What is REGELWERK ?

REGELWERK is a complex piece of equipment designed to produce MIDI events.

REGELWERK provides an easy way of generating almost any kind of MIDI event.

It can, for instance, alter or originate

• MIDI note events,
• controller events,
• polyphonic aftertouch,
• monophonic aftertouch,
• program changes, or
• pitch bend.
  
• Each MIDI event is defined by bytes showing what type of event it is, what MIDI channel it refers to, and one or two values which define the amount of effect the event has.
• For instance with note events, one byte defines the pitch (note number), and the other defines the loudness (velocity).
• For controller messages, the controller number and the amount will be specified.
• Polyphonic aftertouch is defined in the same way as a note value, and is connected with a particular note number.
• Monophonic aftertouch produces a value like monophonic velocity.
• Program change simply produces a program change number.
• Pitch bend messages are theoretically composed of two numbers, but in practice one of them is always 0.

• REGELWERK produces no sounds of its own, but serves solely as a complex controller for any MIDI event processing equipment – synths, samplers, sequencers, etc. - or as a master clock for any equipment with a SYNC input.
  
• REGELWERK's guts are its array of front panel controls, such as the two rows of 24 buttons, the 24 faders, and so on, which, within certain limits can control almost any MIDI event you wish.
  
• REGELWERK additionally offers some of the potential afforded by a software MIDI sequencer. You can't compare it exactly, because it has a much reduced and limited range of functions, but REGELWERK gains some of its special appeal exactly from this slimming-down – by offering many dedicated physical controls, and enabling immediate real-time access to a wide range of MIDI control.
  
• The closest parallel to the REGELWERK's Sequencer mode is probably the drum edit page in a software sequencer.
  
• REGELWERK's main roles are as a MIDI fader box and a pattern sequencer:

Fader/ sequencer mode

• In principle, both modes are autonomous, and work simultaneously.
  
• To access one or other of the modes, the buttons at the extreme right of the 16 menu access buttons (bottom right of the REGELWERK) are used.
  
• In Fader Mode all 24 faders are configured to control fader events.
  
• The lower 24 (Key On-Off) buttons control Key On-Off events and/or the Mute function.
  
• The upper 24 buttons select one fader at a time.
  
• In Sequencer Mode faders 9 - 24 control the pitch or velocity of Steps 1-16 in a similar fashion to an analogue sequencer.
  
• The lower buttons 9-24 control Track Select and/or Track On functions. The upper buttons 9 - 24 control Gate On / Off for Steps 1 - 16.

MIDI Fader Mode

• Press the Fader Mode button.
  
• In Fader Mode the display works like a little MIDI monitor, showing (in words or abbreviations) which MIDI events the current fader is controlling and/or transmitting.
  
• Pressing any of the Fader Select buttons selects the chosen fader, displays its current value / setting, and enables it to send MIDI data.
  
• You can also select a fader by using the alpha dial.

Fader events

• Each of the REGELWERK's 24 faders can have a sentence of three values associated with it – or in String Mode a sentence of up to 30 values (with even more in future software updates).
  
• These packets of data are then sent out over MIDI whenever the user performs the associated action – like moving a relevant fader. The values chosen to be affected by a fader's position can be inserted practically anywhere in the MIDI data string.
  
• The range of values for the fader position can go from 0 (right at the bottom of the fader's travel) to 127 (right at the top) with a normal resolution of 1 per step.
  
• This depends on the resolution which has been selected for the REGELWERK faders and the various possible resolutions of the individual elements within the data string.
  
• The actual value produced by the fader position isn't strictly linked to the value in the data string, and is affected and governed by a wide variety of factors, so what at first might seem a rigid assignment system can actually be altered in any number of ways.

Fader position and actual value

• In addition, the value shown by the position of the fader and the stored value of the variable in a data string don't have to be identical at all.
• So it's quite possible that the fader position and the actual value can be different, if a stored value has been accessed from a preset or downloaded using the MIDI Update function.

