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MrRay73 Mark II – User's Manual
Presents
Operation Manual
1. License
2. System Requirements
3. Installation
4. Instrument Description
5. Panel Controls
6. MIDI Mapping - MIDI Learn Function
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MrRay73 Mark II – User's Manual
License
MrRay73 Mark II version 2.0.3, copyright Guido Scognamiglio - SoundFonts.it 2008
LICENSE TERMS FOR SoundFonts.it SOFTWARE
This is a license agreement between "SoundFonts.it" (hereinafter referred to as "the software
supplier") and You (hereinafter referred to as "the user").
The software is provided to the user "as is". The software supplier makes no warranties, either
express or implied, with respect to the software and associated materials provided to the user,
including but not limited to any warranty of fitness for a particular purpose. The software
supplier does not warrant that the functions contained in the software will meet your
requirements, or that the operation of the software will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that
defects in the software will be corrected.
The software supplier does not warrant or make any representations regarding the use or the
results of the use of the software or any documentation provided therewith in terms of their
correctness, accuracy, reliability, or otherwise. No information or advice given by the software
supplier shall create a warranty or in any way increase the scope of this warranty.
The software supplier is not liable for any claims or damages whatsoever, including property
damage, personal injury, intellectual property infringement, loss of profits, or interruption of
business, or for any special, consequential or incidental damages, however caused.
The user is not allowed to distribute the program. Further, the user may not modify, the user
may not decompile and the user may not debug the software. The user may use the program
on any computer he or she personally own.
This product is a shareware. You may use the unregistered version at no charge for an
evaluation period of 30 days only. To continue to use the software beyond the 30-day
evaluation period, you must register it.
By using this software, you agree the above statements.
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MrRay73 Mark II – User's Manual
System Requirements
Minimum System Requirements:
• Microsoft Windows 98se/ME/2000/XP/Vista
• Intel Pentium 4 @ 1600 MHz or AMD Athlon @ 1600 MHz
• 256 Mb of RAM
• 4 Mb of free disk space
• An ASIO compatible sound card
MrRay73 Mark II is a VST plug-in, and needs a VST host application to run. We recommend
EnergyXT or Hermann Seib's VSThost / SAVIhost.
PLEASE NOTE:
– MrRay73 Mark II can support samplerates up to 96 Khz but it's recommended to avoid
using samplerates greater than 48 Khz as the sound may be distorted.
– The CPU usage is strongly dependant on the actual polyphony: the more notes you play,
the more CPU power is required.
Installation
Copy the file MrRay73mk2.dll (or whatever it may have been renamed to, in case of future
updates) to your VSTplugins folder, usually
C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins\
Inserting MrRay73mk2 into a project varies according to the VST Host used. For example, if
you're using EnergyXT simply right click in the middle of the main window and choose VST ->
MrRay73mk2, then connect its input and output to your desired source and destination. For
further assistance, consult the documentation supplied with your host.
In the case you have bought a license, install it before running MrRay73 Mark II to prevent it
from running in Demo mode.
The DEMO version shows a reminder screen at start-up for a few seconds, then it plays a
white noise for 2 seconds every 10. No limitations are applied soundwise.
If you would like to purchase a license , please visit www.SoundFonts.it.
Please note that two versions of the plugin are supplied: as such, a license file will need to be
supplied for both versions. Please make a copy of the "MrRay73mk2.lic" file and rename it to
"MrRay73mk2_fx.lic" to use both versions in licensed mode.
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MrRay73 Mark II – User's Manual
Instrument Description
MrRay73 Mark II is a digital simulation of the
famous american electro-mechanical piano of the
seventies, invented during World War II by a
music teacher, Harold B. Rhodes (1910 - 2000),
and widely used in almost all musical genres
ranging from soul/black music to jazz, blues,
modern and pop. This instrument has rapidly
become a legend, and is still used today, altough
samples have replaced the real thing so that very
often music producers use huge sample libraries
or hardware keyboards / workstations to achieve
this kind of sonority, and often the result is a cold
and 'dead' sound, with no vitality, no warmth,
nothing that even compares to the
unpredictability and genuineness of the real
thing.
