Problems Related To Parameter Control - Access Virus Rack User Manual

PROBLEMS RELATED TO PARAMETER
CONTROL
If you enjoy experimenting with record-
ing parameter changes, sooner or later,
you will run into the following problem:
When controller sequences are recorded
to a sequencer, the last recorded value
remains valid until another value is sent
for this controller. For example, if you
gradually open a filter for a sound in the
middle of the song and record this
parameter change, the filter will stay
open until the end of the song if you not
close it manually or close it via control-
lers. Moreover, when you start the song
from the top, you'll again hear the
sound with the filter open because the
Virus hasn't received a command at the
beginning of the song to close the filter.
Not until the song arrives at the position
where the recorded event begins does
the Virus receive the first controller
value for the filter. If, on the other hand,
the song is started with the stored and
unedited version of the filter sound,
everything will be fine: The filter is
closed and won't be opened until the
recorded event tells the Virus to do just
that.
If you understand this connection
between recorded parameter changes
and the current parameter status of the
Virus, you'll find it easy to come up with
solutions for these kinds of problems.
Sticking with our example, you could
send a controller value to the Virus that

Problems Related to Parameter Control

closes the filter again in a suitable posi-
tion within the song, for instance, at
some point after the filter opens or at
the beginning of the song. However, this
procedure can become tedious rather
quickly if you have recorded many
parameter changes – after all, what
you're actually doing is literally copying
the original values of different parame-
ter in order to enter them into the
sequencer. You could of course simply
activate the sound at the beginning of
the song via a program change message,
which resets the parameters to their
original stored values. What if, however,
you change or replace the sound in the
Virus at some point? The program
change message in the song would call
up the wrong sound. The more reliable
and certainly more elegant solution
would be to store the sound(s) in the
song. The Virus then receives all settings
for sounds at the beginning the song,
and you'd prevent hiccups such as the
wrong sounds, "stuck" values and jumps
from the get-go. In the next section,
you'll find out just how you can do this.
ACCESS VIRUS RACK 175