Modulation Overview
Comprehensive Overview of Modulation on the S-4
Modulation is the process of affecting the value of a parameter using a control source. These control sources are called modulators. Different modulators are available to choose from on the S-4, allowing for many different creative use cases and combinations of mappings.
Modulation Basics
Modulation can be applied to any parameter on the S-4, enabling dynamic and expressive control. A modulator has no limit on mapping destinations. Modulators always exist in groups of four slots, and several areas of the S-4 architecture include dedicated modulators:
4 Modulators per Track
4 Modulators in Perform View
4 Modulators in Scene View
4 Modulators in Mix View
Each group of modulators operates independently within its context, providing flexible modulation options across the system. See the Data Structure section for a more complete overview.
Modulator Identification
Within each group of four modulator slots on the S-4, individual modulators are distinguished by color and [ACTION] button:
Blue (Triangle)
Yellow (Square)
Green (Hexagon)
Red (Circle)
These colours are consistently used throughout the interface to represent each modulator in a group, and aid (together with the [ACTION] button) to identify which slot the modulator belongs to.
The modulator group itself is identified by the icon in the header (top left corner), indicating whether the modulators belong to a Track, the Perform View, or the Mix View. See the Display Interface section for details.
Modulation Transport
There are two behaviours for controlling how modulators respond to the S-4 play state:
Always: In this mode modulators will always be running, whether or not the S-4 is playing or not. This can be useful for using the S-4 with live input. This is the default behaviour.
When Playing: This mode makes modulation follow the play state of the S-4. When the S-4 is stopped, modulation will be stopped as well.
Accessing these options can be done by navigating to the Config Menu:
Tap [CONFIG] to open the Config Menu
Use the SELECT encoder or the [ACTION] buttons to navigate to the METER option
The Modulation Transport options can be found under MODULATORS RUNNING
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