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Parts and Patches

Concepts » Architecture & Hierarchy » Parts and Patches

Trilian is a multi-timbral instrument, allowing up to eight different Parts to be played at the same time within a single instance of the plug-in. Each of the eight Parts can be thought of as an entire instrument, complete with its own Soundsources, modulation…

Selecting Parts

Live Mode » Selecting Parts

To get the most out of LIVE MODE, it can often be more convenient to switch Parts remotely (rather than by using the mouse), via Windows Multitouch, or by MIDI-Learning the Part switches. To MIDI-Learn a Part, Right/Control-click on its Slot to open the contextual…

Reordering Parts

Live Mode » Reordering Parts

Parts can be reordered by dragging and dropping them between the eight Slots. Dropping a Part into an occupied Slot doesn’t delete the existing Part. Instead, all the remaining Parts will move to make room for the dropped Part. NOTE: Reordering Parts in the LIVE…

Adding & Removing Parts

Stack Mode » Adding & Removing Parts

To add a Part, Right/Control-Click on the desired Row in the Stack Mode Grid, then choose a Part from the menu. All of the Patches loaded into the current Multi will appear in this menu. Any unassigned Parts will display as “—————————.“ NOTE:…

Architecture & Hierarchy

Concepts » Architecture & Hierarchy

Trilian is a powerful bass instrument that takes well-known elements of synthesis and sampling a step further to provide inspiration for any level of musician, producer, composer, or sound designer. It’s important to learn the structure of Trilian to truly…

Global Button

The Main Page » Global Button

If multiple Parts have identical Custom Control parameter assignments, the Global Button allows changing those parameters for the multiple Parts simultaneously, using a single Custom Control. For example, if Patches loaded into Parts 1 and 2 both have Vintage…

Utility Menu

Concepts » The Header » Utility Menu

The Utility Menu has three sections. The first is a MIDI Learn sub-menu. The second provides various Clear, Save, Copy, & Paste functions for Multis, Patches, Parts, and Layers. The third section provides direct access to the Trilian Reference Guide. …

The FX Page

Effects are an important part of Trilian’s sound palette, and are used to enhance the sonic character of Patches and Multis. They can add space, density, movement, alter the timbre, and shape the sound in many interesting ways. The high-quality, built-in FX…

Live Mode

LIVE MODE is a powerful feature that allows you to seamlessly switch and layer Patches. LIVE MODE was designed for use in a live performance environment, but is also an inspirational way to interact with the sounds of Trilian in composition and production…

Clear, Save, Copy, & Paste

Concepts » The Header » Utility Menu » Clear, Save, Copy, & Paste

The Utility Menu provides options to Initialize or Clear Multis, Patches and Layers, and to Save Multis and Patches. There are also functions that allow Part and Layer settings to be copied and pasted. Initialize vs. Clear** (Multi, Patch, & Layer) When you…

The Browsers

Trilian ships with a large library of sounds, so it requires a sophisticated way to search, filter and browse its contents. The Browsers in Trilian were designed to provide an intuitive and convenient way to quickly find exactly the sounds you need from a…

Mixer Controls

Live Mode » Mixer Controls

This area displays the basic Mixer Controls for each of the eight Parts, and includes a Mute button, Solo button, a Level slider and a Folder icon to access the Patch Browser. Any changes made using the Mixer Controls on the LIVE MODE page will be reflected on the…

Performance Optimization

Concepts » Performance Optimization

Soundsources in Trilian can be extremely large (many GBs) and can contain over 10,000 samples. So it’s to be expected that Patches in Trilian will use more system memory than the average Patch in most other plug-ins. For this reason, we have included a number of…

Navigation Buttons

Concepts » The Header » Navigation Buttons

The Navigation Buttons in the header are used to select and view any of the eight Parts, the Multi Section, or the System Page. Only one button can be selected at a time. Part Select Buttons (1 ~ 8) Buttons 1-8 are Part Select Buttons. Selecting a Part lets you…

Folder Icon Buttons

Concepts » Interface Conventions » Folder Icon Buttons

There are three Browsers built in to Trilian, one each for Multis, Patches, and Soundsources. All three Browsers have identical functions, but access different parts of the Core Library. Anywhere that you see a Folder icon, you will be able to access a…

Stack Mode

STACK MODE is a powerful feature designed for creating splits, layers, and crossfades with up to eight Parts at once. STACK MODE offers a flexible environment for either live performance or composing. STACK MODE is especially useful for recording a multi-Part…

