Nikolozi

Mela 6.7 adds many useful features to the Note Stack, Note Pulse, and Note Range modules. The Mono module has been generalised into the Note Stack module. It can now stack more than one note, making it useful not just for monophonic but also polyphonic synths. It also enables creative use in MIDI Processor chains. Note Pulse now offers three modes: Once, Hold, and Loop. Loop mode behaves as before. Once mode is great for resyncing LFOs, and Hold mode is useful for auto-starting the Euclid module’s sequencer. Note Range adds a new Clamp mode, notes outside the range are clamped to the nearest valid note.

Parameter interaction has been dramatically improved in this version. First, there’s the new Parameter Presets system. Offset parameters can be set to Triplet (~66.7 %) or Dotted (150 %), with a checkmark and label shown instead of a numeric value. Some parameters also include “Set to …” menu items for quickly entering common values. These behaviours have now been unified. For example, one of the Note Chance module’s presets is “1/3” instead of 33.3 %, and VA Filter’s Frequency includes a C3 preset that sets the cutoff to ~262 Hz.

Entering parameter values is now far more flexible. You can type in values using seconds, milliseconds, hertz, kilohertz, beats, or bars, and they’ll be converted automatically. For example, delay time can be entered in hertz or LFO frequency in milliseconds. You can also use fractional beat values like “4/1”, “2/5”, or “1/4T”, and even enter MIDI note names like “C4”, “D#-1”, or “Gb3” to set frequency-based parameters.

There’s a lot more in this update. For the full details, check out the Changelog.

Mela 6.7 Changelog

Parameter Presets The Offset parameters have a special behaviour where they can be set to Triplet (~66.7 %) or Dotted (150 %). When selected, a checkmark appears next to the corresponding menu item, and the parameter value field displays the label instead of the numeric percentage. Some parameters also provide “Set to …” menu items for quickly entering common preset values. These two concepts have now been merged into a unified system called Parameter Presets.

• Parameter presets appear above the “Enter Value” item in the parameter’s context menu.
• When selected, a checkmark appears next to the preset’s menu item.
• Some presets have custom names. For example, one of the Note Chance module’s Chance presets is “1/3”, instead of 33.3 %.
• You can type the preset name manually to set the parameter to it. For example, enter “1/3” for the Chance parameter.
• Depending on the parameter, a preset name may appear in the value field, such as Triplet or Dotted, but not all parameters display preset names.
• For example, the Chance parameter displays “1/3” instead of 33.3 %, while the VA Filter’s Frequency parameter displays “262 Hz” when the C3 preset is selected.

Entering Parameter Values

• Entering parameter values is now more flexible.
• You can enter values in seconds, milliseconds, hertz, kilohertz, beats, or bars, and they will be automatically converted to the parameter’s supported unit.
• For example, you can enter delay time in hertz or LFO frequency in milliseconds.
• Supported unit suffixes include: “s” for seconds, “ms” for milliseconds, “Hz” for hertz, “kHz” or “k” for kilohertz, “b” for beats, and “B” for bars. For example: “0.5s”, “100ms”, “440Hz”, “1k”, “0.5b”, “2.25B”.
• When no unit is provided, frequency defaults to hertz and time intervals default to milliseconds.
• You can also enter a MIDI note name, which will be converted to the corresponding frequency. Use “#” for sharp and “b” for flat. For example: “C4”, “D#-1”, “Gb3”.
• Time in beats and bars supports fractional input as well as dotted and triplet notation. For example: “4/1”, “2/5”, “1/4T”, “1/8d”, “1/3”.
• By default, the host tempo is used to convert beats and bars, but you can override it using the @ symbol. For example: “1/4t@135”, “1.5B@85”.
• A440 tuning is used by default for notes, but you can override this as well. For example: “G4@400”, “C#5@432”.

Note Stack Module

• The Mono module has been generalised into the Note Stack module.
• It can now stack more than 1 note, making it useful not just for monophonic but also polyphonic synths.
• It can also be used creatively in MIDI Processor chains.
• The Play parameter sets the number of notes allowed to be played simultaneously.
• When the stack is full and a new note arrives, one of the held notes is released based on the value of the Release parameter.
• Release has five values: Old, New, High, Low and Random.
• The Wait parameter enables released notes to be brought back when space becomes available in the stack.
• The Play and Wait stack views let you visualise both the held notes and the notes waiting to be brought back.

Note Pulse Module

• The module has a new Mode parameter with three values: Once, Hold, and Loop.
• In Loop mode, the module behaves as it previously did, generating pulses at regular intervals.
• In Once mode, the module generates a single pulse immediately after each host transport restart.
• This is particularly useful for resyncing LFOs.
• In Hold mode, the module generates a note-on event when the transport starts and a note-off event when it stops. No other events are generated in between.
• This is particularly useful for auto-starting the Euclid module’s sequencer.
• The interface was updated to incorporate the new parameter.

Modulator Improvements

• Simple LFO now retriggers on MIDI note-on events when not receiving a Poly signal.
• Previously, Simple LFO only retriggered when receiving Poly signals.
• Simple LFO behaves as if in Free mode when placed where it doesn’t receive note-on events.
• LFO, Random and Simple LFO now start from an arbitrary phase in Free mode.
• Improved legato detection in Glide and applicable modulator modules, for both Poly and non-Poly signals.

Other Changes

• Note Range Module: Added new Clamp mode. Notes outside the range are clamped to the nearest note within the range.
• Note Range Module: The interface is now more compact.
• MIDI-to-Poly Module: Added a new Release mode, Random, which releases a random voice for reallocation.
• MIDI-to-Poly Module: The interface is now more compact.
• Quantiser Module: The interface has been slightly tweaked.
• UI Tweak: Improved parameter title alignment.
• Factory Presets: Added new presets.

I release updates regularly, guided by user feedback and Mela’s long-term vision. Along with the User Guide, you might find the Tutorials, Changelog, and FAQ helpful. For bug reports or feature requests, visit Mela Feedback. Feel free to get in touch anytime.

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