Control to notes
Turn control lanes (pitch, gate and velocity) into MIDI notes, the inverse of MIDI to control, so control sources and sensors can play instruments.
- MIDI
- Since 0.2.0
- midi
- control
- notes
- gate
- pitch
- sensors
Control to notes plays MIDI notes from control lanes: a pitch lane picks the note and a gate lane starts and stops it. It is the inverse of MIDI to control, so LFOs, curves, sensors and data can play any instrument.
What it does#
The input is a control bundle read in MIDI to control's order: lane 1 is pitch, lane 2 gate and lane 3 velocity. Pitch 0 plays Low note and 1 plays High note, rounded to the nearest note. A one-lane input is a gate that plays Low note; a two-lane input is pitch and gate, at velocity 0.8. When the gate rises to 0.5 or more, a note starts; when it falls below, the note ends. With Legato on, a change of pitch while the gate is high moves the note: the new note starts and then the old one ends, which a glide or mono voice plays as one phrase.
Control runs once per audio block, so notes start and end at the beginning of the block whose lanes changed, not on an exact sample: about 2.7 ms resolution at 128 frames and 48 kHz. Removing the input releases the sounding note.
When to use it#
Use it to play an instrument from something that is not MIDI: a sensor, a drawn Curve, a Control LFO or data. Build the bundle with Combine lanes. For notes locked exactly to the beat, use a sequencer such as Step sequencer.
Ports#
| Port | Direction | Signal | Lanes |
|---|---|---|---|
control | Input | Control | Inferred from the cable |
midi | Output | MIDI | 16 MIDI channels |
Parameters#
| Parameter | Label | Range | Default | Unit | Scale | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
low_note | Low note | 0 to 127 | 36 | linear | Note played when the pitch lane is 0. | |
high_note | High note | 0 to 127 | 96 | linear | Note played when the pitch lane is 1. | |
channel | Channel | 1 to 16 | 1 | linear | MIDI channel of the notes. | |
legato | Legato | 0 to 1 | 0 | linear | On moves a held note when the pitch lane changes; Off keeps it until the gate falls. Choices: 0 Off, 1 On. |
Low note (low_note)#
The note played when the pitch lane is 0, 0 to 127.
High note (high_note)#
The note played when the pitch lane is 1, 0 to 127. Below Low note turns the pitch lane upside down.
Channel (channel)#
The MIDI channel the notes are sent on, 1 to 16.
Legato (legato)#
Off keeps a note at its starting pitch until the gate falls. On moves it whenever the pitch lane names another note while the gate is high.
Tips#
- Set Low note and High note to the same values as a MIDI to control node to get the notes it read back exactly.
- A stepped pitch source, such as a Random step LFO or a curve with flat segments, plays clean notes; a smooth one with Legato on slides through every note it passes.
- The instrument plays each note as a degree of the Toy's tuning.
See also#
MIDI to control, Combine lanes, Control LFO, Polyphonic instrument, Control lanes.
Help patches
Each help patch is an ordinary Toy that teaches one idea. The diagram shows the Patch; the preview shows its Frame. Open it in TuneToys to play and edit it.
1. Play notes from an LFO
beginner Teaches: low_note, high_note
A slow saw LFO sets the pitch and a square LFO the gate: Control to notes turns the two lanes into notes for a voice.
Reset1 lane
Control1 lane
Cycle1 lane
Waveform of the oscillator. The random shapes draw a new value each cycle from a generator seeded by the node path, so every host and replay agrees. Range: 0–5. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Cycles per second when Beats is 0. Range: 0.01–40 Hz. Default: 1 Hz. Logarithmic scale. Units: Hz.
Hz
Beats per cycle, synced to the shared transport. 0 uses Rate instead. Range: 0–64 beats. Default: 0 beats. Linear scale. Units: beats.
beats
Peak-to-peak amount of the output swing. Range: 0–1. Default: 1. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Centre of the swing. Range: 0–1. Default: 0.5. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Starting phase of the cycle, and where a Reset edge restarts it. Range: 0–1. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Where the Triangle peaks, or how the Saw bends. 0.5 is the plain shape. Range: 0–1. Default: 0.5. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Reset1 lane
Control1 lane
Cycle1 lane
Waveform of the oscillator. The random shapes draw a new value each cycle from a generator seeded by the node path, so every host and replay agrees. Range: 0–5. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Cycles per second when Beats is 0. Range: 0.01–40 Hz. Default: 1 Hz. Logarithmic scale. Units: Hz.
Hz
Beats per cycle, synced to the shared transport. 0 uses Rate instead. Range: 0–64 beats. Default: 0 beats. Linear scale. Units: beats.
beats
Peak-to-peak amount of the output swing. Range: 0–1. Default: 1. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Centre of the swing. Range: 0–1. Default: 0.5. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Starting phase of the cycle, and where a Reset edge restarts it. Range: 0–1. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Where the Triangle peaks, or how the Saw bends. 0.5 is the plain shape. Range: 0–1. Default: 0.5. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
AAuto
BAuto
ControlAuto
ControlAuto
MIDI1 lane
Note played when the pitch lane is 0. Range: 0–127. Default: 48. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Note played when the pitch lane is 1. Range: 0–127. Default: 72. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
MIDI channel of the notes. Range: 1–16. Default: 1. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
On moves a held note when the pitch lane changes; Off keeps it until the gate falls. Range: 0–1. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
MIDI1 lane
Audio2ch
Polyphonic instrumentC3
8 voices · A4 440.0 Hz
Start audio playback to play this instrument.Master level. Each of the eight voices receives one eighth of this level for fixed headroom. Range: 0–0.5. Default: 0.3. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Continuous sine, triangle, saw and pulse morph using the shared wave oscillator. Range: 0–3. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless. Marks: 0 Sine, 1 Triangle, 2 Saw, 3 Pulse.