CC Mode

Stack Mode » Operation Modes » CC Mode

When CC Mode is selected, Part Regions can be switched or crossfaded using MIDI CC messages. This is useful for crossfading patches from a MIDI hardware slider or knob. Each Region can be mapped to specific values across the MIDI CC’s range. The MIDI Continuous…

Managing Sounds

The Browsers » Managing Sounds

Trilian offers a flexible way to manage custom Patches & Multis—you can create custom collections of sounds organized by project or style. These can then be searched, selected, or filtered using the features of the Browser. The process of saving and managing…

FX Presets – Intro

The FX Page » Presets » FX Presets – Intro

An FX Unit Preset consists of the complete customized parameter settings of a specific FX Unit, which allows for “total recall” of that one effect. It’s useful to build a library of FX Unit presets that you like. Happy accidents can occur when you experiment by…

Directory Menu

The Browsers » Operation » Directory Menu

The Directory Menu allows filtering by libraries. Select the Directory Menu down arrow or name display to open the menu. After selecting a Library, only the sounds in that Library will be displayed in the Browser. They can be further refined using the Search Field…

Sampling FAQs

Legal » Sampling FAQs

The purpose of this information is to clear up any confusion regarding the sampling of Trilian®. We get a lot of questions about this topic from other sound designers, so we’d like to make sure our policies are clear and upfront. The factory Sound Libraries within…

Trigger Mode

Stack Mode » Latch & Trigger Modes » Trigger Mode

Trigger Modes control the playback timing of incoming MIDI notes, providing real-time quantization as those notes are played. When the Stack Mode page is open, you can access the Trigger Mode settings for a Part by right/control-clicking on the Part Region. …

Trigger Mode

Live Mode » Latch and Trigger Modes » Trigger Mode

Trigger Mode enables real-time quantization of incoming MIDI notes, so that multiple Parts will always play in sync. Trigger Mode is accessed from the LIVE MODE page, using the Latch Mode View button. NOTE: Trigger Modes can also be viewed & accessed from the…

Latch & Trigger Modes

The Edit Page » Common Controls » Latch & Trigger Modes

Latch & Trigger Modes The Latch Mode and Trigger Mode features extend the performance capabilities of Trilian, especially when used together with Live Mode or Stack Mode. Used together, they enable a wide range of creative performance, live remixing, and…

MIDI Controller

System » Modulation » MIDI Controller

The choices for MIDI Modulation Sources in Trilian include a variety of standard MIDI controllers such as Wheel, Expression, Soft Pedal, etc. You can use these options on the SYSTEM Page to map those sources to other MIDI controls. This can be useful if you don’t…

Removing an FX Unit

The FX Page » Basics » Removing an FX Unit

To remove an FX Unit from the rack, click the downward-facing triangle on the active slot and choose “No Effect” from the top of the list. NOTE: Removing any unneeded FX Units saves memory when the Patch is loaded. It is recommended to remove any…

Displaying & Navigating Results

The Browsers » Operation » Displaying & Navigating Results

There are numerous options available to change how sounds are organized and displayed, and for navigating the sounds in the Info Area. The controls for these options are found in the Browser Footer. These tools allow you to sort sounds in different ways, including…

Concepts

The Trilian® Total Bass Module, based on the Spectrasonics STEAM Engine®, has been designed as a flexible and expressive bass instrument, specifically for performing and composing—using Acoustic, Electric, and Synth Bass sounds. The interface has been designed…

Patch Name

The Mixer » Patch Name

The Patch Name Display shows the currently loaded Patch. Clicking the Patch Name Display will open the Patch Browser. Patches can then be browsed and loaded for that Part. Closing the Patch Browser will return you to the MIXER page. NOTE: Please refer to the…

Dual Live Mode

Live Mode » Dual Live Mode

Dual Live Mode adds a second MIDI channel to Live Mode, and is designed for use with two MIDI controllers. It divides the eight Parts into two columns of four Parts each (Parts 1~4 and Parts 5~8). Each column can receive MIDI messages on its own MIDI channel. The…

Bypassing an FX Unit

The FX Page » Basics » Bypassing an FX Unit

It can be useful to audition sounds and Patches by bypassing one or more of the FX units. When an FX unit is bypassed it is removed from the audio chain, allowing you to hear how any particular effect (or group of effects) is changing the sound. An FX Unit is active…

