Sustaining pads or strings in PA4X

[shawnstanley123]

Hi...........
I have seen a youtube video of genos where voices like strings and pads are being sustained even after being turned off. Can I do the same in my PA4X.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tx998BZzho

[karmathanever]

According to the player, he merely increased the release time of the strings - great overall affect eh!!!

Pete

[Aripearlmusic]

If you press shift and ensemble and then go over about 2 pages to the left you will see the option to turn on or off the damper for upper 1-3 and lower. If you have a damper pedal connected and put a piano on one upper and strings on another and make sure damper is turned on it on both it will do that. I recommend cutting some lows and highs on the strings and having the strings at about 50-60% of the volume of the piano. Stereo strings or Ballad Strings DNC work quite nicely for that and dark pad as the 3rd layer about the same or lower volume than the strings

[Marcel Munter]

Try assignable pedal SOSTENUTO PEDAL

[Korghelper]

I am a big fan of reducing the velocity sensitivity of pads and strings when layered with pianos...

If you don't do this and pop a high piano note and sustain it, the strings will screech out or the pad become obnoxiously loud! Pads and strings with little velocity sensitivity tend to support the low and middle velocity ranges of the piano, but as you play harder will effectively become less prominent. This allows you to play more dynamically without the pad or strings overpowering the piano.

This can also be combined with an expression pedal that only affects the pad/strings, allowing you to back the pad off completely if needed, or have it become more prominent than the piano if needed.

[karmathanever]

Just watched and listened carefully to the video again and SOMETHING is not right.

There is no way that the layering is simple and maybe something is happening on his DAW/PC.
When he switches on the layer he continues to play several piano notes which would create a very messy strings sound but it doesn't!!!
In some cases he is playing the piano sound and the layer is NOT following but rather maintaining a very nice smooth "chord".

This is not a simple case of selective sustain or release time editing or normal sound layering....

There is something else going on here.

AND - it is very nice.

Pete

[Aripearlmusic]

He just shifted the attack about +25 and raised the release a little and used the sustain

[Korghelper]

After a listen to the video, there's definitely something weird at 1:26. I can't figure out why the strings suddenly died there, as he hit nothing. Perhaps the DAW is sending an unintended controller reset (maybe an all notes off)?

But the rest of it is normal behavior in Yamaha's and Roland's, if I recall right. Turn a part off after you have sustained a sound (or sostenuto'd it) and the sound keeps going until you lift the pedal. Likewise, sustained notes on the piano when the strings are switched on don't create notes until played (and won't sustain until the pedal is lifted and re-pressed). That might be what you were hearing.

Basically, background Parts (Parts that aren't active) don't receive sustain until switched on (though they do receive controllers like expression in the background). So if the strings are switched on AFTER the sustain pedal is held, they won't be held until the NEXT sustain command.

I find judicious use of a proper three pedal piano damper set with sostenuto set up for the strings alone very useful for holding 'floaters' up high while you play normally lower down, or held pedal notes while you float varying chords above them. It's pretty easy to get used to one foot controlling both when as close as a proper piano has the pedals.

But that's not what's happened here, I think.