Content Cells
Content Cells in Mixer Screen (Figure 1)
Content Cell Menu (Figure 2)
Content List (Figure 3)
Choose Import Clipboard (Figure 4)
Audio Import Options (Figure 5)
Cell Gen Rules (Figure 6)
Cell Gen Rules Harmony Use Cell (Figure 7)
Cell Gen Rules Harmony Use Custom (Figure 8)
Cell Gen Rules Scale Use Cell (Figure 9)
Cell Gen Rules Scale Use Named (Figure 10)
Noatikl Editor (Figure 11)
Noatikl Voice/Scale Objects (Figure 12)
Noatikl Paramater Groups (Figure 13)
Noatikl Basics Group (Figure 14)
Noatikl Pattern Parameters (Figure 15)
Noatikl Value Slider / Edit (Figure 16)
Noatikl Pattern Editor (Figure 17)
Noatikl Patterns Randomiser (Figure 18)
Cell Sounds (Figure 19)
Cell Synth Network Editor (Figure 20)
Cell FX (Figure 21)
Cell FX Network Editor (Figure 22)
Advanced Settings (Figure 23)
The Mixer UI > Content Cell
What plays, and when and how it plays
Content Cells are at the heart of Mixtikl and what you can do with it, so this menu is one of the most important screens in Mixtikl. It lets you access the Content List to enter/change the content in a cell, loop/un-loop a cell, trigger a cell, import audio loops from another app (iDevice version only, via audio clipboard), get info on the content in the cell and to set the cell root, pitch offset and cell rules etc.
Content Cell Menu
Select one of the central Content Cells in the Mixer UI (Figure 1) to display the Content Cell Menu (Figure 2).
Trigger Button
The Trigger Button (Figure 2) is how you can force the cell to play, depending on what the Track Rules are set to:
Track Rules
- Sequenced cell/track (orange arrow)
- The content cell plays once (at next bar boundary), then;
- Next cell played
- One shot cell/track (orange circle with exclamation mark in it)
- The content cell plays immediately (not synched to bar boundary) and once only;
- Looped cell/track (orange loop symbol)
- The content cell starts looping immediately until cell looping is stopped or cell type changed
Content List Button
The Content List button (Figure 2) displays the Content List (Figure 3), which provides you the means to preview and/or add content your mix.
- [Pak HOME]: Pakname
- This displays the name of the Pak on which this mix is based
- Select this item to get back to a list of content from that Pak
- (..)
- Selecting this allows you to browse for other content under the Mixtikl directory (i.e. from other installed Paks).
- To browse outside of the application, use the BROWSE option below.
- Content Items
- Selecting one of these will add it to the Content Cell.
- Tip: To preview content in the Content List, tap the right side "speaker" icon (or use Left or Right keys on Desktop), and it should play for a few seconds.
- Tip: To toggle to the bottom or top of the content list tap the top right side of app (to the right of the mix play time).
- Content items are shown in different colours
- Generative - blue
- Audio and MIDI - black
Loop On/Off Button
The Loop Button (Figure 2) is how you can force the cell to loop continously, or to un-loop it. What this button does, depends on what the Track Rules are set to:
Track Rules
- Sequenced cell/track (orange arrow)
- The content cell loops continuously (from next bar boundary) until cell is unlooped, then;
- Next cell played
- One shot cell/track (orange circle with exclamation mark in it)
- The content cell loops immediately (not synched to bar boundary) until unlooped;
- Looped cell/track (orange loop symbol)
- The content cell loops continuously (from next bar boundary) until stopped or cell type changed.
- Note that when the track rule is set to this, the only way to play the content cell is to loop it. This is useful when you do NOT want any of the cells in the track to play UNLESS they are looped.
Gen Bars / Gen Bars Range
These two controls (Figure 2) determine the bar lengths for generative content and help you to "arrange" a mix so as to allow it to breathe better. The settings have no effect for non-generative content (i.e. content that is not Noatikl based).
- Gen Bars
- Defines how many bars a generative part will play for before the cell either e.g. loops or play moves to the next cell should it be a sequenced cell (see track rule).
- If the values is "Normal", this means the setting is as defined in the underlying part, which is generally something like 32,000 bars, and so effectively infinite in length. A blue bar shows at the top of the content cell.
- If this value is non-default, a blue dot shows to the top left of the cell.
