CAPSULE User Guide PDF
CAPSULE User Guide PDF
CAPSULE User Guide PDF
www.orchestraltools.com
Collection User Guide
CONTENT
I About this User Guide 3
II Introduction 5
IX GUI Overview 13
1 Preset System .............................................................................................................. 13
2 Tempo Options ........................................................................................................... 14
3 UI Views ...................................................................................................................... 16
Performance View ................................................................................................. 16
Mixer View ........................................................................................................... 18
Settings View ........................................................................................................ 23
Controller Table View ............................................................................................ 26
XIII Appendices 66
1 Controller Table - Annotated List ................................................................................. 66
2 New Features .............................................................................................................. 78
3 Configuring Kontakt's Outputs .................................................................................... 82
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Collection User Guide
The following table lists all collections with their current Capsule version as well as the minimum Kontakt
version.
Please note that collections each require their own Capsule version and need to reside in their own folder!
We strongly advise to keep all collections apart in separate folders to avoid issues. If in doubt, send us an
email and we will be happy to help you out!
Important
This User Guide does not cover downloading, installing and registering Capsule-powered collections.
These topics are explained step by step in the respective Installation Guide, which is linked to in your
download email (the email containing your download code/serial number). You can also find it in our
Helpdesk.
About Kontakt
While all features specific to our collections are described in this User Guide, a basic familiarity with
how NI Kontakt works is expected. For general information how to configure and use Kontakt itself,
please refer to the Kontakt User Manual.
II Introduction
Welcome to the Orchestral Tools Capsule User Guide!
Capsule (Control And Performance Symphonic Utility Engine) is Orchestral Tools‘ groundbreaking scripting
technology powering a growing number of collections.
Capturing details, the creation of emotive tools with a maximum of efficiency and a dedication to the sound
led us to the Berlin Series. An ambitious project over many years with the vision to create the most complete
and flexible Virtual Orchestra. Capturing the beautiful details, gestures and colors of a symphonic body
inspired us to new innovations in the industry.
Recorded in Berlin, we took advantage of the unparalleled acoustics of the room - not too wet to stay
flexible and focussed or to dry to be able to create a fully blendable orchestral body where all the single
instruments and sections come together to a single entity. We engaged renowned musicians from the most
famous orchestras in the world and conceived a whole new workflow, which will instantly support you
realising more realistic results in a shorter time.
After years of development we were the first to present the Adaptive Legato Concept. Capsule senses the
speed of your playing and does not only switch automatically between 3 available legato slots, but also
adapts all important controllers and variables in the background to offer you the most fluid legato you ever
played. Entering the world of Orchestral Tools also means to be on board on a journey infused with new
ideas and the introduction of tools never built before. The Runs Builder lets you create the most convincing
fast runs based on pre-recorded micro runs. These are just a few examples of our investment into the future
of orchestral sampling.
Using our extensive set of articulations efficiently is fundamentally important. That´s why we didn’t just
develop yet another tool; we conceived a radically new workflow which will instantly support you:
Capsule keeps all our different colors with care and integrates perfectly into Native Instruments´ Kontakt at
the highest possible system efficiency. We simply improved everything. A for a long time desired multi
articulation facility exists now in parallel to fully flexible single articulation patches.
You can easily apply True Legato to any long notes of your choice. There is so much more potential in these
brilliantly sampled collections to exhaust. So why simply switch between articulations, when you are able to
blend them? Like a painter mixing colors to create new shades, you can easily do the same with
articulations. Doing this in a time-efficient way leads to a wholly new technique:
Polyphonic Keyswitching enables you to stack different colors over each other. Simply press up to 4
keyswitches simultaneously and choose how you want to blend or switch the chosen articulations. Choose
between equal power crossfading, velocity switching, MIDI controller switching or open up a whole new
world of sounds with our 2D equal power morphing. With an assigned midi CC this is even easier to do.
You don´t need to waste time anymore setting up complicated sample mappings. Your samples are now
intuitively and easily playable.
We redefined the way how you mix within a Capsule Patch. With the innovative Auto Gain the overall
volume stays at the same level while you morph between the different microphone positions. A feature that
helps you to keep the natural orchestral dynamics in balance. Fast tools like the chaining option or the
purge all function will support you to find the sound and timbre to your personal taste in a faster and more
elegant way. Every channel can now be routed to an output of your choice.
To allow all these articulations to stack, switch and morph, we completely overhauled the Berlin Series. A
dedicated team re-arranged the natural orchestral dynamic balance between all Berlin instruments and
articulations, matched the mic position volumes to each other and developed a new approach to set up the
release samples in a more natural and organic way. Now each articulation sits wonderfully and
convincingly in the best-balanced room you ever heard.
One of our key visions for the Capsule is to save time, especially when composers build their own
templates. Capsule‘s Controller Table holds all assigned elements and midi controllers in a dedicated list.
Once you have set up a custom controller table, you can save it in a preset on your computer to share it
between different Capsule instances. It has never been so fast and easy to set up your Berlin Orchestra.
Flexibility in Capsule’s single articulation patches is just paramount. Now you can create your very own
Round Robin rules. With only one click you can use the neighboring zones to triple the available number of
Round Robin samples to add a more organic feel and to avoid any kind of machine gun effect. Also each
Round Robin can be controlled individually. Turn off specific dynamic layers to adjust the dynamic range to
your needs or apply our new Niente option to any articulation, where the dynamic range starts with
completely silence. This is an important feature especially with strings, where a tone can evolve from total
silence as well as for use with a breath controller. Almost every feature here is available for each
articulation in the multi articulation patches as well. But of course, you don't have to change anything. We
already designed a very playable and optimized setup for you. Just load a patch and play.
Orchestral Tools is a sampling project driven by a few composers like you with their vision of a growing
orchestral palette. We develop Expansion Sets for all our Main Collections which will extend your personal
library in an organic way. Orchestral Tools is a growing project - always up to date. We constantly work
on existing collections to make them even better and to unleash their full potential. Maybe it is the whole
package of an unparalleled sound, innovations, captured details and intuitive handling which has made our
products standard tools for many composers over the world.
| Introduction |
Collection User Guide
The quality of a sampled collection begins with the recording. Every Orchestral Tools collection is recorded
at 96khz with state of the art equipment. The full editing and post-production process uses these 96khz
recordings without downsampling. We very rarely denoise our recordings and never treat them in any other
automated way. If tuning is needed, it is done by ear without resorting to tuning algorithms. Only at the very
end, right before the samples are mapped into their instruments, the content is converted to 48khz for best
use of resources.
Our goal is to provide a set of tools that easily adapts to any workflow and creates a coherent sonic
representation of the orchestra. The main way we achieved this is by recording every instrument in its
orchestral position. All collections come pre-panned and pre-mixed with their respective volumes
balanced. If there are multiple types of the same instrument, they are recorded in slightly different positions,
yet still in their general section area. The different snare drums in Berlin Percussion, for example, have been
recorded slightly spread over the general "snare drum area" within the percussion section. This allows you to
have a very wide and full sound when combining multiple instruments.
We deliberately choose to also record non-traditional instruments as belonging to a symphonic setup, like
electric guitars and a drumset in our Metropolis Ark Series. Modern media scoring introduces a host of new
instruments into the established orchestral lineup and we feel these instruments deserve the same care and
precision in fitting them into the symphonic sound as their traditional counterparts.
All collections feature a number of microphone positions commonly used in orchestral recording. The
position of these microphones is identical in every collection, which means that for example the Tree is much
nearer to the string section that it is to the percussion section (because the percussion section is situated at
the back of the orchestra). This enabled lively acoustics that come pre-mixed for the respective stage
position. The choice of mic positions also depends greatly on the instrument. Some instruments, especially in
the percussion section, benefit greatly from a M/S position to enable accurately positioning the sound
source.
Wherever possible, similar instruments use the same mapping scheme so it is usually possible to transfer
MIDI data from one instrument to another easily. This is especially important and useful for percussion.
The texts are displayed in Kontakt's Info Pane. To show this pane, click on the Info Button in Kontakt's
toolbar. Hover over an interface element to see its associated QuickHelp text.
Note that when using extreme tempos not playable by real musicians, you will hear artefacts and the
playback will not be clear. If you use the auto tempo mode, the script will default to half tempo. A 16th run
at 200 bpm is not actually playable in reality - there is no recorded sample for this tempo range. The script
would then stretch the fastest available sample too heavily, resulting in a bad sound. The auto tempo feature
will play the run at half your host’s tempo and the result will sound much nicer. Be mindful of your tempo
when writing with runs. Not every run is compatible with every tempo. If you use the patches in their natural
tempo range, meaning: at a speed actually playable by real strings, you will get the best results.
