MORPHEUS User Manual v.1.2 Jan. 2020 - 14bitMIDI14bitmidi.com/MORPHEUS-UserManual_v.1.2.pdf · MORPHEUS is a VST plugin in form of a VST Instrument that can be loaded into your session

MORPHEUS

User Manual

Ver. 1.2

by 14bitMIDI

January 2020

This User Manual should help You

to familiarize yourself with the plugin,

with the terminology used and the logic behind this product.

If you have any questions, find errors or have any suggestions,

feel free to contact me, my email address is at the end of this document.

I kindly suggest going through this document starting at the beginning.

Any updated version of this Manual will be available at www.14bitMIDI.com

http://www.14bitmidi.com/

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MORPHEUS User Manual v.1.2 Jan. 2020 © 14bitMIDI 2020

• Table of Contents

• Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................1

• What is MORPHEUS ................................................................................................................2

• How to install MORPHEUS? .....................................................................................................2

• Brief history of MORPHEUS .....................................................................................................2

• What can you do with MORPHEUS? .........................................................................................2

• What you can’t do with MORPHEUS? ......................................................................................4

• MORPHEUS walkthrough ........................................................................................................5

• More about randomization ................................................................................................... 10

"RND.1" ....................................................................................................................................... 10

"RND.2" ....................................................................................................................................... 11

"RND.3" ....................................................................................................................................... 11

"RND.4" ....................................................................................................................................... 11

• MIDI Input ............................................................................................................................ 12

• Using MORPHEUS for writing automation .............................................................................. 13

• Just sliders ............................................................................................................................ 13

• Why MORPHEUS1 and MORPHEUS2? .................................................................................... 14

CURSOR JUMPING TO THE POINT OF TOUCH ............................................................................. 14

BOME NETWORK PRO ................................................................................................................. 15

MORE ON OUR FORUM & YouTube ............................................................................................ 16

CONTACT ME ............................................................................................................................... 16

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• What is MORPHEUS

MORPHEUS is a VST plugin in form of a VST Instrument that can be loaded

into your session like any other virtual instrument. It will not create any

sounds since MORPHEUS deals with MIDI data only and its purpose is to

control parameters of other plugins or VSTs in your DAW.

Since this is a plugin and not a 3rd-party software running next to your

DAW, it will be saved and loaded with your session. Once installed properly,

all you need to do in order to use it is just load MORPHEUS from your list of

available VST Instruments and set it up so you can morph between selected

parameters, randomize them manually or by the use of available algorithms.

• How to install MORPHEUS?

For the in-depth installation guidelines please refer to the “INSTALLATION”

document that is available separately and will guide you through the entire

task depending on the operating system you currently use.

• Brief history of MORPHEUS

While working on sound design projects or when composing for film and TV

I needed a tool that would allow me to quickly assign several parameters to

sliders and by moving them to change their values thus creating new

interesting sounds or settings and write those movements as automation

data. Next step was a Master Fader that would take care of the morph

between any given minimum and maximum value and can be operated by

one hand while the other hand was busy playing on the MIDI keyboard.

After that some ideas that involved randomization of the values and reacting

to incoming MIDI data followed and this is basically how the MORPHEUS

came to life. Later on, I have realized that CCs can control almost anything in

modern DAW and it all depends on what parameters user assigns to them.

• What can you do with MORPHEUS?

Originally MORPHEUS was created to be used with Track Quick Controls and

VST Quick Controls in CUBASE and NUENDO but because sliders in

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MORPHEUS sends out MIDI Continuous Controllers (CCs) they can also be

used to control parameters in virtual instruments, mixers, even light or servo

motors.

We can store our minimum and maximum settings locally as 8 snapshots or

globally as a .vstpreset

• You can use one Master slider to control the behavior of up to 8 CC

sliders at once

• You can save your 8 sliders and 8 internal presets assignments to a

.vstpreset and recall it anytime from your DAW like you do with any other

VST presets

• You can use decide what is the minimum and the maximum value of any

of the available sliders to gradually morph between them

• You can use randomization buttons for just one slider or for all sliders at

once

• You can set what CC# and on what MIDI channel sliders are sending

• You can set the plugin so that it changes sliders values automatically

each time there is incoming MIDI data recognized (Midi ON massages)

• You can use the Edit Mode to set the Randomization timing in

milliseconds

• You can assign a CC# to the Master slider and to the Moon slider

• You can mute single sliders when they shouldn't send data

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-zebra.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-zebra.gif

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• What you can’t do with MORPHEUS?

