Kontrol S4 Super Effects Mapping
Kontrol S4 Super Effects Mapping Posted on: 07.06.2011 by Karolis Petrauskas Hi Guys,After using the instant gratification mapping on my maschine I decided to adapt it a bit to my S4. What I did was use a few of the combos I'd normally use on the midifighter mapping and make it S4 friendly. So far the mapping is for decks A & B. This mapping takes up all 4 units and is controlled by the knobs on the S4. You'll notice slot 3 in your effects bank in unit 1 & 2 is empty. I did this so I could put the delay at the end of the chain. This allows for a nice delay when using the masher. It's basically 4 great effects that are super easy to use. After using them for a bit I turned off effect view and free'ed up some space on my screen. Test it out and let me know what you believe. I hope you enjoy it. How to use: Make your traktor version use 4 effect units by going to: Preferences >> Effects >> 4 FX Units Next Import the TSI file by using the big import button on the bottom. NOTE***make sure you back up any mapping you have done as this will overwrite them.*** How it works: This works on Decks A & B Only right now. I have also not figured out how to make the advanced toggle work properly. To me these effects work great and they require less fiddling around while mixing. Each side has the same effects and the effect units are auto assigned when you press them. This solves the issue of assigning effect units in 4 effect unit mode. Effects are as follows: Dry/Wet Knob remains the same Dry/Wet button = Midifighter Freeze Knob 1 + Button 1 = Beatmasher + A little Reverb + A light Delay Knob 2 + Button 2 = Army of me Whoosh Knob 3 + Button 3 = Defaults to the Midifighter delay on press. Moving the knob will adjust the parameters. ***Issues*** When you first load it your effects may not be synced up when you press the button. To correct it turn off the effect buttons on units 1 & 2 from within the software (meaning use the mouse). This will sync the toggle modifiers I used. | |
| Viola Giannobile 29.09.2011 |
Originally Posted by bigbeatzz
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| Francina Decosse 01.07.2011 | Great thanks for the help!
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
I've started to build an XLS file to document and plan the entire mapping with the modifiers madness. Will take me some time, but goes well so far. Again, great, great thanks for the feedback! |
| Lilla Tankesley 28.12.2011 | So I'm gonna resurrect this thread. Just wondering how do I import the left and right tsi together? |
| Garry Bigaouette 30.09.2011 | Very interested in this!....Looking forward to the finished article! Any news on Eans mappings from the S2 being made for the S4 yet also? |
| Viola Giannobile 29.09.2011 |
Originally Posted by bigbeatzz
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| Karolis Petrauskas 29.09.2011 | Yes but I'd like to wait until NI opens up the user mappings as they have done with the S2. Hopefully we'll know more about it soon. |
| Viola Giannobile 29.09.2011 | Is this still being developed? Please say yes! |
| Ashlie Culcasi 12.07.2011 | Nice work, looking forward to testing that |
| Annabel Pammer 12.07.2011 | the only reason why i want it is to make it simpler for me to use that effect and other because when it comes to mapping im a noob. now if i could get that on one knob per side i dont mind and still be able to use my other Fx then hell yea! dont need the lpd. |
| Francina Decosse 12.07.2011 | the lpd8 is great! You can use it for tons of stuff. It has AMAZING potential and can be loaded with lots of extra controls. Still, with the mapping improvements I'm working on, the S4 is becoming a much more powerful tool and is still a single controller with a single cable connected to the computer. Your choice man, but why not. You seem to really want an LPD8, right |
| Annabel Pammer 12.07.2011 | OMFG i got it to work. damm that effect is awesome. hey loop would it be easier to just get the akai lpd and will it work with just the tutorial alone on army of me whoosh vid. if it will ill just go out and buy it cause i still do need all my effect. whhhoooosshhh out yo! |
| Francina Decosse 12.07.2011 | Hi Sayo, I know there's a bug in the state syncing for the Right side assignment in the update I posted few weeks ago, but am too busy with other stuff in the last days and couldn't get my mind on fixing it yet. Regardless, the Woosh FX is working fine with the left side assignment (FX2 button on channels A & C) of the mapping and I will definitely fix the sync state of the right side too asap. Note that besides the state sync issue, the woosh FX works on the right too, it's just not as robust as on the left side ... damn I feel guilty for failing here :/ Cheers! |