Runs
To make the runs in the Berlin Series seamlessly integrate with our own Orchestral String Runs, the
complement of Scale Runs is identical to the complement present in OSR. This allows you to play runs from
multiple collections at the same time without timing issues or note collisions. You can easily double a string
run with a flute section - all notes will sound perfectly together.
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CC 1
The modwheel controls morphing through the velocity layers if the X-Fade mode is activated on the Main
Knob. You can change this CC in the Controller Table view.
CC 11
All patches have CC 11 (Expression) set to control the general patch volume. You can assign this CC freely
in the Controller Table.
CC 7
In all patches, CC7 is mapped to the Kontakt volume slider. Use CC7 for balancing the collections in your
template. You can assign this CC freely in the Controller Table.
CC 3
This CC controls the vibrato mode in patches that have vibrato styles (not all collections do - see your
collection's Articulation Guide). You can assign this CC freely in the Controller Table.
CC64 (Sustain)
All Longs patches (as well as of course Longs articulations within Multi Articulation patches) use CC64 to
hold currently playing notes after you have let go of their respective keys.
In the case of retriggered notes (for example when a new chord uses notes already present in an earlier
chord), the note(s) common to both chords will be faded out and retriggered. This allows you to play
repeated chords and chord changes in a very realistic manner. This feature works automatically and does
not need to be activated. You can assign this CC freely in the Controller Table.
CC115
Capsule uses CC115 internally to purge samples. Do not assign this CC to any function and make sure it is
not sent automatically by any MIDI device. Do not delete this CC115 assignment in Kontakt's Automation-
MIDI tab, otherwise the patches will not work correctly! There is also a warning shown in Kontakt's
automation tab. Heed it! CC115 sent by any outside device will be ignored by all Capsule patches.
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Kontakt reserves a bit of system memory for every possibly playing voice. That means that if this number is
set far higher than needed, superfluous memory will be used.
By default, all Capsule patches have been set with a default maximum voice limit tailored to how the
particular patch is generally used. That means that Legato patches will have a higher value than for example
Trills.
Multi Articulation patches have a rather high value to enable complex articulation routings.
M ax i m um Voi ce s
If you use a lot of microphone positions (esp. in Berlin Percussion) and/or have a very dense orchestration,
you might encounter dropped notes. In this case just raise the maximum voices limit in the Kontakt patch UI.
Experiment with the setting to find the sweet spot for your applications. After you have found the value that
works for you, just save the patch and it will be recalled every time you load this patch.
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| Maximum Voices |
Collection User Guide
IX GUI Overview
Capsule collections have two distinct types of patches, Single Articulation Patches as well as Multi
Articulation Patches. Both share some common features and UI elements, but they differ in one big respect:
While the Single Articulation Patches feature one articulation each, the Multi Articulation Patches allow you
to combine multiple articulations in groundbreaking ways thanks to the power of Capsule.
The following sections show the general UI for both patch types with detailed explanations of the features
these patches offer. Note that not all features apply to all patches. If you do not see a particular UI element,
the patch does not support this particular feature. Note that screenshots show various products depending on
which collection is best suited to show that particular feature. Also things might look a bit different on your
screen if you have changed the default settings of patches.
The preset system intelligently applies your settings when you load a preset in any single or multi instruments
and will only restore the settings that actually apply to that instrument.
All instrument as well as mixer settings will be recalled. So you can for example set up your perfect
microphone mix with the Soft Low Layer option in one patch and reload the same setting into any other patch
of the same collection.
Note that the loaded articulations of Multi Instrument Patches are not recalled by design to avoid
wrong assignments.
Default Preset
There is one default preset, which you can save and load with one click by clicking the respective buttons in
the GUI. This default preset is shared by all Capsule patches within a collection. This means you can set any
patch up the way you want it and use the same settings in any other patch just by loading the default preset.
When saving or loading the default preset, a confirmation message will be displayed in the Patch InfoView
area in the Performance View.
De f ault
Pre se t
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Individual Presets
You can also create individual presets that can be saved under a unique name and loaded any
time. Saving and loading works the same way as with the default preset. Just click the respective
button at the top right of the UI. A standard Save/Load dialog will appear giving you access to
your file system. You can store these presets anywhere you like; they do not need to be in the collection
folder.
Preset Options
The Preset Options can be accessed by clicking the line underneath the Save/Load Preset buttons and will
open a popover.
There are you can set which settings will be applied when the preset is loaded. The four options correspond
to the four Views and allow you to for example just load Controller Table settings.
When a preset is saved, all settings are always saved into the preset file. The status of the four section
checkboxes is also saved into the file.
If the "Load as Saved" switch is set to on, upon loading a preset, it will be loaded with the section settings
as they were set when saving the patch. So if only Mixer was checked when saving the patch, only the
mixer settings are recalled if "Load as Saved" is on. If "Load as Saved" is off, the checkboxes set in the patch
itself will apply.
The popover can be dismissed by clicking the X in the lower right corner or clicking anywhere inside the
free popover area.
Most of the time these patches will automatically conform to your project tempo without you having to do
anything. But in the instances where you want to change something, there are a number of options. The
tempo options can be found in different places, depending on the type of patch you are loading. Multi
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Articulation Patches have them in the Settings View; Single Articulation Patches show them in the Performance
View.
Te m po Opti ons
Lock to Host
This option makes the instrument follow the tempo set in your host sequencer (or Kontakt if you are using
Kontakt standalone). Capsule always calculates tempo-synced patches in real time. That means if you
change the tempo while a note is playing, Capsule will adjust the tempo to the new value. This also works
with tempo ramps, but there might be TimeMachine artifacts doing so.
Auto Tempo
If enabled, the script will automatically set the Tempo Slider to the best-sounding value for the current tempo.
Tempo Slider
This slider allows you to play the sample in double tempo, half tempo or a triplet feel.
Lock to Beat
If enabled, Capsule will synchronize the start of the sample to the next beat. This helps for example when
playing multiple trills at the same time in perfect sync.
Manual Tempo
If the Lock to Host option is off, the instrument switches to Manual Tempo mode. Use the slider to set the
tempo. If Manual Tempo is active, the instrument does not follow your host tempo.
You can also map the Manual Tempo slider to a MIDI CC in the Controller Table.
M anual Te m po
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9.3 UI Views
All patches within the our collections use a tabbed UI separated into four pages, or "views", as we call
them.
This section describes these four views along with all their features. Individual features may only be
present in certain instruments.
Vi e ws
Se le ctor
9.3.1 Performance View
The Performance View features the most commonly used controls for each patch. In Single Articulation
Patches, you will find the Main Knob with its velocity layer display here, as well as Con Sordino, Auto
Sustain, vibrato style and other important settings (depending on the instrument). In Multi Articulation
Patches, the Performance View is where you load and customize individual articulations, set your control
preferences and switch between the selected articulations.
The look of the Performance View differs greatly from patch to patch, and even more between Single and
Multi Articulation patches. This is why this view is covered in the respective sections later in this User Guide
in detail.
Transpose
All patches have a < TR > transpose section in their lower left.
This feature allows you to transpose the playable range of the whole patch without affecting Transpose
keyswitches and other non-playable keys.
The transpose controls are very useful if you want to either shift the playable range to conform to a different
tuning system (or to play in your favourite key together with instrumentalists when using Capsule live). This
feature is also well suited for stacking custom ensembles with octave-shifted instruments, for example Violins I
and II in octaves.
Playable Range
The Playable Range feature lets you set the playable range of the current patch. By
default this is set to the recorded instrument ranges.
Playable Range
You can then expand or narrow the range by entering note names. This is very
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useful if you want to extend the range a bit or to limit it for building ensembles.
Note that extreme values will lead to less aesthetically pleasing results.
Notes that go over the recorded range of the instrument are shown yellow in Kontakt's keyboard.
E x te nde d Range Ke ys
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Mixer Channels
The mic positions incl. playing noises appear in the mixer as individual channels. Each channel has the same
basic feature set and layout, as shown here with the Tree microphones:
Name : At the top the name of the channel is displayed. Click on the name to load or unload that position.
Panning: This slider allows you to set the panning of the selected mic position. Ctrl/Opt-Click the slider to
reset it to Center.
Sol o/M ute : These work like the Solo/Mute buttons in your sequencer.
Vol ume : Adjust the fader to lower or raise the volume of the mic position. While playing a level meter to
the right of the slider will show the current audio level. Ctrl/Opt-Click the fader to reset it to its default
value.
db Indicator : Below the volume fader, you can see the current db setting. 0.0 is default.
C hain B utton: Press this button to chain all channels with the indicator lit together. Every action performed
to any track will also apply to all other chained tracks.
Output Se l e ctor : Click to select the Kontakt output for this mic position. You may need to configure
Kontakt's output matrix first.
Tre e
Channe l
Stri p
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Global Options
To the right of the Mixer View you will find a number of options affecting all mic positions together. These
largely save you from needing to press the corresponding button on each individual mic position.
