MIDI Devices

18
MIDI devices
Device node
This shows the name of the selected node. You can rename
some or all nodes, for example if the device is a typical GM-
compatible synth you may want to rename “Channel 10” to
“Drums”.
Panels
In the Panels window area a list of panels assigned to the
selected node will be shown (currently no panels are as-
signed).
The “Add Panel” button opens the Add Panel dialog,
see “The Add Panel Dialog” on page 18.
When an existing panel is selected in the Panels win-
dow area, the “Edit Panel” button will open the panel for
editing in the Edit Panel window, see “The Edit Panel win-
dow” on page 19.
Variables
The “Add Variables” button lets you define variables.
Variables are useful when you’re working with multiple in-
stances of the same panel. A typical example is when you
have a multi-timbral synthesizer with 16 parts, where each
part is identical in terms of features and functions, and all
that distinguishes them are the MIDI channel numbers. So
you create multiple subnodes where the variable is named
“part” and the variable range is 1–16. This way you can
repeat the same objects and parameters across all parts.
The “Add Parameters” button opens the “Add Parame-
ter” dialog where you define the parameters that will be
used in the Panel. A parameter defines how the setting of
the connected device can be modified, what the valid
range is and what the current state of the parameter is.
Parameters are assigned to objects (see “Control to pa-
rameter assignment area (bottom middle)” on page 20),
i.e. knobs, faders, switches or data entry fields on a panel.
The “Add Subnodes” button lets you create subsidiary
nodes. This is useful when you wish to create multiple
panels for one node. When you build a device panel you
may want to break it up in several parts, or “subpanels” –
e.g. one for the Envelope section, one for the Filter section
and so forth. By creating all panel sections under separate
subnodes, you can show the different sections in the In-
spector or channel strip. From these subpanels you can
later build a large main panel using the subpanels, see
“Creating complex panels” on page 30.
The Add Panel Dialog
Clicking the “Add Panel” button in the Device window
opens a dialog where you select the size and enter a name
for the new panel. You have three default sizes to choose
from:
General Size (352*352 pixels by default).
This is the largest view, which is to be used in a separate Panel window.
The size is customizable, as you often need more than 352 by 352 pixels
to fit all controls of an entire instrument into one screen.
Inspector Size (157*342 pixels).
The standard size for a Panel to be used in the Inspector.
Channel Strip Size (84*322 pixels).
The standard size for a panel to be used in a Mixer channel strip.