Using the Effect Slider

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Using the Effect Slider

Basic Operation

 

In the Sequencer’s Motion Effect Generator, the top of the effect slider is green, indicating the value that will be used when the effect begins. The bottom of the slider is red, indicating the value that will be used when the effect ends. By default, the red and green handles are locked together, which is indicated by the lock icon SliderLock. In this mode, the value does not change during the course of the effect, and the value can be changed by dragging the top or bottom handle using your mouse or changing the value in the text box.

 

Speed fixed at 12

Speed fixed at 12

 

However, if you double-click anywhere along the effect slider, the handles will become unlocked and you can set the start and stop values independently. The icon at the right changes to a diagonal line, indicating that the value will change linearly over the course of the effect. In the example below, the speed will start out fast and then get slower as the effect progresses. To re-lock the start and stop positions, just double-click on the slider again.

 

Speed starts at 31 and slows to 12

Speed starts at 31 and slows to 12

 

 

Keyboard Operation

 

After clicking on a slider using your mouse, the slider will have "focus", meaning that the value can be adjusted using the left and right arrows on your keyboard. A slider with focus will have a box drawn around it, as shown below. You can move focus to the next control using the tab key. You can move focus to the previous control using the shift-tab keyboard combination.

 

A slider with focus

A slider with focus

 

 

Direct Number Entry

 

SliderNumericEntry

 

You can enter a value directly in the text box and the slider will move to the value you entered. A value that is out of range will be ignored and the text in the box will turn red. If slider is set to a range, you can modify the start value and/or the end value, but be careful not to delete the " to " text between the 2 values because you can't re-enter it. To recover from an invalid entry, modify the slider with your mouse, then you can try to re-enter your value in the text box.

 

 

Customizing the Transition

 

You can customize how the value transitions from the start value to the end value by clicking on the icon to the right of the slider. This will open the window shown below.

 

The slider being customized is shown in the window title

At the top of the window you can set the transition mode - just click on any of the icons. The current mode will have a border around it.

Below that is a description of the current mode.

Then there is a graph that shows visually how the slider value will change over the course of the effect.

Then there is a group of 5 fields, each with its own slider to adjust the value. Not all fields apply to every transition mode. Fields that don't apply to the current mode will be grayed out.

oStart Value is the starting value of the transition. This corresponds to the top (green) handle of the slider you are customizing.

oEnd Value is the ending value of the transition. This corresponds to the bottom (red) handle of the slider you are customizing.

oStart Of Transition controls the point in time when the transition starts. It is expressed as a percentage of the total effect length.

oEnd Of Transition controls the point in time when the transition ends. It is expressed as a percentage of the total effect length. It must be greater than or equal to the Start Of Transition value.

oAcceleration / Frequency - For the speed up and slow down modes, this controls the transition acceleration. For oscillating modes, this controls the frequency of the oscillation.

 

Customizing a slider transition. Here we are customizing Arm Length (as shown in the window title).

Customizing a slider transition. Here we are customizing Arm Length (as shown in the window title).

 

 

Icon

Mode

SliderLock

Slider is locked. The start and end values are always the same.

SliderMusicNote

Slider value changes with the loudness of the music. The start value corresponds to low volumes, and the end value corresponds to high volumes.

SliderLinear

Slider value ramps from the start value to the end value (linear).

SliderLinearHold

A linear ramp until the Start Of Transition time, then holds its value until the End Of Transition time, at which point it resumes its linear ramp.

SliderSlow

The transition starts slowly and then speeds up.

SliderFast

The transition starts quickly and then slows down.

SliderStep

The transition happens all at once (step).

SliderSaw

The slider value ramps from start value to end value and then returns back to the start value.

SliderSine

The slider value smoothly transitions from start value to end value and back to the start value

SliderDampedOsc

Slider value starts oscillating between the start and end values, but dampens to the mid-point between the start and end values when the effect finishes.

SliderOscillate

Slider value smoothly oscillates between the start value and the end value (sine wave).

SliderTriangle

Slider value ramps back and forth between the start and end values (triangle wave).