Auto Gain: If enabled, the combined volume of all mic positions will stay the same when you change the
level of any position. This preserved the dynamic relation of your mic mix while allowing you to put a single
position in the foreground or background. Auto Gain only affects unpurged (loaded) channel strips and needs
at least two active channels.
C hain Al l : This button chains all positions together, so changes to one position will affect all others
equally. Of course Auto Gain will only work if at least one channel is not chained.
Sol o/M ute : Soloes or mutes all channels.
Pur ge : Enables or disables and loads or unloads all mic positions.
Pur ge Re l e ase s: Enables or disables and loads or unloads all release samples.
Pur ge Le gato Tr ansitions: Enables or disables and loads or unloads all legato transitions.
Global
Opti ons
Legato Volume
In all patches that use legato transitions, the Legato Volume knob lets you adjust the volume of
the transitions. This is useful if you want a less pronounced legato effect or if on the opposite
you want the transitions to be more apparent. You can assign a CC to this feature in the
Controller Table. L e gato
Volum e
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Soloi sts Se ri e s
Teldex IR
For the production of our Soloist Collections, recorded at the Teldex Solo Booth, we teamed up with
Samplicity to provide users with a way to seamlessly put the solo instruments into the large Teldex stage as
a perfect complement to the collections recorded at the large scoring stage. In the Mixer View of every
Soloists patch, you will find the Teldex IR controls. The Teldex IR button switches the reverb on or off.
Use the Dry, Pre-Delay and Wet encoders to adjust the amount of reverb to your taste. We have chosen
default values that should work fine for most applications, but feel free to experiment.
Microphone Positions
All patches in the collections have completely adjustable microphone positions. You will find faders with
on/off buttons for all positions in the Mixer View of each patch: If you switch off a position, its samples will
be purged from memory. Conversely, as soon as you switch a position on, the samples will be loaded. Not
every instrument has all microphone positions. For example for a lot of instruments an M/S position makes
little sense.
Note that all microphone positions are identically set up in all collections and correspond to the respective
mic setups that are used when recording a musical work at the scoring stage. That means that the Close
position is much drier in Berlin Strings than it is in Berlin Percussion, because the percussion section is at the
back of the orchestra. This is intentional to preserve the orchestral balance and spacing. To get a really dry
sound, use the Spot mics or M/S.
M/S
The M/S position is recorded in a mid/side setup. If you have a sequencer able to process the mid/side
channels separately you can use this position to freely adjust the stereo spread.
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Close AB
The Close AB position is a Close position sound-wise, but recorded in stereo as an AB configuration.
Sub
Selected percussion patches have a dedicated Mic channel for the Subbass microphone. This position is
intended to be used together with other positions, not on its own as it only contains subbass information.
Spot
The spot microphones have been positioned as close to the instrument as possible and give you the driest
and most direct sound.
Close
Increase the amount of the Close position if you want to have a more direct sound with less response of the
room. Raising the volume of the Close mics will also increase the playing noises made by the musicians,
providing added realism for intimate settings. Glory Days - Big Band Horns, Metropolis Ark 3, Berlin
Strings - First Chairs and Berlin Brass have two Close positions named Close I and Close II, which have
subtly different characteristics.
The Room/Close and Mix positions exclude one another to avoid phasing. If you activate the Mix
positions, Room and Close will be deactivated and vice versa.
Surround
Increase the amount of the Surround position if you want to have as much room information as possible. The
reverb will increase while the direct sound decreases.
A/B
The A/B position features a wide stereo image and is of great use as a supporting microphone.
ORTF
The ORTF Position provides a tight and controlled, yet slightly ambient sound with a lot of character and
presence.
Note:
You do not need to think about adjusting the mic positions if you do not want to! When you load
any instrument into Kontakt, the Tree will be active, which is perfect for most applications.
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The Electric Guitar and Bass in Metropolis Ark 1 have a number of non-standard microphone positions,
which are detailed in the Electric Guitar and Bass section.
Soloi sts Se ri e s
Berlin Woodwinds EXP B and C - Soloists as well as the Nocturne Series feature two different Close
positions which can be reverberated with the included Teldex IR.
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Multi Articulation Patches have some of these settings in their Multi Slot View when editing the Instrument
Settings, depending on whether a particular setting makes more sense as a global patch setting or an
individual slot setting.
Dynamics
The dynamics area lets you select how the collections shape the dynamics when you play.
Dynam i cs
Nie nte : If enabled, the lowest dynamic setting (usually CC1 at 0 or key velocity at 0) will cause the
instrument to be completely silent. Use this setting when using your instruments with a breath or wind
controller.
Soft Low Laye r : If checked, the lowest dynamic layer will first be increased in volume when controlling
dynamics and only later the next layer will begin to fade in, allowing softer low dynamics.
Ignor e Noise s: This option makes the playing noises (wind or bow, depending on the library) not be
affected by the Niente option. This way the noises will still be present even if playing very softly.
Layers
The Layers section lets you enable or disable specific velocity layers.
L aye rs
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Volume Range
This slider adjusts the volume scaling of the recorded velocity layers to allow for greater or narrower
dynamic range.
Volum e Range
Cutoff Filter
This slider enables or disables the cutoff filter. This filter applies special EQ settings to the sound that enable
for example more realistic piano dynamics. The filter influences the high frequencies, but also the core
resonance. Each patch uses its own customized filter setting tailored to the use of that particular patch.
Cutof f
Attack/Release
This area has three rotary encoders to intelligently adjust the ADSR curve of the samples.
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Round Robin
The RR area gives you detailed control over the round robins in each patch. The options shown below are
present in all patches with multiple Round Robins. If a patch does not have recorded Round Robins you will
only see the Fake Neighbor RRs option.
Round Robi n
Fak e Ne ighbor RR: If checked, the instrument will create faked RRs by "borrowing" samples from
neighboring notes and pitching them.
Random RR: This options randomizes the order of played RRs. If disabled, RRs will be played in sequence.
Pol yphonic RR: If enabled, only one RR is advanced in the sequence (or randomized) when playing chords.
Pol y Syl l abl e (C hoir onl y): If disabled, choir patches will always use the same syllable for each key as
long as any key is still pressed. Only after all keys are released, the next syllable is used. Activate Poly
Syllable to use the next syllable for each new key.
Ne w Note Re se ts: This option resets the RR sequence when a new pitch is played.
Re se t RR afte r ms: If no notes are played, the RR sequence resets to the start after the time in milliseconds
entered here.
RR Layers
The RR Layers area features one checkbox for every available recorded RR. You can enable and disable
(and by this purge/reload from memory if used in a Single Articulation patch) specific RRs here.
If no RR Layers is visible, the patch does not have recorded Round Robins.
RR L aye rs
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If a particular option is not available for the current patch/articulation, it will be grayed out and can not be
clicked.
For all other options you will see a toggle switch in the top left of the controller table. If you enable the
option, the Controller Curve display will appear along with controls to set the CC and/or MIDI note.
When a controller comes in (by CC or keyswitch) its respective entry in the Controller Table will show a
small dot in front of the name.
The current value of a controller is displayed by a highlighted area at the bottom of the Controller Table.
Acti v e Controlle r
Value Smoothing lets you introduce a timed lag to incoming CC events to smoothly bring in their
effect. If set to 0, this feature is off and you can set it to any value you like to determine how fast
Capsule will execute your CC changes. You can set this value individually for every entry in the
Controller Table.
Assigning Controllers
There are several ways to assign a feature to a specific note or controller.
Auto Assign
You can directly assign any feature in Capsule by holding Alt (Windows) / Option (macOS) and clicking on
the parameter you want to assign anywhere in any view of the patches. This will immediately take you to
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the respective assignment in the Controller Table view. Now just press a key on your MIDI keyboard you
want to assign (if the controller you want to assign can be assigned to a MIDI Note), or move any fader to
send a MIDI CC. Your selection will then be mapped to this feature. You can assign multiple controllers to
the same MIDI CC or Note.
Manual Assignment
Alternatively, select the feature you want to assign by using the next page/previous page buttons until you
see the function you want to assign. Click on it to select it.
Now you can
a) press "listen" to map any incoming MIDI data (note or CC). If that controller is not enabled yet, it will be
enabled automatically once you press "listen".
b) select a CC or note by choosing it from the selection menu below the curve window. You can also set
this to "Off" to not assign a CC, but keep your presets and settings.
Note:
If you assign a MIDI Note inside the playable range of the patch or on the same key as one of the
keyswitches in a Multi Articulation patch, that note will be moved one octave so the assignments do not
clash. This behaviour cannot be overridden.
Controller Curve
The middle of the Controller Table prominently features a graphical display of the current control curve. You
can draw your desired curve in with the mouse or use the preset button to open a menu with a number of
commonly used curves.
