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Table of Contents Welcome ________________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 System Requirements _____________________________________________________________________ Page 3 What is TriplePlay __________________________________________________________________________Page 3 What’s Included _____________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 In a Hurry? Basic MIDI Controller Mode _________________________________________________________ Pag
Welcome Thank you for making Fishman a part of your music making experience. We are proud to offer you high-quality professional-grade tools to empower you to sound your very best. We are confident that with TriplePlay, you now own a remarkable musical tool that will transform the way you play guitar. System Requirements Standard Broadband connection for software downloads Computer Hardware: 4GB of RAM and 40GB of free HD space Apple Mac: OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.
TriplePlay Package Contents A B A. TriplePlay receiver. This plugs into one of your computer’s USB ports. B. Charge cable and AC adapter. Recharge the controller via USB or the included AC adapter. Basic Concepts If you’re new to MIDI guitar or making music with computers, you may find it helpful to read through the following sections. If you’re an experienced computer musician, you can probably skip ahead to Typical TriplePlay Setups. A Different Kind of Pickup.
Virtual Guitar Rigs. A virtual guitar rig (VGR) is software that replicates the sound of amps, pedals, and other guitar gear. VGRs can reproduce convincing electric guitar tones, just by connecting your traditional guitar signal directly to your computer. TriplePlay comes with an industry standard virtual guitar rig that will have you believing you’re playing through your favorite analog equipment. Plug-Ins and Hosts. A plug-in is a computer program that runs inside another “host” program.
Typical TriplePlay Setups (cont’d) The most common way to use TriplePlay is to connect to a computer using the wireless receiver for MIDI sounds and an audio interface for traditional guitar sounds. (If you’re not clear on how the two types of sounds differ, read MIDI vs. traditional guitar.) This setup requires a separately purchased computer to audio interface.
Typical TriplePlay Setups (cont’d) You can also use TriplePlay in conjunction with external synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines. Audio out to headphones or speakers TriplePlay wirelessly transmits MIDI data. Computer running TriplePlay software Audio signal sent to computer via audio interface TriplePlay receiver Synth, sampler, or other MIDI sound generator Some hardware electronic instruments (especially older ones) connect to your other gear via five-pin or sevenpin MIDI cables.
Installation and Setup Installing and calibrating TriplePlay requires special care. We’ll guide you through the process in easy-to-follow steps. Since it may take several hours to download your new software, that process should be started now. The hardware can be installed while you wait for your downloads to complete. Finally, you can install the software and calibrate the system to suit your style. Download the documents below http://www.fishman.
Pairing the Controller and Receiver (cont’d) 3. Press the pairing button on your receiver and controller (figure 2). The order doesn’t matter, and you don’t need to press the two buttons simultaneously. Note that the button on the receiver is also the LED. pairing button USB charing port power switch pairing button figure 2 Triple Play M/N: OEM-TRP-M01 FCC ID: RMU-OEMTRPM01 IC: 10812A-OEMTRPM01 Assembled in China Guitar back plate 4.
Audio Hardware Settings (cont’d) If your audio interface has multiple outputs, all available options appear here (figure 4). You can leave everything else at its default setting for now. Press the Test button. If your interface is properly configured, you should hear a test tone through your speakers or headphones. Next, try playing a few notes on your guitar (if you’re using traditional guitar in addition to MIDI). The meter beneath the Test button should illuminate as you play.
Calibrating TriplePlay (cont’d) 5. Set the sensitivity level by plucking each string, and then clicking the up/down arrows to the right of each meter to specify more or less sensitivity. (These arrows appear when you hover your cursor to the left of the numerals (figure 6). 6. The sensitivity is best calibrated so only your very loudest notes send the meters to the tops of their ranges. (Don’t be surprised if some strings require higher sensitivity settings than others.
Add Traditional Guitar (cont’d) Once TriplePlay’s audio inputs are properly configured, you should see the meter lights in the Preferences tab glow green as you play (figure 11). (To display this tab, click-hold the Options menu and select Preferences.) You may or may not hear guitar sounds yet, depending on which TriplePlay patch is currently loaded. Adjust the level controls on your audio hardware so that only your very loudest notes send the input meter lights to the tops of their ranges.
