ButtonThese modules do no processing themselves, but are used as static parameter inputs for other modules. The modules in this group have no connection inputs, and the output only changes when you manually adjust the value. The output is always the value of the input, which is labeled at the input and changes as you adjust it.
Values modules give you a selection of user interface input controls other than just selecting a number from the connection menu. They are also useful for setting up a single control to adjust several modules at a time. And when used with a liberal sprinkling of Info Boxes, you can set up a user interface to your composition away from the clutter of the modules themselves.
Most of the Values modules do not have a Delete icon in their title bar. You can delete these modules by calling up the customization pop up window (by right clicking on the module's button, knob, etc.), and selecting the "Delete" button.
ButtonThe Button has an off value which is 0 by default, and an on value which is 127 by default. Click on the button to switch from Off (button is dark red) to On (button is bright red). Right click to change the default on and off values by typing the number 0-127 into the pop up box. You can also change colors and enter your own tool tip label, or you can delete the module.
StrobeThe Strobe button sends out an On (127) value for exactly one tick cycle, then it resets itself back to 0. Strobe is especially useful for single stepping clock inputs. Right click to change the button face (color & button label), the tool tip, or to delete the module.. If you set the label to a number between 1 and 126, that value will become the On value instead of the default value of 127.
BarThe Bar is a horizontal slider control, with a default range of 0-127. When you click on the slider, its value jumps immediately to the mouse position. Keep the mouse button pressed and slide left or right to fine tune the value. Right click to change the range limit, color and tool tip label, or to delete the module.
VBarThe VBar is a vertical slider control, with a default range of 0-127. When you click on the slider, its value jumps immediately to the mouse position. Keep the mouse button pressed and slide up or down to fine tune the value. Right click to change the range limit, color and tool tip label, or to delete the module.
Value ("Val")The Value is a knob control with a default range of 0-127. The best way to control SoftStep knobs is to move the mouse outward from the control after you have pressed the button, then move in a circle around the knob. Moving outward first gives you a larger radius of control and makes for smooth, precise adjustment of parameters. Right click to change the range limit and tool tip label.
Number ("#")The Number is an increment/decrement counter. Change its value by left clicking on the arrows; keeping the mouse button depressed will automatically increment or decrement to the default range of 0-127. Right click to change the range limit and tool tip label.
RadioThe Radio control works like the controls on a car radio. Push a button to select a "station" then "tune" the parameter by dialing the knob, or by using the up/down counter on the top. The Radio is especially useful for controlling the MIDI Program Change parameter in the MIDI Voice module. As you find an instrument that works for the setting, you can easily save it by just clicking on another available button, and continue to search for the sound you want. Then you just click on the selection buttons to review the instrument choices you have made.
The small blue button labeled "F" is for calling up the Fill utility. The button labeled with a number, selects the knob graphics. 1=normal knobs with values printed in the center of the knob; 2=color coded knobs, with lower value knobs in blue, center values green, mid high values yellow, and high values red. The button labeled "L" locks the knobs so they cannot be changed with the mouse.
Mouse Pad
Mouse
OutThe Mouse Pad gives you up to 4 pucks you can move around in the pad graphic to give joystick-type X and Y value outputs. There is no value output from the Mouse Pad directly; instead the outputs are read from the Mouse Out module. You can select the output from the Red, Green, Blue or Orange puck, each of which gives X, Y and Button values.
When the Mouse Pad is first created, only the Yellow puck shows. Click on the tiny button in the upper left corner to show or hide the other three pucks. Shift-click on the button to delete the module.
The Mouse Pad graphic is resizeable. Just drag the edges or the corners as usual for any resizeable window. When the pad is minimum size vertically or horizontally, it acts as a vertical or horizontal slider. To resize the pad after it has been minimized in either direction, you have to drag on the upper or left edges - clicking on the right or bottom edge won't work. This is a Windows anomaly. Although you can make the Mouse Pad window any size you like, the mouse X,Y range will always be 0-127. To move the Mouse Pad, just click and drag anywhere in the pad that is not a puck.
Select the particular puck and parameter you wish to monitor with the leftmost drop down menu in the Mouse Out module . It will show a color letter for each of the 4 colors, and an X,Y or Button parameter. Thus, "GX" as shown in the example image is the X parameter of the Green puck.
Mouse Out modules can be seen as satellites to the Mouse Pad module. Each Mouse Out module must be told which Mouse Pad module it is to take its output from. Do this by setting the center drop down menu to the same number as the controlling Mouse Pad module. If you have created only one Mouse Pad module, then the only choice will be 1, and it will be set by default If you have created more than one Mouse Pad module, you can tell the module number by holding the cursor over the button in the upper left corner. The tool tip gives the module number.
KeyboardThis is a virtual keyboard that sends key values you click with the mouse to the output. The octave range is 6 octaves; clicking on the Octave up/down counter will move the octave offset so the full 127 step MIDI key range is available, with Middle C (MIDI value 60) always indicated by a blue dot, and the current note by a red dot. As you move the mouse over the keyboard, the readout on the top displays the MIDI note number and note and octave name, using the same C-Major scale, and 0-based octave as the Pitch module. When the Gate checkbox is checked, the output will return to 0 when the mouse button is released, if unchecked the output will remain at the last key value selected. You can strum the keys by moving the mouse over them while keeping the left button pressed.
Note Note provides an easy method of selecting the values that correspond to note timings for duration inputs to modules such as Clock and Stepper. You don't really need to use the Note control for this, you can just select the constant value directly from the input connection menu, but then you would have to remember what values correspond to which notes. Here is a table of the Note value settings available:
Note Value
d = dotted
t = tripletInput
ValueTicks t 32nd
32nd
d 32nd
t 16th
16th
d 16th
t 8th
8th
d 8th
t 4th
4th
d 4th
t Half
Half
d Half
t Whole
Whole
d Whole
t Double
Double
d Double
t Quad
Quad
d Quad
t Bar
Bar
d Bar
t 2Bar
2Bar
BFN
Turbo*2
3
4
4
6
9
8
12
18
16
24
36
32
48
72
64
96
98
97
99
101
100
102
104
103
105
107
106
108
109
1262
3
(4.5) 4
4
6
9
8
12
18
16
24
36
32
48
72
64
96
144
128
192
288
256
384
576
512
768
1152
1024
1536
2048
1*Rhythm & Stepper modules only
Table#127This very small module provides read only access to Table Sequencer table #127. It is intended to be used as a parameter control for other modules, and it is sized to fit directly above or below the module it controls. Especially useful in combination with the Control Sliders module for convenient grouping of controls for different module parameters. Use the module by setting the white text box input to the sequencer step you want to read, from Table Sequencer table#127; the output will track the value of that one step.
PickPick04, Pick08, Pick16, Pick24
Pick sends out the value that is shown on the pushbutton label, when you click on one of the numbered buttons. You can change the label, and therefore the value that will be sent out, for a particular button by clicking on the up/down arrows. You can also transfer the contents of all the buttons to and from sequencers by clicking on the F (Fill) button, which brings up the Fill utility. When you are using the Fill, the buttons are treated exactly as if they were sequencer stages - the only difference is that you have to push the button in order for a "stage" value to be sent out.
SoftStep is Copyright © 1999-2002 by John Dunn and Algorithmic Arts. All Rights Reserved.