Available Controllers
The Controller Table hosts all - that is ALL - options and settings you can adjust in any patch. Therefore the list
of available controllers is very long. To let you make best possible use out of the plethora of available
options, we have compiled a reference of all available controllers with their default values in the Controller
Table - Annotated List.
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Each of those patches contains a single articulation with the GUI optimized and set up for this articulation.
Exceptions to this rule are the Legato patches, whose interface looks a bit different to the other patches and
which in a way contain multiple articulations (by means of the Adaptive Legato) as well as the Cluster
Builder and Runs Builder, which feature a different user interface.
All these patches use the four UI Views and all work in very much the same way. In the following sections,
you will learn about the different patches and how they are used. These descriptions also apply to the
corresponding articulations when loaded inside a Multi Articulation patch.
Performance View
Single Articulation patches in their Performance View contain the Main Knob for velocity layer control, as
well as other commonly used features. Below the Main Knob you will see the patch name, the version of the
collection it belongs to as well as the Capsule version.
For Strings, you will find a Con Sordino switch here which controls the Con Sordino emulation. All Berlin
Percussion Collections control the True Damping in this view. Select Metropolis Ark Patches let you control
the Auto Sustain here, as well. If a patch does not support a particular feature, its controls are not shown in
this view.
Info View
The Info View pane at the bottom of the Performance View shows the patch name as well as the version of
this particular collection and the version of Capsule used by this collection.
When any keyswitched feature is triggered (like the Round Robin Reset, Soft Release, etc...), the InfoView
shows the triggered feature by its name.
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Main Knob
The Main Knob is a key component of using any collection. It allows you to select one of two ways to
control the velocity of played notes:
1) Velocity (how hard you press the keys on your MIDI keyboard)
2) X-Fade (lets you control the volume via the modwheel)
All "longs" articulation (legato, sustains, ...) are set to X-Fade (modwheel) by default. Portato and similar also
use X-Fade. All "shorts" articulations use Velocity by default because they are much more easily playable this
way. Click on the Main Knob to toggle between these two settings. Note that some articulations are fixed
to the X-Fade mode and can not be changed.
M ai n Knob
You can re-assign the CC used for the X-Fade setting by Alt/Opt-Clicking on the Main Knob. This will open
the Controller Table where you can assign a new CC by moving your corresponding fader/encoder or
whatever input source you are using.
In the middle of the Main Knob, the current velocity layer is displayed. As you morph through the layers, this
value will change to reflect the active layer. If no text is visible, you are in the middle of two layers. Note
that this display represents the actual recorded samples. So if you have p / mf / f in the display, that not
only tells you that there are three actual layers per note, but also which one is currently active. This is a
huge help when creating realistic mockups because you are told by the library that “right now those violas
are playing mf”. When the display says mf, what you are hearing is the actual sound of the violas playing
mf, not just a random sample lowered or raised in volume!
If an articulation has only a single velocity layer, the Main Knob will show "Single Layer" in the lower
portion.
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articulations of an instrument on the same track while still being able to use the benefits of the Single
Articulation patches.
While a patch is muted, the UI will show a message telling you to unmute the patch by either triggering the
keyswitch again or by clicking on the message window.
Dynamic Switch
With percussive instruments, quite often it is useful to not crossfade between different velocity layers (thereby
having multiple samples sound at any time) but rather use the recorded dynamic layers in their correct place
and switch between them.
When Dynamic Switch is enabled, all velocity-mapped keys in the current articulation will not crossfade
between dynamic layers but rather switch between them at breakpoints. Note that this setting does not
influence X-Fade-controlled keys like for example Rolls. This setting is available in all short notes, but it
makes most sense to use it with percussion instruments.
Be rli n Pe rcussi on Se ri e s
True Damping
A lot of percussive instruments have a very unique damping sound. Wherever worthwhile, these sounds
were extensively sampled for Berlin Percussion and BPC A - The Timpani. If enabled, this option will make
the instrument play True Damping samples when CC64 is not active. CC64 will let the samples ring out.
Con Sordi no
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10.2 Sustains
Sustained articulations form the backbone of numerous Orchestral Tools collections. These patches provide
long, sustained notes that can be help over long periods of time. This section describes the available
patches, how they are organized and their features.
Sustain Types
Orchestal Tools collections feature at least one sustained articulation for every instrument capable of
producing one.
Sustains are mainly differentiated by the way of their note attack and release:
- Sustains Imm are regular held notes with a quick ("Immediate") attack and release
- Sustains Soft have a softer attack and release
- Sustains Acc have an accented attack (using the Sustains Imm release)
These styles are all available as Single Articulation patches with one patch per attack style. Not all
collections have all these styles; refer to the respective Articulation Guide. Some collections also have
special sustained notes like Fluttertongue.
Continuous Sustains
Sustained Articulations usually hold their timbre, in which case they are always looped. That means that
when the note is held, part of the sample will be repeated indefinitely until the note is released. This allows
for very long lines at (especially for wind instruments) the expense of realism if unrealistically long notes are
played which a real player would not be able to sustain before running out of breath. In this case, singing
the line is the best way to make sure it is playable: If you can sing it, most likely the player could play it in
reality.
Expressive Sustains
The Soloists Series uses special sustains with expression baked in in additional to regular continuous
sustains. The Nocturne Series in both Legato and Sustains patches plays regular sustains at middle velocity.
Low and High Velocity trigger special expressions, depending on the patch. These include swells, (soft to
loud to soft), crescendo and decrescendo. These expressions are individual for every sustain type (2 bar, 1
bar, ...).
An important part of playing BWW Soloists instruments expressively is using variations in dynamics. This is
done by extensively utilizing the crescendo/decrescendo sustains. Never just bang the keys, but use these
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layers carefully. Coupled with the phrasing control described before and the adaptive legato script, you can
play the Woodwind Soloists very expressively.
In the right of the interface is a slider labeled X-REVERSE. This allows you to alter the way the script reacts to
your playing: By default, low velocities result in a decresc phrasing and vice versa. Enable the slider and
the script will react in the opposite way to suit your playing style. The velocity of the first note in a sequence
will also be treated as usual (i.e. low velocity = decresc), but any following note with the opposite setting
(i.e. cresc in this case).
Vi brato
Me tropoli s Ark 1
Auto Sustain
The Electric Guitar and Bass patches in Metropolis Ark 1 allow you to keep the current note playing after
releasing the key until a new note is played with the Auto Sustain feature. If enabled, the instrument will
become monophonic and any note will continue to sound after the key is released until either a new note is
played, the same note is retriggered or the sound is stopped with the CC or MIDI Note assigned to Stop
Key in the Controller Table.
Auto Sustai n
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10.3 Legato
Most collections have true legato (interval sampling) for all sections and solo instruments. To achieve the
highest level of realism and detail, we have recorded every interval up to an octave. That means you will
hear the natural transitions from one note to another. Every true legato patch is sampled with one (Soloists)
or several dynamic crossfade layers. Capsule uses an Adaptive Legato technology. While you play, the
instrument analyses your playing style and adjusts the transitions automatically.
True Legato
The True Legato patches adjust to your playing by automatically shaping transitions. The process is fully
automatic and there are no special controls.
Be rli n Woodwi nds,Be rli n Stri ngs & Be rli n Brass, Glory Days and Nocturne Se ri e s
Adaptive Legato View
The Adaptive Legato in Berlin Woodwinds Revive, Berlin Strings, Berlin Brass and the Nocturne Series will
react to your playing and choose the correct style automatically. You can see which style is currently used in
the Style view to the left of the Main Knob. Use the solo buttons to the left of the style panels to force the
script to use this particular style.
Adapti v e L e gato
You can solo a particular Legato style by clicking on its “S” icon. This will make the instrument play this style
only.
In addition, if you click on the name of the Legato style as opposed to clicking on the “S” icon, this style will
be soloed, too, but also the other styles will be purged from memory.
The Nocturne Series extends the legato concept to feature four unique speed zones for each of its four
sustain types. Depending on your playing speed, different transition lengths will be triggered, namely 1/2
bar, 1/4 bar and 1/8 bar legato. Very fast playing triggers a special Runs Legato.
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Berlin Brass on some instruments also features regular Slurred Legato as well as Re-Tongued
legato. In Slurred Legato, all notes are tightly connected, whereas the Re-Tongued Legato
provides are more pronounced legato transition. Both styles can be selected in the UI to the
right of the Main Knob.
You can adjust the volume of the transitions with the Legato Volume knob in the Mixer View of each legato-
enabled patch.
Ve l.
Thre sholds
Nocturne Se ri e s
Alternative Transition
The Nocturne Series features alternative transitions that can be triggered instead of the regular transitions.
This feature is controlled by a CC assignable in the Controller Table. When the CC is engaged, the
Nocturne Series will use Détaché transitions.
