand if one wishes to remove a note from a chord for example to switch from a C7 chord C E G B to a C chord C E G it is not sufficient to release the Bb key It is necessary in order to trigger again the chord detection module not only to release the Bb from the chord but also to release another note from the chord for example the G and replay it when one wants to strum the new chord 4 2 3 Chords and Change of Pitch Playing chords on higher or lower notes on the keyboard has a similar effect on Strum s fretboard With so called Lowest chord types Open Lowest Movable Lowest and Drop Lowest Strum will make sure that the lowest note played on the keyboard is al
86. ognition and voicing module require some time to voice the chords it is necessary to play the chords slightly before triggering the strumming action with the strumming keys This is just like a guitar player who needs to position the fretting hand on the fretboard before strumming with the picking hand 4 3 1 Down and Upstroke Strum Once a chord is played on the keyboard the downstroke strumming key C5 is used to trigger a strum from the lowest to highest string The upstroke strumming key D5 is used to trigger strums from the highest to the lowest string of the guitar The number of strings which are strummed is determined by the main strum parameter which appears below the fretboard in the lower part of the interface The strumming speed can be controlled using the Speed parameter or the Velocity control which is used to adjust the amount of modulation from the MIDI velocity signal received from the keyboard Figure 14 Downstroke and upstroke with the strumming keys 4 3 Using the Strumming Keys 31 In the case where only one or two notes are played on the keyboard the notes can be triggered from both the downstroke or upstroke strumming key and the Range parameter is ignored If no note is played on the keyboard the downstroke and upstroke keys trigger a strum over the range defined by the Range parameter but the strings are muted The effect is the same as using the muffled down and upstroke keys wh
87. ols the value is displayed in the appropriate units Audio and MIDI Settings 67 8 Audio and MIDI Settings This chapter explains how to select the audio and MIDI devices used by Strum Acoustic as well as how to create and edit MIDI links and MIDI maps When referring to commands that are different on Windows and Mac OS systems the commands are listed in the following order Windows command Mac OS command 8 1 Audio Settings 8 1 1 Selecting an Audio Device To select the audio device used by Strum Acoustic e Go to the Audio menu and choose the Audio Settings options A list of the audio devices installed on your computer will appear in the Audio Configuration window e Click on the audio device you wish to use and click on the OK button 8 1 2 Audio Control Panel To launch the audio configuration panel choose Audio Control Panel under the Audio menu This command allows you to select the bit depth sample rate 22 05 44 1 48 or 96 kHz and buffer size which affects how quickly Strum Acoustic responds to the control information it receives The smaller the buffer size the shorter the latency and vice versa On Windows systems using ASIO drivers this command opens the control panel provided with the driver and the content of the dialog depends on the driver Some sound cards also require that you close all programs before making changes to the buffer size or sampling rate If you discover this is the case with your sound card pl
88. or downwards to move it clockwise or counter clockwise For fine adjustment use the left or down arrow of the computer keyboard to move the knob counterclockwise and the right or up arrow to move it clockwise The Page Up and Page Down keys give the same result with slightly faster action To move a knob to a given position place the mouse at this position and Shift click Win dows or Option click Mac OS To reach this position slowly do the same but use the middle button of the mouse Windows only Knobs with bi directional arrows in the middle of their contour can be adjusted directly to their center position by double clicking on them When viewing parameters for individual strings it is possible to set the value of a parameter for all strings at once To do so Ctrl click Windows or Command click Mac OS on a knob and move it Remember that the keyboard shortcuts affect only the most recently selected control The value of the control currently selected is displayed on the toolbar at the top of the Strum window The number displayed on the counter is a value corresponding to the current value of the corresponding parameter 6 1 2 Buttons Buttons are switched on or off by clicking on them The status of a button currently selected is displayed in the toolbar 6 2 The Guitar Modules 47 6 1 3 Drop down Menus and Displays Clicking on a display with a small down pointing triangle on its right such as the Type control o
