MIDI CC & automation
This page covers how Aconite receives MIDI and responds to host automation: how MIDI-learn maps a hardware control to any parameter, how the pitch and mod wheels route through the modulation matrix, MPE per-note expression, and how your DAW sees Aconite’s parameters for automation.
Host automation
Section titled “Host automation”When Aconite runs as a plugin (VST3 or AU), your host automatically exposes every parameter in Aconite’s parameter list as an automation lane. Parameters appear in your DAW’s automation browser under the plugin’s name.
- Drawing or recording automation in the host moves the corresponding Aconite control in real time.
- Automation and MIDI-learn work side by side: a parameter can be automated from the host and controlled by a hardware CC at the same time.
- The Macro knobs (Macro 1–4) are particularly useful automation targets because one macro can be routed to many internal destinations simultaneously via the modulation matrix.
MIDI-learn
Section titled “MIDI-learn”MIDI-learn binds a hardware MIDI controller’s knob, fader, or button to any Aconite parameter. The mapping is per-machine (stored locally), not per-preset, so your hardware layout stays consistent across every patch.
Arming a mapping
Section titled “Arming a mapping”- Right-click the Aconite control you want to control.
- Choose MIDI Learn from the context menu. The control highlights to show it is listening.
- Wiggle or press the hardware control you want to use. Aconite captures the first incoming CC and binds it.
- The control’s highlight clears and the binding is live.
Removing a mapping
Section titled “Removing a mapping”Right-click the control and choose Clear MIDI Learn (or the equivalent option in your DAW’s MIDI assignment panel).
What you need to know
Section titled “What you need to know”- Mappings are per-machine, not per-preset: saving or loading a preset does not affect your hardware layout. Your controller map persists across sessions.
- Any modulatable control in Aconite can be MIDI-learned, including the Macro knobs, filter Cutoff, Resonance, individual LFO rates, and effect parameters.
- The wave-selector menu supports MIDI-learn (to step through wave choices from a hardware control), but not modulation.
Pitch wheel and mod wheel
Section titled “Pitch wheel and mod wheel”The pitch wheel is wired to pitch by default, bending all voices together. The standard bend range is ±2 semitones; in MPE mode, per-note bend range is set separately (see below).
The mod wheel (MIDI CC 1) is a modulation matrix source, labelled Mod Wheel in the source list. Route it to any destination (filter cutoff, LFO rate, vibrato depth, or anything else) by adding a matrix slot with Mod Wheel as the source. It arrives pre-assigned to nothing by default, so it only acts once you route it.
The sustain pedal (MIDI CC 64) works in all play modes. In Latch mode it holds arp and step sequencer patterns running after you lift the keys.
MIDI CC sources in the modulation matrix
Section titled “MIDI CC sources in the modulation matrix”Eight freely assignable MIDI CC slots appear in the modulation matrix source list, labelled MIDI CC 1 through MIDI CC 8. Each slot listens on one CC number you choose, letting any incoming CC drive any modulation destination.
This is distinct from MIDI-learn: MIDI-learn moves the control’s value directly, while a MIDI CC matrix slot feeds the value into the modulation signal path and can be scaled, transformed via Via (Invert, Rectify, Quantize, Lag), and summed with other modulation sources.
MPE turns on per-note expression so each voice responds to its own channel’s messages independently.
| MPE source | What it carries | Matrix label |
|---|---|---|
| Per-note pitch bend | Continuous pitch per note | - (wired to voice pitch) |
| Pressure | Channel aftertouch per note | MPE Press |
| Slide | Per-note Y-axis position (typically CC 74) | MPE Slide |
- Bend Range sets the per-note pitch range (1–96 semitones, default 48).
- MPE Press and MPE Slide are modulation matrix sources: route them to any destination (filter cutoff, LFO depth, envelope times, and so on) in the same way as any other source.
- When MPE is off, the standard channel-level pitch, pressure, and mod-wheel paths are active and unaffected.
For setup guidance and examples, see Voice and play.
No fixed CC map
Section titled “No fixed CC map”Aconite does not publish a fixed default CC number for each parameter. Instead, every parameter can be mapped to any CC via MIDI-learn, giving you a controller layout that matches your hardware rather than a predetermined table. The only pre-wired message is the pitch wheel (to voice pitch) and the sustain pedal (CC 64 to note hold). Everything else is opt-in via MIDI-learn or the matrix CC slots.