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- Re-tongued Legato, where the note is played anew after the transition, emphasizing it. This style allows
you to play re-tongued legato passages without time-consuming work in the piano roll.
You can switch between the two styles in the GUI. Go to the Controller Table to assign a controller to
select the legato styles.
The Clarinet, Bass Flute and Bass Clarinet feature no vibrato and vibrato legato and sustains.
Breath Noise
For added realism, you can add a breath noise while playing. This function can be assigned to a CC or
Midi Note in the Controller Table on the Performance page.
Tip
Sing the phrase you are about to play - and when you need to breathe, so probably does the
instrumentalist. This is the right place to insert some breath noise.
Impor tant: When playing a slow passage followed by some faster notes, sometimes the slow transition of
the last slow note will be cut off. This is because the script is not able to look into the future, so it has no
way of knowing beforehand what the user is going to play next. You can easily manually work around this
issue by manually moving the first note forward slightly in the piano roll/key editor of your sequencer.
While the script can not look into the future - you can! So we have inserted a keyswitch at Bb-1 which will
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enable a special Automatic Fast Mode as long as you hold down the keyswitch and bypass the issue this
way. Remember to use it and you should not encounter any cut notes.
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Berlin Percussion features a unique "Singles & Rolls" patch type. This patch combines single hits with
dynamically playable rolls.
In addition, most instruments also have recorded Dynamics, which reside in their own Dynamics patch.
These two patches are seperated for technical reasons, but can work together on the same MIDI channel.
Sample Mapping
The Singles & Rolls and Dynamics patches all are mapped as uniformly as possible. Some instruments for
example do not provide dedicated samples for left and right hand playing, but if they do, the mapping will
be the same for every instruments.
All instruments of the same family (snare drums, bass drums, ...) are sampled and mapped with the same
layout which makes it possible to use the same MIDI data for multiple patches or to layer instruments.
Also the Singles & Rolls patches and the Percussion Dynamics patches are mapped in such a way that their
playable areas do not overlap. This means that you can load these two patches on one MIDI channel per
instrument and do not need to use two channels/tracks for one instrument.
Depending on the instrument not all keys my be used, but if the instrument has a specific articulation it will
always be on the same key.
The general mapping for Singles and Rolls Patches is as follows:
Key Name
below C2 Special Articulations (different mallets...)
C2 Single Hit Left
D2 Single Hit Right
E2 Rimshot
F2 Muted Hit Left
G2 Muted Hit Right
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Key Name
A2 Ricochet
C3 Roll Normal
D3 Roll with Accented Release
E3 Roll Double Stroke
F3 Roll Double Stroke with Accented Release
G3 Sforzando/Fortepiano
C4 Double Upbeat
C#4 Triple Upbeat
D4 Quadruple Upbeat
Dynamics
Most instruments in Berlin Percussion feature recorded dynamics. Similarly to the Singles and Rolls these are
mapped uniformly across all instruments to make it possible to experiment with different combinations, etc...
The general mapping for Dynamics Patches is as follows:
Key Name
from F4 Crescendos
from B4 Decrescendos
from E5 Crescendos/Descrescendos
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Notation View
At the left of the GUI you see a helpful tool for your orchestrations: The notation view, a huge timesaver if
you want to notate trills in your written scores. It shows you every trill you are playing, regardless of the
number of notes you play.
Notati on Vi e w
Note
While you are playing, the delay between the start note and the end note can be very short, you can
“roll up” the chords very quickly. But it is important to always roll them up; pressing two or more keys at
exactly the same time will not work.
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Note
Just find out which mode is good for your current needs and choose accordingly: If you want to play
flickering chords for example, choose the End Tone = Start Tone mode. If you want to play two different
trills, each between two notes, you should choose the Start Tone = Always New mode.
Tip
You can blend the sfz trills perfectly with the regular trills to achieve a sharp attack at the beginning of a
long sustained trill.
Measured Trills
Measured Trills patches allow you to play trills synced to your host tempo. These patches work the same
way as all other TO patches, but they have additional tempo options in their Performance View. They have
been recorded at multiple tempos and are played in perfect sync to your host tempo by the script. By
default, the script conforms to the host tempo. If you want to adjust the tempo yourself, set the tempo switch
to manual and use the BPM slider to set the tempo. Please note that the samples are time-stretched using
Kontakt's TimeMachine. With extreme tempo settings you might hear artifacts cause by the time stretching
algorithm. If this happens, try half or double tempo trills.
Te m po Opti ons
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Soloi sts Se ri e s
Woodwind Soloists
The Solo Oboe, Solo English Horn and Solo Clarinet have a full complement of semitone and whole tone
trills, both espressivo and with short attack.
If you play with a soft velocity, accelerating espressivo trills will be played. Play harder and regular short
attack trills will sound.
The Solo Flute, Solo Alto Flute, Solo Clarinet and Solo Bass Clarinet have recorded Grace Note sustains.
Play the grace note first (for example G3), keep it pressed and play a semitone or whole tone below (F#3
or F3, in this case) - much in the same way as the Trills Orchestrator script from BWW.
The Solo Oboe and Solo English Horn have been recorded with half step and whole step changing notes,
both up and down. First play the root note and hold it. Then play the changing note either a semitone or a
whole tone below or above. In the TimeMachine-enabled patches use the Speed encoder to adjust the
speed of the changing note.
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10.6 Doubles/Triples
Be rli n Se ri e s
Berlin Woodwinds has recorded double tongue and triple tongue samples for most instruments. In a
painstaking process we recorded real double and triple tongue notes and made them react to your
playing speed.
Berlin Strings extends this concept to Double and Triple Bowings, which work the same way.
Doubles
Play a note and the first note sounds. Release the key and the second note is played. Basically you only
need to play every second note, with the gap between notes determined by how long you keep the key
pressed.
Triples
Playing tripled notes requires a bit of practice, but it is easily worth it: Press a key and the first note sounds.
The second note sounds when you release the key and Capsule will automatically sound the third note after
an equal period of time. This is very useful for playing triple-tongued triplets or short triple bowings in the
strings!
Tempo Detection
All Doubles/Triples patches use two distinct sets of samples for slow and fast playing. Depending on your
playing speed, the script will automatically switch between these two sample sets.
10.7 Repetitions
Many collections feature recorded 16th note and triplets repetitions. These have been recorded at multiple
tempos and are played in perfect sync to your host tempo by the script. By default, the script conforms to the
host tempo. If you want to adjust the tempo yourself, set the tempo switch to manual (see Tempo Options)
and use the BPM slider to set the tempo.
Please note that the samples are time-stretched using Kontakt‘s TimeMachine. With extreme tempo settings
you might hear artefacts cause by the time stretching algorithm. If this happens, try half or double tempo
repetitions.
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While we aim to only record the most pristine material, sometimes imperfections creep in where something
is not quite right. Loose samples are samples that are not really clean (untidy attacks, pitches, etc.).
Normally we throw away these samples when we separate the perfect sounding recordings from the dirty
ones in the editing process.
On some chosen patches we decided to keep them and make them playable in addition to the clean ones.
The special idea behind these samples is that when you play them on their own, they do not really sound
like you could use them in a score - they are really dirty. But when you combine those not quite so clean
samples with other instruments in creating a composition, you will see that these imperfections will breathe
much more life into your mockups.
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clear a slot, select it and press the articulation button again. There also is a Clear All button next to the
articulation buttons.
Te m po Sli de r
Lock to Beat
If Lock to Beat is enabled, any triggered run elements will be synced to the respective next beat or part of a
beat, depending on the setting of the beat slider. 1/4 is the default. For use with triplet-based figures, you
can also set Lock to Beat to trigger on 1/4 or 1/8 triplets.
L ock to B e at
Keyswitches
C0-B0 = changes the key (e.g. F Major, C Major, etc.)
C1-A1 = activates individual slots
Scale
Use the Scale slider to select the scale you would like your run to be in. You can assign a CC to this slider
by right-clicking on it.
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Scale Sli de r
CC1 Staccato
Moving CC1 (the Modwheel) all the way to 127 makes any slot play staccato. Any value below 127 will
play the articulation loaded in the slot.
This feature is very useful to end a run. Just move the modwheel all the way up and play a staccato finishing
note.
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10.11 FX Builder
Be rli n Brass - F re nch H orn SF X
Berlin Brass - French Horn SFX features two patches based on Orchestral Tools‘ FX Builder Engine: The
Random Staccato patch and the Cluster Builder. Both patches use a similar GUI, but differ in their usage.
Both patches are described in the following section.
Cluster Builder
B B R C - Cluste r B ui lde r
The Cluster Builder marks Orchestral Tools‘ newest approach on solving a problem that has existed every
since the advent of sampling: How to create ultra-realistic effects that adapt to what the user wants to write
without overly complicated calculations or resorting to pre-recorded loops, which lack flexibility?
