Divisimate v1.4.0 Manual
Divisimate v1.4.0 Manual
V1.4.0 13.2.2024
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3
1. How It Works���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4
2. Installation��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5
3. Activation���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
4. Overview����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
4.1 Orchestrate/Perform����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
4.2 Power and Bypass�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
4.3 Settings������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
4.3.1 Input Devices������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
4.3.2 Zoom������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 8
4.3.3 Loopback Input��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
4.3.4 Logic Mode��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
5. Orchestrate View�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
5.1 Divisi Engine, Voices and Ranges������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 10
5.1.1 Voices��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
5.1.2 Analysis Time���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
5.1.3 Divisi Modes������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 11
5.1.4 Low & Melody Ranges��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12
5.2 Matrix��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12
5.3 Presets������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
5.4 Port Properties������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 13
6. Modifier Plugins���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14
6.1 Transposer������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14
6.2 Repeater���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
6.2.1 Rhythm Stepper������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
6.2.2 Dynamic Scaling and Stepper Out���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
6.2.3 Tempo��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
6.2.4 Presets�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
6.3 Trigger�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
8. Perform Page�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19
8.1 Perform view��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19
8.1.1 Editing Perform Pads����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19
8.1.2 Reordering perform pads����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
8.2 Performances�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
8.2.1 Performance Quick Load������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 20
8.2.2 Performance Manager���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21
8.2.3 Default presets�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21
8.2.4 Export / Import Performances���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21
9. App������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 22
10. MIDI Remote������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23
11. Keyboard Shortcuts�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
INTRODUCTION
The idea of Divisimate started with two composers simply needing a solution for a common problem.
Some of the most expressive and playable virtual instruments out there are monophonic – meaning
they regularly can only play one note at a time.
Using these instruments for chords or creating detailed orchestrations within an ensemble meant
either playing every part in one at a time or performing an ensemble patch and separating the notes
afterwards.
But we wanted to be able to play and record a well voiced woodwind choir, a full brass section or
essentially any orchestration. Immediately, without additional steps, in real time.
This could be achieved by splitting a chord into its individual voices and assigning each voice to an
instrument. So the highest note could be sent to the first trumpet, the second highest to the second
trumpet, and so on. Doing that before the chord even gets to the DAW was the core idea.
When we met Bene, we decided to develop this concept and see if it goes anywhere.
Let’s say that this endeavor escalated a little bit and the software turned out to be extremely useful.
So we decided that this was something that could be helpful for many other composers and
performers out there.
We are a small team with a core of three people, so development is moving slowly, but steadily. We
have lots of ideas how to improve Divisimate and will tackle them one by one with regular updates.
If you have any feature requests, workflow ideas or constructive criticism, feel free to shoot us a
message at support@[Link]
In most DAWs* you can select a distinct midi device for every single track, so it is possible to have
every Divisimate output port assigned to a different instrument. Every combination of routings in
Divisimate will now correspond to a specific instrumentation and voicing in your template.
Now you can edit and build presets to fit your personal template and workflow. Do you need Divisi-
mate only for the brass, and prefer to program the rest normally? Do you want to perform the full
orchestra? Or a big band? Or even experimental synth sounds? In the studio? On stage? It’s up to
you.
*The setup is very different between the DAWs. Cubase, Nuendo, Samplitude, Reaper and Studio One are
pretty easy going. But we advise especially Logic Users to look at our Quick Start document for Logic Pro
X before purchasing to understand the limitations of Logic with Divisimate.
2. INSTALLATION
When you have downloaded the install package, unpack it first to a folder of your choice. If needed,
use an archive software like 7-Zip or WinRar.
There are distinct installers for Mac and PC – select the installer fitting your operating system and
open it. The install wizard will now guide you through the installation.
The installation will install both Divisimate and the Nextmidi Hub application. The Nextmidi Hub is
responsible for creating and managing the virtual MIDI ports.
As you open up Divisimate for the first time, the software will prompt you to activate your copy. Clicking the
“Activate Divisimate”-Button will lead you to a screen where you can choose to activate in your browser or
perform an offline activation. Unless your system is permanently off the grid, we do recommend the browser
activation. Just follow the instructions in the browser window to complete the activation process.
