Using the MetaModule: Knobs

How to View Knob and Jack Mappings

1. Click the Knob icon in the button bar

2. Knob mappings are shown

This is a "Knob Set" (see below).

Turn some physical knobs and watch the knobs on the screen turn (the patch must be playing).

Click Jacks to view jack mappings

3. Jack mappings are shown

Knob Sets

A Knob Set is a group of knob mappings. Each Knob Set maps the 12 physical knobs to virtual module controls. For example, a patch might have a Knob Set for each module. Or there might be a Knob Set for controlling various timbre parameters, another Knob Set for controlling rhythmic elements, and another for overall mix.
A patch can have up to eight Knob Sets, but only one Knob Set can be active at a time.
A single physical knob can be mapped to up to 8 virtual knobs in a Knob Set. See Multi-maps

How to Use a Different Knob Set

From the Knob Set page:

1. Click >> to view the next Knob Set

If there is only one Knob Set in the patch, the >> button will not appear.

2. Click Use to activate a Knob Set

Now the physical knobs will control the parameters mapped in the new Knob Set.

Knob Set Shortcut

A fast way to change Knobs Sets is to hold down the Back button and turn the encoder.

A pop-up will tell you the name of the Knob Set that was just made active.

The Back button's color will always indicate the Knob Set number:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Creating a new Knob Set

You can create a new knob set in several ways:

With VCV Rack, when you make the patch. See Creating Knob Sets in VCV Rack
By clicking (new knobset) when you creating a new knob mapping (see next section)
By selecting Auto-map knobs (new Knob Set) from the module Action menu.

Changing a Knob Set name

From the Knob Set page:

1. Click on the knob set name

2. Type a new name

Click the check mark to save your changes, or press the Back button to cancel.

Creating a new Knob Mapping or MIDI Mapping

From the Patch View page:

1. Open a module and click a control

2. Click on a Knob Set that doesn't already have a mapping

If you want to create a new Knob Set, click (new knobset)

If you want to map a MIDI CC or Note to this knob, click MIDI

3. Wiggle the knob you want to map to

If you're mapping MIDI, then send a MIDI Note or CC message. You may select a MIDI Channel if you wish.

Knob: MIDI:

4. Click OK. It's mapped!

If you want to adjust the minimum and maximum values of the mapping, or give the mapping a name, see Edit a Knob Mapping.

How MIDI param mappings work

You can map MIDI CC or MIDI Note Gates to parameters such as knobs, buttons, switches, etc.

The parameter value is always updated immediately when a MIDI message is received, regardless of the current Knob Catchup mode.

On the Edit Mapping page, each MIDI mapping can be set to respond to all MIDI channels, or just a particular MIDI channel.

The MIN and MAX sliders determine the range of the mapping in the same way that they do for panel knob mappings. For MIDI CC mappings, this means a CC value of 0 will set the parameter to the value set by the MIN slider, and a CC value of 127 sets it to the MAX slider's value. For MIDI Note Gate mappings, the note can only be on or off, so the parameter will be set to the MIN or MAX slider value. Additionally, for MIDI Note Gate mappings you can enable Toggle mode to make the parameter change value each time a note is played. See MIDI Note toggle mode

Note that while you can only map MIDI CC and Note Gates to parameters, you can map any MIDI message to input jacks: see Patching To MIDI.

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MIDI Feedback

MIDI Feedback, also known as "bi-directional MIDI", is a feature that allows a MIDI controller to stay in sync with the MetaModule. When this is enabled, the MetaModule will send MIDI CC, pitch wheel, and Note on/off messages back to the controller whenever a parameter changes value. When a patch is loaded, the MetaModule will send the value of all MIDI-mapped parameters. If the MIDI controller supports MIDI Feedback, then it will update its display or internal state with the new value.

For example, if you map a CC to the Pitch knob of your VCO, then when you load that patch, a feedback-aware MIDI controller will jump to the current value of the pitch, perhaps by displaying this value on a screen or even by turning a motorized knob like the Roto-Control does.