- Gen Bars Range
- Defines the range over the above value, allowing for a spread of possibilities.
Info Button
The Info button (Figure 2) will only display if there is content in the Content Cell, and tapping it will open a browser window. This will display a webpage with further information on the pak that this content items comes from (if known). Note that if the content cell is showing as red, then it means Mixtikl cannot find that content (it is not present / installed in your version of Mixtikl). This button can be useful to help find out more about that content and where to get it, should you want to hear the mix as intended.
Cell Repeat / Cell Repeat Range
These two controls (Figure 2) determine how many times the content in the content cell repeats, helping you to "arrange" a mix so as to allow it to breathe better. This setting applies to both generative and non-generative content, and goes on the length of the underlying content in the cell, e.g. if the cell contains a 4 bar audio loop, this just sets how many times that loop will repeat.
- Cell Repeat
- Defines how many times the content in a cell will repeat before play moves to the next cell, should the cell be a sequenced cell (see track rule).
- If this value is non-default, a black dot shows to the top right of the content cell.
- Cell Repeat Range
- Defines the range over the above value, allowing for a spread of possibilities.
Roots & Rules Button
The Roots & Rules button (Figure 2) will only display if the content in this content cell is generative (e.g. Noatikl-based). In which case it will launch the Cell Noatikl Rules screen (Figure 6).
- The left-hand list displays the Cell Root, and if you leave as the top value (i.e. no offset) then the cell plays with the Mix root.
- The right-hand list displays the Pitch Offset and this can be used to adjust the lowest note that can be composed/played by this part (whilst following harmony and scale rules).
- Harmonize with me (default setting - checked): This determines if Mixtikl needs to take the notes played by this part into account when composing/playing other parts.
- Harmonize with others (default setting - checked): This determines if Mixtikl needs to take the notes played by other parts into account when composing/playing notes for this part.
- Harmony Rule Button: Displays the name of the currently selected cell harmony rule
- Use Cell Rules (default setting): use the rules that are in the part (Figure 7).
- Custom: Override the rules in the part with your customised rules (Figure 8). Tap/drag the sliders at the bottom to change the various interval weightings for the rule. This affects composition in real time. See the Noatikl User Guide on this parameter for further information.
- Default: The Noatikl default harmony rule values.
- Scale Rule Button: Displays the name of the currently selected cell scale rule
- Use Cell Rules (default setting): use the rules that are in the part (Figure 9).
- Custom: Override the rules in the part with your customised rules (Figure 10). Tap/drag the sliders at the bottom to change the various interval weightings for the rule. This affects composition in real time. See the Noatikl User Guide on this parameter for further information.
- Default: The Noatikl default scale rule values.
Import Button (iDevice Only)
Selecting the Import button (Figure 2) displays the Choose Import Clipboard message (Figure 4), where you can choose to import a recording via the Apple General Pasteboard, or via Sonoma AudioPaste.
There are separate instructions for using Sonoma AudioPaste.
Otherwise, if you choose the General Pasteboard button, then in the Imported File Meta Info screen that follows (Figure 5) you will need to provide the following information:
- Root
- Set the root note (e.g. C#) for the imported loop
- Time Signature
- Set the time signature (e.g 4/4) for the imported loop
- Tempo
- Set the tempo (e.g 120bpm) for the imported loop
- Bars
- Set the number of bars (e.g 4) for the imported loop
Parameters Button
The Parameters button (Figure 2) will only display if the content in this content cell is generative (e.g. Noatikl-based).
Experimenting with the Noatikl parameters is a great way to learn about how Noatikl works and we refer you to the Noatikl User Guide for full details what each of the Noatikl parameters do. We will break out this section in due course, expanding on it, and create some simple tutorials and videos.
The Noatikl Editor (Figure 11) in Mixtikl allows powerful real-time & inline editing/customisation of the core Noatikl parameters used in a Noatikl part. This includes adding, deleting and renaming voices as well as editing pattern strings. It is a drill down editor, and is meant for editing of Noatikl content rather then creating new Noatikl content from scratch, for which we direct you to Noatikl itself (but you can do that if you have the patience!).
There several buttons at the top of this dialog which allow you to create a new Noatikl file, import, export or save one (the folder button) or copy, cut, rename etc voices (the pencil button). The Left / Right arrow buttons allow you to undo or redo your last action.