Trilian Standalone

Getting Started » Trilian Standalone

There are times when you want to play Trilian but you don’t need all the tools included with a full-featured DAW. It can be time-consuming to open a DAW and set up a session just to access your favorite keyboards. You just want to sit down and play! With that in…

Browser Filters & Attributes

The Browsers » Operation » Browser Filters & Attributes

Using Attributes Mode, filtering is achieved by selecting Categories or Projects and additional Attributes to refine the list of sounds. The first column drop-down menu allows you to select between “Category” and “Project” (if you have created any Projects),…

Settings Zoom

Live Mode » Settings Zoom

The SETTINGS page allows the configuration of LIVE MODE parameters. These include the Part selection methods that LIVE MODE will respond to, as well as settings for MIDI Channel, Modes, and Display Formats. Settings in Dual Live Mode When Dual Live Mode is…

Favorites & Projects

The Browsers » Favorites & Projects

Favorites and Projects provide tools for managing, organizing and recalling user-defined groups of sounds, making it much more convenient to navigate specific sounds, recall preferred sounds, and work efficiently with Trilian’s enormous library. Projects…

Browser Filters

The Browsers » Overview » Browser Filters

The four-column layout of the Browser Filters provides both hierarchical and Attributes-based filtering functions, and operates in two distinct modes. In Attributes Mode, the Browser Filters display selectable Category and context-sensitive Attributes columns based on…

Velo Mode

Stack Mode » Operation Modes » Velo Mode

When VELO Mode is selected, Part Regions are mapped to a specific Velocity range. The mini-keyboard is not displayed. Instead, the horizontal axis represents the 128 Velocity values. This allows Velocity switching and crossfading of Parts. For example, which Part is…

Glossary

AAX Avid Audio Extension – an Avid proprietary, cross-platform plugin format for Pro Tools. Articulation Articulations are performance techniques that affect transitions and provide variety between multiple notes or sounds. There are many kinds of articulations,…

Latch and Trigger Modes

Live Mode » Latch and Trigger Modes

The Latch Mode and Trigger Mode features extend the multi-timbral performance capabilities of Trilian, especially when used together with Live Mode or Stack Mode. They enable real-time creation of complex, multi-Part performances with full synchronization between…

Demo Mode

Getting Started » Authorization » Demo Mode

We recommend that you authorize immediately after installation, but if you would rather authorize later, then you may activate the Demo period, which will last 4 days. This can be useful if you want to try Trilian temporarily on a system to test its performance. In…

Latch & Trigger Modes

Stack Mode » Latch & Trigger Modes

The Latch Mode and Trigger Mode features extend the multi-timbral performance capabilities of Trilian, especially when used together with Live Mode or Stack Mode. They enable real-time creation of complex, multi-Part performances with full synchronization between…

Latch Mode

Stack Mode » Latch & Trigger Modes » Latch Mode

When Latch Mode is enabled for a Part, repeatedly playing a note will toggle the note ON / OFF. When it is toggled ON, the note will continue to sustain, even if the note is released. Playing the same note again will toggle it OFF. When the Stack Mode page is open,…

Presets Menu

Stack Mode » Presets Menu

All STACK MODE settings (except MIDI Channel (which will always default to “Any”) are saved and recalled with the MULTI, which means you can setup a MULTI specifically for use with STACK MODE enabled. In addition to saving and loading complete MULTIS, Stack…

MIDI Channel Menu

Stack Mode » MIDI Channel Menu

All of the Parts in STACK MODE respond to a single MIDI Channel, even if the Parts are assigned to different MIDI Channels on the Mixer page. Use the MIDI Channel Menu to select the MIDI Channel STACK MODE will use. Range: CH: 1 – CH: 16

Mute & Solo

The Mixer » Mute & Solo

Mute Selecting the M Button mutes the audio output for that Part. However, the Part is still playing in the background when muted, and will continue to use CPU resources. Solo Selecting the S Button will Solo a Part.…

Latch Mode

Live Mode » Latch and Trigger Modes » Latch Mode

When Latch Mode is enabled for a Part, repeatedly playing a note will toggle the note ON/OFF. When it is toggled ON, the note will continue to sustain, even if the note is released. Playing the same note again will toggle it OFF. NOTE: Any latched notes will stop…

