Pitch Bending Envelope

[Fleshbits]

I could never really use this for controlled bends. Why is the range from -8192 to + 8192?
8192 whats? Snuffleuppaguses?

I mean, sometimes it might be groovy to bend 1/8000th of a note, but more than likely, I want to bend completely to a real note value.

I understand synths can be made to have a larger or smaller pitch bend range. Let's say I chose 12 for example. Now, all I can really accomplish in Abelton is bending up and down an octave, what if I want to bend one note 2 semitones and another in the same clip all 12?

Is there a way to have it show note values or at least semitones on the Y axis?

If I want to bend from C# to D gradually over 1/8th note, isn't there a controlled way to draw that in the automation?

Is there a different method of doing it that maybe I can have more control?

[deva]

Do it by ear...

[Fleshbits]

Do it by ear...

Yea, I want to spend a half hour trying to find the exact number out of ~16300 that isn't a little off key....
There has to be a better way.

[penguinpajamas]

Try a combination of glide and legato. So rather than using pitchbend, you draw in the note you want the note to bend to and then add glide on your synth so it bends to the note rather than playing instantly.

[deva]

Do it by ear...

Yea, I want to spend a half hour trying to find the exact number out of ~16300 that isn't a little off key....
There has to be a better way.

with practice you will be able to do it in seconds... and sometimes slightly off sounds better in a given instance than mathematical correctness... our ears are our best tools...

[Fleshbits]

and sometimes slightly off sounds better in a given instance than mathematical correctness... our ears are our best tools...

Maybe if I was writing dubstep.

I've been at one silly pitch bend for 3 hours and it still isn't right. This really shouldn't be this hard. Heaven help me if I was to ever transcribe some guitar parts to a synth instrument, where a trem bar was involved. I went the Legato/glide route as suggested.

I've got all the information I should need to do this in 5 seconds:


I am beginning to think that Abelton is just bad at bends compared to some other DAWs I've seen. Its got things I like, but wow this is a pain in the arse.

Here is the original sound in use:
http://christopherpisz.chickenkiller.com/temp/gnana.wav

Here is the original sound sample used before a ADSR envelope was put on it in old tracker software (turn your volume down a bit):
http://christopherpisz.chickenkiller.co ... sample.wav

Here is how crappy mine sounds:
http://christopherpisz.chickenkiller.co ... gnana1.mp3


I think that is as close as I can get with what's provided. It is missing the second bend's emphasis, it sounds like just one bend really. If the clip envelope would let me draw and snap to semitones, I think I could get it much closer perfect.

[siliconarc]

Try a combination of glide and legato. So rather than using pitchbend, you draw in the note you want the note to bend to and then add glide on your synth so it bends to the note rather than playing instantly.

this

[jlgrimes]

I could never really use this for controlled bends. Why is the range from -8192 to + 8192?
8192 whats? Snuffleuppaguses?

The reason is that with 128 steps, many people could hear the stair stepping in pitch bends so they made pitch bend a 14 bit parameter vs a typical 8 bit parameter.

Part of the midi spec.

That said Live's way of handling pitch bends could be more elegant.

[penguinpajamas]

When you're using glide, the bend only happens with over overlapping notes, so click whatever notes you want to bend into the next and hit legato in Live.

[hoffman2k]

Divide 8192 by the Pitchbend Range in a synth and multiply by the number you wish to bend.
If the range is 12, one semitone is 682,6 steps.

Glide is definitely an option, but you only have control over time. Depth is fixed to the pitch.
With pitchbend you can draw any curve you want. It really depends on what you're going for.

Though your example sounds like its done in a sampler (or could be done). You could go nuts with automation, but its probably easier to have a Simpler for each sound to be played from.
Then I spent some time trying to write up some tips, when it dawned on me its 2014...
If you just use "Convert to Melody" on that sample, you basically get the riff. Then you just need to make some notes longer and mess with the glide en legato as suggested earlier.
Or play it live with lfo pitch depth mapped to the aftertouch of a keyboard to get that bendy tremolo sound near the end

[deva]

Here is the original sound in use:
http://christopherpisz.chickenkiller.com/temp/gnana.wav

Here is how crappy mine sounds:
http://christopherpisz.chickenkiller.co ... gnana1.mp3


I think that is as close as I can get with what's provided. It is missing the second bend's emphasis, it sounds like just one bend really. If the clip envelope would let me draw and snap to semitones, I think I could get it much closer perfect.

The original is bending up in steps... it is quantized, not a smooth bend. To duplicate it, I'd try a legato patch and the 'pitch bend' is some glide on a fast arpeggio

[BlueGreene]

The way I see it, pitch bend is a performance tool over a glide function on the synth. Maybe you could automate where you want whole step and octave bends with a clip envelope, then just play the line and use the bend function on the controller.