TriplePlay Hardware, Software, Features and Controls Hardware The TriplePlay hardware consists of the controller, the pickup, and the receiver. Volume knob (optional). Controls the TriplePlay mixer’s Master fader, setting the overall volume for your virtual instruments and guitar sounds. A. D-Pad control. A set of four momentary buttons for navigating TriplePlay’s Guitar Setup menu and scrolling between patches. B. Controller LED button/status light. Both a pushbutton and an indicator light.
Hardware Only Functionality, Basic Mode and Optional Controller Boot Functions Your TriplePlay controller has several optional boot modes which can be useful for certain functions of the product when operated outside of TriplePlay software or for resetting factory defaults and other diagnostics. These can be initiated by holding a D-Pad control down, while simultaneously turning on the power switch of the TriplePlay controller. ← C A B A. Enter B D B. Back C. Up D.
Hardware Mode Patches Once booted in Hardware Mode, users can move up and down between Hardware Mode Patches using the UP and DOWN D-Pad controls on the TriplePlay controller. Over 200 Hardware Mode Patches can be saved to the TriplePlay Controller using the Fishman TriplePlay standalone software.
The Menu Tree This is a system of nested menus that largely duplicate functions from the main interface with two important exceptions. Note that two Global parameters Tune Base and Pitch Bend Range are not accessible anywhere but the Menu Tree through use of the D-Pad on your controller. Here in the Menu Tree, you can display and edit these and other menu settings via the TriplePlay controller’s D-Pad buttons.
• Touch Sensitivity. There are 10 possible settings, Fingerstyle 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and Pick 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. (Higher numbers signify greater sensitivity.) Choose the option that best matches your playing style. • Sound Parameters. There is an identical set of four controls for each of the Synth channels plus the Pedal channel. Pitchbend. Defines how TriplePlay interprets pitches that “fall between” the frets, such as bent notes. There are four options: i. Auto.
TriplePlay Software Please note that no one guide could be large enough to detail all the features and options in the huge variety of software that is provided with your new guitar controller system. We encourage you to read and investigate the full features of the partner software from their individual user guides and internet knowledge bases. The next section will discuss the specific features of your Fishman branded TriplePlay software.
The Save Patch Dialogs Additional dialogs appear when saving or browsing patches. 1. Patches window. Appears when you click the Patch Readout area’s Browse Patches button. (figure 14). Here you can browse both factory patches and user patches. Click the name of any patch to load it. You can remove any patch from user memory by selecting it and then clicking Delete window. figure 14 If you’re editing a factory patch, pressing Save opens the smaller Save Patch dialog (figure 15).
The Sensitivity/Tuner Area This is where you calibrate TriplePlay’s response to suit your personal playing style. This area doubles as a digital tuner. A. String name. Identifies each string by pitch (in standard tuning only). B. Sensitivity meters. Displays of the sensitivity level for each string. A C B F G C. Sensitivity increment/decrement buttons. These appear when hovD ering your cursor next to the numeral indicating the sensitivity settings.
The Mixer Area (cont’d) The six mixer channels share similar sets of controls. H A. Plug-In buttons. Click to open the Plug-In Select window, where you can choose a VGR or VI for each channel. (The Master channel has no plug-in button.) G F E D B. Channel names. These fixed labels specify whether the channel hosts guitar plug-ins (VGRs), synth/sampler plug-ins (VIs), or a synth/sampler with a sustain pedal. C C. Channel faders. Virtual sliders for setting the volume of each channel. B A D.
The Plug-In Edit Window There are two parts to each Plug-In Edit window: The main area contains the plug-in’s edit screen. Attached to the left side of this field is the TriplePlay Parameters panel, where you specify how TriplePlay conveys your performance to the plug-in. The main edit area varies from plug-in to plug-in. For more specifics, consult the documentation that accompanies the plug-in.
