vaix Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 I'd like to control some vst synths with my midi keyboard (M-audio keystation 88 pro) but don't know how to switch instruments while playing... Is it even possible? I mean for example I need to play two different vst synths in one song. Firstly one synth and afterwards the other. Can I switch them via midi controller in cubase or not??? thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 you can put them on 2 diff. midi channels and change channels from your board. or send a program change on the same channel, or manually switch to the 2nd softsynth thru the program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanS Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 I just usually select a different track & midi channel within Cubase (with my mouse of course) when recording a new part. What we record in life, echoes in eternity. Montage M7, MOXF8, Electro 6D, XK1c, Motif XS Rack, PolyEvolver, Voyager, Cobalt 8X, Univox MiniKorg. https://www.abandoned-film.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 yep, say you have pro-53 on channel 1 and MMV (or whatever) on channel 2. when you click on the track you want to use, cubase automatically re-channelizes what your keyboard sends, you never have to take it off channel 1. just try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaix Posted August 13, 2004 Author Share Posted August 13, 2004 Originally posted by mildbill: you can put them on 2 diff. midi channels and change channels from your board. or send a program change on the same channel, or manually switch to the 2nd softsynth thru the program.This is probably a silly question, but how is it done. The first two options are good, because I need to do it as fast and as comfortable as possible, because I play live... THX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 do you have a legitimate copy with a manual? have you read it? my first post was off the top of my head and when i read dan's, that's correct. you don't say what version you're using, but i have 5/32 and SX1 - they're basically the same for vsti's. select a midi channel. click on 'devices' at the top, a menu will appear. click on 'vst instruments', a pop-up will appear. click on the instrument you want. on the left side 'inspector', select the instrument as the output for that track. if you want to do another instrument, select another track/midi channel and do the same. when you click on the first track the first instrument will play and when you click on the second track, the next will play - no need to change channels on your controller, but you'll have to be able to reach your mouse/touchpad. of course, you have to have some instruments/.dll's in your vst 'plug-in' folder to do this, but sx comes with a few instruments like a1 and vb1 to get you started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaix Posted August 15, 2004 Author Share Posted August 15, 2004 Originally posted by mildbill: select a midi channel. click on 'devices' at the top, a menu will appear. click on 'vst instruments', a pop-up will appear. click on the instrument you want. on the left side 'inspector', select the instrument as the output for that track. if you want to do another instrument, select another track/midi channel and do the same. when you click on the first track the first instrument will play and when you click on the second track, the next will play - no need to change channels on your controller, but you'll have to be able to reach your mouse/touchpad. I know this. The question was, can I do it with the midi controller not with the mouse? I'm using SX1.0 and I do have a legitimate copy of the manual. I'm not the beginner in the cubase area... But I haven't figured it out how to do what I asked. Maybe I shoud dig into the manual once more. Just thought someone could know it and tell me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 you can put them on 2 diff. midi channels and change channels from your board. or send a program change on the same channel, or manually switch to the 2nd softsynth thru the program. to change midi channels on your controller, go into the 'midi' area and switch from '1' to '2', etc. you never stated what type of midi controller you're using - if it's progammable, you should be able to send a program change. not trying to be a smart-ass, just can't think of a better way to say it. maybe someone else can give it a try? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 you can put them on 2 diff. midi channels and change channels from your board. or send a program change on the same channel, or manually switch to the 2nd softsynth thru the program. I'm not a Cubase user but may be moving to it in the future so I am curious about this issue. I currently use Logic 5.5 on PC and Logic only allows for one audio/instrument track to be active at a time. So merely switching midi channels at the controller does not solve this problem. You still have to click on the track that has the second or third softsynth instrument you want to control. I assume that Cubase does not have this limitation based on what mildbill is suggesting. If it does, then you would need to send a controller message that allows for remotely selecting which track is active. I dont believe Logic allows for this either. It does allow for selecting a single audio/instrument track and unlimited number of midi tracks however. I wonder if this has been enhanced (corrected?) in Logic 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 one more try and then i'm done, ok guys? open cubase. click on 'devices' along the top. click on 'device