• You can’t change the size of the MORPHEUS window or scale it up or

down in any way. The buttons dimensions, font sizes and the general GUI

layout were created for easy readability so screens of the size of at least

21” are recommended. On monitors smaller than 21” the text might

appear small and hard to read.

• You can’t change the amount, size and placement of buttons. Allowing

the users to freely change the buttons size and placement would lead to

more lines of code, much more complicated editing and presets saving

process and, in my opinion, would negatively influence the ease of use

for all the non-programmers out there.

• You can’t change the black background color of MORPHEUS. This is by

design. Early touch screens got warm after some time on spots where the

color to display for a longer period of time wasn’t 100% black. Since

MORPHEUS was always meant to be displayed on a dedicated touch

screen this was an issue. Our initial tests have shown that any other

background color than 100% black would lead to emitting a lot of heat

and could even shorten the life span of a dedicated touch screen. Since

the technology gets better every day maybe the heat and energy

consumption aren’t so much of an issue anymore with current touch

screens.

• You can't change the assignments for the A, B and C buttons. These are

predefined and send NoteOff massages on channel 16. The A-B-C

buttons on MORPHEUS 1 sends Notes 122, 123 and 124 (D9, Eb9 and E9),

on MORPHEUS 2 - 125, 126 and 127 (F9, F#9 and G9)

• At this moment you can’t send any data other than CCs.

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• MORPHEUS walkthrough

MORPHEUS 1 in Play mode:

MORPHEUS 1 in Edit mode:

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MORPHEUS 2 in Play mode:

MORPHEUS 2 in Edit mode:

The only difference between MORPHEUS 1 and 2 is the initial sliders setup (can be

changed if needed) and what buttons A, B and C are sending (see above "What you can't

do with MORPHEUS?" section)

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The main part of the GUI consists of 8 sliders that can be moved either by touching them,

clicking on them or by moving the Master slider:

The purpose of the two Master sliders is to execute the morph from the given minimum to

the given maximum value of the 8 sliders. The left slider and the right slider do the exact

same thing and mirror the behavior. Sometimes it is just more practical to use left hand to

do the morph while the right-hand plays on a keyboard, sometimes the opposite.

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By going to the Edit mode, we can set what CC# on what MIDI channel will be sent:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-edit.gif

The minimum value of the Master slider will always be "0" and the maximum value "127".

What are the min and max values of the 8 sliders will be determined by the "SNAPSHOT

MIN" and "SNAPSHOT MAX" buttons:

Set your desired minimum values and press/touch the "SNAPSHOT MIN" button. After

setting the desired maximum values use the "SNAPSHOT MAX" button. Save the current

setting to one of 8 available SNAPSHOTS by using one of the "SET" 1-8 buttons. Select the

saved snapshot number. Now you can use the Master slider to morph between saved

values. That's how easy it is:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-set.gif

With the "MIN", "MID" and "MAX" buttons you can quickly jump between the 0%-50%-

100% values of the active snapshot:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-mmm.gif

If you like surprises, you should try the "RANDOMIZE SINGLE" and "RANDOMIZE ALL"

buttons. As the name says the value of either a single (and random) slider will be

randomized or the values of all 8 of them. This is a great tool for finding new sounds,

patches and settings very quickly:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-randbut.gif

If you wish to randomize the value of a particular slider without the risk of randomizing

anything else that might be on its sweet spot use one of the "RDM" 1-8 buttons:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-rdm.gif

By activating the "LOCK" 1-8 buttons you can select particular sliders, so they won't get

randomized:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-lock.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-edit.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-set.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-mmm.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-randbut.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-rdm.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-lock.gif

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Underneath each slider you can see a little "ON/OFF" button. With this button you can

switch the outgoing CC massages for each slider On or Off. This is very helpful when you

want to use MORPHEUS but quickly need to test how things sound when a particular

parameter is not changing without the need to store a new snapshot for that. Since the

Master slider is also sending its own CC# while being moved, that function can be disabled

this way.