In 2007 an enterprising and far-seeing american businessman has started a new Company
with the aim to re-manufacture the piano using the same recipe of the old factory, employing
the same ingredients and offering the same "taste" of the vintage instrument. The new "Mark
7" piano was presented at the NAMM show and it was a big success. It's on the market again,
after about 20 years, with the same name, same "soul" but largely improved under many
important technical aspects.
In a similar manner, MrRay73 Mark II is the second version of MrRay73, after two years from
its introduction to the public, but with a huge difference in sound and functionality. While the
old MrRay73 was one of the first successfull simulations of such an instrument, capable of
offering similar vitality, warmth and richness of the real thing, the new "Mark II" version
brings many new improvements, first of all for what concerns "THE SOUND".
As opposite to sample libraries, a real-time reproduction of a certain sound has the ability to
interact with the musician, producing different behaviours from time to time. Hardly you will
hear exactly the same "waveform" twice. MrRay73 Mark II is a complete digital reproduction
of the real instrument, with all the moving parts that, together, generate to the sound.
Summary of the main features:
• Full Polyphony (73 notes E - E)
• No note-stealing
• Adjustable single sound elements (metal, wood, pedal and damper noises)
• Sympathetic resonance and harp vibration
• Sustain pedal re-pedaling feature
• Six-stage vintage style Phaser effect
• Dual mode Tremolo effect
• Power amp simulation (Suitcase model)
• Adjustable wear of mallets and other elements (Piano Age)
• Stretch tuning or Equal Temperament
• Four velocity curves plus an adjustable "Dynamic range" level
• Fully Midi controllable with MIDI-Learn function
• Very Low CPU and memory usage
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MrRay73 Mark II – User's Manual
Some details about the sound generation:
- Full Polyphony & No note-stealing: on the
real vintage instrument you have a single
"generator" (called "tone-bar") for each single
key, so when you hit a key, the corresponding
tine is put into vibration thus producing the
sound. When you hit it again holding your foot on
the sustain pedal, you add further energy to the
vibrating tine, but depending on the relationship
of the tine and the hammer-tip, you can either
add or remove energy with each key press. This
causes subtle variations with each note played.
- Sympathetic resonance and harp vibration:
when you hold the sustain pedal, all damper felts leave the tines, so they all are free to
vibrate, but if you hit a single note, the surrounding tines also get part of the mallet's energy
and produce a slight vibration. Also, when the sound of a note decays completely but you are
still holding the key down, playing other notes may introduce what's known as "sympathetic
resonance". This is more evident on a classic piano, less audible on the electric piano but still
there. Part of the vibrations is spread along the whole harp and captured by all pickups, giving
the overall tone a more "alive" sensation.
- Sustain pedal re-pedaling feature: when you're playing holding the sustain pedal down,
you may release it and depress it again immediately. In this case, the dampers don't stop the
tines completely, but still leave a residual vibration. Sometimes, the dampers can even
introduce a further energy as if they were "picking" the tines.
- Six-stage vintage style Phaser effect: MrRay73 Mark II also includes a phaser effect. It
is modeled after a vintage stomp box of the sixties, sold in Europe under the name "Maestro
PS-1". It was a 6-stage phase shifter, one of the first effects of this kind, with a deep and
"liquid" tone.
- Dual mode Tremolo effect: the tremolo effect is an essential element of the classic
Electric Piano sound of the seventies. In MrRay73 Mark II you can have the effect of the
classical analogue tremolo driven by the photo-coupler element which gives you the smooth
passage from one channel to the other. As an alternative, you can have the monophonic
vibrato like the one found on the classic "Tweed" guitar amplifiers.
- Power amp simulation (Suitcase model): MrRay73 Mark II has a built-in FET power
amplifier simulation with three degrees of "power", to bring you the classic tone of the famous
"Suitcase" electric piano models. Turning on the simulation, you'll hear a darker tone with a
punchy low-end, a slappy attack and a slight saturation on the high-end.
