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--- patch-variations [2021/09/03 00:14] – [Parameter links] shane
+++ patch-variations [2022/02/08 20:12] – [Basic Concept] shane
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== Patch Variations ======
-This page describes an **advanced feature** which few Unify users will need. To use the techniques
+This page describes an **advanced feature** which few Unify users will need, and which is still somewhat experimental at the time of writing.
-described here, you should be comfortable with creating and editing [[midi-controller-files#about_plain-text_files|plain-text files]].
+To use the techniques
+described here, you should be comfortable with creating and editing [[midi-controller-files#about_plain-text_files|plain-text files]]. However, the first example includes a link to a //.guru// file you can download and try, even before you understand all the details.
+**Important Note:** when loading a patch from a library, Unify always expects to find the variations-list file in //that library's own Media folder//. This means, if you re-save a patch into a different library, you will need to copy the original variations-list file into that library's //Media// folder (and you may need to create the folder, if there isn't one already). **This is a limitation in Unify v1.6.x.** It may be fixed in a future update, but this is not guaranteed.
 -----
-===== Concept of patch variations =====
+===== Basic Concept =====
 //Patch variations// were introduced in Unify v1.6.0. Any patch can optionally include a reference to a plain-text "variations" file (kept in the library's //Media// folder), which is simply a list of "variation names", one per line. The newly-added [[param-paths#top-level_paths|top-level parameter]] //variation// can be linked to a macro knob, and simply selects which of the variation names is displayed in white to the right of the patch name.
-===== Typical usage scenario =====
+You select the variations file for a patch (if any) when saving the patch. As of Unify v1.6.0, the patch-save dialog includes a "Variations" section (which was expanded in v1.8) as shown below:
+{{::variations-0.png|}}
+To select (or change) the referenced variations file, click the //Variations// button to select the variations file you created from a pop-up menu:
+    * The first item allows you to //Clear// the variations file selection (if you decide you don't want to use one)
+    * After this, you will see a list of all //.txt// files in your library's //Media// folder, from which you can select.
+    * If you hold down Option/ALT when clicking the button, there will also be an //Open...// item near the top. This will pop pop up a standard file-open dialog, so you can navigate to any location to find the //.txt// file you want. //Note this will make your patch non-portable to other machines.//
+A standard file-open dialog will appear, allowing you to select the file you want to use. When you click //Open// to complete the operation, the button text will change to the name of the selected file. You can click the button again to change the reference to a different file. If you decide not to use any variations file at all, click the //Clear Variations// button.
+===== Example 1: Song sections =====
+One very good use of patch variations is for patches containing one embedded-Unify INST layer for each part of a performance (e.g. Intro, Verse, Chorus), which are selectively enabled via //midiEnable// parameters linked to a macro knob. As the knob is turned, the layers are enabled one at a time, and the variation-text at the top of the GUI changes to match.
+{{::variations-2.png?600|}}
+==== Variations file ====
+For this example, the variations-list file (//Intro_Verse_Chorus.txt//, found in the //Media// sub-folder of the //User Library// folder) is very simple, consisting of just three lines:
+<code>
+Intro
+Verse
+Chorus
+</code>
+==== Parameter links ====
+In the example //3 Parts Song Switcher// patch, macro knob #8 has been set up with some carefully-crafted links so that as the knob is turned, the layers are enabled one at a time, and the variation-text at the top of the GUI changes accordingly. Here is what the links look like:
+{{::variations-3.png?300|}} {{::variations-4.png?300|}} {{::variations-5.png?300|}} {{::variations-6.png?300|}}
+The stairstep response-curves were not made by hand, but were generated mathematically. The download link below in the next section includes these, in the form of macro-link curve presets.
+==== Example downloads ====
+Clicking the following link downloads a zipped [[guru-files|.guru file]] which installs a single new patch called //3 Parts Song Switcher// into your //User Library//, all set up in this way, including variations.
+{{ :unify_step_curves.zip |}}
+This //.guru// file also installs the special "stairstep" curve presets into the correct folder, so they're ready to use in your own patches.
+These special curves were generated using a [[https://www.python.org/|Python program]], which you can also download here:
+{{ ::generate-step-curves.zip |}}
-Patch variations are most commonly used in combination with one or more sample-maps in [[guru-sampler|Guru Sampler]], where the parameter //osc1SampleSelect// is linked to the same macro-knob as //variation//, and the names in the variations file correspond one-to-one with the available choices on the sample-select menu in //Guru Sampler//.
+Both of these downloads are //.zip// files; you will have to unzip them after downloading.
+===== Example 2: Sample maps =====
+Patch variations can also be used in combination with one or more sample-maps in [[guru-sampler|Guru Sampler]], where the parameter //osc1SampleSelect// is linked to the same macro-knob as //variation//, and the names in the variations file correspond one-to-one with the available choices on the sample-select menu in //Guru Sampler//.
 Provided the lines in the variations file correspond one-to-one with the //Guru Sampler// sample-select menu choices, and the //exact same response curves// are used in both parameter links, the variation-name displayed in large white text at the top of the Unify GUI will always indicate which sample is selected in //Guru Sampler//, so it's not necessary to have the sampler GUI open to see it. This technique was first used in the Unify library //PlugInGuru Chill GTR Phrases//.
@@ Line 88: / Line 140: @@
 //Guru Sampler// supports optional //Sample-names list files// sibling to //.gsd// or //.sfz// sample-map files (with the same file name, but extension //.txt//). These sample-names lists must correspond one-to-one with the available samples in the sample-map, plus an extra initial "all samples" entry.
-Here is an example from the //PlugInGuru Chill GTR Phrases// library:
+Here is an example from the //PlugInGuru Chill GTR Phrases// library, a file called //120 Moody Chill GTR Phrases.txt// (there are several, and their contents are identical) in the library's //Samples// folder.
 <code>