Two different types of midi messages are recognized: control change and note on/off. The first type of messages is useful to control both continuous and on/off parameters. Note messages can be used to control only on/off parameters.
Additionally, for on/off parameters, you can also use the velocity of keys on the left of the split point (= how hard you play chords), to trigger commands. See the box below.
Not all midi keyboards are equally suited for this task. For example Yamaha arrangers do NOT output midi data for most of their buttons, knobs, foot switches/controllers and sliders. Due to this limited midi implementation they can generally be used only for note on/off messages.
The bindings setup (connection between a physical control and a parameter/command in the software) is performed in the Bindings panel. This somewhat boring task has to be performed only once, since you can save up to 4 different configurations that are later recalled automatically at startup, or when you change a registration.
![Binding panel.]()
Press the BINDINGS button to toggle the visibility (show/hide) of the bindings panel.
There are 4 independent sets of bindings available. Only one set is active at a given time, and it is selected through the SLOT # buttons at the top (the selected slot's button is highlighted). At startup, slot 1 is active by default (unless you have edited the Startup registration to load another slot). A new slot can be selected manually in this panel, or automatically through a registration, if configured to load a different slot than the current one.
An unsaved slot is red-colored. The edited content will be lost, without warning, when you exit the program. To save to disk its content you have to select it (= highlighted) and then right click the button slot. It turns yellow (= content saved).
If you left-click an already selected (= highlighted) red colored slot button you just reload its content from disk, thus mercilessly losing your edited content.
You can copy the content of the active (= highlighted) slot simply by right-clicking another slot button. The destination slot button will turn red, because its content is now changed, but not yet saved to disk. To make the edit permanent, select it (left click, it will turn highlighted) and then save to disk (right click).
To add a new binding, click the ADD BINDING button, which adds an empty entry in the bindings table.
Type the desired command in the action field. A full list of available commands can be found at the end of the chapter.
If the typed in command is recognized as valid, the LEARN button becomes available for selection (undimmed). Click it to “learn” the physical control you want to bind to the typed in command, through the incoming midi messages. All connected midi devices are listened to, and the first valid message is selected. In practice you have to touch (= move, press) the control you want to bind.
Left or right clicking the LEARN button makes a difference! If you left click, your midi controller will be captured and used to trigger the action (this is *normally* what you want).
If you right click, the incoming midi data will be used to set the special "chord velocity trigger mode". To learn more about this useful mode, see the box below.
The recognized message (and the port from which it must come) is displayed. To change the bound midi message, click the LEARN button again and touch a different physical control.
The DEL button will delete the given binding from the table.
Clicking in any part of a binding entry will select it (blue border). The list can be reordered through the UP/DOWN buttons which act on the selected entry.
Using the chord key velocity to trigger commands
To select the chord key velocity as a trigger event for any command, you have to right click the LEARN button and then press a note key on any connected keyboard. C=10, C#=20, D=30, … B=120. The number represents the velocity threshold you have to surpass (= play harder) in order to trigger the associated command.
Some experimentation might be necessary to find the right threshold for your playing style and keyboard sensitivity: just right-click again the LEARN button (it will highlight), key-in a new threshold, test it, and possibly iterate the process.
To trigger this mechanism during a performance, you don’t have to play a full chord. Even a single key press (which never changes any playing chord) is enough.
You could also set multiple thresholds for different commands, although it will be harder to discriminate between them while playing. In the image above FILL INLINE will be triggered for velocities 60÷99 and FILL CUR for velocities >= 100.
A popular choice is to assign the FILL INLINE and/or FILL CUR commands to this trigger event (the lower threshold with “fill inline”, the higher with “fill cur”).
Binding data precedence
All incoming midi data is first checked against the list of registered bindings. if a note-on message or control-change message matches a binding, then the binding action is executed and the midi message is consumed (= discarded).
So, when binding messages for devices connected to “In 1” and “In 2” ports (the ports used for the primary and secondary keyboards), be sure not to rob messages you want to affect your playing. For example, if CC64 is bound to something, then you lose the ability to play the sustain pedal, if CC01 is bound, then your mod wheel will not function anymore as normal.
There is nothing wrong to steal notes/controllers from normal playing duties: just be aware of what you are doing.
