making all notes from MIDI keyboard a fixed velocity/volume?

[Brainfever Bird]

Hello,
I'm using LMMS version 1.2.2 under Windows 10. I'm new to LMMS, I've stumbled around learning a bit by reading some advice and seeing a few videos, and gradually managed to create a setup where I can record a MIDI file directly from MIDI keyboard of my playing of 4-part Bach chorales. As I'm using an organ-like sound I want every note to play out with equal volume, but I cannot figure out how to set that. I have managed to set all notes to equal velocity after recording, in an editor, but I would like to eliminate the variable loudness I hear when playing. [my keyboard touch is not very even]. Hope you can direct me how to set this up.

My goal here is to make some reference wave file recordings of each chorale in several different temperaments, for comparison purposes, to accompany a paper I hope to finish before my time on earth ends. For rendering these recordings, and for general playing purposes I use ZynAddSubFX [version 2] running under VSThost. VSThost has no function for MIDI file recording, so I tried LMMS. ZASF allows me to set all velocities as equal as they are played. so I hope to achieve the same under LMMS.

Thanks very much for all your work at answering the many questions that come your way - seems like a full-time job!

[musikbear]

Hello,
I'm using LMMS version 1.2.2 under Windows 10. I'm new to LMMS,

Hi, Welcome to the Forum Brainfever Bird!
As new to LMMS and maybe also to DAWs in general(?) perhaps my video Rookie-guide can be useful for you. Link in my signature!
Here are all important links:
http://lmms.io/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4740
-A few rules and useful forum instructions
If you like to introduce yourself, to the community, go here:
http://lmms.io/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4480

As I'm using an organ-like sound I want every note to play out with equal volume, but I cannot figure out how to set that. I have managed to set all notes to equal velocity after recording, in an editor, but

I would like to eliminate the variable loudness I hear when playing.

If you have the same velocity on all notes, the only thing that can make the notes have individual loudness, is your MIDI-keyboard.
But i doubt you have identical velocity, but that can be fixed easily.
Mark all notes in piano-roll (ctrl+a)
Now you can mouse-click inside the velocity area on a bar, and all the velocity bars will move to the same value.

Velocity area with 3 different velocities
Then try replay. Are the notes still with individual loudness?
If they are, then i suspect that it could be a ZynAddSubFX [version 2] running under VSThost issue.
Is there any special reason that you dont want to use the ZynAddSubFX that is integrated part of LMMS? The LMMS plugin Organic is build for emulating organs, btw

( I am afraid i dont know much about advanced classical music .. a chorale is a part of a partiture for a piece of classical organ music afair..

[Brainfever Bird]

Explanation of "Chorales" [before I get back to the main topic].
Thanks for your response, I will try what you illustrate later, but here I will try to explain for you "Chorales" since you bravely admitted you were not familiar with the concept.
I find I don't have much to add to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... stian_Bach
the essence is explained at the beginning, you don't need the entire long article. JSB was not the first to write these but his work now forms the basis of a way that Harmony is taught.
All are based on a hymn tune that would be familiar to the congregation. Earlier composers in the Catholic church used different chants from its liturgy, what we generally now call Gregorian Chant as a catch-all term, sometimes as a basis for a composition, working the tune into their counterpoint in many clever ways. Other tunes from popular songs also could be employed in a similar fashion.
The Lutheran and some other reform religions made heavy use of tunes [many were originally popular secular tunes, with new lyrics] in their church services. Luther was very keen on the spiritual power of music. So gradually this particular form evolved, with the familiar tune in the Soprano, and ATB adding harmony. Most of JS Bach's cantatas end with one of these chorale settings (not the solo cantatas). Some are fairly simple in their harmonies, but others become quite dissonant or move to strange keys all in a few bars duration.
They are a standard for teaching harmony.

Here is an old example of what I am doing with chorales, made before I got a better organ sound, or learned about making a reverb (which is something else we will end up discussing in the future.) So I am trying to rework these with a better sound in mind.

https://tuningmeister.com/Tutorial/Bach ... 0262X.html

The chorale 262 is rendered in 4 different tuning systems, Equal Temperament, Pythagorean Tuning, Quarter Comma Meantone, Sixth Comma Meantone. I have broken up the examples also into separate phrases, to allow you to compare the sounds a few bars at a time. Sixth Comma Meantone is what is described by Mozart writing to a student I believe in England.
In particular, these tunings use different pitches for what we today call "enharmonic" notes. E-flat and D-sharp are not the same pitch. If a chorale has these, I splice together several sections, since I am limited to 12 notes in each octave.
That is not the case here, but 262 has a very rare use, the only one within Bach's Chorales, of the Neapolitan chord at the start of the 2nd phrase. [Neapolitan is not that rare elsewhere in Bach]

I will try out your LMMS technique and respond with a separate post soon I hope.

