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Logic Xpanded
HARMONIC XPANDER V1.0
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Logic Xpanded
HARMONIC XPANDER V1.0
T ABLE OF CONTENTS

A Little Background! Getting Started! Understanding MIDI Routing:! Using the Xpander:! About The Widgets! Anatomy of an Xpander! Wrap Up!

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A Little Background I rst became interested in random harmonic generation when I heard some early computer music while in college. I found it interesting and unique in that while it was unpredictable, when the programming was handled in the correct way, the resulting music - if randomly generated sound can be called that - had the potential to be mesmerizing. In 1987 Michael Brecker released his album Michael Brecker and one of the hallmark sounds on that disc was his use of the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) and synthesis to create an amazing palette of sounds. One of the most interesting things he did was to use a feature of the Oberheim Xpander module to randomly rotate through a series of harmonies. It works something like this: The Xpander had a setting called Rotate Mode with 6 voice polyphony. Michael was able to turn that into an amazing harmonic tool by creating two zones on the synth, one with two static voices set to re-trigger and one with four rotating voices in rotate mode.
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Oberheim Xpander Rotate Mode: STATIC

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ROTATING
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+0

+7

-10

-7

-8

-2

Voice 1 & 2 are static intervals set in semitones above or below the input note. Assuming a C3 is played, the static output would be C3 and G3 (seven semitones above C3 or +7). Every time C3 is pressed, the static voices will sound the parallel 5th C & G. The rotating voices are set (relative to C3) to -10 (D2), -7 (F2), -8 (E2) and -2 (Bb2). Every time C3 is pressed the static 5th plays as well as one of the rotating voices in sequence. So: Play middle C (C3) four times: Voices 1 and 2 always play a parallel 5th C & G Voices 3, 4, 5, and 6 play in rotation D, F, E, Bb Output would be [DCG], [FCG], [ECG], [BbCG] The Harmonic Xpander functions in exactly the same way, but since it has been designed in Logics environment, it can be much more exible and adaptable, and can be utilized in many different ways. I have created three example les that utilize the Xpanders in different ways. For a quick overview of the Xpander modules and to play with them right away, open one of these example les and dive right in. Each example le is described later in this manual. The example les are: Xpander Example 1.logic Xpander Example 2.logic Xpander Example 3.logic and are contained in the same folder as the Xpander project le.

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Harmonic Xpander V1.0

Getting Started

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To use these widgets, open or create a Logic project, then open the Environment (Command 8 or Window>Environment), go to OPTIONS>IMPORT ENVIRONMENT>LAYER

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An open dialog will pop up, navigate to the HARMONIC XPANDER V1.0 project and select it, click open:

Select the Xpander layer you wish to import, and click Import:

This will import the Xpander layer into whatever project happens to be open at the time, into a new environment layer named for the Xpander layer you are importing.

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Harmonic Xpander V1.0

Understanding MIDI Routing:

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To use the Xpander to its fullest potential, it is important that the ow of MIDI through the Logic environment is understood. In its most basic form, MIDI comes into Logic through the PHYSICAL INPUT object and is sent to the SEQUENCER INPUT object. In the picture below, the PHYSICAL INPUT (1) is cabled to a KEYBOARD (2) and MONITOR (2) objects which are cabled to the SEQUENCER INPUT (3). MIDI passes through the KEYBOARD and MONITOR objects on its way to the SEQUENCER INPUT. The beauty of Logic is the ability to put stuff in the way of that signal ow, and bend MIDI to our will. The Xpander widgets do just that. Using the Xpander: Navigate to an Xpander layer and select one of the Xpander widgets. Copy it (EDIT>Copy or COMMAND>C).

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Move to the CLICKS AND PORTS layer. In the Clicks & Ports layer (default template pictured here), the KEYBOARD and MONITOR objects that are inserted between the PHYSICAL INPUT and the SEQUENCER INPUT can be deleted.

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Paste the Xpander object into the layer (EDIT>Paste or COMMAND>V). Cable the widget (2) into the signal path between the PHYSICAL INPUT (1) object and the SEQUENCER INPUT (3) object. That way, whatever is active in the ARRANGE window will receive its input from the Xpander.

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Play a few notes on your keyboard or other MIDI instrument. You should hear the Xpander working. Congratulations!

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Harmonic Xpander V1.0

About The Widgets Channel Strip:

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Any object that can be activated or deactivated by an on/off switch will generally have its controlling switch immediately to its LEFT. In the channel strip the exceptions to this rule are KILL VOL, VOL=MOD and KILL PB, which have their on/off switches above them. The channel strip gives many useful controls for MIDI ltering and remapping in a handy macro package. It was originally designed for the EWI but can be useful in many other situations as well. The various switches and lters are described below: 1. Kill Vol: Filters incoming Volume CC#7. Enabled by activating the switch. 2. Vol=Mod: Remaps Volume CC#7 to Modulation CC#1. Enabled by activating the switch. Has no effect if the Kill Vol switch is enabled. 3. Kill PB: Filters pitch bend. Enabled by activating the switch 4. PB -> CC#: Remaps pitchbend data to any continuous controller. The CC# is set in the box to the right of the enable button. 5. Porta -> CC#: Remaps portamento data to any continuous controller. The CC# is set in the box to the right of the enable button. 6. CC# -> Remap: Maps any CC# to a different controller number. Original CC# is set with the left (green/ black) number; the target CC# is set with the right (white/red) number. Very useful for remapping EWI CC#s to control different synth parameters without having to reprogram your patches to utilize the CC#s the EWI transmits. There are four of these mappable transformers. 7. Range Limit: sets threshold for MIDI notes allowed to pass through to the output 8. XPose: Transposes incoming MIDI notes up or down in semitones, up to a range of two octaves (+/- 24 semitones) 9. Fix Vol: Fixes Volume CC#7 to a static value, can be enabled or disabled using the on/off switch. Has no effect if the Kill Vol switch is enabled.

