As mentioned in the previous chapter, Giada is built around the concept of channels. A channel can contain a sample (a sample channel) or MIDI events (a MIDI channel), and you control it through actions and play modes.
An action can be something like pressing a key, toggling the mute button, and so on. Almost all actions can be recorded during the action recording process or created manually in the action editor.
Play modes are essentially two: loop and one shot. They define the behavior of sample channels. Play modes, behaviors, and statuses for each type of channel are covered in more detail in the Channels and samples and Channels and MIDI chapters.
Giada can be used in several different ways, as described below.
Giada as a sample player — channels start playing immediately when their corresponding key is pressed. No further actions are performed. This mode is designed to work alongside another audio stream, such as a DJ set;
Giada as a loop machine — each channel contains one element of the song: channel 1 stores drums, channel 2 stores pads, channel 3 stores leads, and so on. While the sequencer is running, you can launch and stop these channels as needed. You can also layer effects and other sounds by playing the remaining channels just as you would in the previous mode. The quantizer helps align samples to the grid, and if you enable the Action recorder, you can automate much of the performance;
Giada as a song editor — load your samples or choose some virtual instruments (synths, drum machines, and so on), then open the Action editor, where you can draw actions manually, much like in any other DAW or pattern editor. You can then play those channels in any of the ways described above;
Giada as a live sampler — instead of loading samples from disk, record them from the outside world. These recordings become regular samples that you can use in any of the ways discussed above;
Giada as an FX processor — load as many plug-ins as you like into any channel and send audio signals or MIDI messages there. Giada will process the effects in real time and output the result directly through your speakers;
Giada as a MIDI master controller — fill Giada with actions, enable the MIDI output stream, and use it to control any other instrument, hardware or software, capable of receiving MIDI messages.
Of course, all of these modes can be combined to suit your own style and workflow.