MIDI & MPE

MIDI brings notes and performance gestures from external controllers into RFM Space. MPE extends that idea so individual notes can carry their own expressive information, such as pressure, pitch movement and timbre.

Ordinary MIDI

For a conventional MIDI keyboard, the essentials are note number, velocity, note on/off and controller data. RFM Space can use these to play oscillators and voices and to expose performance controls as routing sources.

MPE: expression per note

MPE is designed for controllers that can send expressive data independently for each played note. That matters for instruments such as multidimensional keyboards: bending or pressing one note does not have to affect every other held note in the same way.

The PERF module

PERF makes performance dimensions visible as sources, including velocity, pressure, timbre, pitch, modulation and gate. These can be routed to compatible targets just like other control sources. The Signals view is especially useful here because it shows the active relationships alongside the rack.

Mono and poly are different jobs

A mono patch can respond to a single performance stream. A polyphonic/MPE instrument needs per-voice handling so expressive data stays associated with the correct note. Use the poly modules when the patch needs that per-note behaviour.

Keep MIDI separate from audio in your head

MIDI and MPE do not contain the synthesizer sound. They provide note and expression information. The modules still generate and process audio inside RFM Space, and that audio still needs its own route to an output.

From here you can continue with the Modules, Engines or the practical Tutorials.