Blisko manual

Click the patch name at the top left of the interface, then choose the sound you want.

The top row holds the Shapes patches. The bottom row is where the Moments live.

These two knobs shape the volume envelope. Attack sets how soft or sharp the initial transient is. Release sets how long the note takes to fall away after you lift the key.

A long attack turns the samples into something closer to a pad. A short release makes the whole instrument tighter, at the cost of the natural decay.

These controls send the signal to the built-in effects.

I captured both from hardware picked for this instrument. Neither one is modelled. They are made for instant use, not for tweaking.

Underneath the knobs there are switches to change the character of the effect. All of them are sampled from vintage analogue hardware.

Sets how many players you hear, from one to three.

They fade in smoothly instead of switching, which is what makes this knob worth automating.

The balance between the close and the room microphones.

It is a macro over the microphone mixer in the bottom panel. Use it for a quick move, and the mixer for a considered one.

Three echoes, all captured from hardware. Type 1 is a tape delay. Types 2 and 3 come from a lo-fi 12-bit digital delay.

They are not tempo-synced.

Types 1 and 2 are a warm, room-style reverb. Type 3 is a very long ambient wash.

All three come from hardware.

I recorded Blisko in a dry studio, so none of the positions are really ambient. The room microphones are about air and stereo width.

The close and the room microphones come in pairs instead of all four at once. Fewer choices, less RAM, and no phase problems.

Close A is a ribbon placed very close, smooth and detailed, and gentle in the way only a ribbon is.

Close B is a valve ELAM 251 clone, set a little further back in omni. Still warm and full, but brighter than the ribbon.

Far A is a pair of hand-made small-diaphragm microphones in ORTF, a wide stereo pair. It sits beautifully with the ribbon close mics and adds shimmering air.

Far B is an MS stereo ribbon, warmer and narrower. It works with the 251 close mics, and adds natural fullness and density.

Every Moments patch blends up to three playing techniques. The plugin handles the crossfade curves behind the scenes.

Morph between the layers with the mod wheel (CC1), or move your finger up the key in MPE.

The small square buttons at the top of the coloured area set how many layers you crossfade between.

With a single layer selected, the modulation goes to volume instead.

Click the name of a technique to swap it for another one from the list.

Volume and panning for each player.

The panning works on the close microphones only, which keeps the natural acoustics of the room.

The levels of the microphones, and the choice between two close signals and two room signals.

A tempo-synced note delay, per player.

You offset the moment each of the players joins in on the note. With Ricochet it moves scratchy textures across the stereo field.

With divisi on, the three players take turns on the notes instead of all three playing each one.

Randomises the sample start position.

The Moments patches let you use MPE to play the blend of techniques set on the mixer, note by note.

Your DAW can need extra setup for MPE. Read your DAW manual for more.

The global volume.

Pre-mapped to CC11, so you can automate it without extra setup.

Click the patch name at the top left of the interface, then choose the sound you want.