Analog Experience 32 The factory - Set aftertouch & velocity curve SOLVED

[BulletProof]

Hi to everybody.
I would like to share how I set velocity and aftertouch curves of my Arturia Analog Factory Keyboard (32 keys), step by step.

I use "Hex Fiend" to prepare syx files containing the proper message and "Sysex Librarian" to send the messages to my keyboard.
Both programs are only for OSX, but Win users should be able to find similar alternatives. Google is your friend in both cases.

In a nutshell:
1) Prepare the files with Hex Fiend (just copy & paste each message below in Hex Fiend window and save it on your HD as syx file)
2) Load the syx files into Sysex Librarian
3) Double click to send a message (or single click the message and then click the play button in the UI of Sysex Librarian)

For velocity I successfully tested 4 messages:
- Linear F0 00 20 6B 02 05 03 00 F7
- Slow (like a ramp) F0 00 20 6B 02 05 03 01 F7
- Fast (like a hill) F0 00 20 6B 02 05 03 02 F7
- Max (velocity value set always on 127) F0 00 20 6B 02 05 03 03 F7

For aftertouch I successfully tested 4 messages:
- Linear F0 00 20 6B 02 06 03 00 F7
- Slow (like a ramp) F0 00 20 6B 02 06 03 01 F7
- Fast (like a hill) F0 00 20 6B 02 06 03 02 F7
- Disabled (aftertouch off) F0 00 20 6B 02 06 03 03 F7

To test your connection I also include 7 messages to set the octave shift of the keyboard.
So, if your keyboard can receive sysex messages, you should see the octave led blinking accordingly with the octave message you sent:
- Octave 0 (no blinking, of course) F0 00 20 6B 02 04 03 00 F7
- Octave +1 ("+" button slow blinking) F0 00 20 6B 02 04 03 01 F7
- Octave +2 ("+" button medium blinking) F0 00 20 6B 02 04 03 02 F7
- Octave +3 ("+" button fast blinking) F0 00 20 6B 02 04 03 03 F7
- Octave -1 ("-" button slow blinking) F0 00 20 6B 02 04 03 7F F7
- Octave -2 ("-" button medium blinking) F0 00 20 6B 02 04 03 7E F7
- Octave -3 ("-" button fast blinking) F0 00 20 6B 02 04 03 7D F7

As you can see, each message starts with F0 and ends with F7.
Hex Fiend will ignore the blank spaces between the above HEX couples, but if you use a different editor you may need to delete the spaces in between (for example, turn F0 00 20 6B 02 04 03 00 F7 into F000206B02040300F7 before to copy & paste in case of problems).
You also can copy and paste more messages in the same sysex file (each message starting with F0 and ending with F7, one after the other) to send in one shot the settings for multiple parameters.

To test the behaviors of different velocity and aftertouch settings, I suggest MIDI MONITOR: it helps to monitor what values are sent on midi channels, including the velocity and aftertouch values the keyboard produces depending on what sysex message was used.

A final good news: after sending your favorite settings, they remains unchanged until you overwrite them or hard reset the keyboard.
You can switch off the keyboard and unplug the USB cable: when you are back to play, your last setting will be there untouched.

Hope this helps.

Bye.

[Ashville.Guru]

Hi BulletProof,
  I registered here just to say thanks for sharing this information.  Made a world of difference to the aftertouch on my Factory controller! Incidentally, were you able to solve the other issue, of the per-manual calibration not responding to aftertouch?

Thanks once again.

 - Guru

[BulletProof]

Hi Guru.
I've been away for long time, sorry!
In my post I also put the messages for setting aftertouch.
I give up beliving the aftertouch calibration decribed in the manual really "exsists".
I guess that when Arturia made the manual, someone simply messed up with the real device specs, and described a procedure that does not apply.
Anyway, consider that each key has a very short excursion or narrow gap between the aftertouch trigger point and it's max value (aftertouch start-aftertouch max): I could verify the differences in the aftertouch curves only thanks to midi monitor.
In my use of the keyboard, I would have preferred to have only one aftertouch curve and more than 3 velocity curves to choose among, but I can understand others may have different needs.
I hope that one of the 3 aftertouch curves can get close enough to your needs.
Good luck.

[ThEcXMaN]

Bullet Proof, really THANK YOU!

Great work, work perfectly!