The Cluster Builder, in a nutshell, gives you access to the four horns in our section. We recorded Sustains,
Bendings, Fluttertongue, Trills and Stopped Sustains for each horn. The script lets you play each horn with its
individual articulation independently from the others. So one horn can play sustained notes, while a second
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horn performs a trill, a third plays bendings and the fourth horn will join in playing fluttertongue.
In addition, you can select a target pitch for each horn individually. The target pitch determines how far the
horn is allowed to stray from the tonal center (= the key you pressed) when playing a cluster. This setting is
of course automatable as usual by assigning a CC (right-click on any target pitch box to assign one).
Targe t Pi tch
The transform feature now is where the magic happens: Move the CC assigned to the Transform knob to
morph from playing unison in the chosen articulation to playing at the target pitch. This means that with a
target pitch of 3, the instrument will sound 3 quarter tones higher when the Transform knob is set to
maximum. Values in-between will result in something somewhere in the middle (go figure!). The transition is
absolutely seamless - this way you can morph in and out of a custom cluster in exactly the tempo you need.
By default, all four horns will play when you press a key. Pressing multiple keys results in an increased
number of instruments sounding.
Auto Di v i si
To help you create clusters with realistic voice distribution and the ability to have instruments come in one
after another, we implemented a divisi feature: The Auto Divisi button distributes the notes you play to the
four horns. The first note will go to the first horn, the second to the second, and so on. When the Auto Divisi
button is enabled, a selection menu will appear where you can select the order in which the four horns are
played. So for example if you want to the third horn to play the second note you press, you can change the
order here. To reset the counter (so the next note you play will be treated as the first in sequence), press
C0.
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The True Pedal patches provide control over all seven harp pedals. You can the mouse to click on the pedal
you want to adjust. All pedal have flat, normal and sharp positions and alter the pitch of all strings of that
respective pitch.
Adjust the pedals, press “store” and click the preset number you want to assign the setting to. Now you can
easily switch between the presets you created just by clicking on the different slots.
You can save and load all ten presets with the save and load buttons in the top left.
Note:
You can trigger both all individual pedals as well as any of the ten presets via MIDI with any kind of MIDI
controller. Set this up in the Controller Table.
Use this if you want to switch between presets or adjust pedal settings while you are playing.
For example:
Put down the C pedal and every C becomes a C sharp.
Put up the C pedal to the high position and every C becomes a C flat.
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With these adjustments, it is possible to play nearly every scale you can imagine.
Assuming you want to play a glissandi in a C major pentatonic scale: Set the B to B sharp and the E to E
sharp. The E now sounds like a F, the B sounds like a C.
With 5 different pitches but 7 different strings played, the “F” exists two times and the “C” exists two times,
as well. Now you have a pentatonic scale, this is what is called an enharmonic change. B sharp is not C
but it has the same pitch. This way it is possible to create further scales like major, minor, pentatonic, whole
tone etc.
Another advantage of the pedals is that you can transfer patterns and melodies into other scales without
thinking about how to change the notes and chords you are playing.
For example:
You created a melody in F minor.
It might be interesting to hear how the melody sounds like in a pentatonic scale without thinking about how
you have to change the notes you are playing. With the pedals this is possible: Just adjust the pedals to the
scale you need and play the same keys as before and your melody is transferred into another appearance.
This is a very huge and creative possibility.
Note
In this instrument only the white keys are mapped to samples because a harp has only 7 strings.
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10.13 Drumset
Me tropoli s Ark 1
Metropolis Ark 1 contains a drumset recorded in place at the Teldex Scoring Stage.
The instrument provides all regular mic positions and is mapped in the GM standard:
Key Name
B0 Bass Drum Alternate
C1 Bass Drum
D1 Snare
D#1 Snare Alternate
F1 Low Floor Tom
F#1 Closed Hi Hat
G1 High Floor Tom
A1 Low Tom
A#1 Open Hi Hat
B1 Low Mid Tom
C#2 Crash Cymbal
D#2 Ride Cymbal
E2 China Cymbal
F2 Ride Bell
G2 Splash Cymbal
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Metropolis Ark 1 features two Electric Guitars, a Guitar Ensemble created from these two guitars as well
as an Electric Bass. These have all been recorded at the Teldex Scoring Stage and come with a few
special Mic Positions.
These instruments also have some special FX samples mapped, which are explained in the following
sections.
These instruments support the Auto Sustain feature, which is described in the Standard Articulations section.
Sample Mapping
The Electric Guitar and Electric Bass patches feature a number of special FX below and above the playable
range for Single Strokes or Powerchords. The playable tonal range is marked on Kontakt's on-screen
keyboard with blue keys. All FX keys are coloured yellow.
Key Name
G0 - G#0 Dead Note
C4 - D4/D#4 Slides Up Down (D#4 Bass only)
E4 - F#4/G4 Slides Down (G4 Bass only)
G#4 - B4 Slides Up
C5 - D#5 Slides Plec (Guitars only)
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10.14.1 Guitars
The Guitar (L) and Guitar (R) contain Electric Guitar articulations. These two guitars are intended to be
double-tracked with one panned left, and the other panned right. Here they are present as individual
patches to facilitate finding your own sound.
Microphone Positions
The Guitars large have the same Mic Positions as all other Metropolis Ark 1 patches; see Mixer View for
details.
In additional, they feature a DI position which provides the Direct Input unaltered. The DI position is off by
default in the Guitars; switch it on and route it to its own output to use your own effects plugins on the signal.
The Guitar Ensemble pre-mixes and pre-pans the two Guitars included in Metropolis Ark 1 and has factory
settings like a typical double-tracked guitar setup.
All patches are playable right out of the box and are set up for the instant "action guitar" sound.
Microphone Positions
The Guitar Ensemble comes with its own set of special Mic Positions which are pre-mixed already for a
great sound.
L/R-Close
The Left or Right Close position provides the Close signal for the left/right Guitar. Adjust this position for
more or less direct signal.
L/R-Room
The Left or Right Room position controls the amount of reverberated Guitar sound. Adjust this position for
more or less ambience.
Amp 1 / Amp 2
The Amp 1 and Amp 2 positions control the two Electric Bass amp positions. These positions are identical to
the respective Electric Bass positions.
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The Electric Bass features two special amp setups, and is great to add precise bottom end to any track
Microphone Positions
The Electric Bass provides four mic positions to shape the sound.
DI
The DI position provides the DI box input unaltered. Route this position to its own output to use your own
effects plugins on the signal.
OD
The OD position lets you control the amount of overdriven signal.
Amp 1
The Amp 1 position provides an Ampeg SVT 4-Pro bass amp setup.
Amp 2
The Amp 2 position provides a special SansAmp setup that has been post-processed.
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Most patches in most collections are also available as special Time Machine-enabled patches. You can
recognize these patches by their name, which contains “TM”.
Time Machine-enabled patches work the same way as their regular counterparts, but have one additional UI
element. The TM Slider allows you to adjust the length of the samples in real time. This lets you make
staccatos sharper or shape a marcato to your desired length. The release samples are unaffected by these
changes, so the natural ambience of the room is preserved.
It is advisable to use the TM slider within sensible limits. The extreme ends of the spectrum will yield results
that are interesting for sound design, but have little in common with the original instrument. Less is more.
TM patches load the shole sample content into memory, so they take more RAM than their regular
counterparts. You should only use them if you actually want to use the TM feature. Most of the time the
regular patches will suffice.
Also the TM algorithm sometimes creates noises. Again - only use the TM patches if you need the TM
function.
Please note that Kontakt has a 32 voice limit for Time Machine. Avoid playing lots of notes simultaneously
with the TM patches, otherwise you will very likely experience cut or dropped notes.
Note that there are no TM patches for Legato, Playable Glissando and similar articulations for technical
reasons.
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Most non-melodic Berlin Series percussion instruments are mapped the conventional way with either key
velocity or an assignable CC controlling the velocity layers.
For some Unpitched Metals an alternative controlling scheme is also provided. These instruments have an
extra folder inside their instruments folder called "Key Velocity".
Inside are patches with the suffix "KV", which stands for Key Velocity.
Key Velocity patches have their velocity layers spread over keys on the keyboard. This allows for playing
smooth accentuated hits without having to think about or edit key velocity afterwards producing a consistent
velocity.
These patches are otherwise identical in the sample content to their regular counterparts. Use whichever
mapping scheme works best for you.
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Some special articulations like Scale Runs are combined in one Multi Patch, for example Scale Runs or
Dynamics. There are no corresponding Single Articulation patches for these.
Depending on the collection, there may be individual patches for Longs, Shorts, etc., or all articulations may
be set up in a single patch. This mostly depends on the number of total articulations.