| Annabel Pammer 12.07.2011 | Thanks big beatz. im gonna go back and try to sync it but does anyone know if it would be easier if i just bought a seperate efx controller. i was believeing about the akai lpd8 and just follow the tutorial on army of whoosh vid. damm i really like that effect. |
| Renate Kalberg 09.07.2011 | I would like to change the assignment of the freeze (undo) delay (rec) and reverb (delete) to other effects as I already use a midi fighter. Which should I edit? Or if you would like to change it and repost, any other useful effects would be nice. Thanks for the map tho like the army whoosh. |
| Karolis Petrauskas 09.07.2011 | Sayo try this from my first post, your toggle modifiers are out of sync: " ***Issues*** When you first load it your effects may not be synced up when you press the button. To correct it turn off the effect buttons on units 1 & 2 from within the software (meaning use the mouse). This will sync the toggle modifiers I used. " |
| Annabel Pammer 09.07.2011 | ok this isnt working out for me. its a little on the complicated side. i seem to be able to do the army of woosh on deck A but cant seem to use it on B. on top of that once i use it i have to turn it off and back on .... im all confused. now my effect is all screwed up is there anyone with the default setting or anyone way to return back to default. im also a noob when it comes to mapping i really wanted to get the army of woosh without getting an external controller. |
| Francina Decosse 02.07.2011 | I believe i found an acceptable solution for the Delay Freeze - one of the Shifts + the On/Off can be programmed to prepare the slave unit on the oposite side for a freeze execution. it's not perfect and would compromise the spontaneity, but it's a legit solution. As improved approach, I'm also believeing that by default, the SE engage action can prepare the unit upfront under certain conditions so it's there for a kick . The Shift+ action will still be useful as a backup, in case the oposite side is also in active Super Effect mode. BTW, I found a bug with the state reset (not flushing the parameters on/off state) with the right side of the mapping. Will have it fix and will upload an update soon.
Originally Posted by bigbeatz
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| Francina Decosse 01.07.2011 | Great thanks for the help!
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
I've started to build an XLS file to document and plan the entire mapping with the modifiers madness. Will take me some time, but goes well so far. Again, great, great thanks for the feedback! |
| Kecia Wnukowski 01.07.2011 |
That's a pure math thing and i should be able to recall my matrix transformation knowledge and come up with a solution soon. Will keep you posted!
like for example m3=7 with modifiers conditions fx mode 1=0 and shift hold =1 so when you need to have three conditions for a state/event you can use the modifier 3=7 because by nature it can only exist when fx mode=0 and shift hold (in other words you hide two modifiers in one). That still leaves you with a free modifier condition to add to your function(s). This principle could be multiplied by even adding others layers of modifiers inside. It's like building a core and then adding a external shell, then another one (all existing or built on the previous). As for a matrix of event you can use if you're short on modifiers a grid built on sequential values of different modifiers or even other modifiers. The matter is here is just to specified for each one of the modifiers you're using what are the different values when a specific button is used (covering all different modifiers used, being specific on all possibilities. A third point as it seems a misunderstanding for many around. If you don't tick 'remember the effect settings' and you managed to keep all the time your f xunit to a specific type then it is possible to have instant fx all the time if you're ready to create all the functions needed for all 'events' you want to call. For example I have a set of button, all activate the same fx unit in advance mode but all set, directly without any need to be pushed twice, different single FX with settings as I want them to be (and engages the fx and/or eventually the fx unit). That's exactly the same in group mode. I saw many times on the community that wasn't possible, well, it works me you know, so. The only request apart the stability of the fx mode (or the reliability of any system to bring the fx mode to this state) is too map ALL fx settings, and for each 'event' (an event