• In this case, the individual faders' LEDs have a special function in Fader Mode: they blink whenever the two values (stored value and fader position value) are not identical.
• To make life easier, the LED which is blinking shows you whether the stored value is higher or lower than the fader position value. The speed of blinking also tells you the relative proximity of the two values:
• slow blink = far apart,
• fast blink = closer.
• When both values are identical, the LEDs blink so fast they're permanently on!
• The other LEDs which don't blink show Mute Status – which is explained later.

• The response of these LEDs is a useful general indicator, but shouldn't be relied on as 100% accurate!

Selecting a fader

• In Fader Mode, moving a particular fader or pressing its dedicated button brings up the data onto the LCD, and enables the user to look at the values, and monitor the transmission of the current event.
• The same applies in principle to the individual Edit / Parameter Menus, except that the LCD readout is here designed to assist editing the selected data or parameter.
• This is also shown by one of the fader select LEDs lighting up (with all the others off).
• The function of all the faders and buttons is similar in both Fader Mode and Edit / Parameter menu modes.
• Editing data while the relevant MIDI messages are taking place can cause problems, with events missed, hanging notes, and other malfunctions. Be on the look-out for this, and if it's a problem, take steps to avoid editing when a specific message is being transmitted.

Entering a Fader event

• This principally takes place in the Fader Edit menu.
• When the Fader Edit button is pressed, all the 24 LEDs in the upper row go out except for one - the fader which is currently in edit mode.
• Selecting another fader to edit is simple: just press another of the fader select buttons in the upper row.
• Repeated presses of the Fader Edit button take you through all of the various pages within the Fader Edit menu. The process is circular: keep pressing and you will cycle through the pages.

Fader events

• A fader event consists of four data bytes, which are programmed in this menu by entering four values.

These are

• MIDI channel
• MIDI event

• the first data byte is the MIDI event, which according to the type of event is followed by a description.
• the second data byte is as a rule the value associated with the event, and is thus related to the fader position (real or stored).

• As well as the standard MIDI events, which follow normal MIDI rules, REGELWERK gives you the possibility of defining any type of data string as a Fader event, and transmitting it.

• The maximum length of this data string is, in the current software version, 30 bytes, but is likely to be longer in future software updates.

Fader parameters

• Besides the definition of the fader events themselves, further parameters are needed to control the interaction between the programmed events and the faders themselves, and any messages entering at the MIDI IN socket, and finally the messages being output from the MIDI OUT socket.

• By default, the range of values is such that the response of the fader goes from value 0 (fader right down at the bottom) up to value 127 (fader right at the top). These minimum and maximum values can be changed to whatever you want within this scale, so that the response of the fader will also be changed to any range within the maximum 0-127 scale.

• A system also has to be evolved to decide between the real and virtual position of the fader, and determine which of them is sent out with the MIDI event. This problem obviously becomes crucial whenever the actual position of the fader diverges from the virtual position at all.
• The ideal solution for this is to have motorised faders, which automatically adjust to the programmed value and so avoid the problem, but for obvious cost reasons that's out of the question for REGELWERK.
• Instead, the user him/herself needs to act as the motor for any fader whose actual position differs from its virtual position, and move it till it's in the right place!
• Naturally, it's nearly always best for the events generated during this adjustment process not to be sent out via MIDI.

• Various strategies exist to deal with this, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages, but there should be one effective way of achieving it for practically every eventuality.

• In addition each fader has the option of processing any MIDI events which are sent to the chosen MIDI IN socket, and which fit the criteria in the relevant MIDI data sentence (not string), and either re-transmit them, or use them to control or transform fader events.

-> see MIDI modes

Key / switch events

• Each of the REGELWERK's 24 buttons underneath the faders can have a sentence of 2 x 3 values associated with it – or in String Mode a sentence of up to 2 x 30 values (with even more in future software updates).