89. pong digital and tape a 52 Parameters Gain 30 dB Q 20 Amplitude dB Gain 30 dB Q 50 Gain 20 dB Gain 10 dB 0dB Gain 30 dB Q 20 gt Freq Frequency Hz Figure 23 Peak filter mono and stereo chorus a mono an stereo flanger a vibrato a phaser an auto wah a wah wah and a notch filter The different effects can be synchronized to the clock of a host sequencer using the Sync drop down menu Sync values range from 1 8 of a quarter note a thirty second note to 16 quarter notes Type 4 whole notes where the duration of the whole note is determined by that of the sequencer clock The effect can also be synced to a triplet t or dotted note d Each of the effect of the module can be controlled using three offset knobs When in their center position the effect is adjusted according to the factory settings Turning the knobs to clockwise or anti clockwise allows one to deviate from this default setting as described below 6 4 1 Delay The Multi Effect module includes 3 different types of delay effects Ping Pong Digital and Tape Delay The Digital delay consists in a standard delay line with feedback The tape delay is similar but also includes a low pass filtering effect in order to simulate the attenuation of high frequencies in analog tape delays The Ping Pong delay is based on two delay lines resulting in a signal traveling from one channel to the other each time attenuated by
90. pstrokes as well as palm muted or muffled downstrokes and upstrokes Strings can also be triggered individually to play arpeggio patterns The effect of the different strumming keys is now reviewed 3 2 1 Downstroke and Upstroke A downstroke is achieved by dragging a pick or the fingers across the strings of the guitar in a downward motion Notes are therefore played from lowest to highest An upstroke is obtained in the same manner but dragging the pick or fingers upwards from the highest to the lowest string A downstroke is triggered by depressing MIDI note 72 C5 while an upstroke is triggered by de pressing MIDI note 74 D5 These strokes represent the simplest way to play chords on a guitar and can be played alternately Note that when strings are not used in a specific voicing strings marked with an X in the chord display of the graphical interface they are not played when using a downstroke or an upstroke 24 Keyboard Layout 3 2 Palm Muted Downstroke and Upstroke Palm muting is a technique which consists in partially muting the strings with the help of the picking hand by letting it lightly touch the strings near the bridge The pick or fingers is then dragged across the strings in a downward or upward motion In Strum the palm muted downstroke and upstroke are obtained by depressing MIDI note number 73 C 5 and 75 D 5 respectively 3 2 3 Muffled Downstroke and Upstroke A muffled stroke or scratch is obtained by layi
91. r completely move the double headed arrow cursor fully to the left Note that when Strum Acoustic is used as a plug in the browser size is fixed and can not be modified 5 6 MIDI Maps MIDI maps containing information about MIDI links between the MIDI controllers and the Strum Acoustic interface can easily be created as will be explained in Section 8 2 MIDI maps are rep resented in the browser with a MIDI connector icon MIDI maps are treated exactly the same way as presets in the browser and are saved using the Save MIDI Links or Save MIDI Links As commands from the File menu 5 7 Exporting and Importing Presets and MIDI maps The Import and Export commands found in the File drop down menu allow one to easily ex change presets and MIDI maps with other Strum Acoustic users This feature can also be used to decrease the number of elements in the browser by archiving older or rarely used ones elsewhere on CD R or a second hard disk for example Files containing Strum Acoustic presets and MIDI maps are equivalent in size to short text file making it easy to send presets to other users via email To export a folder a group of folders presets or MIDI maps within a folder select the elements to export in the browser and use the Export command from the File menu When the Export window appears choose a file name and a destination location on your hard disk Strum Acoustic export files will be saved with an strumA extension Importing
92. r grace notes The hammer on effect is obtained by first picking a note and then hammering down another finger onto the same string at a higher fret The pull off effect is almost the opposite of the hammer on It is obtained by first picking a note and then sharply pulling off the finger from the fretboard in order to hear a second fretted note on the same string The sounds produced using these techniques are softer and less percussive than the ones produced by picking the notes In Strum hammer ons and pull offs are triggered when legato playing on the keyboard is de tected The Amp knob is used to control the amplitude of the excitation when a hammer on or pull off is triggered and therefore determines the strength of the effect Turning this knob to the left reduces the amplitude of the excitation while turning the knob clockwise increases it 6 2 4 The Mute Module The Mute module is used to control the sound of the string when it is muted On a guitar fretted notes can be muted by decreasing the pressure applied by the fretting fingers on the string The guitarist can control the effect by applying more or less pressure on the strings and obtain a percussive effect also called scratching by striking the strings with the picking hand In Strum scratching is achieved by using special down and upstroke strumming keys as ex plained in section 3 2 The resulting sound of this effect can be adjusted with the help of the Tone 50 Param