You can activate your Divisimate license on two machines at a time. In the moonbase portal you are able to
remotely deactivate your copy to free up your activation, in case you no longer have access to the original
machine. This is not possible for offline activations.
You can also manually deactivate the license from within Divisimate by heading to the Settings page and
clicking on “Manage License” on the lower right side.
If you were using an older version of Divisimate on the same machine before, Divisimate will prompt you to
migrate your license to the new system. This will not affect your ability to use older versions of the software
on the same machine, but prompt you to create an account at moonbase and deposit your license in the
account.
4. OVERVIEW
4.1 ORCHESTRATE/PERFORM
Now that your copy of Divisimate is activated, you can start using the software.
There are two main views – Orchestrate and Perform. The Orchestrate view serves to build an
orchestration, distribute voices across parts and add plugins. The Perform page allows you to
organize and recall your favorite orchestrations quickly.
You can switch between the two main views using the button centered at the top.
On the upper left there are two buttons that will appear in both views.
Power On/Off: The power button can turn off all notes and controller
data that would have been sent to the outputs. If this one is set to off all
ports will be silent, all caches will be cleared and any active notes will be
stopped. It also works as a panic button, should you ever need it.
Bypass: The Bypass Button will deactivate basically all functionality of Divisimate - Divisi Engine,
Routing Matrix and Modifier Plugins - and simply pass through all incoming notes and controllers
to each and every output port. This allows you to return to a conventional working method for individual
tracks without having to change the routing in the template.
4.3 SETTINGS
4.3.2 ZOOM
The user interface of Divisimate is fully scalable to accommodate everyone from visually impaired
composers to people with very large monitors. The first time you open Divisimate the scaling will
be automatically set depending on your monitor size. You can rescale the window freely without
changing the proportions of the orchestrate page to display more ports.
On the settings page however there is a “Zoom” option. If you turn it up, everything on the Orches-
trate-Page will get larger, while retaining the core ratios of the interface.
Feel free to adjust this value to your liking. Your changes will be saved when you close Divisimate
and open up again.
The Loopback Input appears as an individual MIDI Device with the name “Divisimate Loopback” in
your system. This way it is possible to route MIDI from other software, for example a MIDI track with
prerecorded MIDI data in your DAW, to Divisimate.
When using this feature be especially careful, that you have a good overview of the signal flow, as it is
possible to build a feedback loop using this Input.
4.3.4 LOGIC MODE
5.1.1 VOICES
The heart of Divisimate is the Divisi Engine. This is the algorithm which splits up your live input into
separate voices. For the engine to work correctly, you need to select the number of voices you want
to play. If you want to perform simple triads, you select 3, if you want to play 4 part voicings, you
select 4, and so on. The engine can split up to 8 voices at a time.
5.1.2 ANALYSIS TIME
The engine reacts directly to your playing and can’t look into the future. If you play nonsense, the
engine will turn out nonsense. To compensate for small timing issues, the engine will wait a set
amount of time before splitting up the chord and distributing the notes.
You can adjust that waiting time, essentially a latency for analysis, with the Analysis Time slider on
the Settings Page.
Analysis Time and Memory Reset are global controls, meaning they will not change when you switch
presets. They will be saved as your preference when you close Divisimate.
The Divisi Mode determines the way the played notes are distrib-
uted across the voices. There are three Divisi Modes available:
Bottom Up:
The played notes are assigned to the voices from bottom to top.
If there are less notes than active voices played, the notes will be
each assigned one voice and the remaining voices will stay silent.
The engine will remember the last complete voicing for a certain amount of time. If you play less
notes than selected, the engine will make a decision based on that, which voice will receive the
notes and which will remain silent. Again, it’s about keeping the voice leading as intact as possible.
You can set the time in ms the last full voicing is held in memory with the Memory Reset slider on
the Settings Page.
Top Down:
This mode is essentially the same as Bottom Up, only that notes are sorted from the top down. If
there is no previous chord in memory, a single note will be assigned to the highest note. Any other
number of notes will be assigned in a way that the lowest voice will be the last one to receive a note.
Fill Voices:
The played notes are spread and duplicated across the voices in a way, that all voices are always
assigned a note. If there is only one note pressed, all active voices will play that note in unison. If
two or more notes are pressed, the notes will be duplicated across the active voices as evenly as
possible. This mode is powerful for various situations, but introduces some artifacts and dropouts
as a price for its flexibility.
