AMAZING TRICK IN KONTAKT: Dynamic MIDI Control!

Welcome to the first of a whole batch of 5 minute Quick-Tip vids on Stephan Oberhoff's channel!

"It is downright amazing that the world's leading Digital Audio Workstation, ProTools, doesn't have this feature built in.
How many times have we performed MIDI tracks (and I use LOTS of them) and found the need to painstakingly edit them note for note in order for the dynamics to better sit in the mix?

Well if you use Kontakt plug-ins, you are in luck.
If your plugin is editable (like the fantastic Grand Piano, THE GRANDEUR is, you can insert one of the factory scripts called "Change Velocity" and instruct Kontakt to let you use any MIDI controller to change it - and record such changes into your MIDI track!

Before we go any further, please consider subscribing to this channel and giving the video a Like. Thank you so much - and now back to the blurb ;-)

This trick works with many third party libraries - but not all of them allow the insertion of an additional script into one of the script slots. Give it a try and see if your VI of choice will work with this neat trick. (Added a list below which one of my libraries worked - and which ones didn't allow me to use this script - see below)

Imagine how important this is for any percussive sounds, but also for strings, horns etc. as changing the velocities in this easy and fluent way is much more musical than having to tediously raise or lower individual notes."

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APPENDIX:

Kontakt libraries where this works - and where it doesn't:
WORKS IN:
The Grandeur
HZ 03 Hans Zimmer Cinematic Drums
Famous E-RhodesThe majority of Kontakt Library InstrumentsPiano Colors
Damage
Arkhis
Symphony Essentials String Ensemble
Scarbee J Bass
Broken Wurli
Grand Marimba

DID NOT WORK IN:
Session Strings
60s Drummer
70s Drummer
80s DrummerStudio Drummer
Scarbee Rickenbacker
Scarbee Stingray
West Africa

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[hsepo]

You got it. That's how music becomes alive. That's how it starts breathing. You feel the music well. Smart. I will purchase The Grandeur. Sounds awesome.

[duydao]

Thank you so much for this helpful video Stephan! You don't know how much it worth to me.. Took me a month to discover this! Jesus! Thank you sir!

[RicoDerks]

Wow! Cool tip! Never thought of this. Awesome!

[nixianer]

thanks a lot! now i need this for session strings

[maxtofone]

Thanks a lot Stephan for sharing this.... Great to see you well and back after a long time ;-) Kind regards and many blessings, MaxT

[EricPeelMusic]

Gorgeous writing at :59 to 1:12!! I would have liked to hear a softer release at 1:12 though.

[chrishillery]

Very cool. I'd be astonished if there wasn't a plugin out there that could do this with a little work, but I can't immediately think of one... if I can't find one, I may try to bang something together in Plug'n Script to do it.

[EricPeelMusic]

If you're going to use the max knob, you'll need to set all your velocity events at the full 127. Otherwise if you have say a note at 64 and you set the max to 127, it will just play at 64 still. But if all the velocities are set to 127, they will all respond predictably with automating the max knob. Better would be to switch to the fixed mode and automate the fix knob.

The thing I don't like about this little "hack" though is that the automation node values do not display where you set them in the automation lane, instead, they sort of "live update" according to the current value at playback. So, you're going more by ear and "height" rather than numerical value, which is usually a good thing. But I've used this hack for years and many times I wish to set several instruments to the same value, but it's impossible to know for sure if they are the same.

[braunhausmedia]

Unfortunately, this trick doesn't work with every instrument. I tried it on some of my old Kontakt orchestral instruments (VSL Opus) and got nothing.