This section of the User Guide describes the UI and usage of the Multi Articulation patches. The individual
articulations loaded inside a Multi Articulation patch work the same way as their Single Articulations
counterparts. So please refer to the respective sections of the User Guide to learn more about these
articulations. The notable difference is the legato behaviour: Since the Multi Articulation Patches allow you
to use legato transitions or behaviour (scripted legato) with any articulation, there are no 1:1 counterparts to
the regular Single Articulation legato patches.
Empty slots have . . . as their slot name. Occupied slots show an abbreviation for the articulation loaded in
them with an icon for that articulation displayed below. The icon in a graphical way tells you a bit about
how the articulation sounds.
A slur left of the slot name (like in the 2nd slot above) means that legato behaviour is active for that slot.
Choosing Articulations
If you click on a slot, a menu will open that allows you to select an articulation. Use the scroll arrows to
cycle through the different articulation pages.
Click X or click the articulation name again to close the menu. The menu will also close when selecting an
articulation. Each articulation can only be loaded once. To load an already loaded articulation in another
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slot, you first need to clear the slot the articulation is loaded in, then load it in the new slot.
The vertical CLEAR Button to the left of the slots clears all currently loaded articulations so all twelve slots
are empty.
L e gato Style s
You can select up to three different legato zones accessed by playing speed. If you only need one or two
types of legato, just set two or even three slots to the same legato type.
The other settings displayed on this page correspond to the settings of that particular Single Articulation in
the Settings View.
Note
The settings made on this page apply only to the selected articulation. Global settings are set in the
Settings View.
Berlin Strings - First Chairs uses the Alternative Transitions feature in its multis to control Portamento,
triggered by a controller configurable in the Controller Table..
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If the controller is engaged, the slur graphic above the slot will turn orange.
If a legato style features an alternative transitions, this is marked by an asterisk (*) next to the transition
name in the legato slots.
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Selecting Articulations
There are multiple ways of selecting an articulation:
1) Click on the icon displayed below the slot name to select an articulation.
2a) If the KS Mono/KS Poly switch is set to Mono, you can use freely assignable
keyswitches to select any of the 12 slots. Use the <KS> buttons in the lower left of
the patch to move the keyswitches. In this mode you can switch articulations any
M ono/Poly KS
time and the newly selected articulation will become active with the next played
note even if notes are still held in polyphonic playing.
2b) It is also possible to select any slot with a MIDI CC. You can assign any MIDI CC you like to the MI -
Slot Switch CC
If both the original slot as well as the slot switched to has legato enabled, a legato transition will be played
connecting the slots enabling fluent changes between legato articulations. If the slot switched to does not
have legato enabled, the original slot will still be connected and afterwards muted, but without a further
transition after the initial connection. This also applies to Guitar patches using Auto Sustain.
Tip
Ctrl/Cmd-Click on the <KS> buttons to move the keyswitches directly adjacent to the lowest playable
note of the patch. On very low instruments the keyswitches will be moved adjacent to the top of the
range.
Shift-Click on the <KS> buttons to move the start of the keyswitches to C0. Very low instruments (like
BST Basses) will have their keyswitches start at C6.
3) If the KS Mono/KS Poly switch is set to Poly, the full power of Capsule is unleashed with Poly
Keyswitching and Morphing.
Attention
The playable range of an articulation is displayed via coloured keys in Kontakt‘s on-screen keyboard. If
monophonic keyswitching is active, the displayed range is the range of the currently selected slot. If any
polyphonic switching/morphing mode is active, the displayed range is the combined range of all slots.
In this case single articulations (for example flageolet) may have silent notes.
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Polyphonic Keyswitching/Morphing
Capsule introduces the ability to have more than one keyswitch (or, in this case, slot) enabled at the same
time. You can select up to four slots at a time by pressing multiple keyswitches at the same time. The newly
selected slot(s) will become active for all new notes as soon as all already sounding notes are released.
Already sounding notes are not affected and will also not be cut off when selecting other keyswitches.
KS M ode s
Capsule not only allows switching between multiple selected slots via different means, but also morphing
freely between them. There are two modes for switching and two for morphing, selected by either clicking
the respective button or by a CC defined in the Controller Table:
CC Switch
With this option selected, the CC assigned to X Fade/Switch in the Controller Table will switch between
the selected slots. For this, by default the range of the CC is divided by the number of selected keyswitches,
for example 128/4 if four slots are selected.
Vel Switch
This option works in a similar way to CC Switch, but instead of a MIDI CC, the slots will be switched by
key velocity. Again by default the number of selected keyswitches determines the value range in which each
slot will react.
CC XFade
Instead of switching through the selected slots, this option will morph between them using the X Fade/Switch
CC. by default the number of selected keyswitches determines the value range in which each slot will react.
Note
When using the CC Switch or CC XFade modes, the lower portion of the Active Slots display will show
the current state of the respective CC by highlighting that section of the display.
CC XFade 2D
The 2D XFade allows you to morph freely between up to four slots using equal power crossfading. Each
corner of the graphic displayed in the UI represents one of the slots soloed. Use the CCs assigned to X
Fade/Switch and Y Fade (2D) in the Controller Table to move between the slots.
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2 D XF ade
In any of the modes you can change the selected slots at any time simply by pressing different keyswitches.
If Vel Switch is selected, the boxes control the velocities where Capsule will switch. This way you can for
example set the first and last slot to only trigger on very soft or high velocities, respectively, whereas the
middle slot(s) will use a much broader value range.
If CC Switch is selected, the boxes control the CC values where the switch will take place. You can for
example set the second slot to trigger from CC value 10, the third one from 90 and the fourth one only if a
CC value of 127 is received.
Custom thresholds are not available in the XFade modes (CC XFade or 2D XFade).
Switch Imm
The Switch Imm option determines whether a newly selected slot becomes actively sounding as soon as it is
selected while a note is still playing or whether it only sounds on new notes.
If set to off, switching to a slot while a note is sounding will make the current sound
continue. The new slot will sound on the next note.
If set to on, switching to a slot while a note is sounding will switch that note to the
new slot.
Click the Lock icon next to the preset controls to enter or leave Locked View.
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Click the Lock icon next to the preset controls to enter or leave Locked View.
A locked patch is frozen with its settings (active articulations, KS mode, velocity layers, RRs, etc...) as they
were set at the point of entering Locked View. When locked, all samples not currently used are purged from
memory.
As long as Locked View is active, no articulations can be changed and the instrument is immune to any
settings changes via CC, as well.
Interface
When the Locked View is shown, the Multi Articulation UI changes to an interface more alike to Single
Articulation Patches:
The Main Knob in the middle of the interface shows the current velocity or CC assigned to layer switching.
Note that Velocity/X-Fade control are set per patch in the patch options in the Slot View, not by clicking on
the Main Knob like in Single Articulation patches. The right of the interface shows the enabled articulations.
The Locked View essentially serves to enable creating and storing custom-built articulation patches that
behave similar to Adaptive Single Articulation patches like the Legato patches.
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1. The OT Helpdesk
Before sending us an email, please first refer to the OT Helpdesk at helpdesk.orchestraltools.com, which
has answers to the most common user questions.
There you will also find detailed Folder Listings to verify that all your collections are correctly installed. The
Helpdesk covers a lot of topics and chances are high you will an answer there in a fraction of the time it
would take you to contact us.
Here are a few important topics:
Downloading the newest Installation Guide and User Guide
Everything about download and installation
Folder Structure listings of all Orchestral Tools collections
For direct help with download issues using Continuata Connect, please contact support(at)continuata(dot)com
Just send us an email, describe your issue and we will get back to you usually the same working day. OT
Support is staffed every working day 09:00 to 16:00. Orchestral Tools is based in Germany, so if we do
not reply soon, it is most likely night over here! No impersonal ticket IDs, no registration for an account,
nothing. Just help when you need it.
Please include as much information as possible, especially your system specs, sequencer version and
Kontakt version. Screenshots also help tremendously.
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XIII Appendices
This section contains several appendices like a list of all controllers available in the Controller Table, how to
configure Kontakt's outputs, and the most recent changes to the Capsule engine.
Used by: Tells you which collection(s) use this controller; for example all Solo Berlin Woodwinds, or all
Berlin Strings.
Assignable to: Controllers can be assigned to a MIDI CC, a MIDI note, or both.
Default Value: Some controls have a default value set by Orchestral Tools. If they do, this will tell you what
it is.
Description: Provides a short description what the controller does.
Dynamics
Dynamic XFade
Used by: All "Long" articulations; but can be set and used for "Shorts", too.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC1 (Modwheel)
Description: The assigned CC controls the dynamics of the instruments by morphing through the enabled
velocity layers. This is the default control scheme for "Long" articulations, though you can also enable and
use it for "Shorts", too.
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| Appendices |
Collection User Guide
Soft Re l e ase
Used by: All patches with mapped Sustains Soft in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: CC15
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note triggers a Sustains Soft release of the current note(s) when
enabled (even if the current sustain is a Sus Imm or Acc).
