Utilities Screen
Utilities screen allows you to adjust various sound effects, special features and appearances. (the screen for each item can be scrolled up and down)
To close the utilities screen, tap the "Done" button at the bottom left.
Tip: On this screen, the main screen responds as usual, so you can make adjustments while actually checking the degree of each effect.
This chapter includes the following sections:
- Attenuate
- Reverb
- Airy Sound
- Vibrato
- Overlap
- Expression
- Smart Chord
- Bending
- Slide
- Color Palette Dialog
- Adjust the Controller
Attenuate
The selector labeled "Attenuate" attenuates the instrument's sound by the selected amount (in decibels) without affecting the device's volume setting. This is especially useful when you want to play at a low volume, or match to the play-along playback volume; normally select "0".
Reverb
The slider labeled "Reverb" changes amount of the reverb effect to the sound.
You can bypass the reverb effect moving the slider to the left end.
Airy Sound
The slider labeled "Airy Sound" adjusts the amount of airy sound that is often found when playing wind instruments.
If you want no airy sound, move the slider to the left end.
Vibrato
Shaking the touch finely to the left and right on the Sound-Grid causes vibrato in the sound.
The slider labeled "Sensitivity" changes the sensitivity of this vibrato effect;
if you want no vibrato, move the slider to the left end.
Overlap
The Overlap is a dim zone between the adjacent squares on the same side of the upper or lower of the Sound-Grid.
Touching the overlap causes double notes: notes of the both squares sound together.
The width of the overlap can be changed with "Overlap" slider.
Tip: You can get a train horn sound with bending the minor 3rd intervals double notes (e.g. lower side 3rd and 4th square of Major tuning).
Multi Notes
The Sound-Grid supports up to two independent touches.
You can make various multi notes including smart chord (explained further on) by combining with the double notes feature;
it's even possible to sound the blow note and draw note simultaneously (not possible with a real harmonica).
Some examples are illustrated below.
Expression
You can express the dynamics of the sound by tilting the device.
How the loud volume changes according to the tilt of the device can be selected with the "Expression" selector described below.
"Off": No volume change occurs.
"Linear": The volume reduces linearly according to the tilt angle.
"Mute": The volume drops in areas where the tilt angle is large.
Tip: Selecting "Off" will stop the device-motion sensing and may help to reduce a power consumption.
Bending
Moving the touch to the left from the home area also moves the cursor to the left, and makes bending (pitch down of the sound) accordingly.
The three vertical lines of the Sound Ggauge are the bending scales, which indicate where the pitch is 1, 2, and 3 semitones down, respectively.
However, the maximum value that can actually be bent depends on each square of the Sound-Grid, just like a real harmonica;
that value is shown by the count of dots at edge of the square (1 semitone per dot; half a semitone if there are no dots).
Even if you make a full bend operation on the Sound Controller and the cursor goes to 3 semitone down, the sound of each square will only bend to the limit set there.
Free Bend
If it doesn't have to work like an actual harmonica in bending, every Sound-Grid square can have 3 semitone bendable range by activating the Free Bend feature.
Tapping the "Free Bend" toggles whether to activate the Free Bend feature.
Accur. Bend
Tapping the "Accur. Bend" toggles whether to activate the feature that supports accurate bending operations.
When the "Accur. Bend" is active:
- Gradually dark touch plate will appear.
- The Sound Gauge shows just one bending scale.
- If you touch there with 1 or 2 fingers, it will increase to 2 or 3 accordingly.
The bend limit in each square of the Sound-Grid is the smaller of the limit set in that square or the limit indicated by the scale.
This allows you to precisely control the bend range by the number of fingers touching the touch plate.
| Touch Plate | Semitone Scale | Bend Range |
|---|---|---|
| No touch |  | 1 semitone  |
| 1 finger touch |  | 2 semitones  |
| 2 fingers touch |  | 3 semitones  |
This is useful to bend accurately at the square having the wide bendable range.
For example, it's not easy to play 2 semitones bend accurately at a square having 3 semitones bendable range (such as the 3rd lower side square), but you can do this by full bend operation while 1 finger touch the plate.
Note: The touch plate is shared by both features, the "Slide" and the "Accur. Bend", so you cannot use both features at the same time.
Slide
Tapping the "Slide" toggles whether to activate the Slide feature which has the same function as the slide of a chromatic harmonica.
When the "Slide" is active:
- Slide mark appears near the right side of the Bending Gauge indicating that the Slide function is activated, and whether the Slide is pushed or not.
- Gradually dark touch plate will appear; touching here pushes down the Slide mark and raises the pitch by a semitone.
Tip: Combining this feature with a chromatic tuning such as Solo, you can play this instrument as a tiny chromatic harmonica.
Note: The touch plate is shared by both features the Slide and the "Accur. Bend", so you cannot use both features at the same time.
Smart Chord
Tapping the "Smart Chord" toggles whether to activate the smart chord feature.
You can select a preset color with the color selectors at the bottom, and the selected color will be displayed on the selected color ribbon.
When the "Smart Chord" is active, touching two squares of the Sound-Grid that sandwich one square sounds the notes of these three squares.
For example, if you touch the “C” and “G” on the upper side, a note of the "E" will be also sounded and it becomes "C" chord.
Note: If either or both of the two touches is on the overlap area, there will be no sound of the sandwiched square.
Color Palette Dialog
The color palette dialog where you can select and change the color of the Main screen will appear by tapping the "Color ..." on the left side of the bottom.
- The color palette is initially set to the color of the Main screen; the color ribbon on the top right side indicate that color.
- You can change the hue, brightness, and saturation with the color wheel below the color ribbon and the color grid on the left.
- By tapping the color selectors at the bottom, you can set the preset color of the selector to the color palette.
- Colors created on the color palette can be preset to the color selector 1 to 4. (At first, all selectors are preset to "Sea Green".)
To exit the dialog, tap the "OK" if you want to change the Main screen color to color of the color palette, otherwise tap the "Cancel".
Preset to the Selector
You can preset the color of the color palette to the color selector 1 to 4 by following the steps below.- Press and hold the number of the selector which you want to preset.
- A confirmation dialog will appear; tap the "OK" to execute, otherwise tap the "Cancel".
Adjust the Controller
You can adjust the location, size, and direction of the sound controller to make it easier to play.
Controller Position
By tapping "<" or ">" on the right side, you can move the position of the controller left or right.
The number shows the current position. (1: closest position, 10: farthest position)
Controller Size
You can choose from large, medium, or small using the size selector on the right.
Controller Direction
Normally, left/right touch movement is assigned to bending, but you can change it to up/down with the selector on the right depending on your preference.
