Fixed MIDI note lenghts (for drum VSTs)?

Using a USB drum pad set (Alesis DMLite). Instead of drum kit designer, which works fine by the way, I use a custom VST plugin which is not a sampler. While Logic does respond to the pads, the input note values are all too minuscule to even output a sound. This could be solved if there was a way to specify a fixed/minimum lengt for all MIDI notes.

 

(Sure, I can drag them longer or use a transform, but I want to play my drumpads live.)

This is normally solved by setting up the instrument as "one shot" which is a mode where the length of the note that triggers the sound doesn't affect the length of the sound. What instrument is this?

This is normally solved by setting up the instrument as "one shot" which is a mode where the length of the note that triggers the sound doesn't affect the length of the sound. What instrument is this?

 

Yeah, that would work well with samplers such as EXS24. But what about instruments which, instead of samples, generate a continuous pulse/noise, varied through envelopes and such? (The instrument is Plogue Chipsounds which emulates 8-bit sounds)

 

(The developer confirmed there is no solution within the plugin itself.)

You may be able to create a one-shot type envelope? It really depends on the instrument. You can't set a default note length in Logic but you can transform the notes after the recording is over.

You may be able to create a one-shot type envelope? It really depends on the instrument. You can't set a default note length in Logic but you can transform the notes after the recording is over.

 

I've found that the only way which works is when envelope attack is set to 0% (ie. without any duration), and then increasing release/delay time. But then I have to re-adjust each envelope to compensate for the limitation. (which is some extra work and might not even yield the same sound, although after recording I could revert to the original envelopes and then transform the notes.)

Maybe look at the MIDI FX plug-ins, see if one of them could help you, maybe even the Arpeggiator.

Or possibly some combination of two MIDI FX plug-ins (since Arpeggiator's Latch does a good job with playing the notes, but unfortunately won't play a new note until the previous cycle has first reached the end.)

Unheardofski is a user on this board who created a 'quantize note ends' script for midi scripter, which I use for my Alesis drum pad since you can't set note lengths on it. He has some other useful posts, search for his stuff and you'll likely find an answer.

 

I do wish I understood scripting but my brain doesn't work this way, or to be more precise, I'm not willing to put in the work necessary to understand that style of thinking.

I used the Modifier FX plug-in. Problem solved! (In Modifier, I made "volume" or "velocity" mapped to either "release time" or "sustain", depending on the instrument settings. I'll soon test other settings, too.)

Great, good to hear! And thanks for letting us know how you solved it. Hopefully you'll also see redgreenblue's additional suggestion.