Topic: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

I've noticed that if we set/tune the general parameters of the morphed instrument (e.g. total volume, volume curve, dynamics, action panel), then with each edition of the component instrument these total parameters suddenly and abruptly change.

I don't know if this is a program bug or a feature of its operation, but even the test mute/unmute component of the morphed instrument changes the summary parameters and they do not return to the set values afterwards. This applies to all total parameters (Design, Action, Mallet Bounce, Voicing, Tuning, Equalizer and even Volume, Dynamics and Velocity Curve, ) and does not apply to the Effects and Recording panel, which remain unchanged.

This can be confusing, because when testing the components of such an instrument, we unconsciously alter most of the summary parameters. Freezing these parameters unfortunately does not work and they change the same during any editing of ingredients.

Is there any solution to the problem?

Last edited by MaurizioP (10-11-2022 00:17)

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Hi MaurozionP,

if I understand, it seems like you are describing expected behaviour when using "Layering", rather than Morphing?

Morphing is more about the automatic blending of 2 or more instruments - so if you edit 1 of those, a sort of summing is done and actuated component parts of each instrument will possibly move to accommodate the eventual final move of 'flattening' the brew, to make your final singular complete instrument which will then have its own settings and can be saved.

Layering, instead of Morphing is maybe closer to what you think of in terms of remaining each as completely separated instruments which do not alter to accommodate the others in total. You can edit any/each layered instruments and they do not interfere with the settings of the others.

I hope I understood your post, and that helped - but let us know if I've misunderstood.

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Morphing, clicking Edit will allow you to edit the corresponding individual instruments. Each will show the instrument's edited settings..

Then clicking Edit below to the right of 'Morphed parameters' will show you what the morphed settings will look like.

I guess that's what you mean? (sorry still kind of trying to understand - just adding this in case it helps).

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Thanks for the reply, Qexl. I mean morphing (not layering). I know that morphed parameters are result of components parameters - this is the principle of morphing.

But I can edit morphed parameters too. How does it work? Does it change "back" components parameters?

Example of what I mean:
1. I edit velocity map of morphed instrument.
2. I would like to hear the result of changing some parameter of component instrument (e.g. it's string length, which is 1.05). In the moment of first, even slightest change (e.g. from 1.05 to 1.04) the final map (and all other edited morphed parameters) change rapidly a lot, so I cannot hear the result of this single change.
3. When set to the previous value of the string length (1.05) for the component, my edited parameters of morphed instrument do not revert - they are lost.
    BTW,  it is a very easy way to lose these edited values.

Hence my question - how to edit morphing components and maintain edited parameters for morphed instrument?

Last edited by MaurizioP (09-11-2022 20:55)

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

MaurizioP,
What version of Pianoteq are you using, is it Pro?
Maybe this is a Pro problem?

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Key Fumbler wrote:

MaurizioP,
What version of Pianoteq are you using, is it Pro?
Maybe this is a Pro problem?

Yes, I use Pro.

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

I am truly sorry for not yet being able to understand the issue Maurizio

Imagining you are in the Morphing pane, with at least 2 instruments.

Then I imagine for example, you alter something about 1.

Then you click "flatten" and save your morphed instrument to its own preset (named how you like).

Next, with your new morphed instrument loaded, I imagine you look at the controls and wonder "why is that altered item different to how it looks inside the morphing pane".

If so, that's supposed to happen, as the new morphed instrument will sum things and create a whole new instrument from the various controls in the instruments you edit in the morphing pane.

But.. to understand if it's about something else.. I think I'd have to ask if you can post a more step by step outline of what you do from start of the process (with some idea of what you expect to happen in each step).

Other than that, if you know it's a bug-like behaviour, definitely contact support, they're great at catching bugs

I'm happy to, and certain that many here would be happy to keep on this until it's worked out.

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Qexl wrote:

I am truly sorry for not yet being able to understand the issue Maurizio
[...]
But.. to understand if it's about something else.. I think I'd have to ask if you can post a more step by step outline of what you do from start of the process (with some idea of what you expect to happen in each step).

Thanks for reply Qexl, I'm preparing an example with pictures.

