The Metasurface

With the Metasurface you can change multiple contraption parameters at once just by moving the mouse. You can store snapshots of settings for an entire document and selectively recall parameter values from these snapshots. This is similar to contraption presets except that it can be applied to some or all parameters in the entire document, not just those of a single contraption. The snapshots can be placed in the Metasurface window and you can move between them by clicking and dragging the mouse around the surface.

To display the Metasurface select the Metasurface item from the View menu, click the Metasurface button on the Views toolbar, or use the keyboard shortcut (F10 on Windows, Command-0 on Macintosh).

Open the Metasurface1.amh example file for an example of how the Metasurface can be used to move smoothly between different parameter settings. To open this file, click on Open in the Files Menu, and select the Examples folder. Select this example file from the list.

The Metasurface window has three panes: The Interpolation Surface (1), The Snapshot List (2) and the Parameter Selection Tree (3). Each is described below.

Pane number 1, The Interpolation Surface, allows you to place snapshots in arbitrary positions and move smoothly between them by dragging the mouse. The surface has two modes: the snapshot placement mode and the interpolation mode. You can switch between modes using the Interpolate button at the top of the Metasurface window, or by right-clicking and selecting Interpolate from the popup context menu. In snapshot placement mode you can move snapshots around the surface. To do this, place the mouse over the small circle icon on the snapshot you want to move. Once the circle lights up you can click on the snapshot and drag it around the window. In interpolation mode, clicking and dragging on the surface interpolates between the nearest snapshots. Ctrl-clicking on the interpolation surface (Command-click on Macintosh) creates a new snapshot (based on the settings at that point of the surface) and simultaneously places it on the surface.

You can view the interpolation surface in full screen mode by clicking on the View Full Screen button at the top of the Metasurface window, or by right-clicking and selecting View full screen from the popup context menu. Exit full screen mode using the right-click menu or by pressing the escape key.

Pane number 2,The Snapshot List, shows the list of snapshots. You can create a new snapshot by clicking the New Snapshot button above this list. To name the snapshot, single-click on it and then name it by typing. Alternatively, you can create a name for a snapshot before creating the snapshot itself. To do this, type in the text edit box to the left of the New Snapshot icon. Then click on the New Snapshot icon and a new snapshot will appear with the name you just typed. Another way of getting the new snapshot to appear in the list is to hit Ctrl+Enter after you've typed the name. You can recall a snapshot by double-clicking on the snapshot's name in the list. Right-clicking on a snapshot displays a popup context menu that allows you to recall a snapshot, store a new set of values in it, delete the snapshot, or change the color that is used to display the snapshot on the surface. You can reorder the snapshots in the list by dragging them with the mouse. To place a snapshot on the Interpolation Surface drag it onto the surface from the list. You can place each snapshot on the surface multiple times. To remove a snapshot from the surface simply drag it off the surface while in interpolation mode.

Pane number 3,The Parameter Selection Tree, allows you to select which parameters will be recalled by the Metasurface. All available parameters are listed under each contraption and all are selected by default. You can click on each parameter to select or deselect it. For example, you can deselect parameters that you control by other means such as Automation or MIDI control. Only the parameters that have been selected will be recalled when using the Metasurface. You can right-click on each contraption icon and choose Enable All Parameters or Disable All Parameters to select or deselect all of the contraption's parameters at once.

The Metasurface is limited to controlling only numeric parameters; for example it can't be used to switch sound files or patterns.

Midi and Automation Control of the Metasurface

It is possible to control the Metasurface interpolation location using automation or MIDI control in a similar way to controlling contraption parameters. To do this, select Parameter Control in the View menu or press F3. Open the Metasurface item in the Parameters tree and select Interpolate_X or Interpolate_Y. These parameters correspond to the horizontal and vertical position of the interpolation cross hairs on the Interpolation Surface. You can enable Automation for these parameters by checking the Automate check box on the right. Similarly, you can select MIDI control sources as for contraption parameters. You can access these functions quickly by right-clicking the Interpolation Surface and choosing from Parameter Control, Quick-Map MIDI Control... or Automate from the X Axis or Y Axis context menu items.

Please refer to the Automation Overview and Controlling AudioMulch Parameters from MIDI pages of this Help file for further information about Automation and MIDI Parameter Control.