Using the EXS24 mkII Pitch Parameters

These parameters adjust the tuning and transposition of the loaded sampler instrument.

Tune knob: Raises or lowers the pitch of the loaded sampler instrument in semitone increments. At the centered position—set by clicking the small 0 button—no pitch change occurs.
Transpose field: Transposes the EXS2 mkII in semitone increments. Transpose not only affects the pitch, but also moves the zones by the specified value.
Random knob: Controls the amount of random detuning that is applied to every played voice. You can use Random to simulate the tuning drift of analog synthesizers, or to thicken the sound—very effective when emulating some stringed instruments.
Fine knob: Tunes the loaded sampler instrument in cent increments (1/100th of a semitone). Use this to correct samples that are slightly out of tune, or to create a thick chorus-like effect.
Pitch Bend Up and Down pop-up menus: Determine the upper and lower limit of pitch bending (in semitones) that can be introduced by moving your keyboard’s pitch bend wheel. A value of 0 disables pitch bends.
Note: When you choose Link mode in the right-hand Pitch Bend Down menu, the bend range is identical in both directions—if you assign an upward bend of 4 semitones, the downward bend will also be set to 4 semitones, resulting in a combined bend range of 8 semitones (9, if you include the standard pitch, or “no bend” position).
Remote field: Used to change the pitch of complete EXS24 mkII instruments in real time. You can define a key on your MIDI keyboard that is used as the original, or “reference” pitch. Once set, playing any of the keys in a range of ±1 octave above or below this key will change the pitch of the entire instrument, rather than triggering the sample. This is somewhat similar to the Pitch Bend function, but is quantized to semitones.
Glide and Pitcher sliders: The Glide slider determines the time it takes to slide from one note pitch to another. Its behavior depends on the Pitcher parameter setting:
- When Pitcher is centered, Glide determines the time it takes for the pitch to slide from one note to another—the portamento time.
- When the Pitcher parameter is set to a position above its centered value, Glide determines the time it takes for the pitch to glide down from this higher value to the normal pitch value.
- When Pitcher is set to a position below the centered value, the pitch glides from this lower setting back up to the normal pitch value.
The Pitcher parameter can be modulated by velocity—the upper half of the slider determines the setting for maximum velocity, the lower half for minimum velocity. By dragging the area between the two slider segments, you can move both simultaneously.
When the upper half of the Pitcher slider is set above the center position and the lower half below the center position, lower velocity values cause the pitch to rise from the lower setting up to the original note pitch, whereas higher values cause it to fall from the higher setting down to the original note pitch. In other words, the polarity of the pitch envelope can be changed by velocity.
When both halves of the pitcher slider are set either below or above the centered position, a low or high velocity will slide up or down to the original pitch. Depending on the position of the upper/lower halves of the slider—relative to the center position—the time required for the slide up or down to the original note pitch can be adjusted independently for both soft and hard velocities.