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Here is simple example:

1. I create some morphed instrument:
https://i.ibb.co/SwbFBSj/Untitled-1-0.jpg


2. I edit its morphed parameters (vel. map, volume, dynamics, string length etc.) to my taste:
https://i.ibb.co/5j0T9P1/Untitled-1-1.jpg


3. I'm almost happy with my sound, but (for comparison) I would like to test the sound without first component instrument, so I press "mute" and hear difference (or edit any parameter of this instrument).
   In this moment all morphed parameters (left window) suddenly change to previous state (before my editing them) - instrument sounds differently. This I can somehow understand, apparently "mute" excludes first instrument from morphing computations (as if I removed it):
https://i.ibb.co/p4pf7xM/Untitled-1-2.jpg


4. So I unmute first instrument, but final morphed parameters (e.g. velocity map) does NOT revert to my previous, edited state. All my changes from pt. 2. are lost:
https://i.ibb.co/Bc5C4WZ/Untitled-1-3.jpg


So I assume that changing of final parameters does not change back components parameters, and is done "on top" of morphing calculations.
Anyway, the situation described above is an easy way to lose edited parameters of morphed instrument, without any notification. Only "mute/unmute" click...


Such a diagram shows how I understand the calculations of the morphed instrument:
https://i.ibb.co/8PJQzgW/DIAGRAM.jpg

After creating the instrument and tuning 1-3 (and no morphed parameters changing in 5) 6 = 4. After editing the final morphed parameters in 5, 6 is not equal to 4. But then after editing any parameters of 1, 2 or 3, 6 = 4 again and any changes made previously in 5 are lost.

My proposal for a change (digits from diagram above):

Since after editing in 5 the values of 4 are somehow recalculated, and in 6 we have/hear the result of these calculations, let the program remember the changes made in 5 (e.g. as 6 values divided by corresponding 4 values) and perform these calculations on new values of 4 again every time we change any parameters 1-3.

It would also be much easier to hear and assess the effect of changing the parameters of the morphing components then.
In existing state when we even slight edit the parameters of the morphing components, we will suddenly, without any warning hear the version of the instrument before our editing in 5.

Last edited by MaurizioP (10-11-2022 22:38)

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Great explanation Maurizio

I'll forward this thread to Julien. Feel free to also reference it if you contact support too BTW. (they are helpful).

I cannot reproduce this behaviour however - it seems to work as expected here.

I'm using Windows 10 - your user interface looks also like Windows - so probably your experience should be more or less similar. But..


For an immediate workaround, for now I'd suggest something like this:

Once done with a lot of morphing settings and you hear things close to the way you want..

Click the edit button for individual morphing instruments (before hitting the lower edit button, and before flattening etc.).. and save each instrument as it is (using normal clicking on 'save' icon). Give these 2 instruments names like Morph1-my-new-sound - and Morph-2-my-new-sound (or whatever you will like/remember). Keep or deleted when time comes to decide on that later (I keep too many!).

Then next, go ahead and hit the lower edit button... and see/hear what happens.

By this point, if the case is that things sound/look wrong from there, you can just 'clear', and begin again by re-loading your saved instruments - not having to re-do all that main workflow over again.

Not perfect but hopefully can save a lot of time at least until a fix or news comes.


Other things to try, would be to re-install Pianoteq again. (I don't love that advice usually and haven't had to do it with Pianoteq myself).



///

In my case this happens...

For example, if morphed inst. 1 has piano hammer at 100%, and 2 has it 0%...

then if I select edit (lowest one) I see the morphed result which is hammer at 50%.

Next, I click mute on instrument 1, the result is that I see the expected morphed instrument 1 settings.. then remove mute.. and I then see the same expected 50% morphed values return again.



///


Hope that helps for now - and again, such an excellent demonstration and step through!

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Just also noticed some things in your images..


Have reproduced exactly what you see there - whew.


I'd definitely suggest when editing, to stick to only altering instrument settings independently - by clicking the associated 'edit' button on the line where the instrument's name appears.

Do that for each instrument. Use only the bottom edit button 'after' making your changes to the individual instruments.

