Synchronizing
Forma Labs // System Initialization
Latch mode lets you hold notes indefinitely without keeping keys pressed or using a sustain pedal. Play a chord, engage the latch, release your hands—the notes continue to sound until you play something new.
The latch system uses dedicated MIDI notes in the upper register:
These notes are above the typical playing range, so they won't interfere with your performance. Use a keyboard with enough keys, or trigger them via MIDI from your DAW.
Latch mode enables hands-free chord changes. Once notes are latched:
When you play a new note or chord, the latched notes automatically release and the new notes take over. There's no gap—the transition is seamless, perfect for sustained orchestral passages.
Press the latch clear note (C7 / MIDI 108) to release all latched notes without playing anything new. Useful for creating a clean break or ending a section.
Hold string pads or brass swells while freeing your hands to play a melody line on another controller or adjust parameters.
Latch a chord, then use your free hands to adjust the mixer, switch articulations, or control expression without dropping the harmony.
Combined with Fixed mode revoicing, latch allows you to hold complex chords that feed arpeggiators continuously while you work on other parts.
Latch mode works together with the keyswitch system. When you switch keyswitches using the primed switching method, latched notes are preserved until the new keyswitch takes over. This creates smooth transitions between different orchestration states without any note dropouts.