being a conjunction of several modifiers, one brick within your matrix/grid). I'm mentioning that because as a suggestion if you review your combo and that you can manage/create them so each second fx unit used for each pair of units is always in advanced mode, you can now duplicate your mapping for all decks, each pair of units relating to a pair of decks and still have an instant freeze delay for each side that you call from a push of a button. The only problem here would be use a buffer fx (one that need an audio buffer of 'some' time) as those most of the time need to be activated at least two times before actually being in effect how you want them to be. Think in terms of pair of fx units so also each pair of fx units will be activated by the same fx on button for a given deck, it solves the issue of any led behaviour on those fx buttons too (fx button C 1 toggles units1&3, fx button A 1 toggles the same units; fx button B 2 toggles units 2&4, same for deck d with the fx button 2). Clearness isn't my speciality too but I hope you get the rough idea(s). |
| Leeanna Ayla 30.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by loop
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| Francina Decosse 30.06.2011 | haze - just did a major edit of the previous comment, re-read, please. It's worth! |
| Julissa Serrone 30.06.2011 | you mofo's are getting deep with this!!!! props |
| Francina Decosse 30.06.2011 | ... more thoughts on C&D implementation w/ layer changing:
Yul, is there a way to know which layer is active on the controller ? I mean is it A or C on the left and B or D on the right?
we can track the layer state with an additional modifier (e.g. M6). What I mean is - since boot of the the controller, we know that it's in A/B control. Each change of the layer of the respective deck can get reflected in M6=0/1 and we simply know which deck (& FX unit control) is active! If we say that by default (e.g. A/left side), FX1 is master, FX3 is slave - that'd be M6=0 When we change the left layer, FX3 will become master and FX1 will be slave - M6=1 now comes a new challenge: M5=1 says that we have SuperEffects combo 1 (my vision is to have 6 combo presets slots in M5!). That's currently implemented as a second modifier condition, while the first is the M1-4 - which combo FX is on. For the layer tracking, we need to have a third ... but we only have two condition slots in the editor - a 2 dimensional matrix, where we need to fill-in a 3 dimensional one. The good is that we have one more spare modifier - M7 to help us out. M8 is for the shift buttons, so count it reserved. That's a pure math thing and i should be able to recall my matrix transformation knowledge and come up with a solution soon. Will keep you posted! EDIT: Re-read if you've already seen this before this note is inserted ... |
| Francina Decosse 30.06.2011 | good call about the deck layer buttons! That's something I haven't thought of yet and have to handle for sure! The minimum, being SuperEeffects OFF (as FXUnit.Mode). BTW, "C.FX On 2"/"D.FX On 1" buttons should also abort SE mode, similar to the deck layer switch, as it's interference too ... The solution: It's not enough if you set M5=0. You have to at least detach the FX units from the active channel. In case of left, you need to detach units 1 & 4 and optionally 3. The hardware control goes to FX3, so you may leave on and as is (assigned or not, up to you) but you could better initialize it with favorite preset of 3 effects (or 1 advanced). In my approach, unassigning the units is the sufficient "reset", as the "assign" action takes care of the M* flushing and the rest of the SE setup. If you look at the mapping, when hitting "A.FX.On 2" i don't examine modifier conditions at all - basically, a dull flush of all relevant altered stuff. That's a safer way to assure a proper environment in place. To be honest, my idea of C&D Super Effects does not cover deck layer switching. I'm mostly having C&D as sample decks (hidden in the UI) with no need of layer switching at all. I sometimes use 3rd track deck + 1 sample, so "+1" to take care of this. First thought is that the simplest approach for this case might be a new pair of left & right TSIs to use e.g. FX3 as master unit and FX1 as slave. Left aside, there's no way to examine the state of the layer in which the controller is, so I can't believe of a way to distinguish ... Yul, is there a way to know which layer is active on the controller ? I mean is it A or C on the left and B or D on the right? and BTW, I'm looking for a useful modifier to become a condition for whether a deck is in Track/Sample/Live mode. The deck mode (0/1) seems pointless. Thoughts? |