93. ree high notes it is common for the arp 2 and arp 1 keys to play the same note Furthermore depending on the position of the chord on the fretboard the alternate bass key arp 5 key can play a lower 32 Playing Strum exe c8 Figure 16 Scratching with the arp keys higher or the same note as the bass key arp 6 key The most useful arp keys are therefore usually the bass arp 4 arp 3 and arp 2 keys E5 G5 A5 and B5 A good position to play arpeggios is to use the thumb to play the bass the index to play the arp 4 key the middle finger for the arp 3 key the ring finger for the arp 2 key and finally the little finger for the arp 1 key This position is similar to that of a guitar player Here is a simple example of an arpeggio Play a C chord C E G with the left hand and then use the right hand to trigger the Bass E5 arp 4 G5 arp 3 A5 and arp 2 B5 keys ertt ce 8 Figure 17 A simple arpeggio When playing arpeggios it might be interesting to use Movable Lowest chord types in order to obtain a motion of the bass To try this set the Type from the Chord section to Movable Lowest and play the arpeggio from the preceding example using the following chord progression C C E G CMaj7 B B C E G C7 Bb Bb C E G and Am7 A C E G cepo4 MORBO Figure 18 Bass motion and arpeggios 4 4 Specific Techniq
94. resulting sound of this effect can be adjusted with the help of the Decay and Tone parameter The Decay knob is used to set the decay time of the sound when the strings are palm muted In other words it controls the amount of overall damp ing induced by the picking hand Turning this knob clockwise increases the decay time The Tone knob controls the amount of high frequencies in the resulting sound relatively to the amount of low frequencies or in other words the tone of the sound Turning this knob clockwise increases the amount of high frequencies in the sound O 6 7 Performance Parameters 61 6 6 6 The Body Module The Body module simulates vibrations of the top plate of the body of the guitar or soundboard and that of the air cavity of the body The soundboard of the body is efficient at radiating a large range of frequencies while the role of the air cavity is to boost low frequencies A Tone knob is provided for the plate while a Decay knob is provided for both the plate and air cavity of the body The Tone parameter is used to control the decay time of high frequencies with respect to that of low frequencies This takes into account the fact that depend ing on the material the decay time varies for different frequency components of the sound In its leftmost position the decay time of high frequencies in the sound is lower than that of low frequencies in its rightmost position it is longer The overall decay time of the both
95. ring Turning the Gauge knob clockwise increases the gauge of the string and thereby its coupling with the body resulting 58 Parameters in a stronger presence in the final sound 6 6 2 The Pick Fingers Module The Pick Finger module allows one to control the parameters related with the excitation of the string It can simulate the excitation of the string with a pick or with a finger Three different pick finger or plectrum models are implemented in Strum as shown in Figure 26 27 and 28 each of them corresponding to a different plectrum profile The first two models are better to simulate the interaction of the string with a hard pick while the third one is better to simulate the interaction with a smoother object such as a smooth pick or a finger The plectrum model is chosen using the Type selector Thickness Stiffness Velocity A 4 Plectrum Damping Figure 26 First pick model Thickness Stiffness Velocity Plectrum Damping Figure 27 Second pick model Jut gs Thickness LA Stiffness String z di LWW Velocity Damping Plectrum Figure 28 Third pick model 6 6 Edit Mode 59 The excitation force produced by the plectrum when interacting with the string is determined by the Jut Speed Stiffness and Damp P ing parameters The Stiffness and Damping parameters determine 9 a the flexibility of the plectrum or in other words the resistance it ex w o erts aga
