Manual Version 1.

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 Table of Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................................. 3
System Requirements and Product Support ..................................................................... 3
Installation ............................................................................................................................. 3
Troubleshooting................................................................................................................. 4

Operation .................................................................................................................................... 6
Instrument Plugin .................................................................................................................. 6
Assigning MIDI Controllers .................................................................................................. 6
Controls ................................................................................................................................. 7
Info Display and Setup Button .......................................................................................... 7
Model ................................................................................................................................. 8
Dynamic Response ........................................................................................................... 8
Tuning Scale ...................................................................................................................... 8
Room ................................................................................................................................. 9
Mix ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Level .................................................................................................................................. 9

Trademarks and Licenses ....................................................................................................... 10

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Introduction
Mini Grand is a simple virtual piano instrument with seven different acoustic piano sounds to
suit a broad range of musical styles and production needs. Six selectable models of room
ambience can be used to place Mini Grand’s sound into an optimum spatial environment.
Originally part of the AIR Creative Collection, Mini Grand is now available as a VST/AU plugin.

System Requirements and Product Support

For complete system requirements, compatibility information, and product registration, visit
the AIR website: airmusictech.com.
For additional support, visit airmusictech.com/support.

Installation
® ® ®
1. Double-click the .exe (Windows ) or .pkg (Mac OS X ) installer file you downloaded.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions. If the authorization dialog box did not automatically
appear when opening Mini Grand in your digital audio workstation (DAW), please see the
following Troubleshooting section.
Note: Use the iLok License Manager to authorize your installation of Mini Grand.

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Troubleshooting

In some cases, the authorization dialog box may not automatically appear when you open Mini
Grand in your digital audio workstation (DAW). This can especially happen if you cancel the
authorization procedure before completing it, causing your DAW not to recognize Mini Grand.
Please try the following solutions for your DAW and operating system.

To authorize Mini Grand without opening your DAW:

Mac OS X users: Go to /Applications/AIR Music Technology/Mini Grand/ on your computer,

and open Mini Grand Authorizer.app to start the activation process.

To make your DAW rescan Mini Grand the next time you open it (which will also open the
authorization dialog box), follow the instructions below for your DAW:

Ableton Live™
1. Open Live.
2. Windows users: Click the Options menu, select Preferences, and click the File/Folder tab.
Mac OS X users: Click the Live menu, select Preferences, and click the File/Folder tab.
3. Under Plug-In Sources, click Browse next to VST Plugin Custom Folder, and make sure
Mini Grand.vst or Mini Grand.dll is in that folder.
4. Set Use VST Plug-Ins Custom Folder to Off, and then set it to On again. (This forces Live
to rescan all plug-ins, including those disabled in a previous scan, which is different from
just clicking Rescan Plug-Ins.)
5. Close the Preferences window.

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 ® ®
Apple Logic Pro X
1. Close Logic Pro X.
2. Go to ~/Library/Caches/AudioUnitCache/ and delete the file named
com.apple.audiounits.cache.
3. Open Logic Pro X.

Steinberg™ Cubase™ or Nuendo™

1. Close Cubase or Nuendo.
2. Windows 7 or Windows 8 users: Go to \Users\[your user name]\AppDataRoaming\
Steinberg\[Nuendo or Cubase] and delete the file named Vst2xBlacklist.xml.
Mac OS X users: Go to ~/Library/Preferences/[Nuendo or Cubase] and delete the file
named Vst2xBlacklist.xml.
3. Open Cubase or Nuendo.

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Operation
Instrument Plugin

Mini Grand is a virtual instrument, playable by MIDI notes and messages it receives.
Please see the documentation for your digital audio workstation (DAW) to learn how to insert
Mini Grand into your project for either purpose.

Assigning MIDI Controllers

In addition to pre-assigned MIDI controllers (such as sustain pedal and volume), you can
assign MIDI controllers to parameters within Mini Grand for automation or real-time control
from a MIDI keyboard or control surface.
Please see the documentation for your digital audio workstation (DAW) to learn how to do this.

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Controls

Mini Grand’s control layout has just one page for all of its controls. The only other window is the
Setup page (described below). The main panel contains controls for choosing the desired piano
model, type and amount of room simulation, dynamic response, and overall output level. You
can use the on-screen keyboard to audition the sound, if you are not using a MIDI controller.

Info Display and Setup Button

Mini Grand’s display shows the setting of the currently
selected control.
Next to the display is the Setup button. Click it to open the Setup page, which contains
controls for Mini Grand’s Eco Mode, which reduces CPU load by deactivating string
resonances, and the polyphony selector, which sets Mini Grand’s maximum number of voices.

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Model
This knob selects one of seven different piano models that range from
dark and mellow (Atmo) to bright and aggressive (Dance).
• Atmo: Quiet and dark with accentuated low-mids and muted highs.
• Soft: Mellow and rounded with accentuated lows and low-mids,
mellow highs.
• Ballad: Dynamic, but understated, warm lows.
• Real: Natural and dynamic, very little processing.
• Bright: Controlled and percussive, lowered bass and low-mids.
• Hard: Loud, pointed, with accentuated highs, lowered bass and low-mids.
• Dance: Loud, aggressive, and gritty sound with strong a upper-mid and treble presence
and scooped lows.

Dynamic Response
This knob sets the response of the piano sound to incoming MIDI velocity
data. Higher settings make Mini Grand more sensitive to MIDI notes’ velocity.
Lower settings are better if you’re using a MIDI keyboard that tends to output
high velocities without much effort—it can help compensate for the constantly
high velocities, creating a more natural feel.

Tuning Scale
These buttons let you switch between Equal tuning, where the piano’s
relative pitch is normal, and Stretched, where the piano’s higher notes are
tuned slightly higher, so they are more in tune with the overtones of the lower
note.

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Room
This knob selects one of six room ambiences. The resulting effects
range from natural reverbs to special effects.
• Soft: Mellow, sweet reverb.
• Bright: Heavier early reflections, accentuated highs.
• Studio: Controlled, tight ambience.
• Chamber: Longer reverb time with more diffused reflections.
• Hall: Longest reverb time, biggest-sounding room.
• Ambient: Few reflections, very spatial.

Mix
This knob blends the desired amount of room ambience (set by the Room
knob) into the piano tone. At 0%, the mix is entirely “dry” without any room
ambience applied. At 100%, the mix is entirely “wet”—you’ll hear the ambient
sound only.

Level
This knob sets Mini Grand’s overall output volume.

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Trademarks and Licenses
AIR Music Technology is a trademark of inMusic Brands, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other
countries.
Ableton is a trademark of Ableton AG.
Cubase, VST, and Nuendo are trademarks of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
iLok is a trademark of PACE Anti-Piracy, Inc.
Logic, Mac, and OS X are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other
countries.
All other product or company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.

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airmusictech.com