• These packets of data are then sent out over MIDI whenever the user performs the associated action – like pressing the relevant button. The values chosen to be affected by a button-push can be inserted practically anywhere in the MIDI data string, and will produce an ON/OFF message.

Key status

• The default function of these buttons is as REGELWERK's Mute / Demute function, whose status is shown simply by the LED above each of the buttons:

• LED on = Demute: the fader is activated, and can produce MIDI events,
• LED off = Mute: the fader is muted, and moving it doesn't transmit any MIDI events.

Demute function

• When the switch is changed from Mute to Demute status (LED lights up) it will depend on its position whether a Demute value and previously defined Key Off event / string is sent with the Demute value and/or Key Off event.
• In muted mode (LED off) the relevant fader's MIDI events are muted, and not output via MIDI.
• Internally, though, the fader movements are still recognised and dealt with. These messages aren't internally muted – they are simply prevented from being transmitted via MIDI OUT.

Mute function

• When the switch is changed from Demute to Mute status (LED first on, then off) it will depend on its position whether a Mute value and previously defined Key On event / string is sent with the Mute value and/or Key On event.
• In Mute Mode (LED off) output of Fader events from the relevant fader is enabled.

Key event input

• In principle, the menus and functions are similar to those for Fader events.

Key ON Event

• This event refers to the process of switching from Mute to Demute status (and the LED thus coming on) -> ON event.

Key OFF event

• This event refers to the process of switching from Demute to Mute status (and the LED thus turning off) -> OFF event.

Key ON / OFF parameters

• These events have certain parameters common to both, which determine their behaviour and that of the relevant button.
• So for instance with the button in Demute status, a Fader event for a particular fader can be sent with your choice of any number from 0 to 127 as the Demute value.?? With the Demute value set to 'NO', on the other hand, no Fader event is transmitted.

• Thre are two clearly-defined ways in which the REGELWERK responds to a button-press:
• With Momentary Switch mode selected, a button-press changes from Demute to Mute, and releasing it again changes back from Mute to Demute.
• With Toggle Switch mode selected, the fader switches ('toggles') between Mute and Demute status and remains the same until another button-press.

MIDI modes

• Each fader is fundamentally a MIDI data source.
• First of all, it's important to specify which MIDI OUT socket it will transmit MIDI events to.
• A fader can also receive MIDI data, though.
• i.e., incoming MIDI data can interact with the fader and change or modify the fader's properties (by changing the programmed values, switching off an element of fader control, etc.)
• For this function to work, the respective incoming MIDI event must match the settings of the particular fader event, and /or must be input via the correct MIDI IN socket. ??
• For any chosen incoming MIDI event, first of all a check is made to see if any fader is set to receive its MIDI mode.
• For each input message, all 24 faders have to be systematically checked for MIDI events.
• In Momentary mode, only Note On / Off, and Controller Events are taken note of.
• The search starts at fader 1 and goes through to fader 24. As soon as a match is found, the search is called off, and the programmed function adjusted accordingly. Events which match in all respects except MIDI mode aren't recognised (v1.0).
• Thus the intended events should be positioned as early as possible in the fader sequence, for quicker search results, and other events kept as far away as possible (to avoid the worst case scenario of 24 faders having to be searched before the correct one is found).

Normal

• Normal fader mode, with the data ouput on the chosen MIDI OUT/s.

Velocity Overdub One/All

• The incoming MIDI event received at the chosen MIDI input has a new velocity (MIDI data byte 2) imposed ('overdubbed') on it.
• The new event that is created is then output on the chosen MIDI output/s.
• In All mode, the event's MIDI data byte 1 is ignored, and the overdubbed value is imposed on all 128 events of this data type on this MIDI channel.
• In One mode, one chosen MIDI event has, for instance, a new velocity imposed on it. This is mainly for the first group of controllers, sent from an external sequencer or master keyboard, etc..
• All mode is more suited to the second group, Note Events, so that, for instance, velocity can be imparted to all the notes on a certain channel - if, e.g., the originating keyboard doesn't transmit velocity messages.