| Karolis Petrauskas 30.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by loop
Right now it's so complicated that I need to rest my brain! LOL I am actually believeing that the X1 may be the best bet for this until NI opens up those knobs. It's like you are fighting the system and the system wins. Right now decks a/b work great but c/d are going to be an issue. |
| Francina Decosse 30.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by bigbeatzz
I would suggest to make it as on demand preparation & activation of the Delay freeze mode on the oposite side and deactivate it on off command. The mapping can easily recover the environment when a new combo is activated on the oposite side. The only implication would be that if an active FX combo performance is running on the oposite side, it will be ruined. It will just be a limitation of the mapping and that'd be fine IMO. There are no other critical issues I can foresee - everything else I'm working on can still be done. Tell me - have you tried the improved version? all good with the TSIs? |
| Karolis Petrauskas 30.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by loop
Feel free to make changes Loop, from what I've seen I believe you'll only make this better. |
| Annabel Pammer 30.06.2011 | cant wait to try it out. NEED that army of me whoosh. would definetly help my mixing out. |
| Francina Decosse 29.06.2011 | there's no way I could do that in the near days. For the last 2 weeks, I'm on an unreliable GPRS connection with about 5-10kb/s at most. It'll be like this for some more time to come. Either way, what's done is so easy to import & test ... the separate TSIs (left&right) can just be imported, following the instructions and you're all set. |
| Renata Brodzeller 28.06.2011 | Guys, i really believe it would be a lot easier if you record a video with the functions and post here! |
| Kecia Wnukowski 28.06.2011 |
I'd really love to see a demo of your more recent S4 mapping improvements. Please, please, please - don't worry if it'll be a short dirty mix - you always manage to have them both inspirational and musical
I digress, back on topic. |
| Francina Decosse 27.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by Yul
Originally Posted by bigbeatzz
And with the Shift + FX Assign idea (in place of the x-fader) ... you could safely count on at least two additional toggle modes = 2 more combo slots. It sums to like 4 total slots for combos ... Amazing! |
| Francina Decosse 27.06.2011 | I'm done with the toggle improvement of the "S4 Super Effects 1.tsi" mapping! What has been changed & improved: 1. Super Effects mode can be switched on or off. If off, the S4 works by default in 4FX mode 2. To activate Super FX: a) on channel A, you need to press Ch. A -> FX Assign 2 (the small button below the Gain encoder). To deactivate it, press the FX2 button again. b) on channel B, you need to press Ch. B -> FX Assign 1 . To deactivate it, press the FX 1 again. c) to prevent mistakes, there is an additional toggle off from the SE mode - you could either press or the FX mode buttons (the group/advanced toggles) or press the respective (A/1 or B/2) FX assign buttons. 3. All buttons and LEDs are now properly synced across all FX units upon activation/deactivation of the Super Effects mode. 4. There is a visual indication when the SE mode is on - the respective FX buttons blinks in beat. 5. All FX functions on the S4 work as per the default mapping when the SE mode is not active. You can use the FX units however you wish and the toggle will take care to set all up properly for Super Effects mode. 6. A minor bug with Deck B mapping and the T3Delay got fixed in between. Known issues: 1. Super FX mode on both Deck A & B at the same time does not work properly. Could be fixed at the cost of mirroring FX units 3 & 4. (no advanced delay in unit 4 - BigBeatzz, what do you believe?). 2. Decks C & D are not implemented yet. Sort of related to #1 above. The mapping can be downloaded in 2 different formats. 1. As a complete mapping - the same format as the original v1. You need to import both the Controller Mappings and the Effects Settings. You will loose the current controller mappings, so you need to backup and restore properly 2. As two separate TSIs - one for the left and one for the right side. These you can import easier without loosing data. NOTE that you NEED TO HAVE THE FX settings properly configured for this to work. This includes 4FX units and all relevant FXs enabled. Feedback is more than welcome! |
| Kecia Wnukowski 27.06.2011 |
I managed to improve the mapping of Unit 1 with Cond2: "FX Panel Mode.FX Unit 1=0"
If that works (very likely, since he says it)...
