Assign page
The Assign page of Absynth 6 lets you configure the Macros, modulation, and automation of the instrument parameters in multiple ways.
The Assign page of Absynth 6 lets you configure the Macros, MIDI control, note scaling, and tuning of the instrument.
To open the Assign page, click the Assign button at the top of the Absynth 6 window:
At the top of the Assign page,
The Assign page contains the following areas and elements:
Assignment List or Scaling List: When the Assignments / Note Scaling switch above is set to Assigments, this shows the list of the MIDI and Macro control assignments. When the Assignments/Scaling switch above is set to Note Scaling, this shows the list of the parameters that can be modulated by the played note. In any case, clicking an entry from the list will display its assignment/scaling details on the right.
Assignments / Note Scaling switch: Switches the Assign page between showing the MIDI and Macro assignments and the note scaling settings (more information about the note scaling settings will be published soon!).
Global Response area: Shows global settings affecting how the instrument reacts to your input. This area is always visible. Refer to Global Response.
Assignment Details or Scaling Details: Shows the details of the assignment or note scaling selected in the list on the left.
Global Response
At the top of the Assign page, the Global Response area lets you adjust how the instrument reacts to your input. It contains the following settings:
Voices: Defines the number of voices produced by Absynth 6. This setting affects all the presets.
BPM: Sets the global tempo, measured in beats per minute. This setting is available only if Absynth 6 is running as a standalone application. The BPM value affects, for example, the effects that depend on tempo.
Transpose: Shifts the global pitch, by semitones. The resolution is by 1/10 cent, which is the minimal step width and can also be described as one thousandth of a semitone.
Pitchbend: Adjusts the pitch range available for the MIDI Pitchbend input, in semitones.
Smoothing: Adjusts how fast the pitch reacts to Pitchbend changes. For higher Smoothing value, the pitch will take longer to reach its new value.
Glide: Adjusts the duration of a gradual pitch transition between played notes (glissando). The default value is 0 and the notes are generated directly at their pitches without any transition. If you raise the Glide value, the next notes will start from the pitch of the previous note and gradually move to their own pitch.
Legato: When on, the Glide setting affects only the notes played legato, that is, with no silence in between. When off, the Glide setting affects all the notes.
Tuning menu: Selects a global tuning. Clicking the displayed value opens a menu where you can select another tuning from the list of predefined tunings. You can also select Import Tuning File at the top of the menu: This opens a dialog in which you can select a custom tuning file. Beforehand, make sure to place your tuning files in the
Tuningsubfolder of your Absynth user folder. You can click the Show Tuning Folder… at the bottom of the dialog to quickly open this folder in the Finder (macOS) or Explorer (Windows). Absynth supports MTS-ESP microtunings.
MIDI and Macro assignments
When Assignments is selected in the top left corner of the Assign page, you can review and modify the MIDI and Macro assignments for your preset.
On the left, the Assignment List shows the Velocity, Mod Wheel, Aftertouch, and Sustain Pedal MIDI controls followed by the 16 Macro controls:
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Select any entry from the list to show its assignment details on the right.
In the Assignment List, you can change the label of a Macro by double-clicking its entry, typing a new name, and pressing [Enter] on your computer keyboard. The Macro name will be updated accordingly everywhere in the instrument, as well as on your Kontrol S-Series keyboard.
Note
Unassigned Macros are named Macro Control X where X is the Macro number. When you first assign a Macro, it automatically takes the name of its assigned parameter.
On the right, the Assignment Details show all the details of the selected assignment:
The top part of the Assignment Details contains general settings for this assignment. These settings depend on which assignment is selected:
The Velocity, Mod Wheel, and Sustain Pedal MIDI controls don’t provide any settings at the top of the Assignment Details.
The Aftertouch MIDI control provides a Polyphonic Aftertouch button: If you activate it, the target parameters listed below will be controlled separately for each played note.
Note
To use Polyphonic Aftertouch, your MIDI keyboard or controller must support it.
Each of the 16 Macros provides the following general settings, from left to right:
MIDI CC#: Lets you specify the MIDI CC number from which you want to control the Macro. To change the value, you can click it and drag your mouse vertically, or double-click it and type the new number followed by [Enter] on your computer keyboard. You can also click the Learn button on the right and move the desired control element on your MIDI controller.
Map MPE input to Macro: Lets you use MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) signals to control the Macro. You can select the Pressure or the Slide MPE signal and adjust its modulation amount using the Depth slider. Selecting Off deactivates MPE for this Macro.
Note
To use MPE, your MIDI controller or keyboard must support it.
Below, the Assignment Details shows the list of the target parameters in a table layout, with one row for each parameter. Each row contains the following elements, from left to right:
Parameter Descriptor: Identifies the target parameter by using an explicit label. For example, for a module the label could include the channel letter, the module position within the channel, the module’s particular panel, and the parameter name.
Depth: Adjusts how strong the parameter value is affected by the assignment, as a percentage of the current parameter value.
Invert switch: Reverses the modulation. The parameter value will decrease when the controller value increases.
Smooth: Adjusts the delay with which the parameter reacts to the changes in the controller value.
Note
The Smooth setting is not available when Velocity is selected on the left.
Remove: Removes this target parameter from the list. The parameter will not be controlled by the MIDI or Macro control anymore.
You can add target parameters to this MIDI or Macro control by clicking the Add button above the assignment table, and selecting the desired target parameter from the menu. Upon your selection a new row will appear in the table with the assignment settings for the new target.
You can also assign a target parameter from the page in which it is located:
Switch to the page containing the parameter that you want to control, and locate that parameter in the page.
Right-click the parameter (Windows) or [Ctrl]-click the parameter (macOS) and select Modulation Settings… from the menu.
A dialog appears showing the parameter name in the header and its modulation settings below.
In the Macro section, click the menu and select the desired MIDI or Macro control from the list. Or if you want to control the parameter using the note velocities, activate the Velocity switch. You can also activate both modulations.
You can directly adjust the Depth value and activate the Invert switch from the dialog. This has the same effect as adjusting them from the Assign page as described above.