The Memory Reset value for the Fill Voices mode defines the time window for the voicing to correct
itself. With a low memory reset, short chords will have less artifacts on releases, while a high
memory reset value will reduce voice dropouts in legato passages. A medium value should be suffi-
cient for most situations.
On the left and right side of the voice buttons you can activate
the Low and Melody ranges by clicking on the respective
buttons. When they are activated, colored sliders will appear
above the keyboard. By dragging the slider you can set the
boundaries of each range.
This is useful for a number of uses, especially for chord + melody or bass + chord kind of arrangements.
We also like to use the low range for keyswitches.
5.2 MATRIX
The routing matrix allows you to distribute the voices and ranges across the output ports and
modify the notes and controllers that are coming through.
In the grid every vertical line corresponds to one of the voices and ranges, while every horizontal line
points to an output port number. By clicking on an intersection you can set a connection and send
all notes from that voice or range to the respective output port.
Every voice and range can be routed an unlimited number of times, and a single port can receive
any number of routings. Basically every kind of routing is possible, giving you every freedom for
creating your own orchestrations.
On the right edge of the window next to the modifier plugins you have the option to write in a part
name. This will not change the device name of the port (this will stay Divisimate Port XY), but helps
you remember which track receives data from this port.
5.3 PRESETS
Save will re-save the current preset, Save As will save the current orchestration as a new preset,
and Open let’s you select a preset to recall.
Manage opens the parent folder of your presets, so you can easily organize your presets in the
explorer/finder.
Save as Default will re-save this preset and set it as the default preset for the current Performance.
Clicking New will create a completely empty orchestration and discard any changes you have made.
And that’s pretty much it. Why reinvent the wheel? We’ll get back to the presets when we talk about
the Perform View!
All MIDI data routed to this port will be affected by these plugins depending
on the kind of plugin. Right now there are three different plugins.
Plugins can be moved between slots by clicking and dragging them to another
port. You can copy a plugin by holding the alt key and dragging it to another slot. Plugins can be
bypassed to temporarily deactivate their effect.
6.1 TRANSPOSER
On first look the Transposer does exactly what you might expect.
On the transposition control you can transpose all notes on this
port a set number of steps up or down. Since the most common
use of this plugin is to transpose in octaves, we included buttons
for quick octave transposition.
By default the transposer will transpose all incoming notes by the specified number of half tone steps
on a chromatic scale up or down. It is however also possible to lock the transposer to a global scale.
When this option is activated, additional controls become visible to edit the global scale. Changes
made to this scale will also be applied to other transposers that are using this feature – hence “Global
Scale”.
Choose the Root note of your scale on the left and a scale from the prepared list on the right. You
can also manually activate and deactivate notes in the scale on the keyboard display below to
create your own scales.
The Follow Low option is a powerful feature, which allows you to switch the root note of your scale
on the fly. Activate this function, route the Low Range to a Port that uses a Transposer with activated
Scale Lock and the root note of the scale will follow the played notes in that keyboard range.
Activating the Global Scale Lock changes the behaviour of the transposition control. While it
normally allows you to transpose several half-tone steps up or down, it now defines the number of
scale-steps up or down by which the incoming note is transposed. So if the scale is C Ionian (Major)
and the incoming note is a C, a +2 would transpose this C two scale degrees up to an E. The 8va
and 8vb options will still transpose by one octave up or down.
So with the scale lock activated a note from within the selected scale will always result in a different
transposed note within that scale. Normally if the input note is not part of the selected scale,
the scale transposer will by default treat it as a chromatic approaching note. This means that the
resulting note will be one half-step below of whatever would be the next higher transposed scale
note.
If the Follow Low option is enabled, this behaviour is slightly different and outside-scale notes
will instead be directly moved the next higher scale degree. This leads to a more interesting color
change as the root note of the scale is changed on the fly.
6.1.4 PRESETS
It is possible to save and load presets for the Transposer. The preset system works essentially the
same as the main orchestration presets. Only here the presets are shown within a dropdown menu,
as opposed to a separate window.