Velocity Multiplication One / All

• This is like velocity overdub, except that instead of replacing the old velocity value, it multiplies it by the fader velocity value.
• This comes into its own when the velocity of the incoming MIDI data is generally satisfactory, but just too loud.
• -> Useful when layering sounds.
• In software version 1.xx this only works to decrease velocity (a fader set at half-way halves it).

Update

• The actual fader values can be changed from an external MIDI source.
• For total recall, or for simultaneous control over another computer / controller or REGELWERK with a fader page or the like, so that the data changed in the external controller is also changed in the receiving REGELWERK. -> Update

Hook On

• Faders set to 'hook on' in the Special Functions menu send no data at all until they are told to.
• They remain in this state until a MIDI IN message with right MIDI event is sensed and 'caught'. See Catch mode.
• The threshold for this is adjustable in the Special Function menu.
• As soon as the relevant criteria are met, the particular fader is released, and can send events again. This is indicated by a rapid flashing of the relevant LED.
• The fader is effectively muted until an incoming MIDI message is received which matches the current position or the value programmed (as part of the Threshold).

Overdub

• This mode also has to be expressly enabled in the Special Function mode.
• When it has been enabled, all relevant messages received at MIDI IN are merged (wherever possible) and transmitted at the selected MIDI OUT.
• This applies as soon as the specified fader generates the specified event. Before then, MIDI IN messages aren't forwarded to the MIDI OUT: only the messages generated by the fader are transmitted.

Preset

• A Preset consists of the positions for all 24 faders, button values & parameters, and all relevant text and MIDI strings.

Presets / memories

REGELWERK has 64 non-volatile preset memories.

Sequencer

• The sequencer page is accessed by pressing the Sequ. Mode / Sequ. Param. buttons.

• The sequencer function is always available in parallel to the fader page.

STEP

The smallest organisational unit in the REGELWERK sequencer is called a step, and defines a MIDI event.

Step event

• In REGELWERK's case this is always a Note Event.
• A MIDI note event includes information about pitch (note number) and loudness (velocity).

Step duration

• As well as defining the order of the note events, Steps are responsible for setting the exact duration of a note. (N.B.: Note events have two events within them – Note On, at the start of the step, and Note Off, at the end.)

Step status

• Besides this, each MIDI note event has another important criterion – maybe the most important part of the REGELWERK sequencer's appeal – namely whether a programmed MIDI event is actually transmitted or not.
• For each step there's a dedicated LED (labelled Sequencer Step), which indicates whether the programmed event will be sent (LED on) or not (LED off) when the sequence reaches that step.
• To enable instant muting and un-muting of each step, there are dedicated buttons for switching on and off the programmed event for each of the 16 steps. These buttons 'toggle' between the two states, so that, for instance, an enabled step (LED on) is switched off by a button-push, and vice versa.
• The Step LEDs have some other special functions as well – principally showing which step in turn in a sequence has been reached.

TRACK

• In the next organisation level up, 16 Steps together form a Track.

Global track parameters

• A Track has a set of global parameters which apply to all the steps within it. They are:-
• MIDI channel,
• base note number / velocity
• Step Time / Gate Time
• End Step.
• All 16 steps in a track share the same common parameters. It's not possible to change a parameter for any individual step. On the other hand, each track can have different global parameters from any of the other tracks.

Track select buttons

• Each track has its own Track Select button, and associated LED. Pushing a button instantly selects the chosen track, indicated by the Select LED lighting up. All track editing operations apply to the track whose LED is on.

PATTERN

• A complete set-up for all eight tracks (that is, 8 x 16 step sequences and their associated parameters) constitutes a Pattern.

Pattern locations / memories

• REGELWERK provides 64 non-volatile pattern locations.

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