TRIPLEPLAY TUTORIALS
MODULE #6: CREATING LAYERS AND SPLITS
www.fishman.com
Question:
How can I layer multiple sounds together on some
strings or parts of my fretboard, but not others?
Answer:
We talked a bit about Mono and Poly modes in
Module #4. Let’s revisit the topic, because it’s crucial
to understanding one of TriplePlay’s most powerful
features: the ability to play multiple sounds at once,
and assign each sound to a particular region of the
fretboard.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn about:
• Understanding Mono and Poly modes
• Working with splits
• Loading Kontakt multis
• Fretboard splits vs. string splits
• Working with overlapping layers
Read Me First!
If you encounter a confusing term or concept, all
TriplePlay controls and parameters are explained in
the online User Guide for your product. This tutorial requires installation of the TriplePlay hardware,
software and partner sounds from IK and NI. Please
consult the user documentation at
http://www.fishman.com/tripleplay for more informa-
tion on these installations, if necessary.
The terms Mono or Poly may seem counterintui-
tive, since Mono mode involves transmitting MIDI
data on multiple channels, and Poly mode uses only
a single channel. Instead, think of it this way: Poly
mode lets you transmit multiple melodic lines —
polyphony — on a single channel, so your guitar behaves like a polyphonic synthesizer. In Mono mode,
you can only transmit a single-note melody on each
channel, like on a monophonic synthesizer. (But you
can still play up to six notes at once, because you
have a separate virtual synth for each string.)
You experienced both Mono and Poly patches when
you scrolled through the factory sounds in Tutorial Module #1. If you’re only going to play a single
virtual instrument across the range of the entire
fretboard, the choice of Mono or Poly mode may
not be crucial. (In such cases, the main advantage of
Mono mode is the ability to send pitch-bend info on
multiple strings at once.)
But if you want to play more than one sound at once,
or assign a particular sound to a particular region
of the fretboard, then you must use Mono mode.
(If you assign a virtual instrument and set it to Poly
mode, that’s the only virtual instrument you’ll hear.)
First, let’s take a look at a factory patch that uses
Mono mode to create splits, and then we’ll try making one of our own.
Requirements
• Internet connection
• Installation of Fishman TriplePlay hardware and
software
• Installation of IK Multimedia SampleTank 2.5 XT
• Installation of NI Komplete Elements
You might have a patch that features a flute sound
on the upper four strings and a bass sound on the
lower two strings. Or maybe that flute sound
appears when you play above the fifth fret, and the
bass sound appears only on the lowest frets.
TriplePlay lets you assign up to four sounds to four
quadrants of the fretboard, and you can even
overlap them, if you are working in Mono mode.
Load the factory patch Organ + Bass:
figure 34
This patch combines an organ sound from the Kon-
takt sampler with an upright bass from the Sample-
Tank sampler. Double-click on the Kontakt 5 box at
the bottom of the mixer’s Synth 1 channel to open
the Kontakt plug-in window.
www.fishman.com
4/13
figure 35
Note that Mono mode is selected and that six instru-
ments are loaded into the Kontakt rack. Each one
acts as a monophonic synth for one of the six strings.
Close the plug-in window and double-click the
SampleTank 2.x box at the bottom of the mixer’s
Synth 2 channel to open the SampleTank plug-in
window.
Again, notice that Mono mode is active and that six
instruments are loaded, one per string/MIDI channel.
figure 36
With TriplePlay configured this way, you can play
simultaneous organ and bass sounds on every fret
and every string — or assign each sound to a particular part of the neck.
Close the plug-in window. Make sure that the splits
are showing by pressing the Show Splits button at
the bottom of the main TriplePlay window. (If it says
Hide Splits, that means the splits are already visible.)
figure 37
TriplePlay uses colors to signify the four synth
channels: magenta for Synth 1, green for Synth 2,
blue for Synth 3, and yellow for Synth 4. Here you
can see that only Synths 1 and 2 are assigned. Synth
1 (organ) covers the top four string, and Synth 2
(bass) covers the bottom. If we like, we can change
the assignments.
For example, click on the green zone, and drag the
handle so that the green area covers the four lowest
strings.
figure 38
Here’s a brief movie demonstrating what we’ve done
so far:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6KJp7ywDJ0
4/13www.fishman.com
Now let’s add another sound to the mix to
demonstrate some of the other ways you can use
fretboard splits. In the process, we’ll learn how to
load sounds into the Kontakt sampler, just as we
learned to load instruments and presets into Reaktor
in Tutorial Module #5. (Again, this is just one of many
Kontakt techniques you may find useful. If you’re
interested in creating original sounds with Kontakt,
you should definitely spend some time with the
Kontakt manual.)
Click-hold the empty plug-in box at the bottom of
the mixer’s Synth 3 channel. From the drop-down
that appears, choose Kontakt 5.
figure 41
Double-click the Triple Play folder, revealing its
contents. (Multis are a type of Kontakt file that can
include multiple synths sounds.) You’ve heard some
of these multis already in various TriplePlay factory
presets. But loading them this way lets us combine
multis with other multis.
Load the multi called Upright Piano M (TP).
figure 39
When the Kontakt plug-in window opens, verify that
the MIDI Mode is set to Mono. Beneath the Kontakt
logo, click the Libraries tab. (If these browser tabs
aren’t showing, click the Browse icon to the right of
the Kontakt logo to display them.)
Click Instruments, revealing the directory of Kontakt sounds. We want the root level of this directory,
which looks like this:
figure 40
If you don’t see
this list, you’re
probably viewing
one of the directory’s subfolders.
Click the up-arrow
icon until you
reach the top level,
which includes a
folder called Triple
Play.
Now we’ve assigned this piano to the Synth 3 blue
figure 42
zone. Close the plug-in window. In the Splits editor,
locate the thin blue strip at the far right of the editor,
and click it to make it active. Drag its handle down
to the 12th fret.
4/13www.fishman.com
figure 43
Try playing. Below the 12th fret you should hear
organ on the high strings and bass on the low ones.
You’ll hear the same above the 12th fret — but with
piano added, because the blue piano zone overlaps
the bass and organ zones. (This type of doubling is
often referred to as layering.)
Now click on the magenta and green zones, making
them active. Drag their right handle to the left so
that the zones end at the 12th fret. Now you should
hear piano alone when playing above the 12th fret.
figure 44
Here’s a movie demonstrating the above steps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_umS5QvWvUg
Now you know how to split the neck by string or
by fret, and how to layer sounds. (For more info on
layering and splits see the Fretboard Edit Splits Area
in the TriplePlay online User Guide.)
Want to start recording and sequencing your performances with TriplePlay? Check out Tutorial Module
#7 for instructions on integrating your TriplePlay with
DAW software.
4/13www.fishman.com
Loading...