MIDI Learn Concepts

Concepts » Automation & MIDI Learn » MIDI Learn Concepts

MIDI Learn is an immensely powerful feature that allows you to remote control virtually any on-screen parameter with a MIDI controller. It’s a flexible system that can adapt to the MIDI device you use and allows changes made to any learned parameter to be…

The Mixer

The MIXER page provides a complete overview of all the Parts in a MULTI. All eight Parts are displayed in a traditional eight-channel Mixer layout, with each Part having the following adjustable settings: MIDI Channel Output Channel Mute and Solo Patch Name*…

Presets

The FX Page » Presets

The flexible FX Preset system offers rapid access to the full power of the Trilian FX. You can easily create, copy, paste, save, and recall unique individual FX Units or entire Racks of FX to instantly give any element within Trilian a customized sound. There are…

QuickStart

Getting Started » QuickStart

This QuickStart provides an overview of the essential things you’ll need to know to get started using Trilian. Trilian can be run as a standalone application or hosted in any DAW. Trilian can be a memory-intensive instrument, especially with Multis…

Keywords & Notes

The Browsers » Edit Tags » Keywords & Notes

Keywords Keywords are descriptive words and phrases that are outside of the scope of Attributes, but are still useful when searching and browsing sounds. These can be more subjective and can be changed or added to both factory and User-created Multis and Patches. You…

Voices, Octave, & Gain

The Edit Page » Common Controls » Voices, Octave, & Gain

VOICES The VOICES parameter determines the number of simultaneous notes (also called polyphony) that are playable in a single Part. Trilian is capable of up to 64 voices of polyphony per part, and the VOICES selector determines the maximum number of voices that the…

Part Number & MIDI Channel

The Mixer » Part Number & MIDI Channel

Part Number Each of Trilian’s eight parts is numbered along the far left of the MIXER page. MIDI Channel By default, Parts 1 ~ 8 are assigned sequentially to MIDI Channels 1 ~ 8. However, each Part in a MULTI can be set to respond to any one of 16 MIDI…

Streaming

System » Streaming

The Streaming section contains controls for the streaming function in Trilian. Streaming permits samples to largely reside on disk. In this way you can use large samples with a relatively small amount of memory. Streaming Switch Streaming Mode engages or…

Additional Controls

The Main Page » Additional Controls

Audition Button The audition button allows a quick preview of the current Part. When using the up-down steppers to browse through Patches, it’s a handy way to preview the loaded Patch without having to open the Browser. Octave The Octave control raises or…

Show Menu

Live Mode » Show Menu

LIVE MODE offers four ways to switch or layer the eight Parts: MIDI Notes MIDI CC messages MIDI Program Change Mouse The first three methods use MIDI Learn to set up how the Parts will respond. Although all four methods can be active at the same time, only…

Getting Started

Welcome to Trilian Reference Guide 1.4! Software Soundsources Patches 1.4.5c v1.0.1 v1.4.9c This Reference Guide is your source for comprehensive information about the functions and…

Presets

Arpeggiator » Presets

Selecting the down-arrow on the right side of the ARPEGGIATOR label will reveal the Presets Menu, which has save / copy / paste options and a menu of Arpeggiator preset patterns. Any custom arpeggios can be saved as presets. You can also copy and paste patterns…

Favorites

The Browsers » Favorites & Projects » Favorites

The Favorites feature in Trilian provides a familiar and convenient way of rating and organizing sounds in the library. You identify Favorites by applying Ratings to Multis, Patches and Soundsources, and can easily change or remove assigned Ratings. This feature is…

Presets

The Edit Page » Filters » Presets

Trilian has a wide variety of customized filter configurations, called presets. The presets represent the settings of Trilian’s complex dual stereo filter. Filter presets can be selected, copied, pasted, and saved from this menu. TIP: If you find a Patch that…

Grid

Stack Mode » Grid

The Stack Mode Grid is made up of 8 horizontal Rows, each divided by 128 lines corresponding to the full range of possible MIDI values. Up to 8 Parts can be arranged on the STACK MODE Grid as Regions. A Region will always correspond to one Part, and is displayed…

Output Assignment

The Mixer » Output Assignment

By default, Parts 1 ~ 8 are assigned to OUT A. However, each Part in a MULTI can be routed to any one of the 8 Output channels. Select the desired channel from the Output Channel drop-down menu. Range OUT A – OUT H NOTE: Please refer to the FX…

