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FSK Audio's ModPlay
By Barry Rudolph
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| FSK Audio's ModPlay GUI |
FSK Audio's ModPlay is a LFO MIDI Effect plug-in inserted before a virtual instrument or an audio plug-in making it controllable by MIDI. ModPlay modulates Continuous Controllers data using a full-featured LFO. MIDI CC data for: Volume, Note, Mod Wheel, foot pedal, Stereo balance and more are all now possible to play, control and record using your keyboard and DAW.
Malleable LFO
Programming ModPlay's LFO is the key to getting the most out it's abilities. The GUI depicts the waveform of a single cycle of LFO modulation. The LFO can free-run or be locked to session tempo. Any musical note subdivision is available from a 1/128th note down to a single bar's entire length--and up to 8 measures long!
The LFO's waveform shape can be changed from a pure sine wave to triangle to square waves or use a chaotic, random wave to create havoc. You may "skew" the shape of any waveform easily to cause the rise and fall times of the wave to increase/decrease. Additionally, the Phase control rotates the phase up to a whole cycle (360 degrees) for timing the wave's crest or trough to sync perfectly when ModPlay is locked to the song's tempo.
I experimented here a lot; fast LFOs impart a tremolo effect by modulating its output level using CC 7 or try a panning rotary-speaker sound using CC 10. I like that, while looking for a certain sound, I could switch between four different CC numbers in real time by muting/unmuting any of the four, ModPlay CC Outputs. Clicking on any CC Output, a drop down menu reveals the whole list of CC parameters (in case you forgot) available to use. But be aware that not all plug-ins respond to CC data and some have pre-assigned CC numbers; you'll have to know.
Audio Plug-Ins Too
For controlling a plug-in processor such as FabFilter's Pro-Q4, use its "MIDI Learn" feature that takes (just about) any CC data to change an EQ parameter(s), for example. As a music mixer, this is appealing to me because it opens up a lot of possibilities besides modulating the MIDI CC data going to a virtual instrument running in the mix. Without using MIDI keyboard, I could use ModPlay's LFO to modulate EQ band(s) frequencies or individual, +/- band gain on a grand piano track using Pro-Q4. Fantastic and wacky effects happen by modulating the main Delay control on FF's Timeless 3 Delay.
Snapshots and Presets
Snapshots stored setups of ModPlay and are toggled in real-time by sending MIDI to ModPlay. You can store up to 12 Snapshots per instance of ModPlay and they are all accessible from your MIDI keyboard.
New Tool
I like the fully-visual GUI for showing everything that is going on with this unique plug-in including any morphing and tempo changes to the LFO's waveform. I'm having a good time discovering ModPlay while mixing music too. I have radically changed already recorded audio with subtle modulations of Pan, Volume or Balance. I like using it along with Pro-Q4 for EQ effects. Or if I am mixing music with already programmed MIDI VIs, I can add CC data modulations.
FSK Audio's ModPlay sells for $49.95. Check out: ModPlay LFO MIDI Effect Plug-In
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