Preset files are stored as individual XML-files under Divisimate/Plugins/Transposer in the folder that
you can access quickly by pressing Cmd+M (Mac) / Ctrl+M (Win). Subfolders within that directory
will be displayed in the menu as well, so you can organize your presets in more detail.
6.2 REPEATER
The Repeater was built to add rhythm to static chords. Any notes routed to this port will be repeated
in a set pattern and tempo which can be adjusted in a number of ways. Anyone who is familiar with
arpeggiators will recognize some similarities.
The most important part of the Repeater is the Rhythm Stepper. With the numbered buttons below
you can activate or deactivate single steps by clicking on the buttons. The amount of steps and the
note value of each step can be set below the stepper.
For every active step, the Repeater will play the incoming note once with a certain note velocity
depending on the dynamic scaling source. The slider on the top right adjusts the length of the
generated notes – set all the way to the right, the notes will sound over the full duration of the step,
the further to the left, the shorter and more precise the notes get.
If the scaling source is set to Dyn. via Key Vel, the stepper will display values between -64 and 64,
centered around 0. The value you set in the stepper will be added or subtracted from the originally
performed note velocity of the note to calculate the final velocity of that step.
If you switch to Dyn. Via CC#, the stepper will change and now display values from 0 to 127.
The original note velocity will now have no impact on the stepper dynamics. Instead you can set
absolute values within the stepper, which will then be scaled by the MIDI controller of your choice.
Depending on the state of your controller, the resulting velocity values will be between 0% and
127% of the stepper values.
Not every instrument reacts to key velocity though. To accommodate these instruments, we
included the option to mirror the generated velocity values to a CC of your choice. For example if
the dynamics of your instrument are controlled by Expression, you can activate the Stepper out to
CC option and put in CC number 11.
6.2.3 TEMPO
Activate the “EXT” button in any Repeater plugin and turn on the Divisimate Loopback Input in the
Divisimate Settings. Then go to your DAW’s synchronization settings and adjust it to send MIDI
Clock to “Divisimate Loopback”. Then Repeater licenses will sync to the tempo of your DAW during
playback and recording.
6.2.4 PRESETS
6.3 TRIGGER
Different than the other two plugins,
this one does not modify any part
of the input. The Trigger generates
new notes and controller values,
whenever the plugin is initialized or
“triggered”.
You can choose whether that message should be a note, a controller or a Program Change. Select
the CC number or specific note, and also set a velocity or value.
This plugin is designed for quickly changing articulations, mutes, ensemble sizes or anything else within the
assigned instrument. By firing keyswitches, program changes or controllers you can switch articulations at
the same time you are switching the orchestration in Divisimate. This opens up countless new possibilities
within your template!
You can also save presets for the Trigger, which works exactly the same as the Repeater presets.
By default there is always just one line of the trigger active, but you can multi-select by holding the
Alt-key.
7. HUMANISATION
In an ensemble of multiple musicians, no one will play the same note at the exact same moment.
Human inaccuracy is essential to creating a realistic and musical arrangement.
Divisimate contains a Humanization Engine which make sure that no two parts are exactly the same.
Note Timing: The Humanization Engine will randomly delay different notes on different ports. This
slider controls the amount of that randomization in percent.
Velocity: Every note velocity is added or subtracted a random number. This slider controls the
amount of that randomization in percent.
CC Timing: Every port receives a quasi-random static value by which all controller data on this port
will be delayed. This slider scales these random values in percent. CC64 (Sustain Pedal) and UAC
(CC32) are by default exempt from this randomization.
CC Val.: Every port receives a quasi-random static value which will subtracted or added to any
controller data on sent to this port. This slider scales these values in percent. CC64 (Sustain Pedal)
and UAC (CC32) are by default exempt from this randomization.
The Humanization values are global controls, meaning they will not change when you switch presets. They
will be saved as your preference when you close Divisimate.
8. PERFORM PAGE
The Perform View is the place where you can organize your orchestration presets and quickly
change between them. On each page it features 20 pads There are five pages of pads you can fill
with your favorite presets and flip through them by dragging the panels to the sides or clicking the
points at the bottom of the page.
