NRPN and RPN are really for live tweaking! A lot of VST plugins als use them for controlling (Arturia adopts CC and NRPN on all plugins) and that is really handy.
I do think that quite some parameters could benefit from 14bit resolution. Most prominent the VCF of course.
It is a bit curious that Moog decided to use the other way to get the 14 bits resolution.
Yes, that's exactly why some parameters would benefit from 14 bit resolution via MIDI CC... For live tweaking, and/or EXTERNAL modulation... Someone might want to use more than the onboard 4 LFO's, for example, to modulate parameters... I don't think the point is what resolution the program values are stored with, 7 bit is fine for that, it could just store the greater/main value, whichever it is. But for external modulation, 7 bit is not that great, if there indeed is no internal interpolation. That really IS a greatly limiting use-factor for the REV2, imho.
If that was the way it was done, then what would you store in the program data, if the 14bit resolution value landed somewhere in between the equivalent of two adjacent 7bit values? ... if the 14bit value is actually right in between say; 64 and 65, then the sound you hear will be between the two values, but when you recall it again it will not... it would have been quantized.... this means that what you HEAR before you save the program will in many cases not be the same you hear when you later recall that program... it's not really a wise idear unless the stored values reflect the exact same value in NRPN.
You could instead create a 14bit control mode that users who want 14bit NRPN resolution could choose to use, but it should certainly be possible to switch this off... two 7bit values right next to each other can sound very different... anyone who want 14bit resoultion should know this, since this is the main reason why they wanted 14bit values in the first place
Yes, that's true, but it wouldn't be any more limiting compared to using 7 bits, as we get a value of 64 or 65 anyway in that case, so yes the value/sound would be quantized, but as is it is so anyway in that regard, so there would be nothing to lose. But I get your point. Anyway I came to think of the modulation matrix, and the pre-routed external CC slots, 1 2 4 (optionally 11 in the matrix) and aftertouch, there has to be interpolation depending on the mod amount values there anyway?
Anyhow, there's the "Brightness: Added to filter cutoff frequency", don't know the CC straight up, but at least that one could be 14 bit perhaps, bi-polar? Probably the most valued parameter for external modulation for most folks, that's the ONE. I'm happy that pitch bend is 14 bit, 'cause pitch stepping is really horrible, but with high resonance filter stepping is pretty painful aswell. Personally I don't mind every programmable parameter being 7 bit, but a few live tweak-parameters are different to me.
As with the modulation wheel, what if I record notes and mod-wheel motions into a daw or midi sequencer, for a little editing, and then play it back, it won't sound the same, as it's then 7 bits... instead of whatever resolution the REV2 used internally when I recorded it... Not optimal.
I asked DSI directly if there are any internal interpolation going on with incoming MIDI CCs, and the answer was no... so unfortunately, you're limited by the nature of the MIDI specification as soon as you use MIDI out/in of the REV2 when you use the ModWheel, Foot Pedal, Breath Control, Expression etc... The 14bit NRPN values are set to reflect the exact same values as in the internally stored parameter data... you have to realize that the NRPNs were intended to edit the parameters, not modulate them.
But I can certainly understand why some users would want to be able to modulate parameters via 14bits for some parameters... that is why i in my last post proposed some extra NRPNs that could remotely control any important parameters with 14bit precision... not all parameters would benefit from this, but stuff like Cutoff, Resonance, Frequency, ShapeMod, LFO Rates/Amounts and even ModMatrix Amounts would be beneficial for users wanting to automate stuff from their DAW.
Funnily enough, if you are turning the knobs on the front panel, they are allready sending out the value as an NRPN, so actually 14bit is allready supported both ways in that case... the REV2 just does not take advantage of this, because the values represent the stored data...
The physical controls like ModWheel is standard MIDI CC01... but the MIDI specification state that the first 32 CCs can have 14bits as well, if you just use a Most Significant Byte that is located at the same CC numer plus 32 (CC01 and CC33 in the ModWheels case)... but that feature of MIDI is very rarely used in any synth... only the MOOGs take advantage of this... Maybe this is what DSI ought to think about... making an option in the global parameters that would allow for these CC's to be used both in 7bit and 14bit mode... these CCs are not used in any way for editing stored program data, they are meant for direct modulation of parameters... to add this is possible without any changes to the NRPN stuff or the stored data, or making any editors obsolete... it's just a matter of making a switch in the global parameters for enabling 14bit CCs which would be applicable for ModWheel, Foot Pedal, Breath Control, and Expression... as far as I recall, the REV2 do not have support for any other CCs that reflect physical controlls that one would want to automate, and as long as these is 14bit, they could be routed to any parameter via the ModMatrix for full 14bit resolution in that case.
The reason most manufacturers do not use the 14bit resolution is probably that so few use it... many use only CC01 for ModWheel, and have other things controlled with CC33... so if the REV2 was sending out both CC01 and CC03 for a 14bit resolution, then other synths connected to the REV2 would act weird because of the added CC33 coming in... it would make the connection of other synths (modules) connected to the REV2 behave badly... this is probably also why it's an option in the MOOG synths. I'm not sure, but I think that REV2 already has other uses for some of the CCs in that range too (from CC33 to CC63).
One thing more to consider is that the REV2 does not have a physical control for Expression or Breath Controller, so these would only be sent out from the REV2, if the Pedal/ModWheel/PitchWheel/Aftertouch could be configured to send out these CCs instead... currently that is not possible, as they are hardwired to their respective CCs... so if Breath Control and Expression is going to be recieved at the REV2 in 14bit, then whatever is connected to the REV2 must also be able to send out 14bit CCs... I don't think any DAW is capable of this, and I do not believe that any hardware Breath Controller sends CCs 02 and 34 as well, so making 14bit resolusin available for these two CCs would not yield anything really... Aftertouch do not support 14bits, as it is not a CC...
Maybe you should post a request for something like this in the Feature Request topic... I'm seeing this resolution topic come up from time to time, and the more people who request it, the bigger the chance DSI will do something about it in the future... if not for the REV2, then at least for future instruments.
Luckily for me, I'm not using my DAW for MIDI anyway, so I do not need this... I record my tracks via audio instead, using MIDI only for editing the programs... therefore I have Local set to ON on my REV2 meaning that any tweaking of the ModWheel or my Foot Pedal will be at full internal resolution, and any routing of these two controls in the ModMatrix will thus also be at full internal resolution at the destination parameter to be modulated (whatever it's internal resolution is of course).