Vir2 Instruments BASiS - Manual (Page 15)

15 BASiS
Keyswitching
Each instrument in BASiS can be played in three different modes and with a variety
of different articulations and release layers. Each of these are controlled via
keyswitches.
BASiS includes a display area in its main interface that reflects what mode or artic-
ulation is currently activated.
The three modes are the same for every instrument in BASiS : sustain poly (C4), sus-
tain mono (C#4), and sustain legato (D4). Hitting the C4, C#4, and D4 keys results in
a silent trigger that activates these modes. In polyphonic mode, multiple notes can
be played at once. In monophonic mode, only one note can be played at once. In
legato mode, only one note can be played at once, and the
BASiS engine applies
special custom algorithms that assist in legato (smoother) playing that emulate how
a real bass player can play.
Above the D4 key are a number of additional keyswitches (silent triggers) that acti-
vate different aspects of the basses. These keyswitches differ from instrument to
instrument, but can be easily explored by hitting those keys and looking at the
onscreen display, which gives a real-time view of what is currently activated. Some
of the keyswitches that are typically included are slides, harmonics, mutes, and falls
(release).
Some keyswitches are tagged as "forced" such as forced falls. This means that the
forced keyswitch must be held down while the real note is released, and that caus-
es the keyswitch to activate. It will instantly deactivate when the forced keyswitch is
released. This is most useful for falls, because it's unlikely that a player would want
to play many consecutive falls in a row, so this is an easier approach to activate falls
for only the note(s) that need a fall release.