setup' at the bottom of the menu that pops up. click on 'vst multitrack'. click on 'add/remove'. you will see several controlers listed. if yours isn't listed click on 'generic remote'. you should be able to configure from here to control most important aspects of cubase from your controller, with a little trial and error and manual browsing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 one more try and then i'm done, ok guys? Err...OK - sorry to bother you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaix Posted August 16, 2004 Author Share Posted August 16, 2004 ok, thanks mildbill. finally understood what you said... but I can't get it to work. Here's the situation.. I send a channel change, but nothing happens. Controller still controls the track that is selected. Doesn't care much about channel change should it play the track with the appropriate channel? is my controller badly configured? thx again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Err...OK - sorry to bother you. hey markyboard: if i was 'that' much of an expert, i'd be on steinberg's support team, or collecting individual consultation fees - i'm just trying to share my very limited knowledge. vaix: the short answer is: 'i don't know'. i don't know what version of cubase you use, what controller you are using, and what softsynths you're trying to control. (Shit! - just re-read the post - controller is m-audio keystation 88: i don't know anything about it). i play some softsynths from several keybaords, but never try to do program changes from them. if i understand you right, you want it so that if you pick, for example, 'program 1' on your controller, the softsynth will play 'program 1' and so on. on a hardware module, there's usually a midi section where you can change 'program change recieve' on or off, but i don't remember ever seeing this on a softsynth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 hey markyboard: if i was 'that' much of an expert, i'd be on steinberg's support team, or collecting individual consultation fees - i'm just trying to share my very limited knowledge. No problem midibill - my bad in interpreting something that wasn't there. Like I said I am not a cubase user but I'm using this thread to get some information (hopefully). Does Cubase allow for more then one softsynth to be played(in real time - either layered or split) at the same time? My version of Logic does not. Since I don't know Cubase I was allowing for the possibility that Cubase may have the same limitation. I'm suspecting that Vaix is having problems not with setting up his controller but with setting up Cubase to respond to each channel. I know that most of these programs rechannelize the incoming midi notes to what ever midi channel the track is assigned to. Could this be part of the problem? If so there should be a way to set the midi channel on each track to respond to one and only one channel with out rechannelizing. I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 Does Cubase allow for more then one softsynth to be played(in real time - either layered or split) at the same time? this question is much easier for me - yes, you can layer - just set up your softsynths as described above and then 'shift click' on whatever tracks you want to layer. they will all play at once. spltting - i don't know. i'm pretty much a strictly hardware guy and only goof around with softsynths. any splitting i do, would be done in the hardware unit. it seems both of your questions relate more to the softsynth and controller capabilities than to cubase itself. i think you would have to set up a split within the softsynth itself. and the softsynth must be able to respond to program changes if you are trying to set up your controller to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 it seems both of your questions relate more to the softsynth and controller capabilities than to cubase itself. Well I think you've answered my question/concern already. Im talking about 2 individual soft synths here - one assigned to track 1 and the other assigned to track 2 for example. Since you've already indicated this is possible in Cubase, Im sure its very simple to assign track 1 to the lower notes on the controller and track 2 to the upper notes - either via unique midi channels assigned to each range on the controller or by a note range/filter function in cubase for each track. Thanks mildbill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 you guys got me going here, but i think you maybe should try the KVR forums for better answers: http://www.kvr-vst.com/forum/index.php i've only purchased 4 softsynths and don't really use them 'all' that much, but i fired up cubase and looked in the manuals for pro-52/53 and PPG. they both state that to change programs, click in the name area, or use the arrows and that's the only way i've done it. i currently have a virus kc hooked to the computer thru a direct pro 24/96 and when i change programs on the virus, the softsynth doesn't change. there's no sys-ex documentation, nor is there any info on program change/recieve in the manuals. i'm pretty sure that with some sys-ex info and a controller that can be programmed to send it, it could be done. duh, it just occured to me that i'd better stop before i make a complete fool of myself - i don't know if softsynths even use such a thing like sys-ex; just going by prior module experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steadyb Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Originally posted by vaix: I do have a legitimate copy of the manual.How about the program??