96. ring from the strum Figure 21 Bass and Chord 4 4 6 Stationary Bend In this technique the guitarists plays two notes simultaneously and bends one of the two notes It is possible to obtain the effect with Strum by taking advantage of the fact that only the last note played is bended 4 5 Using MIDI Loops 35 When the Auto Strum mode is switched on one first plays the note which should not be bended and then the second one The bending effect is then obtained by moving the pitch wheel or using the aftertouch This will only work however for intervals larger than one tone because otherwise Strum always automatically triggers a hammer on or pull off when intervals of one or two semi tones are played legato When the Auto Strum mode is switched off the two notes can be played at the same time on the keyboard The lowest is then triggered with the bass strumming key E5 and the second note with the arp 4 key G5 The note to be bended is triggered last and the bending is activated either using aftertouch or the pitch wheel 4 4 7 Power Chords Power chords are equivalent to playing a fifth interval They are referred to as chords because they can also be interpreted as a major chord played without the third In Strum power chords are obtained by playing fifth intervals on the keyboard When two notes are played simultaneously on the keyboard Strum detects an interval and therefore plays the notes on dif
97. rmance 9 performance parameters phaser 53 pick 58 pick fingers picking 24 ping pong delay pitch bend 25 pitch wheel 64 plug in 17 audio parameters INDEX 91 automation MIDI channel 72 MIDI parameters 71 MIDI program change multiple instances performance saving projects 71 window size polyphony power chords preset backup browser changing compare copying database deleting documenting edit editing exporting factory importing library locating moving name playing program renaming saving program saving program list pull off range redo registration response key reverb sampling rate scratch shortcuts signal flow standalone mode 15 stationary bend 34 strings strum down strum range strumming auto keys strumming keys sustain system requirements 9 tape delay toolbar tremolo picking trills tuning undo unlocking upstroke user library vibrato voicing wah wah 54 website 18
98. rolled with the help of the Decay knobs and it is increased by turning the knobs clockwise As a rule of thumb a nylon string is obtained by setting the Tone knobs to the left position and using a low decay time Turning these knobs to the right and increasing the decay time results in a more metallic sound In a first approximation the strings of a guitar can be considered to be harmonic meaning that their partials are located at frequencies equal to multiples of its fundamental frequencies Real strings however are more or less inharmonic depending on the homogeneity of the strings along their length This characteristic of strings is adjusted for polarities A and B with the Inharm knobs When these knobs are turned fully to the left the string vibration is perfectly harmonic Turning the knobs clockwise increasingly detunes the partials toward higher frequencies resulting in a more dissonant sound The Gauge parameter is used to set the amount of coupling between the string and the body of the guitar which determines how efficiently vibrations from the string are transmitted to the body of the instrument Physically this amount of coupling is determined by the ratio between the impedance of the string and that of the body at the bridge The mass per unit length and tension of a string determine its impedance As in a guitar all the strings have more or less the same tension this impedance of the string is mainly determined by the gauge of the st
99. s into vibration and therefore play melodies or strumming patterns In Strum these functions have been integrated into a chord detection voicing and strumming module 2 1 Chord Detection and Voicing Chords played on a keyboard and a guitar share the same name but are played or voiced differently Because of the tuning of the strings on a guitar the notes of the chord are not usually played in the same order as on a keyboard and the range of the notes is usually different notes may also be repeated Furthermore the same chords can be played in different positions on the guitar depending on the playing or musical style This specific way of playing chords on a guitar is very characteristic of the tone and sound of the instrument It is therefore very important in order to obtain a realistic guitar sound to play chords as a guitar player would rather than how they are played on the keyboard The voicing of chords for the guitar is performed in two steps by Strum A chord played on the keyboard is first interpreted by the chord detection module in order to determine which chord was played on the keyboard Strum then finds a guitar voicing corresponding to this chord In other words Strum finds how a guitar player would have played this particular chord When chords are played on the keyboard the order of the notes above the root is not taken into account by the chord detection engine This implies that you can play the chords as you know them on