Sin→Tri
Voice attack time. Range: 0–10000 ms. Default: 5 ms. Linear scale. Units: ms.
ms
Voice decay time. Range: 0–10000 ms. Default: 120 ms. Linear scale. Units: ms.
ms
Held voice envelope level. Range: 0–100 %. Default: 70 %. Linear scale. Units: percent.
%
Voice release after note-off or sustain release. Range: 0–10000 ms. Default: 200 ms. Linear scale. Units: ms.
ms
Moves every note by this many cents from the Toy's tuning, for this instrument only. 0 plays the tuning as written. Range: -100–100 cents. Default: 0 cents. Linear scale. Units: cents.
cents
Pulse duty cycle. Range: 0.05–0.95. Default: 0.5. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
In a zone, a member channel's pitch bend moves only the voice holding that channel's note; master-channel bend moves every voice. Range: 0–2. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Semitones a full member-channel pitch bend moves its note in an MPE zone. Range: 0–96 st. Default: 48 st. Linear scale. Units: st.
st
Audio2ch
Connections as text
- Control LFO “pitch” control output connected to Combine lanes a input
- Control LFO “gate” control output connected to Combine lanes b input
- Combine lanes control output connected to Control to notes control input
- Control to notes midi output connected to Polyphonic instrument midi input
- Polyphonic instrument audio output connected to Patch outputs audio input
- Combine makes a two-lane bundle: lane 1 pitch, lane 2 gate.
- Each rising gate starts a note at the pitch lane, mapped from Low note to High note; each falling gate ends it.
2. Legato from MIDI lanes
intermediate Teaches: legato, channel
MIDI to control and back: the keys become pitch, gate and velocity lanes, and Control to notes plays them again, legato if you like.
MIDI1 lane
MIDI1 lane
Control6 lanes
Note that maps to 0 on the pitch lane. Range: 0–127. Default: 36. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Note that maps to 1 on the pitch lane. Range: 0–127. Default: 96. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Controller number followed by the cc lane. Range: 0–127. Default: 1. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
0 listens to every channel; 1–16 listens to one. Range: 0–16. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Portamento on the pitch lane between notes. Range: 0–2000 ms. Default: 0 ms. Linear scale. Units: ms.
ms
ControlAuto
MIDI1 lane
Note played when the pitch lane is 0. Range: 0–127. Default: 36. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Note played when the pitch lane is 1. Range: 0–127. Default: 96. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
MIDI channel of the notes. Range: 1–16. Default: 1. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
On moves a held note when the pitch lane changes; Off keeps it until the gate falls. Range: 0–1. Default: 1. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
MIDI1 lane
Audio2ch
Polyphonic instrumentC3
8 voices · A4 440.0 Hz
Start audio playback to play this instrument.Master level. Each of the eight voices receives one eighth of this level for fixed headroom. Range: 0–0.5. Default: 0.3. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Continuous sine, triangle, saw and pulse morph using the shared wave oscillator. Range: 0–3. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless. Marks: 0 Sine, 1 Triangle, 2 Saw, 3 Pulse.
Sin→Tri
Voice attack time. Range: 0–10000 ms. Default: 5 ms. Linear scale. Units: ms.
ms
Voice decay time. Range: 0–10000 ms. Default: 120 ms. Linear scale. Units: ms.
ms
Held voice envelope level. Range: 0–100 %. Default: 70 %. Linear scale. Units: percent.
%
Voice release after note-off or sustain release. Range: 0–10000 ms. Default: 200 ms. Linear scale. Units: ms.
ms
Moves every note by this many cents from the Toy's tuning, for this instrument only. 0 plays the tuning as written. Range: -100–100 cents. Default: 0 cents. Linear scale. Units: cents.
cents
Pulse duty cycle. Range: 0.05–0.95. Default: 0.5. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
In a zone, a member channel's pitch bend moves only the voice holding that channel's note; master-channel bend moves every voice. Range: 0–2. Default: 0. Linear scale. Units: unitless.
Semitones a full member-channel pitch bend moves its note in an MPE zone. Range: 0–96 st. Default: 48 st. Linear scale. Units: st.
st
Audio2ch
Connections as text
- Keyboard midi output connected to MIDI to control midi input
- MIDI to control control output connected to Control to notes control input
- Control to notes midi output connected to Polyphonic instrument midi input
- Polyphonic instrument audio output connected to Patch outputs audio input
- MIDI to control keeps the last held note; its first three lanes are what Control to notes reads.
- With Legato on, pressing a new key while holding one moves the note instead of restarting it.
Related nodes
- MIDI to control Turn MIDI into six control lanes: pitch, gate, velocity, bend, pressure and one CC, with last-note priority.
- Combine lanes Concatenate two control bundles, preserving every lane without mixing.
- Control LFO A free-running or tempo-synced low-frequency oscillator on a control lane, 0 to 1, with depth, offset, phase, skew, random shapes and a reset input.
- Polyphonic instrument Eight owned, velocity-sensitive oscillator voices with ADSR, sustain and MPE, played from a MIDI cable in the Toy's tuning.