# Playing monotimbral synths multitimbrally



## applegrovebard (Jan 12, 2022)

If I wanted to for example play a pad sound with my left hand and a lead sound with my right using a monotimbral vst synth, can this be easily achieved in a daw?


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## gamma-ut (Jan 12, 2022)

It will depend on the DAW. In Ableton Live, you slap two instances of the plugin into an instrument rack and can set up the split within the rack by setting ranges for each chain. In Logic Pro I think you'd use a Track Stack, but you might have to set keyranges in the plugin instances.


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## doctoremmet (Jan 12, 2022)

There’s also PluginGuru’s Unify and tools like that.


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## applegrovebard (Jan 12, 2022)

Thanks for the suggestions- I'll look into them. I was watching Matt Johnson's (Jamiroquai) excellent keyboard lessons and synth demos (check out his one on Softube's Model 84). He often jams with a pad and lead (single keyboard split- often his Yamaha Montage- or 2 keyboards) and I realized I'd enjoy doing that. It's a fun way to demo and explore synth presets. I realize sample players like Kontakt, Halion, Sample Tank and, I imagine, the UVI player have the native facility for such keyboard splits, but I'm wondering do any non sample based synth vsts also have this feature?


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## grabauf (Jan 12, 2022)

Cherry Audio Quadra gives you independent key range assignment for all four instrument sections. 
And you're right about Matt Johnson!


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## doctoremmet (Jan 12, 2022)

Matt Johnson is a genius, and a lovely person too.


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## Marcus Millfield (Jan 12, 2022)

applegrovebard said:


> Thanks for the suggestions- I'll look into them. I was watching Matt Johnson's (Jamiroquai) excellent keyboard lessons and synth demos (check out his one on Softube's Model 84). He often jams with a pad and lead (single keyboard split- often his Yamaha Montage- or 2 keyboards) and I realized I'd enjoy doing that. It's a fun way to demo and explore synth presets. I realize sample players like Kontakt, Halion, Sample Tank and, I imagine, the UVI player have the native facility for such keyboard splits, but I'm wondering do any non sample based synth vsts also have this feature?


Does your keyboard have a split feature? Mine can make zones on the keyboard and split them into different MIDI channels. So for example, I could have the bottom keys output to MIDI channel 1 and upper keys to MIDI channel 2, fire up 2 instances of a VST and set them to the channels accordingly.


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## Bee_Abney (Jan 12, 2022)

Marcus Millfield said:


> Does your keyboard have a split feature? Mine can make zones on the keyboard and split them into different MIDI channels. So for example, I could have the bottom keys output to MIDI channel 1 and upper keys to MIDI channel 2, fire up 2 instances of a VST and set them to the channels accordingly.


That would be my approach, too. I don't think my DAW can do a keyboard split on its own (although I do have Unify).

Given my small workspace I use a small keyboard plus a controller with sixteen drum pads. So it is easy for me to set the keyboard to lead and the controller to pads, bass or percussion.

I hope to get a larger workspace and a larger keyboard sometime this year, though!

However, for anyone who enjoys jamming, performing, testing sounds or composing with multiple instruments/sounds I think that Unify is probably a very worthwhile investment.

Once I learn how to use it better, I expect to be using it pretty much all of the time.


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