100. se key The procedure is similar on Windows XP and Mac OS systems 1 3 Authorization and Registration 11 1 3 1 Step 1 Generating the Challenge Key After launching the installer for the first time a pop up window will appear asking you if you wish to authorize your product now or later If you are ready to authorize Strum Acoustic now click on the Next button otherwise click on the Authorize Later button If your computer is connected to the internet we recommend that you authorize your product now 1ENelcome This assistant will take pou through the steps of authorization Note that you have a 15 days period to complete the authorization process after which authorization is required to use the software The grace period is over You must authorize the software now Click Next to begin authorization Authorize later Figure 1 Choosing to authorize Strum Acoustic now or later When you click on the Next button a second window appears asking you to enter your serial number Type your serial number as it appears on the back of the sleeve of the Strum Acoustic CD ROM If you purchased Strum Acoustic online an email with your serial number will have been sent to you at the address which you provided during the purchase process After entering your serial number click on the Next button and your challenge key will appear automatically in the next pop up window 1 3 2 Step 2 Generating the Response Key and Registering yo
101. so the lowest one played in the guitar chord These chord types are useful when it is necessary that a succession of chords follows a certain bass motion With the so called Root chords Open Root Movable Root chords detected as inverted are played on the root note located below the lowest note played on the keyboard if possible 30 Playing Strum 4 2 4 Hammer On and Pull Off Hammer on and pull off are playing techniques used by guitar players to play legato or grace notes The hammer on effect is obtained by first picking a note and then hammering down another finger onto the same string at a higher fret The pull off effect is almost the opposite of the hammer on It is obtained by first picking a note and then sharply pulling off the finger from the fretboard in order to hear a second fretted note on the same string The sounds produced using these techniques are softer and less percussive than the ones produced by picking the notes With Strum hammer ons and pull offs are automatically triggered by playing legato notes spaced by one or two semi tones They are triggered only when melodies are played and never when chords are detected 4 3 Using the Strumming Keys We now look at ways to create more elaborate effects For these examples it is assumed that the Auto Strum mode is switch off as we will now be using the strumming keys This way of playing Strum involves to think more in terms of a guitar player Indeed as the chord rec
102. te Del Delete selected item Info Ctrl I Apple I Edit information about a selected item browser Preferences Display the Edit General Preferences window Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts 75 Audio Command Windows MacOS Description Audio Settings Display the Audio Settings window Audio Control Panel Display the Latency Settings window if DirectSound is used the ASIO control panel when ASIO drivers are used and the Audi MIDI setup configuration tool on Mac OS systems 76 Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts MIDI Command Windows Mac OS Description MIDI Settings Learn MIDILink Add MIDI Link Forget MIDILink Set MIDI Link Minimum Value Set MIDI Link Maximum Value Edit MIDIlinks All Notes Off Display the MIDI Settings window MIDI link learn mode for the last control touched Enables one to add a MIDI link on the last controlled touched Drop a MIDI link Limit the value of a MIDI link to a minimum value Limit the value of a MIDI link to a maximum value Display the Edit MIDI links window Send an all note off signal Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts 77 Programs Menu Command Windows Mac OS Description Locate Program in Browser Ctrl L Rename Program Ctrl R Switch to Program Ctrl P Save All Programs Apple L Apple R Apple P Locate the current program in the browser and select it Rename the
103. the Licensee fails to comply with any provision of this License Any such termination by AAS shall be in addition to and without prejudice to such rights and remedies as may be available including injunction and other equitable remedies Upon receipt of notice of termination from AAS the Licensee must a immediately cease to use the Software b destroy all copies of the Software as well as copies of all documentation specifications and magnetic media relating thereto in Licensee s possession or control and c return all original versions of the Software and associated documentation The provisions of Sections 1 3 and 5 shall survive the termination of this Agreement 7 GOVERNING LAW This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Quebec without regard to the United Nations Convention On Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and conflict of laws provisions if applicable and the parties hereby irrevocably attorn to the jurisdiction of the courts of that province Les parties sont d accord ce que cette convention soit r dig e en langue anglaise The parties have agreed that this agreement be drafted in the English language 8 SEVERABILITY If any of the above provisions are held to be illegal invalid or unenforce able such provision shall be severed from this Agreement and this Agreement shall not be 88 License Agreement 10 rendered inoperative but the remaini