Wow...With a toggle we can probably come up with some new combos
Oh yes. I have one control on the s4 that has 16 'modes' without counting the native ones. By '16' modes I mean it control FXs differently depending on a matrix of 16 different events. That's a huge amount of combinations of settings that were mapped individually for just one control.
the best ones: on Ch A - the FX2 button; on Ch B - the FX1 button. This gives us LED indication and is the most logical choice, imo.
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| Francina Decosse 27.06.2011 | the best ones: on Ch A - the FX2 button; on Ch B - the FX1 button. This gives us LED indication and is the most logical choice, imo. |
| Karolis Petrauskas 27.06.2011 | Wow...With a toggle we can probably come up with some new combos. Excellent work Loop, thanks for testing. What button are you using as the toggle? |
| Francina Decosse 27.06.2011 | I've managed to achieve GREAT results! I have succeeded with the implementation of a complete on/off toggle for deck A. Yul is right - The modifiers' scope is within a map/tsi. That frees up 4 of the modifiers immediately. I've used M5 (on deck A's tsi) to implement the toggle. Additionally, I came up with an idea to use the available FX assign buttons to toggle the Combos mode. That means that for channel "A", you just need to press the unused "Ch. A->FX2" button and the effector enters the combos mode. Since the button is not usable in 4 banks mode, that makes PERFECT sense! The toggle switch also takes care to set the unit in group mode, if it's in advanced. Indication if the SE mode is available as Beat Phase Monitor on the FX2 button's LED Once activated, the Super Effects mode can be deactivated by either pressing back the FX2 button or by pressing the "FX Mode" (group/advanced). Both the activation and the deactivation are reseting all the modifiers & FX unit states, which makes the mapping very robust. I still need to complete the mapping enhancements for Deck B/right hand side, but Deck A is already very stable, flexible, robust and most important of all - A GREAT FUN Once I'm done with this stage of enhancements, I will upload a beta version of the mapping. Hope to be done with it by late toevening . As a next step, I'm believeing to build simple enhancement to allow Super Effects assignments on decks C&D. The way i see it doable is to: 1. prepare the fx presets, unit assignments and other preparations on the "toggle" event. 2. fix-up the use of modifiers in deck B mapping 3. implement simple approach for assignments of the Left/Right mappings to decks C&D by just using the respective toggle switch. I don't intend to build two new TSIs, I will just try enhancing the current ones - should work fine with certain limitations. will keep you posted! |
| Karolis Petrauskas 27.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by loop
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| Francina Decosse 27.06.2011 | Cheers! The way you've handled the limitation of the S4's internal mapping is applausable! It's so smart to reuse the original FX slot position and enhance it with additional commands! My last evening 's assumption that I need more complex modifiers to examine both FX Unit 1&2's states was wrong - only one is sufficient per mapping. Each part uses either unit 1 or unit 2, so checking the state of the respective unit is more than enough. I managed to improve the mapping of Unit 1 with Cond2: "FX Panel Mode.FX Unit 1=0", which results in disabling the extra combo actions once FX Unit 1 is advanced mode. So far, so good and I'm starting to learn more about the mappings I will also try Yul's suggestions about the double shift and will also check if the scope of the modifiers is really within the same tsi/mapping/device only. If that works (very likely, since he says it), there'll be enough free modifiers to implement the activation toggle and some other features later. |
| Karolis Petrauskas 27.06.2011 | I agree with you loop...I'm going to work on the mapping later this week. What i'd like to do is make a modifier that turns on/off the combo states. My only issue was the amount of modifiers I used in the mapping. Remember we are also limited due to the controller itself. By default it turns the top knobs while in layer a/b and the bottom knobs in c/d. It's not a perfect situation yet but i could be very useful once it's mapped correctly. |
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