(rather than beginning morphing by clicking the bottom edit button which edits a performative/computed version of the 2 together). I kind of would expect less than perfect retention of settings if I used that button as start point.

For example.. clicking on the Mute button, shown in one of your images, will "select" that piano's individual settings (pre being morphed).

But.. if you had not "done anything" to that individual instrument (but only instead via the lower final edit button), it has nothing to compute "back to".

That may be 'the glitch'.. but I think I'd contact support if you'd like to chase it up.

I re-looked at the images and noticed only the bottom edit button was yellow.

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Qexl wrote:

In my case this happens...

For example, if morphed inst. 1 has piano hammer at 100%, and 2 has it 0%...

then if I select edit (lowest one) I see the morphed result which is hammer at 50%.

Next, I click mute on instrument 1, the result is that I see the expected morphed instrument 1 settings.. then remove mute.. and I then see the same expected 50% morphed values return again.

Of course, but try change this morphed result (EDIT morphed parameters for final instrument) e.g. to 75%, and after mute/unmute inst. 1 you will have 50% again. Your change will be lost, just like all the other changes of morphed parameters you would do.

Last edited by MaurizioP (10-11-2022 17:30)

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Qexl wrote:

Just also noticed some things in your images..
[...]
For example.. clicking on the Mute button, shown in one of your images, will "select" that piano's individual settings (pre being morphed).

Yes, you are right - thanks for your perceptiveness. That's another confusing behavior - this clicking in Mute should lit yellow Edit button for this piano, or maybe better do not select it? Funny, but Solo does not select the component piano. And what if we have e.g. four instruments and two of them are muted - how to tell which is edited?

Above however does not change my primary problem.

Last edited by MaurizioP (10-11-2022 17:31)

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

To be sure, if we begin at image 1, What has happened before that?

If you have not clicked 'edit' per each instrument separately (the edit button on the line with the instrument name) and made changes to those individually, then if you only have begun by using the lower edit button, there's going to be nothing to save, nor to compute back to.

I think, if you want for sure something like a saved state to return to, it helps to think of these as steps:


Load instrument 1
load instrument 2

For instrument 1, click it's individual edit button on right side. Edit things.
For instrument 2, click it's individual edit button on right side. Edit things.

Then, you have something morphed 'from top to bottom' as a workflow

By beginning with the lower edit button, you are working from bottom up.. which is probably not intended, or for now maybe not perfect in various ways.


Next thing to do AFTER all the editing individual instruments, this is the time you might then wish to click the lower edit button.

(I'd still often save the 2 instruments in their state first, depending on how much work - so I can save time, IF the lower final edits don't compute well.. I'd expect some buggy things going on, esp. if I've altered mics... and sometimes some things internally will overtake others from one instrument to the next.. so I definintely recommend working on individual instrument edits before finalizing with the lower edit button).

But, if only beginning by loading 2 instruments in, then ONLY editing using the lower edit button.. I'd suggest it's not the best way to work.

I've submitted to Julien the info - and await hearing back - I'd like to see the lower edit button's behaviour changed, so that the lower edit button can 'save' state better.. or become a clearer workflow etc. I have mentioned this. Fingers crossed.

Thank you for putting this forward - it's less complex than text makes it seem.

Hope all that helps.

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Qexl, I know now how to avoid problem - I simply do any final editing (lower Edit button) on the end (after tuning the ingredients).

But what if I'd like after these final editions do e.g. correction of piano's 1 hammer hardness, and do not lose my final parameters?
After changing piano's 1 any parameter all final parameters change for computed in morphing, and my final editions are lost.
The worst part is that I suddenly lose the sound of the instrument obtained by editing the parameters for the whole.

My proposed change will add the possibility for editing the components parameters without loss of lower Edit button changes.
That is, after changing the hardness of the hammer for piano 1, the program calculates the morphing parameters, but also takes into account (calculates) the correction made for the entire (morph) instrument, exactly as it did before when changing its total parameters.
Perhaps the positions of some "morphed instrument" sliders will not be the same (they will change slightly because of computing for changed component values), but only for these parameters and with correction I have made previously (remembered e.g. as its percentage). This will change the sound of the instrument only in conjunction with changing the selected component parameter.

