Audio Damage Quanta is a granular synthesizer with MPE compatibility, making it easy to integrate with ROLI instruments. In this article we'll show you how to set up Quanta to take advantage of the dimensions of touch of Seaboards and Blocks.
ROLI Dashboard Settings
- First, connect your ROLI instrument and launch ROLI Dashboard.
- If you're using a Lightpad Block, load the "Note Grid" app and then click the "Edit" button.
- Ensure that the MIDI Settings in ROLI Dashboard are set as shown below.
We have selected:
- Mode: MPE
- No. MIDI Channels: 15
- Pitch bend range: 24 semitones (note: this is different from ROLI Dashboard's default range of 48, as Quanta's default pitch bend range is 24)
Quanta Settings
Quanta is a plug-in rather than a standalone application, so you'll need to load it within a digital audio workstation that supports multiple MIDI channels per track (for example, Bitwig, Cubase, or Logic).
Once you've loaded Quanta into a DAW that supports multiple MIDI channels per track, open up Quanta.
- Click on the "Settings" text and set "MIDI Input Mode" to "MPE."
- If you'd like to smooth your Press gestures, set "Aftertouch Smoothing" to "Active" and adjust the Attack and Decay dials to taste.
Click the Preset bar and select a preset. Presets may not already be mapped to the five dimensions of touch, so to do this yourself click the "Matrix" icon to load the modulation matrix.
- Vel corresponds to Strike
- AT to Press
- Bend to Glide
- CC 74 to Slide
- (Lift isn't available as a modulation source)
Now you can assign these sources to modulate the parameters of your choice in your Quanta preset. For example, you might assign Vel to control the amplitude envelope ("FEG 1"), AT to Oscillator Shape, Bend to Oscillator Tune and Grain Tune, and CC 74 to Grain Position or Filter 1 Freq. Once you've assigned this modulation, Quanta should respond to your expressive gestures. For more details, check out the Quanta manual.