104. till propose a voicing it is not guaranteed that this voicing will be playable on the guitar and the no match sign will be lit in the chord display e When chords are played on the keyboard the order of the notes above the root is not taken into account by Strum This implies that you can play the chords as you know them on the keyboard without having to know or learn special voicings used by guitar players e Certain guitar voicings do not include all the notes played on the keyboard e In addition to the chords listed below Strum can recognize other chords for which it has no guitar voicing In these cases Strum will still propose a voicing it is not guaranteed that this voicing will be playable on the guitar and the no match sign will be lit in the chord display List of Chords recognized and voiced by Strum C Cm Csus2 Csus4 Caug Cdim C b5 C6 Cm6 Cm6 no 5 C7 C7 no3 C7 no 5 Cm7 Cm7 no 5 C7sus2 C7sus2 no 5 C7sus4 C7sus4 no 5 C715 Cdim7 C705 Cm7b5 CMaj7 CMaj7 no 3 CMaj7 no 5 CmMaj7 CMaj7sus2 CMaj7sus4 CMaj7b5 Appendix Lists of Chords Detected by Strum List of Chords recognized and voiced by Strum Cadd9 Cm9 C9sus4 no 5 CMaj9 CmMaj9 no 5 Cm6 9 Cm11 no 5 Cm13 C13b9 no 5 C759 C719 no 5 C745b9 Cm7 11 C759211 C7 13 Cm7 13 no 5 CMaj7 13 no 5 C9411 C9 Cm9 no 5 C915 CMaj9 no 5 CMaj955 Cm6 9 no 5 C13 Cm13 no 5 CMaj13 C759 no 5 C7509 C7459 Cm7 11 no
105. tively The first string will also be triggered by arp key 1 3 3 Pitch Bend Wheel The pitch bend wheel produces a slide or a bend depending of the settings of the Pitch Wheel section of the interface The Range parameter is used to determine the number of semi tones in the slide or bend In slide mode all the strings played in a chord are slided It is not possible to play lower than the lowest note of a string when sliding downward In this case the slide range will be limited In bend mode only one string is bended at a time If a chord was just strummed the highest note of the chord is bended If an individual note was just played this note is bended 26 Keyboard Layout 3 4 Aftertouch In Strum bending can be controlled using monophonic aftertouch also known as channel pressure on certain controllers The pitch of the note can be increased in this way by up to one tone depending on the settings of the Bend control of the Aftertouch section of the interface If a chord was just strummed the highest note of the chord is bended If an individual note was just played this note is bended 3 5 Modulation Wheel The modulation wheel is used to control vibrato 3 6 Hold Pedal The hold pedal MIDI CC 64 can be used either as a hold pedal or to activate alternate strumming depending on the settings of the Hold Pedal section of the interface In Hold Chord mode the pedal will hold the chord played by Strum as long as the peda
106. tterns Individual strings are triggered by depressing MIDI notes 76 E5 77 F5 79 G5 81 A5 83 B5 or 84 C6 These special strumming keys are labeled bass alternate bass arp 4 arp 3 arp 2 and arp 1 respectively Notes in the chords are triggered by these MIDI notes from lowest to highest using the following rules e MIDI note 76 E5 Bass always the lowest note in the chord played by Strum 3 3 Pitch Bend Wheel 25 e MIDI note 77 F5 Alternate bass When the chord played by Strum is not inverted and the chord includes a fifth natural lowered or raised then the alternate bass is the fifth If the bass is played on the lowest string sixth string then the alternate bass will be played on the fifth string if possible except in the case of the open G chord where it is played on the fourth If the bass is not played on the lowest string played on the fifth or fourth string the alternate bass will then be played on the fifth or sixth string Finally if the chord is inverted or if it does not include a fifth the alternate bass trigger will play the same note as the bass e MIDI note 79 G5 81 A5 83 B5 or 84 C6 Arp key 4 3 2 and 1 The remaining notes in the chord are played from lowest to highest note on arp keys 4 to respectively If there are fewer than four notes remaining to be played in the chord the highest one is repeated on the remaining arp keys Finally if the alternate bass is the fifth and if it can only playe
107. ues 33 4 4 Specific Techniques 4 4 1 Trills This technique consists in switching rapidly between two notes by using hammer ons and pull offs With Strum a trill is played by holding the first note and depressing and releasing the second note The interval between the notes must be one or two semi tones 4 4 2 Tremolo Picking This technique consists in repeating the same note very rapidly With Strum it is possible to take advantage of the fact that all arp keys play the same string when only one note is played on the keyboard It is therefore possible to trigger again the same note by switching rapidly between two or more arp keys with the right hand 4 4 3 Muted Strum A muted strum is a stroke which is muted immediately after having been played by applying the full hand on the strings It is less dry than a scratch muffled stroke and brighter than a palm muted stroke One way to recreate this effect is to strum a chord using the down and upstroke keys C5 or D5 and playing the mute all key Bb5 very rapidly 4 4 4 Partial Strumming A guitarist does not always strum all the strings in a chord This is why Strum offers the possibility to adjust the strumming range But guitarists also often vary the number of strings played between strumming strokes Strum therefore allows one to define a main and an alternate strumming range The main range is used when using the standard strumming keys while the alternate strum is acti vated by