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MrRay73 Mark II – User's Manual
Panel Controls
• MALLETS AND NOISES
• Wood*: adjusts the wood noises, mostly due to the movements of the wooden
keys;
• Metal: adjusts the metallic elements, mostly audible at the attack and release of
each note, but also affecting the overall tone color;
• Dampers: adjusts the noises caused by the damper stopping the tine when a
key is released;
• Pedal*: adjusts the noise caused by the sustain pedal;
• TONEBARS
• Decay: adjusts the overall decay times;
• Release: adjusts the overall release times;
• MASTER
• Bass Boost: adjusts the bass equalization;
• Volume: adjusts the piano output volume. This knob only refers to the piano
section of the plug-in, and is placed between the piano and the effects section,
so if you wish to decrease the saturation caused by the Power Amplifier
simulation, just lower the piano volume;
• PHASER
• Width: adjusts the Phaser effect width. This knob also acts as an On/Off switch;
• Speed: adjusts the Phaser effect oscillation speed;
• TREMOLO
• Mono/Stereo: use this switch to choose between stereo (auto-pan) or mono
(tremolo) mode;
• Width: adjusts the width of the tremolo effect. This knob also acts as an On/Off
switch;
• Speed: adjusts the tremolo speed;
• POWER AMP: Turns on the Power Amplifier simulation;
• PIANO AGE: this knob affects a number of elements that, together, esablish the
average wear of the piano elements, giving a different sound character according to the
piano age.
Note: * these are the only two sampled elements used in MrRay73 Mark II.
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MrRay73 Mark II – User's Manual
The Global Options Menu
Click the "Options" label to open the menu. Here you can set a few global settings:
• Tuning Type: choose the tuning type you prefer between Equal Temperament or Stretch
Tuning;
• Dynamic Curve: this option lets you choose among four different velocity curves in
order to obtain the best relationship between your keyboard's mechanical action and
the sound you hear from the virtual instrument;
• Mallets Min. Force: sets the force assumed by the mallets corresponding to the
minimum velocity level;
• Mallets Max. Force: same as above but for the maximum velocity level. Please note
that these two parameters are related, and both may affect not only the dynamic
response but the tone quality as well;
• Timbre / Character: you can choose the type of timbre you prefer, a darker tone, a
brighter tone or something in between.
• Power Amp: sets the amount of "power" (affects sound compression, saturation, bass
equalization and cabinet reflections).
Please note: all global settings are saved in the ".dat" file after the plug-in is closed.
Using the GUI controls
When you move a control on the User Interface, a small display appears on the screen
showing the current value of the active control. Passing your mouse pointer over the controls,
a pop-up text describes their function.
Tips on using the interface:
- to reset a control to its default value, hold down CTRL and click it;
- for "fine tuning" knob movements, hold down SHIFT while moving the knob;
- all knobs react to both vertical and horizontal movement;
- hold down the ALT key to activate the circular control of the knobs.
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MrRay73 Mark II – User's Manual
MIDI Mapping
There's no default MIDI Mapping. You can assign your MIDI
controllers to any of the available controls using the MIDI Learn
function. It's very easy: just right-click on a knob or switch of your
choice. A menu should pop-up. The first item shows the control's
name, the second item shows the MIDI CC# currently associated
to that control, the last item activates the MIDI Learn status. Click
on "MIDI Learn", the tooltip text should say "Waiting for incoming MIDI data...". Now move a
knob/slider/whatever on your physical controller. At this point you should see the virtual
control following the movements of the physical control. To abort the "wait state" click on the
first menu item, and to reset the assigned control (MIDI Forget) click the second menu item.
The MIDI Map is automatically stored when you quit the plugin in a file named
"{name_of_the_dll}.dat" located in the same directory where the DLL file resides. This is a
plain text file, but please don't edit it manually.
Please note: MIDI Controllers respond on all Channels, so be sure that your controller sends
all controls with the same channel, or else you'll find two different physical controls (knobs,
faders, etc.) moving the same parameters on the screen, or a single physical control moving
more than one parameter on screen.
Plase also note that MrRay73 Mark II:
- plays on all 16 MIDI Channels;
- doesn't respond to Program Change messages;
- doesn't allow assignment of CC# 0;
- doesn't respond to Pitch Bend messages;
- responds on CC#120 & CC#123 for "All Notes Off" (muting and reset).
Last Update: June 30, 2008 - www.SoundFonts.it
All trademarks mentioned in this document belong to their respective owners.
VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies AG.
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