Voices and voice banks (in the previous topic) are examples of Midi controllers.  These are Midi events which are not notes, but change the way that notes sound when played.

There are several other Midi controllers which are used or made available in Songtrix. Some of them can be directly adjusted as part of the track setup, and some are generated automatically from the musical events in Songtrix.

All of these controllers (except master volume) are applied separately to each Midi channel.

Channel Volume

This controller adjusts the volumes of each channel relative to each other, to achieve the desired mix.  It is implemented on almost every Midi device.

The Channel Volume controller is used by the track levels in Songtrix. It also may be used for master volume, depending on your settings.

Pan Position

This controller specifies where to place the each channel's output in the stereo spectrum from left to right.  It is implemented on almost every Midi device.

The Pan Position controller is used by the track pan controls in Songtrix.

Reverb and Chorus

These are audio effects which can be applied to each channel, to enhance their sound.  Reverb is an echo effect which adds depth, while Chorus adds a rich, shiny quality.  These may not be implemented on basic Midi devices.

Songtrix supports both effects directly, with settings in the track setup.

Sustain Pedal

This controller is activated by a foot pedal when playing a piano keyboard.  It causes all sounding notes to be held on, even after the keys are released.  It is implemented on almost every Midi device.

Songtrix supports the Sustain Pedal controller in two ways.  It can apply sustain automatically at each chord change, or you can control it directly with Sustain Note and Sustain Chord events, depending on your settings.

Pitch Bend

This controller raises or lowers the pitch of the sounding notes, similar to the effect of bending a string on a guitar.  It is implemented on almost every Midi device, and appears as a wheel or joystick control on many piano keyboards.

Songtrix supports the Pitch Bend controller with Bend Note and Bend Chord events which have a series of bend points that you can adjust.

Modulation

This controller adds a vibrato effect to the sounding notes.  It is implemented on almost every Midi device, and appears as a wheel or joystick control on many piano keyboards.

Songtrix supports the modulation controller with Vibrato Note and Vibrato Chord events, where you can adjust the depth and dynamic profile (increasing, decreasing, etc) of the effect.

Portamento

This controller causes each note to slide in pitch from the previous note, with an effect similar to a trombone.  It may not be implemented on basic Midi devices.

Songtrix supports the Portamento controller with Slide Note and Slide Chord events, where you can adjust the slide interval and rate.

Expression

This controller operates in much the same way as Channel Volume, by influencing the volume level of each channel.  It is implemented on almost every Midi device.

While the Channel Volume controller is intended to set the mix between the channels for a whole piece of music, the Expression controller is intended to vary within each track as notes are played, to add dynamic expression to a musical phrase.

Songtrix supports the Expression controller with Dynamic Note events, where you can adjust the depth and dynamic profile (increasing, decreasing, etc).

Master Volume

This is a system-exclusive (sysex) event which controls the main output volume from a synthesizer.  It may not be implemented on basic Midi devices.

Master volume is an essential control, so Songtrix offers two alternatives for devices which do not support this sysex event.  The master volume setting and volume changes can be combined with either the Channel Volume or Expression controllers for each channel to achieve the same result.