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaix Posted August 19, 2004 Author Share Posted August 19, 2004 Originally posted by steadyb: Originally posted by vaix: I do have a legitimate copy of the manual.How about the program??? How nice... a funny guy around Hate to disappoint you, I do have a program they both state that to change programs, click in the name area, or use the arrows and that's the only way i've done it. i currently have a virus kc hooked to the computer thru a direct pro 24/96 and when i change programs on the virus, the softsynth doesn't change. as I have understood it program and channel change are different things. to switch between synths I must probably change the midi channel on the controller... I don't have a controller here, but if I will get a chance to try it, I will post the result here also... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 wow, i guess we have a total lack of communication here. i thought you wanted to be able to change the program you were playing, but it sounds like you want to switch from (for example), channel 3 to channel 4 from your controller? I'd like to control some vst synths with my midi keyboard (M-audio keystation 88 pro) but don't know how to switch instruments while playing... have you tried playing around with the 'devices' area? i'm pretty sure this will get you there. if you change your 'controller' keyboard channel from 1 to 2, but you have channel 1 selected in cubase, cubase will re-channelize the incoming info to channel one. the channel that's slected within the program itself will be the one that plays no matter what the incoming channel is. i like it this way because if you have 10 different instruments set up, you don't have to change channels on your keyboard every time to record, you just click the channel you want. just out of curiosity, vaix, you say you are playing live with the keystation? i assume you're running your softsynths on a laptop? and also, i'm sure the big answer everyone who's reading will want to know is 'is your copy of the program legit?' i'm sure it is, but that doesn't help when you can't figure shit out, hey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steadyb Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 Originally posted by Markyboard: Does Cubase allow for more then one softsynth to be played(in real time - either layered or split) at the same time? My version of Logic does not.That is true right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 Well I must be in stupid mode -but this thread is sure confusing as I read back on it: I'd like to control some vst synths with my midi keyboard (M-audio keystation 88 pro) but don't know how to switch instruments while playing...I interpretted the original question as 2 seperate tracks with 2 seperate soft synths. When words like "instruments" are used, I fail to interpret this as seperate programs/patches on the same soft synth. But then VAIX follows this with: I mean for example I need to play two different vst synths in one song. Firstly one synth and afterwards the other. Can I switch them via midi controller in cubase or not??? So Maybe I was interpretting this correctly as 2 seperate soft synths -each on a sperate track. But either way they are good questions. How do you switch between soft synths remotely? And how to you send program change commands to each soft synth? Especially if the track is rechannelizing the data? Logic can be set not to rechannelize the data (by specifying "all" in the midi channel. But this may only apply to midi tracks. So then maybe what mildbill says is true - thta this is taken care of by the soft synth if at all. Lastly thanks for the reply Steadyb. That is true right now. Does this refer to Cubase, my version of Logic the most current version of Logic? The next version of Logic?(oops... I know I know ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaix Posted August 23, 2004 Author Share Posted August 23, 2004 Originally posted by Markyboard: Well I must be in stupid mode -but this thread is sure confusing as I read back on it: I'd like to control some vst synths with my midi keyboard (M-audio keystation 88 pro) but don't know how to switch instruments while playing...I interpretted the original question as 2 seperate tracks with 2 seperate soft synths. When words like "instruments" are used, I fail to interpret this as seperate programs/patches on the same soft synth. But then VAIX follows this with: I mean for example I need to play two different vst synths in one song. Firstly one synth and afterwards the other. Can I switch them via midi controller in cubase or not??? So Maybe I was interpretting this correctly as 2 seperate soft synths -each on a sperate track. But either way they are good questions. How do you switch between soft synths remotely? And how to you send program change commands to each soft synth? Especially if the track is rechannelizing the data? Logic can be set not to rechannelize the data (by specifying "all" in the midi channel. But this may only apply to midi tracks. So then maybe what mildbill says is true - thta this is taken care of by the soft synth if at all. Sorry, I understand, that my expression was a little bit confusing. What I ment to say was yes, I want to use two seperate soft synths on two seperate tracks, and I want to be able to switch between those tracks via midi controller... just out of curiosity, vaix, you say you are playing live with the keystation? i assume you're running your softsynths on a laptop? yes, I run them on my laptop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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