Pitch bend range

[cephus]

I was wondering what is the common setting for pitch bend range. As a guitar player, I know that most guitar solo type bends are one whole step, and sax players and harmonica players bend even less most of the time. I figured that keyboard guys set theirs to a whole step. But I have been surprised that some guys I've recently talk to leave it set to an octave or whatever and bend it by ear to whatever interval the want. Now, I take what they said with a grain of salt because I never thought any of them were really getting good phrasing with their soloing. Just curious really. I am starting to get more interested in incorporating keys in the live show.

 

[sile2001]

It's really just a per-user taste thing, and can also change depending on what you need to do with a patch. Obviously if there's a certain song where you want to just completely dive-bomb the pitch, then it needs to be more than just a whole step. Some keyboardists like Jordan Rudess like to get the best of both worlds by leaving the pitch wheel at a whole step and then using something like a ribbon controller for the more extreme changes.

 

[SuperJX]

Agree-- it's a personal preference. I'm pretty much a Roland synth user, and am used to their bender lever vs a pitch wheel. Therefore, I've grown accustomed to a whole step for the lever in most situations.

Synth bass I tend to like at a multi-octave range so I can do a larger accent slide. Of course, I also tend to have those patches setup for mono and often with some portamento to get a smaller slide when I need it.

My synths have the Roland dbeam/infrared gadgets on them, so if I want a "dive bomb" effect I can use a gesture to control it. I can also see a ribbon controller as being useful for the same thing (though not as geekily dramatic ).

If you're emulating the playing style of a real instrument, then you also need to be aware that many can bend upward, but few can bend downward. So for a guitar patch, use the upward direction for a vibrato or an accent. Save the downward for a dive bomb, or when you'd have had time to grab the neck. And don't pitch bend on the xylophone patch if you're going for realism.