Thank you!

[Brainfever Bird]

Hello, I have tried what you suggested, and as it seemed clear to me, did not do what I need. Changing the velocity values after the fact is easy, but what I want is to hear all the notes equal volume while I play the keyboard into the MIDI recorder function, i.e. while it is recording in Piano Roll. I tried playing again and it is the same as before.
I can't think of anything simpler than to have button where you say - "make all notes play at velocity xxx" Isn't this possible??

Is there any special reason that you dont want to use the ZynAddSubFX that is integrated part of LMMS?

Well, because I didn't know of it until you mentioned it!
I had seen that somewhere there was a list of sounds from ZASF, but I was too busy working out just how to hear any kind of sound at that moment. So I would like to try to make that work if you can explain, or link to something already illustrating it. I am assuming that it will do its tuning alterations the same as when I run it under VSThost (?)

Meanwhile I have also added a reverb module after ZASF organ sounds. As you can hear from the audio of Chorale #262, it was a pretty bland sound. I always need to use no-cost downloads - I happen to have ended up with Oril River. This would work as well under LMMS? Anyway, actually getting a reverb that sounds like a real organ in a real church is something I am still far from achieving.

Meanwhile I will look forward to trying ZASF under LMMS.

Thank you.

[64k_]

midi

[musikbear]

Hello, I have tried what you suggested, and as it seemed clear to me, did not do what I need. Changing the velocity values after the fact is easy, but what I want is to hear all the notes equal volume while I play the keyboard into the MIDI recorder function, i.e. while it is recording in Piano Roll. I tried playing again and it is the same as before.
I can't think of anything simpler than to have button where you say - "make all notes play at velocity xxx" Isn't this possible??

Is there any special reason that you dont want to use the ZynAddSubFX that is integrated part of LMMS?

Well, because I didn't know of it until you mentioned it!
I had seen that somewhere there was a list of sounds from ZASF, but I was too busy working out just how to hear any kind of sound at that moment. So I would like to try to make that work if you can explain, or link to something already illustrating it. I am assuming that it will do its tuning alterations the same as when I run it under VSThost (?)

Meanwhile I have also added a reverb module after ZASF organ sounds. As you can hear from the audio of Chorale #262, it was a pretty bland sound. I always need to use no-cost downloads - I happen to have ended up with Oril River. This would work as well under LMMS? Anyway, actually getting a reverb that sounds like a real organ in a real church is something I am still far from achieving.

Meanwhile I will look forward to trying ZASF under LMMS.

Thank you.

Sorry but changing all notes to only one volume in live play is not possible, and for good reason. The keyboard you are using is making the notes have velocity, and LMMS support that, so the variation in sound that you can hear is velocity. You could use a PC-keyboard instead of your MIDI-keyboard, because input from a PC-keyboard will always make all notes have identical properties, nomatter how the keys are pressed.
Using zasfx is as easy as any other instrument that is part of LMMS. You can either drag an existing preset into your song-editor from the MyPresets-collection in sidebar, or you can drag an empty zasfx in from Instruments, but then you will have to make the setup for the sound-syntheses your self. The presets are already build, and are named accordingly.
I have made a playlist for zasfx where i look at both zasfx' simple UI and Advanced UI, and the different thing that can be done:

[SavannahWheeler]

In LMMS, try adjusting the velocity curve in the instrument settings or disabling velocity sensitivity in ZynAddSubFX. You can also edit the velocity manually in the piano roll after recording. If your MIDI keyboard has velocity settings, reducing sensitivity there might help too. Hope you find a smooth solution! Writing a dissertation was overwhelming for me, especially with multiple deadlines piling up. I searched for a service to write my dissertation, and that’s when I found UKWritings, which is available at ukwritings.com/write-my-dissertation here. The writer assigned to my paper was highly knowledgeable and followed all my university’s formatting guidelines. The dissertation was well-structured, with in-depth research and proper citations. It arrived on time, and I even had the chance to request revisions. If you need dissertation help, this service is a great option!