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Table of Contents Welcome ________________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 System Requirements _____________________________________________________________________ Page 3 What is TriplePlay __________________________________________________________________________Page 3 What’s Included _____________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 In a Hurry? Basic MIDI Controller Mode _________________________________________________________ Pag
Welcome Thank you for making Fishman a part of your music making experience. We are proud to offer you high-quality professional-grade tools to empower you to sound your very best. We are confident that with TriplePlay, you now own a remarkable musical tool that will transform the way you play guitar. System Requirements Standard Broadband connection for software downloads Computer Hardware: 4GB of RAM and 40GB of free HD space Apple Mac: OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.
TriplePlay Package Contents A C B A. TriplePlay controller. Mounts to the top of your guitar. B. TriplePlay pickup. Installed close to the bridge of your guitar. C. TriplePlay receiver. This plugs into one of your computer’s USB ports. D F E D. Controller mounting brackets. An alternative to direct instrument controller mounting. E. Controller mounting pad. Use this to attach your controller to your guitar or tailpiece bracket. F. TOM pickup mounting brackets.
Basic Concepts If you’re new to MIDI guitar or making music with computers, you may find it helpful to read through the following sections. If you’re an experienced computer musician, you can probably skip ahead to Typical TriplePlay Setups. A Different Kind of Pickup. Traditional electric guitar pickups convert string vibration into the electrical signal you send to an amplifier or recording device. The TriplePlay pickup converts that same performance into MIDI, transmitting it wirelessly to your computer.
Typical TriplePlay Setups TriplePlay hardware can be used as a basic MIDI controller. Your TriplePlay hardware should appear in most software as an available MIDI device with six separate MIDI channels, one for each guitar string. Basic MIDI Controller Mode is useful for quick access to MIDI functions, with little or no software installation required, and will allow access to proprietary plug-ins and instruments not usable within Fishman’s software.
Typical TriplePlay Setups (cont’d) If your computer has an internal sound card, you can also connect your guitar’s output directly to your computer’s audio input using a simple audio connector. This is an easy way to explore TriplePlay, though most users eventually opt for the improved sound and performance of a dedicated audio interface. Audio out to headphones or speakers TriplePlay wirelessly transmits MIDI data.
Typical TriplePlay Setups (cont’d) You can also use hardware amp simulators with TriplePlay. Some of these transmit audio to your computer directly, while others may require an audio interface for best results. Audio out to headphones or speakers Computer running TriplePlay software Audio interface TriplePlay receiver TriplePlay wirelessly transmits MIDI data. Guitar audio signal processed through hardware amp modler. Installation and Setup Installing and calibrating TriplePlay requires special care.
Final Setup Steps Charging the Controller TriplePlay uses no disposable batteries. Connect the controller to a computer USB port or the AC adapter using the provided charge cable whenever it needs to be recharged (figure 1). A small green light illuminates while the controller is charging and goes out when charging is complete. It takes about 90 minutes to charge the controller, which will provide an estimated 20 hours of performance time.
Audio Hardware Settings Configure TriplePlay to work with whatever method you’re using to get sound in and out of your computer. (The most common configuration options are covered in Typical TriplePlay Setups.) To reveal these settings, click Options near the upper-left corner of the main window, and then Preferences. The Preferences window appears (figure 3). figure 3 If you don’t intend to use traditional guitar, select your preferred built-in audio drivers for input and output.
Calibrating TriplePlay One of TriplePlay’s coolest features is the way you can fine-tune it to suit your individual playing style. Here’s how: 1. Once you’ve linked your controller and receiver as detailed on page 8, locate the TriplePlay program on your computer and open it to begin. 2. The main TriplePlay window will appear (figure 5) figure 5 3. We’ll get to know the TriplePlay interface in-depth soon.
Scanning for Install Plug-Ins (cont’d) Click Scan for effects. TriplePlay searches your computer for compatible plug-ins (figure 9). This process may take a few minutes, depending on the number of plug-ins the scan detects. Once the scan is complete, all available plug-ins appear on this list. To complete the scan process, click-hold the gray box at the bottom of any of the mixer’s Synth channels. This popup (figure 10) will appear. figure 9 Click Scan for sounds.