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-onoff.gif

As I've already mentioned earlier the "A", "B" and "C" buttons are pre-programmed to

send NoteOff massages 122, 123 and 124 (D9, Eb9 and E9) and can be used to trigger

some actions inside your DAW. In the example below I am using button "A" to load the

previous patch, button "B" to open the patch selection window and the button "C" to load

the next patch. The VST instrument that I am using MORPHEUS to control here is

PASDHOP 2 from Steinberg®

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-abc.gif

MORPHEUS comes with 8 default snapshots but of course you can overwrite them using

dedicated "SET" buttons. Remember to save your changes as a new .vstpreset or as a

Default.vstpreset if you would like to always start with your own snapshots already loaded.

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-save.gif

The so-called Moon slider is also sending CC data when manually moved from left to right.

The actual value can be seen on the number display above the slider. Depending on the

actual setting it is also used to set the randomization percentage.

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-moon.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-onoff.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-abc.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-save.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-moon.gif

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• More about randomization

There are 4 buttons that will create random values in a special way. Let's explore them

some more.

The way buttons "RND.1" and "RND.2" work depend on the settings made with the Moon

slider and this button:

The "RND.3" and "RND.4" are not influenced by the above combination and uses their own

settings.

All four "RND" buttons reacts to the "RND speed (ms)"settings made in the Edit mode:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-ms.gif

So, what do they do?

"RND.1"

- triggers the "RANDOMIZE SINGLE" button in timing intervals set with the "RND speed

(ms)" and with the randomization range from "100%" to whatever percentage is set with

the Moon slider or can be turned Off completely:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-rnd1.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-ms.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-rnd1.gif

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"RND.2"

- triggers the "RANDOMIZE ALL" button:


"RND.3"

- randomizes all 8 sliders by values -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 in timing intervals set with "RND speed

(ms)". Used for more subtle variations. Acts almost like "RND.2" button set to 1%

randomization:


"RND.4"

- randomizes the Master slider values so whatever snapshot is selected at the moment

random values within that snapshots range will be produced. The Master slider value will

change in steps of -2, -1, 0, +1 or +2. The percentage setting is not considered here but

the timing is:





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• MIDI Input

There is only one more button to discuss:

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-inbut.gif

MORPHEUS can react to incoming MIDI Note On massages.

When this button is in the "IN OFF" state MORPHEUS simply ignores the incoming MIDI

data and nothing special happens. When it is in the "IN RND.1" state each time there is

incoming Note On data recognized on the MORPHEUS input port it triggers the "RND.1"

buttons algorithm. The only difference to pressing the "RND.1" button is that the changes

happens not in given time intervals but are triggered each time there is Note On massage

recognized on the input port. Everything else behaves the same - single sliders will be

randomized by the randomization percentage selected with the button (100% or OFF) or

by the Moon slider.

Similar when the "IN RND.2" is selected all the sliders will be randomized when there is an

incoming signal detected.

The "IN RND.4" selection triggers the randomization of the Master slider in the same

fashion "RND.4" button does.

Below I am showing this in action:

• I have an empty MIDI track with the monitor function switched on. My MIDI

keyboard is connected to the MIDI In of that track and the MIDI Out sends the

incoming MIDI Note On data to the MORPHEUS-1-OUT virtual MIDI port (which is

the default MORPHEUS's MIDI IN port)

• the second track is the MORPHEUS VST and since MORPHEUS-1-OUT is the

MORPHEUS's MIDI IN port it will "listen" for the incoming data. Once Note On

activity has been recognized and one of the IN modes are selected ("IN RND.1, "IN

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-inbut.gif

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RND.2" or "IN RND.4") the plugin will react accordingly as described above (or it will

do nothing when "IN OFF" is selected).

• the third track here is PASHOP2 VST that is triggered by the connected MIDI

keyboard and some of its parameters are controlled by the MORPHEUS's changing

sliders. Here for this test I am using Track Quick Controls, but this is not always

necessary.

Every time I press a key on my MIDI keyboard and a Note On message is sent out it

triggers the PADSHOP2 patch AND changes the patch's settings by randomizing selected

parameters values. Hopefully this will give you an idea what is possible with the help of

MORPHEUS and the live MIDI IN option. This way you can randomize and morph between

values of any plugin parameter that can be controlled by MIDI CCs.

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-in.gif

• Using MORPHEUS for writing automation

Another creative use for MORPHEUS could be randomizing some values while recording the whole

process and then going back to the automation lanes and tweak them some more for best sonic

results.