Tr ue Damping
Used by: All BPC Range articulations that support True Damping.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC switches the True Damping behaviour on or off.
Dynamic Switch
Used by: All Berlin Percussion Single Artic patches with velocity-controlled articulations.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC makes velocity-controlled keys switch between velocity layers instead of
crossfading them.
Auto Sustain
Used by: Select Metropolis Ark Series patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC switches the Auto Sustain behaviour on or off.
Stop Ke y
Used by: All patches that support Auto Sustain.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: F0
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note stops the currently sounding note if Auto Sustain is switched on.
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Performance
C on Sor dino
Used by: All Berlin Strings and Nocturne Series patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC24
Description: The assigned CC switches the Con Sordino simulation on or off.
Al te r nativ e Tr ansition
Used by: All Nocturne Series legato articulations.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: CC64
Description: The assigned CC toggles Alternative Transitions.
1st Le gato Zone
Used by: All Legato Single Articulations.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: A-1
Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the 1st Legato style.
2nd Le gato Zone
Used by: All Legato Single Articulations using a 2nd Legato Zone.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: Bb-1
Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the 2nd Legato style.
3r d Le gato Zone
Used by: All Legato Single Articulations using a 3rd Legato Zone.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: B-1
Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the 3rd Legato style.
4th Le gato Zone
Used by: All Legato Single Articulations using a 4th Legato Zone.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: B-1
Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the 4th Legato style.
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Re tongue d Le gato
Used by: Selected Berlin Woodwinds Soloists Legato Single Articulations.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: CC52
Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the Retongued Legato style.
X Re v e r se
Used by: Selected Berlin Woodwinds Soloists Legato Single Articulations.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note treats the velocity of the first note in a sequence as usual (i.e.
low velocity = decresc), but any following note with the opposite setting (i.e. cresc in this case).
B r e ath Noise
Used by: Berlin Woodwinds Soloists Legato Single Articulations.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: B-1
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note plays a breath noise for added realism.
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Instrument Options
RR Re se t Ke y
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: A-1
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note resets the Round Robin counter to zero.
Lock To Host
Used by: All patches using Time-Stretching in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC switches between patches following the host tempo or following a Manual
Tempo set inside the instrument.
Te mpo M ode
Used by: All patches using Time-Stretching in all collections..
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC50
Description: The assigned CC moves the tempo mode slider.
Auto Te mpo
Used by: All patches using Time-Stretching in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC switches between patches automatically selecting the best-sounding option for
the Tempo Slider and you needing to move this slider manually.
M anual Te mpo
Used by: All patches using Time-Stretching in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC51
Description: The assigned CC selects the BPM used for the articulation if Lock To Host is off.
Nie nte
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: Off
Description: With the assigned CC or MIDI Note, the lowest dynamic setting (usually CC1 at 0) will cause
the instrument to be completely silent. Use this setting when using your instruments with a breath or wind
controller.
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Ignor e Noise s
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note makes the playing noises (wind or bow, depending on the
library) not be affected by the Niente and Soft Low Layer option. This way the noises will still be present
even if playing very softly.
Lock to B e at
Used by: All Time machine-enabled patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC lets the played sample start on the next full beat.
C utoff Fil te r On/Off
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note switches the Cutoff Filter on or off.
C utoff Fil te r C C
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC1
Description: The assigned CC controls the Cutoff Filter.
Attack
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC73
Description: The assigned CC controls the articulation attack parameter.
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Attack C ur v e
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC74
Description: The assigned CC controls the articulation attack curve.
Re l e ase
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC72
Description: The assigned CC controls the articulation release parameter.
Time Str e tching
Used by: All TimeMachine-enabled patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC51
Description: The assigned CC controls the time stretching parameter.
Pe dal Sound
Used by: All patches with recorded pedal noise.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC controls the level of pedal noise.
Hamme r On/Pul l Off
Used by: All Electric Guitar patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note moves the attack startpoint of any played note to omit the
sound of the plectrum.
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Mixer
Te l de x IR
Used by: All Soloists Series patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note switches the Teldex Impulse Response on or off.
Te l de x IR Dr y
Used by: All Soloists Series patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC controls the amount of dry signal in the patch.
Te l de x IR We t
Used by: All Soloists Series patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC controls the amount of wet signal in the patch.
Te l de x IR Pr e de l ay
Used by: All Soloists Series patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC controls the pre-delay time in the patch.
<NAM E > Fade r
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Depends on Mic Position
Description: The assigned CC controls the fader level of the mic position.
<NAM E > Sol o
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Depends on Mic Position
Description: The assigned CC controls the solo state of the mic position.
<NAM E > M ute
Used by: All patches in all collections.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Depends on Mic Position
Description: The assigned CC controls the mute state of the mic position.
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M I - M ono/Pol y M ode
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC switches between monophonic keyswitching and polyphonic keyswitching.
M I - Ve l . Switch M ode
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC25
Description: The assigned CC sets polyphonic keyswitching to switch by playing velocity.
M I - C C Switch M ode
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC26
Description: The assigned CC sets polyphonic keyswitching to switch by sending the X Axis MIDI CC.
M I - C C XFade M ode
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC27
Description: The assigned CC sets polyphonic keyswitching to crossfade by sending the X Axis MIDI CC.
M I - 2D XFade M ode
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC28
Description: The assigned CC sets polyphonic keyswitching to crossfade using 2D morphing via the X Axis
and Y Axis MIDI CCs.
M I - X Fade /Switch
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC22
Description: The assigned CC controls the polyphonic keyswitching if set to CC Switch or XFade and
controls the X Axis in the 2D XFade.
M I - Y Fade (2D)
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC23
Description: The assigned CC controls the Y Axis in the 2D XFade.
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M I - Sl ot Switch C C
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: Off
Description: The assigned CC switches between Slots.
Le g Ar tic <n> On/Off
Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.
Assignable to: MIDI CC
Default Value: CC30
Description: The assigned CC switches the legato on or off for the respective slot in the Multi Articulation
patch.
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Capsule 2.7
Important: The features from Capsule 2.7 mentioned below are at present only available in BOI2 and
TMA, and will be ported to all other OT collections in due course.
NKS Support
This version adds NKS Support for Berlin Orchestra Inspire 2 and TIME macro.
Capsule 2.6
Important: The features from Capsule 2.6 mentioned below are at present only available in BHP, and will
be ported to all other OT collections in due course.
Capsule 2.5.5
Important: The features from Capsule 2.5.5 mentioned below are at present only available in MA3, BST
D, BWWL and BWWR, and will be ported to all other OT collections in due course.
Switch Imm
When this option is on, slots in multis will be switched while holding down a note, changing the sound to the
new slot.
Capsule 2.5.4
Important: The features from Capsule 2.5.4 mentioned below are at present only available in OSR, and
will be ported to all other OT collections in due course.
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Capsule 2.5.3
Important: The features from Capsule 2.5.3 mentioned below are at present only available in BBR B, BOI
and SSP, and will be ported to all other OT collections in due course.
Capsule 2.5.2
Important: The features from Capsule 2.5.2 mentioned below are at present only available in BBR, BBR A
and MA2 and will be ported to all other OT collections in due course.
Preset Options
The Preset Options dialog is available in all patches and allows you to select which settings will be loaded
with a preset.
Capsule 2.5.1
Important: The features from Capsule 2.5.1 mentioned below are at present only available in BBR, BBR
A, BBR B and MA2 and will be ported to all other OT collections in due course.
Playable Range
The Performance View now allows you to expand or shrink the playable range of each articulation. This is
useful when slightly higher ranges are needed to to artificially limit the range when building ensembles.
Capsule 2.5
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Capsule 2.2
Auto Sustain (MA1)
When enabled, the current note will continue to sound until a new note is pressed. This option makes the
patch monophonic.
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Capsule 2.1
Tempo Sync follows tempo changes
All tempo-synced patches (like the Trills Measured) will now dynamically follow your host tempo while you
change it. This means you can have trills that get faster while playing without having to retrigger the note.
Locked View
All Multis now have a Locked View represented by a lock icon in the lower left. It works this way: Set up
the multi patch as you want it, then press the lock button. Everything else not selected will be purged and a
UI similar to the Single Artic Patches will show up. Click the lock again to go back to the regular Slot View.
Lock to Beat
When enabled, all tempo-synced patches will start at the next beat. So for example when playing a Trill or
a run, it will be enough to press it before the beat you want it to start on. Capsule will make sure it will be
triggered exactly on the beat.
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1) Show the Outputs Pane by clicking the Output button in Kontakt's menu bar.
2) Click on Add Channels and choose the options as shown below. Depending on which version of the
plugin you loaded, you can select as many outputs as you need.
3) Press Ok and the new settings will be applied and saved as the default.
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