Controlling TriplePlay Software Via External MIDI Device Users may want to control TriplePlay functions using an external device. Once a device is connected to your computer, select its input port via the Preferences menu, under Options from the pull down menus. The Foot pedal MIDI input allows you to select your MIDI input device. The TP application has five possible externally controlled functions. These should be sent via MIDI channel one: 1. Hold / Loop.
Hardware Only Functionality, Basic Mode and Optional Controller Boot Functions Your TriplePlay controller has several optional boot modes which can be useful for certain functions of the product when operated outside of TriplePlay software or for resetting factory defaults and other diagnostics. These can be initiated by holding a D-Pad control down, while simultaneously turning on the power switch of the TriplePlay controller. D C C C A B D Basic Mode: ← A B A. Enter B D B. Back C. Up D.
Hardware Mode Patches Once booted in Hardware Mode, users can move up and down between Hardware Mode Patches using the UP and DOWN D-Pad controls on the TriplePlay controller. Over 200 Hardware Mode Patches can be saved to the TriplePlay Controller using the Fishman TriplePlay standalone software.
The Menu Tree This is a system of nested menus that largely duplicate functions from the main interface with two important exceptions. Note that two Global parameters Tune Base and Pitch Bend Range are not accessible anywhere but the Menu Tree through use of the D-Pad on your controller. Here in the Menu Tree, you can display and edit these and other menu settings via the TriplePlay controller’s D-Pad buttons.
• Touch Sensitivity. There are 10 possible settings, Fingerstyle 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and Pick 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. (Higher numbers signify greater sensitivity.) Choose the option that best matches your playing style. • Sound Parameters. There is an identical set of four controls for each of the Synth channels plus the Pedal channel. Pitchbend. Defines how TriplePlay interprets pitches that “fall between” the frets, such as bent notes. There are four options: i. Auto.
TriplePlay Software Please note that no one guide could be large enough to detail all the features and options in the huge variety of software that is provided with your new guitar controller system. We encourage you to read and investigate the full features of the partner software from their individual user guides and internet knowledge bases. The next section will discuss the specific features of your Fishman branded TriplePlay software.
The Save Patch Dialogs Additional dialogs appear when saving or browsing patches. 1. Patches window. Appears when you click the Patch Readout area’s Browse Patches button. (figure 14). Here you can browse both factory patches and user patches. Click the name of any patch to load it. You can remove any patch from user memory by selecting it and then clicking Delete window. figure 14 If you’re editing a factory patch, pressing Save opens the smaller Save Patch dialog (figure 15).
The Sensitivity/Tuner Area This is where you calibrate TriplePlay’s response to suit your personal playing style. This area doubles as a digital tuner. A. String name. Identifies each string by pitch (in standard tuning only). B. Sensitivity meters. Displays of the sensitivity level for each string. A C B F G C. Sensitivity increment/decrement buttons. These appear when hovD ering your cursor next to the numeral indicating the sensitivity settings.
The Mixer Area (cont’d) The six mixer channels share similar sets of controls. H A. Plug-In buttons. Click to open the Plug-In Select window, where you can choose a VGR or VI for each channel. (The Master channel has no plug-in button.) G F E D B. Channel names. These fixed labels specify whether the channel hosts guitar plug-ins (VGRs), synth/sampler plug-ins (VIs), or a synth/sampler with a sustain pedal. C C. Channel faders. Virtual sliders for setting the volume of each channel. B A D.
The Plug-In Edit Window There are two parts to each Plug-In Edit window: The main area contains the plug-in’s edit screen. Attached to the left side of this field is the TriplePlay Parameters panel, where you specify how TriplePlay conveys your performance to the plug-in. The main edit area varies from plug-in to plug-in. For more specifics, consult the documentation that accompanies the plug-in.