108. ur Product If your computer is connected to the internet click on the link to the A A S web server appearing in the pop up window This will launch your web browser and connect you to the unlock page of the A A S web server Enter your email address serial number and challenge key in the form as shown below and click on the Submit button The next form asks you to provide additional information about yourself including your mailing address and phone number This information will be used to register your product Note that only a valid email address is required to register your product We nevertheless recommend this information be provided to ensure our support team is able to contact you to resolve any future 12 Introduction 2 Senal Number Please enter your serial number in the field below lt where is it gt Serial number LL 0123 4567 894B C Click Next to generate the challenge code Figure 2 Enter your serial number in the pop up window sE Challenge Serial number LL 0123 4567 894B C Challenge code 50CB 7DDE AD9B 7743 DCCD BCE9 response code is required to complete the authorization You can get this response code from Applied Acoustics Systems via the contact information provided below Note that your serial number and challenge code are needed to provide a response code Web www applied acoustics com unlock htm Email support applied acoustics com Phone 1 888 441 8277 North America 1 51
109. y more absorbent at high frequencies which results in a shorter reverberation time for these frequencies This effect is controlled with the Color knob which sets the reverberation time of high frequencies relatively to the value of the Decay knob 6 6 Edit Mode This mode allows one to view and adjust all the parameters used by the synthesis engine While for most applications simply using the presets will be sufficient one might want in certain cases to access the different instrument parameters and control them precisely This mode is activated by clicking on one of the string numbers appearing in the top of the guitar shape Strings are numbered 56 Parameters Decay Color A POLARITY B 5 a d p 4 Decay Decay Vay lt a Y Position 3 Balance Time Velocity Inharm Inharm Figure 25 Editing parameters for string number 6 E2 from 6 to 1 with 6 being the lowest string E2 and 1 being the highest one E4 Clicking on the different string numbers reveals parameters for this specific string which implies that all strings can be tuned independently It is important to know that parameters from the different parameter sections can be copied from string to string or all of them at once by clicking on the down pointing arrow located next to the section name label and choosing one of the proposed destination Remember also that a specific parameter can be adjusted for all the strings simult
110. yboard velocities while Speed it reduces the speed for low keyboard velocities Turning this knob below its mid dle position has the opposite effect playing softly on the keyboard will increase the strumming speed while playing hard will reduce the speed Velocity The Auto button is used to switch on or off the Auto Strum mode When this mode is on notes and chords will played by Strum as they are played on the keyboard When Auto Strum mode is 64 Parameters off chords are recognized and voiced by Strum but the strings are not triggered until strumming keys are used For more details on how to use the strumming keys please refer to section 3 2 Note that as was mentioned in section 6 7 2 when the Auto Strum mode is on Strum introduces a delay between the time notes are played on the keyboard and a the time a chord is actually triggered This delay is adjusted using the Time knob from the Chord section and is necessary in order to take into account that notes in a chord are not necessarily played perfectly simultaneously The Range parameter located below the chord display is used to determine the range of strings which will be played when an main strum and alternate strum is triggered As was discussed in section 4 4 4 it is indeed possible to define two strum ranges which can be used alternatively in order to vary the tone color of the chords played The main range is always used by Strum except if the alternate strum strumming key

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents

Presentacion Marina Isasa  BA - Puracon Mobile + ECO - D.pub  Système complet de correction et de gestion d`enceintes 260  7/22 SOHOしずおか勉強会申込み用紙ダウンロード  Samsung HQ-Z368APR User Manual  Page 1 Mode d`emp|oi Régulateur de chauffage QRK 201 F001 7  Husqvarna 1152417-30 User's Manual  Panasonic AJ-D440 VCR User Manual  User manual ALFANET 71-2SP Thermostat with 2 set points    

Copyright © All rights reserved. Failed to retrieve file