Add MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) compatibility

Add MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) compatibility for your sound libraries and software!! This is the future, you should be one of the pioneers. If you do this and promote it as a feature - everybody else in the realm of music software makers will jump on it to. Moog, Apple and Roli, among others, supports it already - and worked on agreeing on the specs, and now it´s finally approved by the MIDI Association!!! Just Do It!

 

The basic capability is there, it just takes work to setup, but I can't see how it could be otherwise really as it requires going multi channel.

https://roli.com/learn/how-to-setup-a-seaboard-rise-with-kontakt

 

YES. PLEASE, NI!! Yes, most software instruments can basically be set up to work with MPE, but "workflow" is severely compromised if it is not designed to be supported. Every time I load an instrument..... I gotta load it 15 times, and always adjust the pitchbend. Why not just say..... hey.... click the "MPE button", and things automatically configure. Really, the NI software is soooooo advanced. It really must be quite an easy update compared to everything else that it can do. And, yes, it is FINALLY standard by the MIDI Association. I use MPE style setup EVERY DAY. Adding this in an integrated way would make my life (and many others) MUCH easier. And the use of MPE has really a bright future. Most people do not realize what is truly possible with MPE, it is still just a baby, but it will definitely grow.

 

Actually it's not really "quite an easy update" to add MPE. I'd still like it to happen, but via scripting and modulators, which would be a lot more flexible. That's the same way UVI Falcon has it, and it's working pretty well.

 

In the interim, perhaps it would be possible to simply add a feature "copy current instrument x number of times with channels y-z". Then the instrument, with the current settings, can just be duplicated with an instance set to every desired channel. Would be a very significant workflow improvement. I would think that would be relatively easy to do. I think Omnisphere has something like this. I would love, however, if eventually, it happened with scripting/modulators as you suggest.

 

Digging up a very old thread here. Is NI making any progress here, adding MPE support for Kontakt and Reaktor?

I just upgraded to Komplete 13 Ultimate, digging using Linnstrument with Massive-X. IF Kontakt and Reaktor do in fact support it, it is not obvious to me. BTW, my DAW is Bitwig 4.0.1, very MPE friendly.

 

Direct MPE support in Kontakt probably won't happen, but in Kontakt 6.6 it can be scripted (much like, for example, in UVI Falcon), utilizing the new "from script" modulator which allows scripted modulators per event.

Here's basic MPE support for Roli:

Code:

on init
    declare const $MPE_BEND_RANGE := 48
    declare ~bend_factor
    ~bend_factor := (int_to_real($MPE_BEND_RANGE * 1000) / 8191.0) * 100.0
end on

on note
    set_event_mark($EVENT_ID, sh_left($MARK_2, $MIDI_CHANNEL))
end on

on controller
    if ($CC_NUM = 74)
        ignore_controller
        set_event_par_arr(by_marks(sh_left($MARK_2, $MIDI_CHANNEL)), ...
                          $EVENT_PAR_MOD_VALUE_ID, ...
                          %CC[$CC_NUM] * 7874, 1)
    end if

    if ($CC_NUM = $VCC_PITCH_BEND)
        ignore_controller
        change_tune(by_marks(sh_left($MARK_2, $MIDI_CHANNEL)), ...
                    real_to_int(int_to_real(%CC[$CC_NUM]) * ~bend_factor), 0)
    end if
end on

Using "from script" modulator to modulate whatever you want, it does the CC 74 "MPE Timbre", and there's 48 semitones pitch bend range too.

 

Thanks EvilDragon! I added the script to an instance of Pharlight. Set Bitwig to MPE and no go. If I understand what you're saying, the script allows recognizing of CC74/Timber and PB range of +/-48. Outside of that, Bitwig doesn't recognize it as an MPE compatible synth. Oh well, no biggie for now.

What about Reaktor? Any synths there that support? Do you know of any plans to?

 

I am not sure how well the script will work with other deeply scripted instruments. But try the script in an empty instrument with a few of your samples dropped in, and From script modulator modulating i.e. filter cutoff, see what happens.

I don't know anything on Reaktor side of things. But it already supports MIDI channels and all sorts of processing of MIDI messages, so you might just need to build it yourself with existing modules...

 

Thank you ED. I'll check out again the Kontakt MPE script with a basic instrument. If I understand the script though, it looks like it only provides support for CC74 and PB +/-48, but not for the main MPE function of MIDI channels per note. I've also read a few more threads on MPE for Reaktor which I'll check out. I'm ultimately looking for straightforward and quick solutions for both. If they are not to be had at this time, I'll move on as my prime goal is making music and not programming (which I am not very skilled at). Thanks for your help!!

 

It does work on MIDI channels per note (see the usage of $MIDI_CHANNEL!). Make sure to set your basic instrument to Omni!

 

The new Ashlight has MPE compatibility built in - NI are on it by the looks of things...

 

Yes and that MPE compatibility there is quite likely implemented using similar or identical method outlined in the above script, I would suspect

 

Thanks EvilDragon and JonnyMac78!