Last edited by MaurizioP (10-11-2022 22:41)

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Julien responded (with many thanks) that this is expected behaviour - but also that the answer, which I completely overlooked, is the "Stop" button


I generally feel it better to edit the individual instruments and avoid using the lower edit afterwards (just a personal kind of way of working, everyone will differ in what they feel works best for them).. so personally hadn't experienced the issue you did because I never felt the need to re-edit the morphed result via the lower edit button.. and I had tried it in the past and I totally fell unaware over time of its use cases.

But, it's good to know that it's as simple as clicking "Stop" (left of the lower edit button)..

Difinitely good to see it as a timeline/workflow.. from editing individual pianos to 'nearest' to the desired result.. then to flatten and save a preset out. BUT - like you say, IF one wants to return and just edit the morphed result.. hit "Stop" first (so no inside per instrument change is overriding anything).. and then edit away on the lower edit routine.

I am glad to say, testing that out, it worked. I could get to where your images show, and hit stop, then hit mute, and see the velocity curve remains in the lower edit state.

In the end, I guess it does make sense - but for sure, I could re-envisage the workflow perhaps.. and maybe the word "Stop" infers 'nothing can then change', which is why my brain avoided that work path.

Thanks again Maurizio, very much enjoyable to delve into a simple, yet interesting small aspect of the morph tool.. and also thanks for opening my eyes to the 'stop' button so we can facilitate late edits to the morphed result.

Probably a lot of people did know this.. or never came across it.. but it's all illuminating. Cheers to you!

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Qexl wrote:

Julien responded (with many thanks) that this is expected behaviour - but also that the answer, which I completely overlooked, is the "Stop" button
[...]
But, it's good to know that it's as simple as clicking "Stop" (left of the lower edit button)..

Thanks Qexl for your replys and warm words. I almost believed this is the solution, but probably unfortunately it isn't (correct me, if I'm wrong)

Pressing 'Stop' will stop morphing computations (1-3 -> 4), so it will stop any futher morphing:

https://i.ibb.co/dfZLkjg/DIAGRAM1.jpg

Results in 4 stay frozen, regardless of any component settings changes. So editing them for hearing the difference is impossible - nothing changes in sound while changing parameters 1-3 (e.g. mute components, hammer hardness od piano 1, etc) if Stop is pressed.
But when you press 'Stop' again (switch it off) computations for 4 and 6 are made immediately, unfortunately with exclusion of previous final (5) settings - they are lost.
6=4 again... So pressing Stop twice is another way to quickly lose all editions made in 5.

And I would like to tune morphing ingrediends and hear the difference in final instrument of this tuning only... without losing my final editing (5). With my previously proposed simple change of program’s algorithm it would be possible.

Proposed change in short is: remember '6 divided by 4’ for all values and multiply new 4 values by them on any change of 1-3 (i.e. with each morphing computations).

Last edited by MaurizioP (11-11-2022 18:26)

Re: How to keep the general parameters of a morphed instrument?

Thank you Maurizio

Wonderful exploration there. I like your formulaic approach there.

I'm seeing that since my old workflow was just to stick with editing instruments singularly (clicking their edit buttons)..

Performing various tasks beyond that can come with some logic which is not transparent.

I've pointed some of these out now to Julien and maybe it might be subject of some beta examination soon. There are others I know who have had some recent trouble with some unexpected behaviours.

Morphing is technically hard (so even with good human logic, what goes on with the components inside each instrument) and 2 things cannot always be summed.. esp. when different mic arrays are used (they don't really 'merge' ideally) and possibly there are some recent additions to instruments' inner workings which now might need an adjustment or two.

I'm guessing, much of the morphing innards, although will work with a certain approach (limited one like my usual workflow), when we push this and work in ways we expect certain things to behave, it's a cause to think "this is not right". In your case, I do think you point out things which could indeed be of great usefulness to any updates to the morphing system

If a beta happened regarding morphing, I'd like to suggest you'd be a good candidate for this.


For now, I guess it's a matter of steering clear from known cul de sacs in your workflow - but hopefully some of your ideas could be incorporated.. I'd like some kind of less destructive editing for certain.

Many thanks!

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors