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Installation Instructions

breathtaker1 comes in three formats: AU plugin, VST3 plugin, and standalone app. Choose the method that works best for your setup.

Plugin Installation (AU & VST3)

For AU and VST3 versions, installation is simple:

1. Download and run the breathtaker1 installer
2. The plugins will be automatically installed to your system's plugin directories
3. Launch your DAW and the plugins will appear in your plugin list
4. No additional configuration needed - just load the plugin onto a MIDI track

Note: The AU plugin works in Logic Pro and most DAWs that support AU MIDI effects. GarageBand users must use the standalone app version.

Standalone App Setup

The standalone app requires additional MIDI configuration:

Enable IAC Driver in Audio MIDI Setup

1. In spotlight, search Audio MIDI Setup
2. Once it's open, in the top bar of your computer, select Window>Show MIDI Studio
3. In MIDI Studio, select double click IAC driver, and then make sure the "Device is online" box is ticked.
4. If there are no active ports, add "Bus 1" as a port, and make sure the connectors for it are MIDI in "1" and MIDI out "1".
5. If you have any other virtual midi devices other than the IAC driver, it's possible you may have to disable it. The bt1 may try to use that as an input instead. Not sure yet. It will, however, prioritize the IAC driver over other non-virtual midi devices, so you'll probably be good.

Launch and configure your DAW of choice

1. At this point, breathtaker1 will be automatically ready to send MIDI through the IAC driver.
2. In Ableton, a MIDI track will automatically accept the IAC driver through default "All channels" input setting, but you can be more specific if you'd like and select "IAC Driver".
3. Make sure a MIDI instrument track with a loaded instrument has been added, and hit the red record-enable button.

Launch breathtaker1 Standalone

Launch the program, and boom! As soon as you hit some key combos, you should hear sound triggered from your synth.

Keyboard focus

bt1 can only hijack your keyboard (otherwise known as getting your keyboard focus) if it is in the foreground of your computer. If you click out of it into your DAW, you'll have to click back into the bt1 to get it to work again.

Logic Pro Setup (AU)

breathtaker1 appears as an AU MIDI effect plugin in Logic Pro.

Setup Instructions

1. Create a new Software Instrument track
2. On the channel strip, click the MIDI Effects slot
3. Navigate to Audio Units > Breathtaker > breathtaker1
4. A green label with "breathtaker1" will appear in the channel strip
5. Add your desired software instrument to the Instrument slot

Signal Flow

MIDI Input → breathtaker1 (MIDI FX) → Software Instrument → Audio Effects → Output

Ableton Live Setup (VST3)

Setup Instructions

1. Create a new MIDI track
2. Search for breathtaker1 in the browser and add it
3. Create a second MIDI track with your desired software instrument
4. On the instrument track, set the MIDI From input to the track containing breathtaker1
5. Set the instrument track's monitor to "In"
6. Record-enable both tracks for proper functionality

Signal Flow

MIDI Track 1: Keyboard Input → breathtaker1 → MIDI Output
MIDI Track 2: MIDI Input (from Track 1) → Software Instrument → Audio Output

Track Configuration

• Track 1 (breathtaker1): MIDI track with breathtaker1 plugin, record-enabled
• Track 2 (Instrument): MIDI track with synth, MIDI From set to Track 1, Monitor "In", record-enabled

Important Notes

• Both tracks must be record-enabled for the MIDI routing to work properly
• The instrument track's monitor must be set to "In" to hear the output
• MIDI effects in Ableton can only be placed in MIDI tracks, before any instruments

GarageBand Setup

GarageBand users need to use the standalone app version of breathtaker1.

Why Standalone Only?

GarageBand doesn't support third-party AU MIDI effect plugins like breathtaker1. It only accepts audio effect plugins and instruments.

Setup Instructions

1. Follow the Standalone App Setup instructions to configure the IAC Driver
2. Launch breathtaker1 standalone app
3. In GarageBand, create a new Software Instrument track
4. Click the track's info button (i) and set the input to IAC Driver
5. Record-enable the track
6. Keep breathtaker1 app in the foreground to maintain keyboard focus

Important Notes

• The breathtaker1 app must remain in the foreground to capture keyboard input
• You'll need to switch between the breathtaker1 app and GarageBand as needed
• Consider using Spaces or Mission Control to quickly switch between apps

Playing breathtaker1

Display

The display will show several controls:

• 'on' - enables/disables MIDI output
• 'hold' - enables hold mode - notes will be held even when fingerings are released, either until the mode is toggled off, or until another note is played, which will then be held. Right key arrow can toggle hold mode on, and left key arrow can turn it off.
• 'bass' - enables bass row mode - notes on the bottom row of the keyboard will be transposed an octave down when active, can be toggled on with down arrow key, and off with up arrow key.
• 'KEY' - You can adjust the key you play in from the dropdown menu. Default is concert C
• 'LATENCY' - Adjusts the amount of latency before a note is registered. This buffer period is necessary to accurately assess your key presses and determine what note is being played. Higher latency allows for less precise playing, but gives less immediate feedback. Lower latency will give you more immediate feedback, but requires more precision from the user. 30ms is the default and should be sufficient to let a saxophonist transition seamlessly into playing the bt1. 20ms is what I try to play at. I'd recommend 50ms for non-sax players to start with.
• 'VELOCITY'- manually adjust the velocity
• 'EXPRESSION'- you can pair the bt1 with an expression pedal, or use the slider to manually adjust expression.
• 'I/O'- in the bottom right corner (standalone app only), used to adjust MIDI input/output settings. Remember that the output is the most important, and should be set to IAC Driver. If you're feeling bold, you can select another MIDI device and output to an external instrument. Input is only important if you plan on connecting an expression pedal.

Special Keys

• 1, 2, 3 - global octave toggle - the system defaults to '2' as the octave setting
• 8 - transpose to Eb Alto Sax
• 9 - transpose to Bb Tenor Sax
• 0 - transpose to C Concert (default)
• "Up" arrow - toggle bass row off (default)
• "Down" arrow - toggle bass row on
• "Left" arrow- toggle note hold mode off (default)
• "Right" arrow- toggle note hold mode on
• v, g, y - temporary octave down keys - temporarily transposes note down an octave while it's being held
• b, h, u - temporary octave up keys - temporarily transposes note up an octave while it's being held
• q - temporary note hold button - once pressed, it sustains the note currently being played, and user can release their note fingering. It will disable either by pressing q again, or by playing another note.

Hand Setup

Players should set up with their fingers resting on the middle, or second row of letters of the keyboard, with the left index finger on "f" and the right index finger on "j". There are three rows of letters on the keyboard that all represent different octaves:

• The middle row you'll start is the second row.
• To move your fingers up an octave, you will shift up and to the right, so that your left index finger lands on "t", and your right index finger lands on "i". This is the third row.
• To move your fingers down an octave, you will shift down and to the left, so that your left index finger lands on "c", and your right index finger lands on "n". This is the first row.
• Each row has a temporary octave up and down key.

There are no palm key fingerings on the bt1, and the only two pinky keys are for G# and D#. You will use the other fingerings for low Bb, B, C, and C# in the octave of your choosing.

Legato Playing

Like the saxophone, you can add or subtract fingers to an existing fingering to trigger a new note. You can play G to A by peeling up your left hand ring finger, and then put it back down to play A to G. For our purposes, we'll call this legato playing. The bt1 has some special ways of employing legato playing, and I'll demonstrate with some examples. Let's start from the bottom:

You play a G major scale, but starting from second-row D. You can play D E and F# without the optional left-hand fingerings, but you may add them at any point in preparation for the remainder of the scale. When you do add them, they won't trigger until you lift up your right-hand fingerings.

You've played up to C in your G major scale and you're ready to transition to third-row D. You can leave your second-row C fingering down while you transition to the third-row D fingering. Third-row D will be triggered as soon as it's pressed, and it will override the second-row C fingering that you're still holding. This makes it so that you don't have to worry about coordinating the release of an old note with the key-presses of a new note. You can play D, E, and F# in the third row and still have your second-row C fingering down. You can maintain hold or release the second-row C fingering whenever you want without interfering with the legato playing of D up to E and F#.

This works the opposite way as well.

You're coming down the scale from third-row D down to second-row C. You can press your fingering for second-row C while your right hand is still holding third-row D. Second-row C will sound and override your third-row D fingering. You can then keep your third-row D fingering pressed and it won't interfere with legato playing between C, B, A, and G. You're free to release that D fingering whenever you want without it interfering with your left hand notes.

This system optimizes scalar-style playing for notes that are next to each other, but it also allows for large-interval transitions.

Pivoting

You can use held notes to serve as a pivot point that allows you to go up and down to other notes while smoothly transitioning back to your pivot point. Note that this only works for manually held notes, not notes triggered in hold mode.

Let's go over some examples:

You play first-row G and hold it down so that it becomes a pivot point. You then add second-row D. When you're ready, you can then let go of your second row D fingering and the note will snap back to G, because you're still holding it down on the first row. You could then hold G on the first row, and play a D on the third row, and now you're getting some nice leaps. You hold G down and it becomes a pivot point for you to then play any right-hand note you want.

Let's take this further!

You can actually use ANY left-hand fingering as a pivot point: G, G#, A, B, and C can all be held and used as a pivot point as you play whatever right-hand notes you want. This even works for same-row notes.

You play and hold second-row B to use as a pivot point, then play second-row D. Second-row D will play normally, and as soon as you release it, it will pivot straight back to second-row B. Now we're starting to venture a bit out of saxophone territory.

The only exception to this is A#, since its fingering uses both hands. You cannot pivot from A to F on the same row, it will only trigger A#.

Let's take this JUST ONE STEP further!!

You can pivot from right to left, too! Use any right hand note as a pivot point to pivot to any left hand notes in a different row. You cannot pivot from right to left to left hand notes that are on the same row as your right hand note. This stays true to the saxophone logic, as it would interfere with the optional fingerings.

You play and hold a third-row F to use as a pivot point. You can then play any left-hand note in the second or first row. Once you release that note, you will pivot back to third-row F. Now we're really outside saxophone territory!

The pivot function makes it soooo easy to play arpeggiated lines that are otherwise difficult to play on the saxophone.

Keyboard Limitations

Most computer keyboards weren't designed for registering multiple simultaneous key presses since they're not needed for typing. Because of this, certain combinations of key presses will not work on certain keyboards. This is called key ghosting. On Macbook pro keyboards, I have found that the intuitive key combo of "iop[" doesn't work, so instead you will likely have to use the fingering, "iop]"

To use the original fingering, you'll need a special keyboard that has anti-ghosting capabilities, meaning, certain key combinations aren't blocked from being registered.

There is also a 6 key limit on most keyboards, so if you play more than 6 keys at a time, you'll have issues. However, in practice, you'll rarely need all 7 keys at once if you don't use the optional left hand fingerings. This is also solved by the special keyboard, these keyboards are generally marketed as "No Key Rollover Keyboards (NKRO)" and NKRO keyboards are usually anti-ghosting as well.

Additionally, the left shift button will not work to play the most intuitive fingering for low G# "shiftzxc", you will have to use the fingering "zxc." (that period is part of the key combo) UNLESS- You download Karabiner-Elements, a software that remaps the keys of your keyboard to another key. You can get Karabiner-Elements and remap the left shift key to be the number "4", and it will start to work. Shift doesn't work in combination with the other keys because it is a modifier key. This is super easy to set up and once installed, everything works exactly as intended.

Here is a link to download Karabiner-Elements: https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org

Fingerings

The note names and octave numbers reflect the notes of the default settings upon launch, before transposition.