Paw Control Manual
Paw Control is a VST instrument designed to creatively filter MIDI notes. Essentially it receives MIDI input, filters it, and outputs it again. While it does includes a sine synth as a reference sound, the real magic happens when you route Paw Control to your favorite MIDI instrument. Read on to find out how it works.
1. Note Selectors
These 12 note selectors represent the 12 notes of an octave, allowing you to choose which MIDI notes are active. A blue keycap indicates an active note; when you click it, it turns white, indicating it is inactive. The plugin highlights outputted keys in brown. The note selection applies to all octaves.
2. Note Selection Nudgers
These two buttons allow you to nudge all note selections one step to the left or right, enabling quick scale modulations. For instance, if you have selected active notes in the pattern of a C minor scale and nudge it to the right, it changes the scale to C# minor, and so forth.
3. Save Slots
These four buttons allow for quick switching between note selectors and other controllers. The active save slot is highlighted in white. Selections auto-save to the current slot when the key selection is changed. If you Ctrl+click (or Command+click on Mac OS) on a save slot, you copy the current selection to the save slot you are clicking on.
4. Random Range
This slider adds the possibility of randomness to your output MIDI. The randomness is relative to the note Paw Control receives. The randomness is also confined within the current note-selection. Right-click the slider to include it in the current save slot. This is indicated by a white background color. Use the chance knob under the slider to control the probability for this random event to occur.
5 & 6 Octave Range Controls
These sliders add octave randomness to the outputted notes. The "Octave Down Range" slider increases the likelihood of lower octaves, while the "Octave Up Range" slider increases the likelihood of higher octaves. Right-click the sliders to include them in the current save slot, indicated by a white background color. Use the chance knob under each slider to control the probability of these random events occurring.
7. REC
This button has two functions.
Normal click: Allows you to MIDI learn key selection. The keys are all deselected at first, and this mode is stopped by clicking again. You know the mode is active when the REC button is blinking.
CTRL+click (Command+click on Mac OS): Allows you to MIDI learn save slots to MIDI notes. You know the mode is active when both the REC button and a save slot button is blinking. Simply input a MIDI note and the next save slot starts blinking. Afterwards you will be able to select save slots with the MIDI notes you input. If you only want to assign some of the keys, simply abort the mode by clicking again on the REC button. If you want to delete all assignments, simply activate this mode and then press the REC button again before inputting any MIDI notes.
8. Internal Sine Synth On/Off
Toggles the internal sine synth on or off. Turning the synth off may slightly lower the overall latency.
9. KM - Key Mode
The key mode knob decides which direction Paw Control searches for an active note to replace it, when you play a note that is set to inactive. The choices are down, bi-directional and up.
10. RM - Key Mode
The random mode knob decides which direction Paw Control searches for an active note, when the random range slider is set above 0. The choices are down, bi-directional and up.