MIDI CC Menu

Stack Mode » MIDI CC Menu

Use the MIDI CC menu to choose to which MIDI Control Change number STACK MODE will respond when using the CC setting. NOTE: When using CC, all Parts added to the Stack Mode Grid will be triggered simultaneously when notes are played, even if their Regions are…

Info Zoom Views

The Browsers » Operation » Info Zoom Views

When the Info View mode is selected, the right column contains information about the selected sound. In addition, there is a Zoom Button that will open a Zoom View for additional details about the sound. The Zoom Views in the different Browsers contains similar…

Architecture & Signal Flow

The FX Page » Architecture & Signal Flow

The FX in Trilian are organized into Racks, with each Rack containing up to four FX Units. PATCH FX A Patch in Trilian can contain up to three Racks of four FX Units each, for a total of twelve FX Units in a single Patch. To access the FX Racks for a Patch,…

The Header

Concepts » The Header

The top area of the Trilian interface is the Header. Visible from any page in Trilian, it is the primary navigation area of the interface. The Header contains the Utility Menu, Multi Information including the Multi Name Display and access to the MULTI Browser,…

Browser Settings

The Browsers » Browser Settings

Selecting the Settings Button will open the Browser Settings Zoom View. Settings are saved across sessions, and are restored the next time you load Trilian. NOTE: Audition Auto Play will reset each time Trilian is loaded. Preview/Load Note Range When…

Lite Version

The Browsers » Overview » Lite Version

Many of the sounds included in the Trilian Factory Library are quite large, and contain thousands of samples, with some over 2 Gigabytes in size. These can place a heavy demand on available memory and take a longer time to load. The Lite Version feature provides…

PRO Verb

The FX Page » Reverbs » PRO Verb

PRO Verb is the premier, studio-quality reverb unit in the Trilian FX arsenal. It’s very versatile and can achieve not only great Room, Plate, and Hall simulations, but it’s also capable of producing unusual metallic resonances and special effects. Be sure to…

Multis

Concepts » Architecture & Hierarchy » Multis

The MULTI is at the top of Trilian’s hierarchy and consists of up to eight Parts, together with four Aux FX Racks and a Master FX Rack. This section gives you access to a full-featured MIXER, FX, two flexible performance modes: LIVE MODE and STACK MODE, as well as…

Descriptions

The FX Page » Descriptions

There are 33 different professional quality FX Units to choose from in the Trilian plug-in. DYNAMICS Tube Limiter Both a limiter and compressor, modeled on the warm sound of the famous Fairchild™ 670 tube limiters of the 1960s. Tape Slammer Simulates the…

The Main Page

The Main Page in Trilian features a customizable ‘control surface’ that brings together in one page all the most useful parameters of a bass Patch. This provides easy editing and control without having to access the Edit or FX Pages. Each Trilian Patch contains…

Aux Sends

The Mixer » Aux Sends

Each of the four Aux Sends has its own FX Rack (accessed by selecting the FX Button at the top of the MIXER). The AUX1 ~ AUX4 knobs let you control the amount of FX applied to the Part. NOTE: The Aux Sends FX are shared by all 8 Parts in the MULTI. Please see the…

Envelope Zoom

The Edit Page » Envelopes » Envelope Zoom

The ENVELOPE ZOOM page provides precise editing of the 6 available envelopes in a Part (2 AMP envelopes per Layer, 2 Filter envelopes per Layer, and 2 Global Mod Envelopes). Complex envelopes can be created with hundreds of stages. Each envelope segment can have one…

Presets

The Edit Page » Envelopes » Envelope Zoom » Presets

There are two drop-down menus that provide access to Envelope Presets. One is on the Edit Page next to the ENVELOPES label, the other is found in the Envelopes Zoom View beside the ENVELOPES ZOOM label. The Drop-down menus will display a list of various Envelope…

Soundsource Zoom Articulations

The Edit Page » Soundsources » Soundsource Zoom Articulations

Most of Trilian Soundsources include Special Articulations. The Special Articulations are additional Soundsources loaded in the background that will be automatically triggered depending on how a passage is performed. These two Special Articulations are Legato…

MIDI Learn Menus

Concepts » Automation & MIDI Learn » MIDI Learn Menus

The Utility Menu provides MIDI Learn options that affect the entire plug-in. These include MIDI Learn Templates, Unlearn All, and the MIDI Learn & Automation Report (Show Current Assignments). The Utility Menu is opened from the Header, or by Right/Control-clicking any…