Better understanding of Instruments

[Sylus101]

I'm moving in a bit of a different direction with the project I'm working on and using a VSTi is going to be fine. The end result will be exported to mp3, actually.

Anyway, I have a couple of questions as Instruments appear to have a lot of options in how they can modify the sound of a particular sample. For instance, how does the volume envelope work? I loaded a Crash cymbal from the midi sounds and when played in the sample editor it loops forever.
Playing it in the instrument editor and it seems to play a shortened version while including it in a pattern seems to just keep it looping forever...

Is it possible to have it go ahead and loop, but fade with every execution (not necessarily just fade with a new note)?

Also, I'm having quite a bit of fun with the slayer 2 guitar VSTi, but having one problem. (btw, if there are any other good guitar VSTi's out there I'd love to know about them... this one is good, but stops working periodically because it's a demo).

I learned through trial and error that you'd have to load it in a few times to different fx slots to get different effects (in different instruments) and it appears to work right everywhere but in the pattern editor.

Example, i have the same VSTi loaded 4 times. One plays chords with a longer sustain, one with chords that end quickly, and two more with single notes (long and short).

These options work if playing notes in the instrument tab, but in the pattern editor, the instruments that should be much shorter are held...
In the meantime, the == in the pattern editor does fade it out.

Thanks again to everyone!

[älskling]

To release a looped instrument (or a VSTi), you need to insert a "note off" command "==". Not doing so will be like keeping the key pressed.

[Sylus101]

To release a looped instrument (or a VSTi), you need to insert a "note off" command "==". Not doing so will be like keeping the key pressed.

Ahh, okay. So == is like "let go and let the note fade off at whatever rate it's meant to fade"... correct?

And ~ makes a full cut off...

Are there any other special keys like this I should know about?

On instruments, I've learned that creating them first, and dragging an instrument into the instrument tab creates the correct kind of sound like in my Crash Cymbal mishap. I'm pretty sure I understand the volume envelope a bit better as well. Doesn't look like it affects VSTi's though...

[bvanoudtshoorn]

No, the volume envelope doesn't affect plugs. The "===" command is a "note off" command; the "^^^" command is a "note cut" command. There aren't any other cutoffs. However, the column next to the notes in the pattern editor (within the same channel) offers you some possibilities (with plugs):

v00 - v64 :: play the note at this volume (if the plugin supports it. Can only be used on the same row as the note itself.
e00 - e09 :: slide down from the current note. Can be used anywhere.
f00 - f09 :: slide up from the current note.

These are probably the three most important ways of getting something sounding more realistic quickly, particularly for guitar playing.

[Harbinger]

Keep in mind that using MPT to play VSTi's is great, but almost all note FX are not applied to VSTi's, only Instrument or Sample assignments. However, if you know that certain parameters can be attenuated in the VSTi you're using, you can use Zxx to alter them, by assigning them with the SFx command. I trust you're using this wonderful MPT capability already....

In your original question, any sample or instrument loaded into an MPT tracker file will loop if it has a valid loop installed (as most of the GM instruments do). To quell a loop in an instrument, make sure you use a Volume Envelope as well as the Playthru feature (someone correct me if i'm wrong). You can disable an inherent sustain loop by shaping the correct envelope to stop a sustain loop by time or note off. As you may have also learned, playing another instrument in the same channel will disable a still-sounding sample (depending on the NNA settings in the Instrument panel).

But as bvan said, channel FX such as note off or note cut (== and ^^), and others affect whatever is on the channel, even a VSTi. Keep studying and experimenting -- you'll discover, as most of us has, just how "open" openMPT is!

[LPChip]

You don't need the playthru function actually. That will just ensure that if an instrument is played again, the volume envelope will continue instead of reset to the start position.

[Sylus101]

Awesome, the more I play with things the better this gets. Thanks again for the answers from everyone

I think I've got a pretty solid handle on things to finally focus on some music and get at least one finished... song. It's technically just going to be videogame music, so nothing is likely to be very long or at this stage very complete.... but I'm happy with what I'm able to do at this point.

Last question before I sign on and focus on writing for awhile. Anyone know of any other good guitar VSTi's other than Slayer 2? It's doing the trick but stops working after awhile and I have to close and reopen OMPT. No biggie just annoying sometimes...

[älskling]

I don't know of any "complete" free guitar VSTi, but you can get decent results with samples and VST effects. I assume you want free since you're not buying Slayer 2.

guitar suite
FreeAmp
Boogex