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10. MIDI Channel: Allows the setting of the outgoing MIDI channel. 11. MONITOR: Gives a display of MIDI events passing through the channel strip Clicking and dragging up & down on the #00 in the upper left corner scrolls through numbers from 00 to 127. A convenient way to identify which patch change or channel number the particular channel strip is assigned to. Double clicking on the ***NAME HERE*** box allows typing in a unique name for the channel strip setting. Yet another handy way to label and identify the channel strip. Anatomy of an Xpander

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1. ON: Activates the voice 2. Fixed Voices: Each xed voice can be turned on or off independently of other voices by clicking the on switch. When the switch is blue (and says on) the voice is active. Each voice is a xed interval above or below the incoming MIDI note, dened in semitones over a range of +/- two octaves (24 semitones). 3. Pitch Denition: Denes the interval above or below the incoming MIDI note that will be sounded in a given pitch slot. The setting is editable in semitones +/- up to two octaves (24 semitones). Here it is set to 00 which would be unison. 4. Voice Range and Direction: The purple numbered boxes represent the rotating voice slots, from left to right, numbered R1 to R4. As it is set here, the rotator will play through all four pitches in random order from 1 to 4. The direction selector is set to Random. Other choices include down, up and off. 5. Activity Light: These simulated LEDs will light up in blue when a given pitch slot is active, giving a visual reference to what pitch/interval is sounding with each incoming MIDI note. Very handy visual reference for troubleshooting or tweaking intervals. NOTE: Depending on the amount of MIDI information being processed, sometimes the activity lights wont register. It is a result of system priorities, i.e., the indicator is just a visual reference and is not as important in processing terms as the note data. The indicator lights are the last object in the MIDI chain, so no data is being dropped if they dont re. This will depend on the speed of your computer, amount of RAM, your MIDI interface and many other factors that dictate how quickly your system can process MIDI data.
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6. Channel Mapping: Each voices outgoing MIDI channel can be set independently of all others. The shorthand label meanings are: F1 On = Fixed voice 1 active F2 On = Fixed voice 2 active R On = Rotator on F1CH = Fixed Voice 1 MIDI channel F2CH = Fixed Voice 2 MIDI channel RCH = Rotator MIDI channel

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Harmonic Xpander V1.0

Usage Examples: Example 1 (Xpander Example 1.logic project le)

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In this example, the Xpander is hardwired directly into the MIDI pathway between the PHYSICAL INPUT and the MIXER. The INPUT -> OUTPUT path is: 1. PHYSICAL INPUT (1) 2. XPANDER (2) 3. CABLE SWITCHER (3) 4. CHANNEL STRIPS (4) 5. MIXER (5) The output of the Xpander is sent to a CHANNEL SPLITTER so that each voice from the Xpander will be split off based on its channel assignment. That way, each voice can be independently processed through the CHANNEL STRIPS (4) and sent to individual channels in the MIXER (5). Using the MIDI channel map tool in the Xpander allows the assignment of different voices to different output paths easily, without having to rewire the environment every time a change is desired. This is prewired and ready to experiment with. All that is necessary is to load sounds into each of the six ES2 soft synths. I recommend loading several different sounds and playing with changing the MIDI output assignments on the Xpander. Its possible to get many different timbres and colors from a single setup just by changing which voice addresses which sound. The possibilities are virtually endless!

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Example 2 (Xpander Example 2.logic project le)

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In this example, I have created a very basic routing scheme. This scheme allows an Xpander to be present in the input path at all times, and can be turned on or off by using the switch (1) to select between direct throughput to the SEQUENCER INPUT (off) or to route incoming MIDI through the XPANDER (on). This way, whatever sound is active in the arrange window will either be played directly, or will be controlled by the Xpander. This can be useful to quickly throw a random sequence of harmonies into a project or to see how a string or horn line would sound processed through the Xpander. ANother added benet is the ability to record the output of the Xpander to the active instrument track.

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Example 3 (Xpander Example 3.logic project le)

In this example I have placed all four Xpander variations on the MIXER layer, and have cabled them to a CHANNEL SPLITTER which is cabled to six individual CHANNEL STRIPS. The switch (1) can be used to switch between the different Xpanders. It is labeled with the active Xpanders name. By clicking the switch, the active Xpander can be changed. This allows for experimentation with many different harmonic schemes or varying amounts of randomness. By setting up each Xpander with different harmonies and amounts of rotation, it is possible to have a virtually endless supply of new and fresh ideas to inspire creativity.

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Wrap Up

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EWILogic Labs is an extension of EWILogic and EWILogic.com. EWILogic Labs promotes the exploration of Logic for use with the EWI, and for new and creative ways to expand the playability of the EWI. Mostly, its just about playing with these cool tools and having fun! Check the EWILogic.com website for more tutorials on using Logic with the EWI. Register for, and join the discussion at the EWILogic forum, where all things EWI and Logic are discussed and answers to many of your questions can be found. The forum contains an entire section dedicated to the Xpander package. Technical support can be requested through the EWILogic.com website, or by email at john@ewilogic.com.
Some useful links: EWILogic.com Website http://www.ewilogic.com/ Players Corner Forum http://ewilogic.com/smf/

Happy Harmonizing!

This software is made available from ewilogic.com. It may not be redistributed, resold, transferred or modied in any way without the authors consent.

Harmonic Xpander V1.0 2011 John Isley, EWILogic.com, IsleyMusic LLC. All Rights Reserved

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Harmonic Xpander V1.0