Resounding CBV Accordion User manual

CBV Accordion Manual
Accordion Synthesizer
Version 1.0
Resounding GmbH Seestrasse 38 | 6052 Hergiswil | Switzerland ! ! [email protected] http://resounding.ch/

Sound and expression
Introduction
An accordion works fundamentally different from instruments like the piano or a keyboard. Expression, sound and accents
base upon the bellows movement and the pressure applied by the player, the way one plays the keys or buttons is
secondary. Keyboard expression however is based on velocity sensitivity.
CBV Accordion addresses this problem. The pressure sensors of a MIDI-accordion are mapped to volume and sound-
character of the synthesizer. CBV uses three layers of waveforms and blends from one layer to the next as the player
changes pressure over time, each layer has a different sound character. Just like a real accordion. We used ideas from
wavetable- and vector-synthesis to model an instrument with the same expression-properties as an accordion. We didn’t
aim for prefect realism, but vivid dynamics, therefore we call it a synthesizer, although it is built on Reason’s NN-XT-Sampler.
For keyboard players CBV allows to control the expression using the mod-wheel. There are also standard velocity-based
patches.
Features
• A wavetable-/vector-synthesizer containing 686 unique waveforms
• Three velocity layers for vivid expression
• The quadra-fade-method allows using the bellows-expression of your MIDI-accordion
• Expression changes volume and character of the sound
• Contains expression- and velocity-based patches
• Use your keyboard and mod-wheel to play like a real accordion
• Has 4', 8', 16' and tremolo stops (reeds)
• Select expression source: aftertouch, expression, mod-wheel (+ keyboard control mapping)
• 10 instruments (52 patches)
• 11 effect patches
• Valve open/close sound
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How to play
Expression Patches
Wheel!The most important control in CBV is the wheel. By default, if you don’t touch
the wheel and you play notes you’ll hear nothing. That’s because you aren’t squeezing the
Squeezebox. Move the wheel up to increase the pressure on the bellows.
You can automate the wheel or use “Edit Keyboard Control Mapping...” to use another
control on your keyboard or MIDI-accordion.
Expression Scale / Const Expression!! These
controls allow to set the dynamic range of the
accordion synthesizer. Const Expression adds a
constant value to the modulation input and
Expression Scale decreases the impact of the
modulation.
Often MIDI-accordions pressure-sensors are unsteady and not accurate. If you’d like to make your performance more
steady and the MIDI-accordion easier to play: Increase the Const Expression and decrease the Expression Scale.
Sustain Level!Add ADSR to the envelope. The default settings are similar to the response of the reeds of the model
accordion we used in development. Usually an accordion player will perform the ADSR-expression, if you’d like the
synthesizer to behave more like a piano, set a lower Sustain Level.
Cassotto" " Adds a very slight lowpass filter that sounds similar to a real accordions cassotto1. It’s like a lowpass
filter frequency nob, that will never filter all sound, the maximum value turns the Cassotto off.
Piccolo / Clarinet / Tremolo / Bassoon!The reeds. These equal the 4” / 8” / 8” Tremolo / 16” stops of a accordion.
Please refer to the wikipedia page below. Piccolo is tuned one octave higher than Clarinet and Bassoon one octave lower.
If you select Clarinet and Tremolo you’ll get the typical accordion tremolo sound. Clarinet and Tremolo have a slightly
different pitch and therefore create a tremolo or beat.
Filter!is a LP 12-lowpass filter.
Tone"is a BP 12-bandbass filter, however it is
mapped to a reduced range.
Modulation pickup
Allows to change the
controller events that
will modulate the
accordion synthesizer.
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1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accordion_reed_ranks_and_switches#Cassotto

Accordion!controls the volume of the main accordion voices.
Chorus"controls the volume of the additional Chorus,
which gives the accordion stereo depth. The beauty of many
accordion recordings is influenced by a nice stereo imaging. There
is nothing better than a live recording with a great studio setup,
but we tried to bring this into CBV using Chorus.
Valve" " controls the volume of the opening and closing
valves.
Extended Controls" " The NN-XT’s global controls are available inside the combinator.
Velocity patches
We wanted to make the fabulous sound of CBV Accordion available to people who haven’t any previous experience with
accordions. With these patches you can’t change the expression during a single note, but you can still be very expressive
using velocity-sensitivity.
Filter Freq!! Frequency of the low-pass filter.
Attack / Relase"Adjust ADSR settings.
Cassotto" " See expression patches.
Converting existing accordion tracks
As you see we added a Mod Wheel automation and more or less followed the velocity of the original accordion track. For
this track it turned out to be the best, but also try to use the mod-wheel while playing back your track, once you like your
performance record it.
Instruments
Flags
D" " Dry patches, no reverb applied
V" " Velocity based patches
Bassy"" More bass, nice low-end.
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Instrument Families
Model patches
CBV Master" " Contains the pure waveforms we have created for the accordion synthesizer. We spent most
time perfecting this patch. It has the smooth sound and with tremolo it gets a sweet silvery chimey quality that plays well
with reverb. A property we love about the accordion and we are very proud that we were able to achieve that sound. The
tremolo voice is tuned 18 cents higher than clarinet.
CBV Bright" " has a little more harmonics. Could be used to emphasize the accordion part a little more.
CBV Americana Tremelo"is based on CBV Master but the tremolo is detuned only 10 cents.
CBV Musette! ! is based on CBV Master but the tremolo is detuned 33 cents.
CBV Triple Tremolo"is based on CBV Master but has two tremolo voices (reeds) one 18 cents below and one 18
cents above the clarinet voice.
Designer patches
These patches address sound-designers or people who like to go beyond classic accordion sound. Additional harmonics
give the sound-designer something to sculpt.
CBV Rock" " " More harmonics.
CBV Scream 42" " Even more harmonics. YEEAAAA!!
By default the harmonics are cut so the patch doesn’t sound too extreme.
Folders
ReFill root" " " CBV Master / Bright with slight reverb
Instrument Presets" " Contains all the dry patches
Velocity Presets" " Velocity-based instrument patches. NNXT subfolder contains the NN-XT patches so you can
build your own custom accordion.
Effects" " " Goodies, some effects we created during development of CBV.
Wavetable" " " Stores some internals of CBV.
You don’t like the accordion? — Yet! — Check out this great swiss band, they are
influenced by folk and accordion music from all over the world.
http://www.youtube.com/user/pflanzplaetz
Many thanks to Lüscher Musik AG for supporting us in the development.
http://www.lueschermusik.ch
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CBV Accordion!4

Credits
Jean-Louis Fuchs" " Idea, Recording, Programming, Sound Design
Chris Schürmann! ! Product Design, Recording, Sound Design, Video
Roger Lüscher! ! Expert for Accordions, Consultant
Eva Fuchs" " " Editor
Pirmin Blättler! ! Testing
Charly Baier!" " Accordionist
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