TriplePlay Parameters panel - Synth view (cont’d) • Transpose control. You can transpose each synth independently from the others. Adjustable by ±1-24, with 1 representing a half-step, and 24 representing the maximum transposition of two octaves. (You might, for example, dial in a setting of -12 for a bass patch to obtain notes below the regular range of the guitar, or a setting of +12 for a flute patch above the guitar’s range.
TriplePlay Parameters panel (External Synth) If you’ve directed a TriplePlay channel to control an external synth (in the Patch Select window), you see a specialized set of Hardware parameters for controlling patch changes via program change numbers and LSB (Least Significant Byte) and MSB (Most Significant Byte) values. Different hardware instruments interpret these messages differently, so consult the documentation for your particular instrument. Use the up and down arrows to scroll the values.
The Fretboard/Edit Splits Area The lower portion of the Perform window is a virtual fretboard that depicts each note you play in real time. A C B A. Virtual fretboard. The graphic is oriented with the lowest string at the bottom, as if you were peering over your guitar’s neck at the fretboard (assuming you’re right-handed). The moving dots depict each note you play on the fretboard. B. Show Splits button. Click to open the Edit Splits view. C. Fretboard display toggle.
The Fretboard/Edit Splits area (cont’d) figure 18 - Here the Synth 1 and Synth 2 zones are highlighted, making their handles active. figure 18 figure 19 - Here the Synth 3 and Synth 4 zones are highlighted, making their handles active figure 19 figure 20 - Here the Synth 1/Synth 2 and Synth 3/Synth 4 zones overlap. Notes played between the fifth and tenth frets trigger notes from two synth channels. figure 20 figure 21- Here the Synth 1/Synth 2 and Synth 3/Synth 4 zones overlap.
Pull Down Menus Patches menu Use this menu to save the active patch and to import and export your patch database. Options menu • Preferences. Opens the Preferences window, (figure 23) which contains settings pertaining to your audio hardware. o The Output pull-down menu lists the outputs for any compatible and connected audio hardware, as well as your computer’s built-in output. The Input pull-down displays all available input channels.
Plug-In Version of TriplePlay (cont’d) Window menu • Patches. Opens the Patches window. (This duplicates the functionality of Browse Patches button in the Patch Readout area.) • Songs. Opens TriplePlay’s Songs window, where you can arrange your User patches into groups. For example, you might want to use Patch #3 for a song’s intro, Patch #17 for its verses, Patch #8 for the choruses, and Patch #1 for the bridge.
Glossary Amp simulator (or modeler). A software or hardware device that mimics the sound of an analog guitar amplifier. Two excellent amp simulators, Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig and IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube Custom Shop, are included with TriplePlay. In TriplePlay, amp simulators can only be used on the mixer’s Guitar channel. See also: Virtual Guitar Rig (VGR). Audio buffer. Buffering is the process of retaining a small amount of audio information in a computer’s RAM to ensure glitch-free performance.
Glossary (cont’d) Factory patch. Any of the predesigned patches included with TriplePlay. You cannot erase or overwrite the factory sounds, but you can copy them to User Memory and modify them there. See Patch and User Patch. Fader. A control used to make fine adjustments to a sound. The sliding volume controls in TriplePlay’s Mixer section mimic the faders on hardware recording consoles. Foot pedal. See Controller pedal. Hexaphonic pickup.
Glossary (cont’d) Pan. Short for panorama. Refers to the position of a sound within the stereo field. Each TriplePlay mixer channel lets you position sounds to the right, the left, or anywhere between. Assigning varying pan positions to multiple sounds within a patch can create a sense of drama and depth. Patch. A “snapshot” of a set of TriplePlay settings saved in memory. Each patch represents a different sound, plus all of its attached performance parameters.
Glossary (cont’d) Split. When a MIDI instrument is set up to trigger different sounds from different parts of its range, the individual zones are referred to as splits. TriplePlay’s Splits Editor can create splits according to fret position or string. For example, you might assign an organ sound to the four upper strings, and a bass sound to the two lower strings.
® FCC Notice (for U.S. Customers): This device complies with FCC Part 15 and Industry Canada licence-exempt RSS standard(s): Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device. NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
