Velocity control for midi

[Paul Berglund]

I am recording piano using Synthogy Ivory, and have a piece with fast passages, and I need to get as responsive a velocity 

sensitivity as possible in Samplitude,  I would appreciate information on controlling velocity

 

Thanks

 

[TerryBritton]

The MIDI standard handles that based upon what is being sent by your controller. The most demanding pianists get perfectly acceptable results without "adjusting" anything other than the controller's sensitivity curves. What controller are you using?

Terry

[Paul Berglund]

thanks for commenting.  I am using a Yamaha P115 keyboard with Synthogy Ivory software. when I play the P115 on its own, the velocity response is fine. But when I

record in Samplitude with Ivory, the key response is sluggish. If there are controls in P115 to increase response I can try those.      Thanks again for replying to

my question

 

[fwrend]

Have you tried lowering the buffer/latency setting on your sound card/device?  That's where I would start regarding your "sluggish" comment - set as low as you can before affecting audio quality.  Secondly, (I don't have Ivory) but most VSTi keyboard programs have adjustable velocity curves - experiment with those.  They can make a big difference on feel.  Look in the manual.  Here is input from Sweetwater concerning Velocity Response in Ivory :

Ivory has a deep level of velocity control that allows the you to create your own custom velocity maps. These features include the ability to choose a velocity curve, change the shape, and scale the curve using minimum and maximum velocity offsets. Ivory allows you to find the perfect marriage between your MIDI/USB controller and Ivory’s response to your touch. Here’s how you can do this:

Let’s start with the default map. Before you customize any velocity maps, you should determine the range of MIDI values your controller is capable of sending. Not all controllers send the full range of MIDI velocity values (0-127). You can quickly determine this by using the “Set” button on the Ivory Velocity page. You will be prompted to play your softest and loudest notes, in succession, from your controller. This will give you a range of minimum and maximum velocity values to use with your controller. You can then use the minimum and maximum velocity controls to tweak those values from there, but the “Set” button will give you a clearer picture of what your controller is sending.

Next, choose an Arc Type. Try using either the Medium or Mild Arc Type, as these are the most useful curves for most weighted action keyboard controllers. Then adjust the Hardness control. In many cases you will only want to adjust the Hardness control by a small amount. If you want to improve the smoothness of your performance playing at soft to medium velocities, you can try further adjusting the Min Velocity knob in small amounts. This is usually all that is required. Your fingers and your ears will tell you when you have it right. Once you have created a map you like, you can name and save the map with your custom settings!