TriplePlay Parameters panel - Synth view (cont’d) • Transpose control. You can transpose each synth independently from the others. Adjustable by ±1-24, with 1 representing a half-step, and 24 representing the maximum transposition of two octaves. (You might, for example, dial in a setting of -12 for a bass patch to obtain notes below the regular range of the guitar, or a setting of +12 for a flute patch above the guitar’s range.
TriplePlay Parameters panel (External Synth) If you’ve directed a TriplePlay channel to control an external synth (in the Patch Select window), you see a specialized set of Hardware parameters for controlling patch changes via program change numbers and LSB (Least Significant Byte) and MSB (Most Significant Byte) values. Different hardware instruments interpret these messages differently, so consult the documentation for your particular instrument. Use the up and down arrows to scroll the values.
The Fretboard/Edit Splits Area The lower portion of the Perform window is a virtual fretboard that depicts each note you play in real time. A C B A. Virtual fretboard. The graphic is oriented with the lowest string at the bottom, as if you were peering over your guitar’s neck at the fretboard (assuming you’re right-handed). The moving dots depict each note you play on the fretboard. B. Show Splits button. Click to open the Edit Splits view. C. Fretboard display toggle.
The Fretboard/Edit Splits area (cont’d) figure 18 - Here the Synth 1 and Synth 2 zones are highlighted, making their handles active. figure 18 figure 19 - Here the Synth 3 and Synth 4 zones are highlighted, making their handles active figure 19 figure 20 - Here the Synth 1/Synth 2 and Synth 3/Synth 4 zones overlap. Notes played between the fifth and tenth frets trigger notes from two synth channels. figure 20 figure 21- Here the Synth 1/Synth 2 and Synth 3/Synth 4 zones overlap.
Pull Down Menus Patches menu Use this menu to save the active patch and to import and export your patch database. Options menu • Preferences. Opens the Preferences window, (figure 23) which contains settings pertaining to your audio hardware. o The Output pull-down menu lists the outputs for any compatible and connected audio hardware, as well as your computer’s built-in output. The Input pull-down displays all available input channels.
Plug-In Version of TriplePlay (cont’d) Window menu • Patches. Opens the Patches window. (This duplicates the functionality of Browse Patches button in the Patch Readout area.) • Songs. Opens TriplePlay’s Songs window, where you can arrange your User patches into groups. For example, you might want to use Patch #3 for a song’s intro, Patch #17 for its verses, Patch #8 for the choruses, and Patch #1 for the bridge.
Glossary Amp simulator (or modeler). A software or hardware device that mimics the sound of an analog guitar amplifier. Two excellent amp simulators, Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig and IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube Custom Shop, are included with TriplePlay. In TriplePlay, amp simulators can only be used on the mixer’s Guitar channel. See also: Virtual Guitar Rig (VGR). Audio buffer. Buffering is the process of retaining a small amount of audio information in a computer’s RAM to ensure glitch-free performance.
Glossary (cont’d) Factory patch. Any of the predesigned patches included with TriplePlay. You cannot erase or overwrite the factory sounds, but you can copy them to User Memory and modify them there. See Patch and User Patch. Fader. A control used to make fine adjustments to a sound. The sliding volume controls in TriplePlay’s Mixer section mimic the faders on hardware recording consoles. Foot pedal. See Controller pedal. Hexaphonic pickup.
Glossary (cont’d) Pan. Short for panorama. Refers to the position of a sound within the stereo field. Each TriplePlay mixer channel lets you position sounds to the right, the left, or anywhere between. Assigning varying pan positions to multiple sounds within a patch can create a sense of drama and depth. Patch. A “snapshot” of a set of TriplePlay settings saved in memory. Each patch represents a different sound, plus all of its attached performance parameters.
Glossary (cont’d) Split. When a MIDI instrument is set up to trigger different sounds from different parts of its range, the individual zones are referred to as splits. TriplePlay’s Splits Editor can create splits according to fret position or string. For example, you might assign an organ sound to the four upper strings, and a bass sound to the two lower strings.
® FCC Notice (for U.S. Customers): This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules: Operation is subject to the following conditions: 1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes and modifications not expressly approved by FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS can void your authority to operate this equipment under Federal Communications Commissions rules.