Right click on a panel to edit its content. Here you can Assign an existing Preset, Create a New
Preset to assign to this slot, or clear the contents of this particular slot with Clear Slot. The latter will
not delete the preset, only remove it from this particular slot. If there is already a preset assigned,
you will also be able to choose Set as default preset which will save this preset as the default preset
for the current performance. More about this under -> Default Presets.
Once you have assigned your favorite presets, you can quickly switch between them by clicking on
the slots and perform different orchestrations back-to-back.
If you try to switch presets while you are playing, Divisimate will preload the preset and wait for you
to release all notes and the sustain pedal before it makes the change to prevent hanging notes.
As a quicker way to fill up your perform page, you can drag and drop presets from your finder/explorer to
the pads on the perform page. Try it - it makes a big difference.
8.1.2 REORDERING PERFORM PADS
If you want to change the position of the presets on the perform pad you can click and drag each
preset to a different slot. By default there is a short delay before a preset can be dragged (to distin-
guish between drag&drop and swiping operations). You can hold Cmd on Mac / Ctrl on Windows to
drag and drop presets on the perform pages instantly without delay.
If you drag a preset to the right or left border of the window, you can also move presets between
pages.
If you drop a preset onto a pad that already has a preset assigned, a dialogue will open to let you
choose what operation should be performed.
And finally Replace will just replace the existing preset in this slot.
8.2 PERFORMANCES
The layout of presets assigned to the pads in the perform view are saved in Performances, which
can be saved and recalled through the Performance Manager and the Performance Quickload.
This way you can have different selections and layouts of presets at your fingertips for different
situations. For example you can set up Performances to use with specific templates or tailor the
layout of presets to a single project.
On the top left of the Perform View there is a dropdown menu that is the entry to managing your
Performances. Here all performances assigned to the quickload
slots can be loaded immediately with one click. Empty slots will
be hidden, unless they are inbetween two slots that have a preset
assigned. If there are no Performances attached to the quickload,
this menu will only offer the option “Manage”, which will open the
Performance Manager.
8.2.2 PERFORMANCE MANAGER
As you hover over a performance you will see a little X symbol on the right of the line. Clicking the
X in the Quickload column will remove this performance from this quickload slot. Clicking the X in
the All Saved Performances column will open a dialogue to permanently delete this performance
from your machine.
Every performance can have a dedicated default preset. When Divisimate is opened, or a perfor-
mance is newly loaded, it will automatically load the default preset associated with the Performance.
There are two places where you can set a default preset. On the Orchestrate Page you can save the
current preset as the default preset by using the Save as Default... option.
You can also define a default preset by right clicking on a preset on a Perform Pad and choose Set
as default.
The Export/Import options are a convenient way to move the entirety of a Performance between two
machines and share it with other musicians. When you export a Performance using this function, all
presets mapped within the Performance will be included along with the layout, default preset and
all other settings in one self-contained file with the extension *.dpfe.
If you import an exported performance into Divisimate, all included presets will be placed in a
dedicated subfolder, and the performance becomes available in the Performance Manager.
9. APP
This Perform View is of course only useful if you have Divisimate in the foreground on your computer
– and moving the mouse and clicking on a preset mid-performance is not very intuitive.
That’s why we created a remote control app for iOS and Android which can control the Perform
View, Power and Bypass Buttons to make it easier to work with Divisimate.
The app can be downloaded for free in the App Store and on Google Play.
The app connects to the host Divisimate via WIFI. This means, that your device and your instance
of Divisimate have to be connected to the same network in order to connect with each other.
When you open the app, it will show the Network Setup window. If there is an compatible instance
of Divisimate in the same network, the app will show the respective IP address with a symbol.
By tapping that symbol, the app will connect to the host and show all corresponding presets and
pages. If you are unsure if you are connecting to the correct address, you can open the “Remote
Setup” tab on the settings page of the main app to display all ip addresses belonging to your host
machine.
10. MIDI REMOTE
We know that the different ways of working on music are very individual, so next to the app remote
we also included the possibility to change presets on the perform page using MIDI values.
When Divisimate receives CC31 or Program Change between 1 and 100 from any input device,
it will load a preset corresponding to the value. The same is true for the values 101-110 and the
performance quickload slots. There are a few other that can be accessedby MIDI Remote, so here’s
a full list:
Nextmidi GmbH & Co KG
Leibnizstraße 12
support@[Link]