MIDI velocity expressiveness approaches

Sometimes I want my sequenced keyboard parts to be very synthesizer-y — i.e., all notes basically the same. Of course if it’s an analog synth all the notes will have their own little idiosyncratic characters — but the classic analog monosynth vibe is that all notes are roughly similar to one another.

But sometimes it can be really helpful to have little bits of more intentionally-sculpted variation from note to note, in order for the part to fit better into its context or express itself more dynamically.

And sometimes it’s hard to know in advance when I’m thinking up a part whether I’m going to want that option later on! So these days I always set up the necessary routing before I start programming the part.

The easiest way to get expression out of a synth is by routing velocity to a target destination — loudness being the first obvious target for that. The higher the velocity, the louder the note. Simple! But here’s a killer hack for that: set the velocity > loudness mapping not to 100% but to 50%. You’ll still have velocity control over loudness as you build the part — but if as you’re subsequently working on the song you find that you need more or less dynamic range in the part, you can simply dial the velocity > loudness knob up or down to scale the loudness correspondingly.

I also find that sometimes it’s helpful to map velocity to filter, so that as a sound gets quieter it also gets a little duller. That can give a part even more of a natural feel — in the same way that a quietly-plucked acoustic guitar string is duller and rounder than when you hit it harder. I tend to make this mapping a good bit more subtle than the loudness mapping — maybe 20-30% strength. Just a little subliminal gesture toward the notes darkening up as they get quieter can go a long way.

If you’re working with a sound that at its highest velocities is bright and loud and forward, sometimes the top end of the velocity range can feel a little fatiguing. In those cases, sometimes I find it useful to map velocity to filter or amplifier attack (or both!) — but with negative correlation, so that the attack is fastest at lower velocities and slightly blunted at highest velocities. This can help a sound feel a bit fuller when it’s being played hard.

Two to the seventh possibilities — jamie