- Object List
- This shows the list of Noatikl voices (blue) and Noatikl rules (black) (Figure 12) that are in the Noatikl file. First select one (e.g. voice) and then select a list item from one of the lists below.
- Parameter Group List
- Parameter List
- This is the list of parameters available for the selected Parameter Group, e.g the Pattern Parameters (Figure 15).
- value
- There are 3 kinds of control to set the value for the parameter you have selected:
- a slider with an edit box above it for data entry if required (Figure 16)
- the pattern editor (Figure 17) which, when the folder button next to it is pressed calls up the pattern randomiser (Figure 18): select a pattern to create a random variant; beneath this is the sub-pattern list and you can order the sub-patterns with the up/down arrows.
- a rule editor similar to the one used in mix and cell scale/harmony rule editing.
- There are 3 kinds of control to set the value for the parameter you have selected:
Sounds Button
Mixtikl allows powerful real-time & inline editing/customisation of (mono) sounds played through Partikl (i.e. synth sounds, fx and sound/fx networks, but not audio loops).
Experimenting with Partikl is a great way to learn about modular synth/sound design, and we refer you to the Partikl User Guide for full details on how to use Partikl.
The Sounds button (Figure 2) will only display if the content in this content cell is generative (e.g. Noatikl-based).
Press the Sounds button to launch the Partikl Synth Attacher screen (Figure 19). This shows which MIDI channels the part is generating sound on (the mix must be playing), and the polyphony to be used by the sound generators on each channel.
If you press the Edit (pencil) button for the channel you are interested in (the channel highlighted in black in the left hand list), you will see the Synth Network Editor screen (Figure 20) from where you can import, modify and even create synth networks used/to be used on that channel, as well as exporting them as a preset.
Cell FX Button
Mixtikl allows powerful real-time & inline editing/customisation of cell level (stereo / mono) sound FX played through Partikl (i.e. fx and fx networks), which is in addition to Track and Global level FX.
The main reasons we allow cell level FX are A) to allow different FX to be applied to different channels on a part that uses multiple channels (e.g. GenDrum 1/2 OWt templates) and B) so that the parts in a track can simply have different levels, pan (amp) and FX (for variety).
Experimenting with Partikl is a great way to learn about FX design, and we refer you to the Partikl User Guide for full details on how to use Partikl.
The Cell FX button (Figure 2) will only display if the content in this content cell is generative (e.g. Noatikl-based).
Press the Cell FX button to launch the Partikl FX Attacher screen (Figure 21). This shows which MIDI channels the part is generating sound on (the mix must be playing), and channels which have FX applied (and a global level cell FX, too).
If you press the Edit (pencil) button for the channel you are interested in (the channel highlighted in black in the left hand list), you will see the FX Network Editor screen (Figure 22) from where you can import, modify and even create FX networks used/to be used on that channel, as well as exporting them as a preset.
Clear Button
The Clear Button (Figure 2) clears the content from the current cell.
Advanced Button
The Advanced Button (Figure 2) displays a list (Figure 23) containing advanced settings for the Content Cell. In all probability you will never want to or need need to check these out!
- -[BROWSE]
- Lets you choose different top level folders in which to search for content.
- -[SKIP]
After selection the content cell will be designated a skip cell (shown left). - When no section lock is on, a skip cell is skipped and next cell in the track plays instead.
- -[SILENT]
After selection the content cell will be designated a silent cell (shown left). - When no section lock is on, a silent cell plays silence.
- <STREAM SKIP ms: 0>
- This allows you to start playback of a mic recording at a set period of time into the recording.
- The recording must be set to Stream in the option below.
- <AUDIO: value>
- Determines whether the cell audio content (if any) is played back in a mix as a stream (e.g. for long recordings) or a sample (e.g. for short recordings, or those you want to be able to change pitch/tempo, as below):
- Sample [default value]:
- Recording gets loaded into memory when mix is playing
- Means it can be looped on a bar boundary
- Suitable only for shortish recordings, e.g. up to about 16 bars max in length
- Stream:
- Recording when played in content cell will play once, and will not loop
- Select this item if you're using sounds that you simply don't ever want time-stretched and/or pitch shifted (e.g. ambient sounds like wind/rain etc.)
- Sample [default value]:
- Determines whether the cell audio content (if any) is played back in a mix as a stream (e.g. for long recordings) or a sample (e.g. for short recordings, or those you want to be able to change pitch/tempo, as below):