As you play the patch, if you adjust the VCO's pitch knob manually (using the Adjust button) or by mapping a panel knob to the Pitch knob, then the MIDI controller will stay in sync with these new parameter values. Also, say the module happens to have advanced features such as scale quantization, such that when you select a scale the Pitch knob jumps to the closest note. The MetaModule will still keep the MIDI controller in sync even if the Pitch knob changed indirectly (e.g. because you selected a new quantization scale or a new preset).

If you need to re-send all MIDI-mapped values to the controller, for example if you reset the controller after loading the patch, simply pause and unpause the patch playback. This will send the current value of all MIDI-mapped parameters.

To enable or disable MIDI Feedback, check the box in Settings > Prefs > MIDI:

By default, MIDI Feedback is enabled starting in firmware v2.0.9.

Editting a Knob Mapping

From the Knob Set page:

1. Click on a mapping...

2. ... to go to the Knob View page

3. Click on MIN or MAX to change the range

When the physical knob is all the way down, the virtual knob will be set to the MIN value. Likewise, when the physical knob is all the way up, the virtual knob will be at the MAX value.

If you set MAX to be less than the MIN, the virtual knob will turn the opposite direction as the physical knob.

4. Click on the knob name to type an alias

An alias is a name you pick for a knob mapping. If this is a multi-map, then the alias will apply to all mappings within the multi-map.

Editting the MIDI Channel of a MIDI Mapping

From the Module View page:

1. Click on the mapped control

2. Click on the MIDI mapping

3. Adjust the MIDI Channel

You may adjust the MIN/MAX sliders and the mapping name in the same way that you do so for normal knob mappings.

For MIDI Note Gate mappings, you may also change the Toggle mode (see below).

MIDI Note Gate Toggle mode

When you map a MIDI Note Gate to a parameter, you have two options:

MIDI Note Gate: Toggle Enabled

Each time a matching Note On message is received, the parameter will toggle between the values set by the MIN and MAX sliders. Note Off messages are ignored. This makes the parameter value toggle each time you play the MIDI Note.

Technical note: In case the param has changed value since the last MIDI Note message, the MetaModule will set the value to MIN or MAX based on which one the current value is farther from.

MIDI Note Gate: Toggle Disabled

When a Note On message for that note is received, the param's value will be set to the value of the MAX slider. When a Note Off message is received, the param will be set to the MIN slider's value.

Mapping to more than one knob (Multi-maps)

A single physical knob can be mapped to up to eight virtual knobs. This is known as a "multi-map". As you turn the physical knob, all the mapped virtual knobs will turn. Each virtual knob can have different minimum and maximum values. In this way, mulit-maps allow the MetaModule to act like a macro controller.

For example, if a reverb module has separate wet and dry level knobs, you could map a physical knob to both of these. Then you could set the MIN and MAX values such that as you turn the physical knob up, the dry level will go down, and the wet level will go up, creating a crossfade between the dry and wet signals.

Another example is using multi-maps in a polyphonic patch. One physical knob can control the pitch knobs of all the voices; another physical knob can control the waveshape knobs; another can control the envelope shapes, etc...

Multi-maps exist within a Knob Set. So each Knob Set can have its own set of maps and multi-maps. Since there are a maximum of eight Knob Sets, and each Knob Set has twelve knob multi-maps, and each multi-map can have up to eight virtual knobs, a maximum of 768 virtual knobs can be mapped in a single MetaModule patch.

How to create a multi-map

Multi-maps are created automatically if you create new knob map with a physical knob that's already mapped (in the current knob set). See Creating a New Knob Mapping.

How to view a multi-map

Viewing any module that has a mapping that's a part of a multi-map will display that mapping normally.

If you want to see all the virtual knobs that map to a specific physical knob:

1. Click the knob icon to go to the Knob Set page

2. Multi-maps are shown with a scroll bar under the knob

Scroll left and right to view all the mapped knobs.