• https://14bitmidi.com/morph-autom.gif

• Just sliders

Remember that you can always deselect any snapshot and just use the sliders to send CC

data to whatever is connected to MORPHEUS. You have 10 sliders and 3 buttons for your

disposal (remember that the "A", "B", "C" buttons are assigned to Note Off messages 122,

123, 124 - in MORPHEUS 1 - and 125, 126, 127 - in MORPHEUS2 - and can't be edited the

way the 10 sliders can).

Still, you have a little MIDI controller and since there are actually two of them - even

better!

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-in.gif

https://14bitmidi.com/morph-autom.gif

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• Why MORPHEUS1 and MORPHEUS2?

As already mentioned before, MORPHEUS was initially created to control Track

Quick Controls and VST Quick Controls in CUBASE and NUENDO. This is why there

are two of them. You can still use them both to control the QCs, but you can also

find another ways to creatively use morphing between parameters and values

randomizing. Below a short clip of me using MORPHEUS 1 & 2 to control only

volume sliders of few audio loops. No additional editing or processing was used

except some reverb controlled by the Moon slider to glue everything together and

the ABC buttons to Start/Stop the session and to enable/disable the reverb send. I

hope this ad hoc performance will spark some ideas on how to use MORPHEUS.

CURSOR JUMPING TO THE POINT OF TOUCH

Depending on the brand of your touchscreen and the provided drivers you

might noticed that the mouse cursor jumps to the point of the touch. For

example, when you click with your mouse on a track to select it and then you

tap on your touchscreen to trigger some action the cursor might jump to

that tap/touch point. This is usually how touchscreens work on the MacOS

system since the touches are just an emulation of mouse clicks. There are

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special drivers available from companies like Touch-Base that might help in

such cases (a function called “anchor cursor” that prevents the cursor from

jumping to the touch point), they are pricey though and not every touch

screen model is supported. The good news is Touch-Base provides free

demo drivers that are restricted to 100 touches so you may try them first and

see how they work with your particular hardware.

https://www.touch-base.com/drivers

Windows users have more luck since there is a little application called Panda

that does exactly that – prevents cursor from jumping to the touch point.

The developer of Panda is still working on fixing minor issues with some

laptop’s brands and their mouse pads but after testing done on many

desktop machines, I can only highly recommend this product as a

companion to MORPHEUS.

There is special Panda pricing available for all 14bitMIDI users!

If you want to purchase Panda license for only 5,- Euro, please contact me

directly via email: info(at)14bitMIDI.com.

For more information about Panda, the registration process or if you want to

ask any questions regarding this product, please visit the developer’s

website:

https://hi.computer/panda/

BOME NETWORK PRO

Instead of using MORPHEUS on the same machine as your DAW there is a

way to use the plugin over a network (wired or wireless).

This might be the case when users want to connect a MacOS machine with

Windows machine that is connected to the touch screen. Since Apple is not

interested in releasing proper drivers for 3rd party touch screens some users

have decided to use a small Windows computer just as a hub for a multi-

touch monitor. To establish a bidirectional MIDI communication between

both machines, BOME NETWORK PRO comes in handy. Developed by BOME

Software this is a great solution not only for cases like this but also many

https://www.touch-base.com/drivers

https://hi.computer/panda/

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other situations where a MIDI connection between computers over network

is needed. For more information about the software, please visit:

https://www.bome.com/shop/bomenetpro

There is a special 50%-off price for the BOME NET PRO license available for

all 14bitMIDI users!

Please contact me directly via email: info(at)14bitMIDI.com for more details

on how to purchase the license and how to set up the network for work with

SHERLOCK.

MORE ON OUR FORUM & YouTube

For more tutorials, in depth how-to’s and some useful tips & tricks, please

visit the 14bitMIDI user Forum and our channel on YouTube:

https://www.14bitMIDI.com/community

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtJZAJmhDdx-o6TQ4eIeQ7w

CONTACT ME

If you have any questions, requests or need help regarding the

MORPHEUS plugin, please contact me directly at:

info(at)14bitMIDI.com

Have fun with the plugin! - Karol Obara

https://www.bome.com/shop/bomenetpro

https://www.14bitmidi.com/communityrm

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtJZAJmhDdx-o6TQ4eIeQ7w

Documents

MORPHEUS User Manual v.1.2 Jan. 2020 - 14bitMIDI14bitmidi.com/MORPHEUS-UserManual_v.1.2.pdf · MORPHEUS is a VST plugin in form of a VST Instrument that can be loaded into your session