Jump to content

Unique names for multiple instances of instruments?


dmitch57

Recommended Posts

I have a confusing configuration involving multiple instances of a multi-timbral instrument. The instrument in this case is EastWest's Play, but I think the same situation exists for all instruments. The problem is in the Mixer, when viewing and/or reassigning input sources for aux channel strips. When you create an additional aux channel strip for an instrument by clicking the "+" button you get an aux channel assigned to that instrument. If you want to view or change that aux channel's assignment - say, if the configuration of the instrument changed, and you want to update the mixer accordingly - you can click on the aux channel's input field and you get the usual list of input sources Inputs, busses, and instruments.

 

The problem is when you have multiple instances of a given instrument: the instances are listed in the mixer channel source popup as "Inst 1", "Inst 2", etc., with source names "Play3-4", "Play5-6", etc. See attached screen shot. This gets confusing because there is no obvious mapping from e.g. "Inst 1" to a given instance of your instrument. (They are assigned consecutive names when you create them, the names/labels can't be changes AFAICT).

 

Is there a way to assign user-specified labels either the instrument list in the in popup (replacing "Inst 1", "Inst 2", etc.) or the actual sources in list of instrument-specific audio sources ("Play3-4", "Play5-6", etc.)?

 

Thanks.

 

http://dmitch.com/tmp/Multi%20Play.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

say, if the configuration of the instrument changed, and you want to update the mixer accordingly

Can you describe in detail this configuration change that you're talking about that making a selection input change (Orange) would solve.

LoadedMultiOutput.thumb.png.f30cdc50c0012b068f6388c858e5cfb9.png

Reference the colors in the following text to the colors in the above picture

The number of AUX channels you can add in a MultiOutput instrument (Orange) in Logic is based on the type of MultiOutput you select (Pink) at load time.

 

The only valid inputs (Orange) are from the outputs (Red) from the instance of the loaded MultiOutput. If you load another instance of the same MultiOutput, you can't specify that other instances output (Red) as an input (Orange) into the selecting instance MultiOutput.

 

There is no Audio Unit Instrument that I know of that accepts audio as it's input, all acceptable input is MIDI ONLY and that's done thru the selected track (Yellow) either by playing or if there's a MIDI Region on that track.

 

With that said, for Logic to give you the ability to select audio input from any audio source within the available audio sources within your currently loaded Logic project is a bug, Logic shouldn't allow from any audio souce, only from the audio source (Red) from the loaded instance of that MultiOutput you're trying to select (Orange) from.

 

The drop down list (Orange) should only show, in this case, the follow picture.

2137899891_ValidInputs.png.6ed021c45809e2f81aa644cbe0af98e8.png

So, this is why I asked about this configuration change that you're talking about that you think would solve some issue that came from a configuration change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you describe in detail this configuration change that you're talking about that making a selection input change (Orange) would solve.

 

The situation I'm talking about is much simpler than you think. :-)

 

I'm talking about the situation in my photo. Three instances of the Play instrument. Each with different sets of individual instruments. I add one instrument to one instance of Play. (That is my "configuration change".) Now I want to go to the mixer and modify an existing aux channel's input to match that of the new Play instrument. How do I do that? All three Play instruments look identical in the channel source input popup. Which one do I specify to get to the instrument I just added? All the outputs from all the Play instruments look the same. There are 27 of them! All named "Play x-y" where "x-y" is "3-4" pr "7-8" etc.

 

What I want is to distinguish the three different Play instances, by name, in the context of the channel source input popups.

 

With that said, for Logic to give you the ability to select audio input from any audio source within the available audio sources within your currently loaded Logic project is a bug, Logic shouldn't allow from any audio souce

 

Of course it should. Any aux channel should be able to be repurposed to take its input from any output of any instrument. Why would this ability be a bug? It's flexibility.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you describe in detail this configuration change that you're talking about that making a selection input change (Orange) would solve.

 

The situation I'm talking about is much simpler than you think. :-)

 

I'm talking about the situation in my photo. Three instances of the Play instrument. Each with different sets of individual instruments. I add one instrument to one instance of Play. (That is my "configuration change".) Now I want to go to the mixer and modify an existing aux channel's input to match that of the new Play instrument. How do I do that? All three Play instruments look identical in the channel source input popup. Which one do I specify to get to the instrument I just added? All the outputs from all the Play instruments look the same. There are 27 of them! All named "Play x-y" where "x-y" is "3-4" pr "7-8" etc.

 

What I want is to distinguish the three different Play instances, by name, in the context of the channel source input popups.

 

With that said, for Logic to give you the ability to select audio input from any audio source within the available audio sources within your currently loaded Logic project is a bug, Logic shouldn't allow from any audio souce

 

Of course it should. Any aux channel should be able to be repurposed to take its input from any output of any instrument. Why would this ability be a bug? It's flexibility.

As I mentioned before, you don't select the input to change.

to make this easy, when you click on the '+' to add the AUX strips, add all the AUX strips allowed based on the MultiOutput you loaded.

Next, select from PLAY the output that will go to the AUX of the MultiOutput you want to go to.

 

Again, as I mention before, Logic shouldn't allow you to make input selects from any audio source on a MultiOutput, it should only allow audio inputs from the MultiOutput that you loaded.

If you create an AUX channel by itself, then yes, you should be allow to select from any audio input source but when it's from a MultiOutput, Logic should restrict to only outputs from the loaded MultiOutput.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there a way to assign user-specified labels either the instrument list in the in popup (replacing "Inst 1", "Inst 2", etc.) or the actual sources in list of instrument-specific audio sources ("Play3-4", "Play5-6", etc.)?

I don't believe that is possible. :(

Just experimented a bit further with this and indeed, it's just ... not possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In case anyone's interested, there is a bit of a workaround, or at least a reasonably straightforward way to figure out which instrument in a source popup list (e.g. "Inst 4") is assigned which channel or track. The Track inspector tells you, per the screen shot. Select an instrument channel in the mixer, or any associated instrument or MIDI track in the Arrange pane, and the Track inspector tells you which instrument number you're using in the "Channel" field. Now if you could only edit that name....

 

It's better than nothing, I guess. :-)

 

http://dmitch.com/tmp/Inst.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been grumbling about this in a similar issue. I would like to be able to label my aux sends and returns at the I/O with the labels. Unfortunately it is a global label that renames every other session on the computer. It's software. I should be able to label things on a per project basis. These are meaningful problems that Apple and Logic just don't see and have never addressed. It's ridiculous not to fix this.

 

And yet they don't.

 

Steve

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to be able to label my aux sends and returns at the I/O with the labels. Unfortunately it is a global label that renames every other session on the computer. It's software. I should be able to label things on a per project basis.

Yes, you're definitely not the first Logic user to request this, and I do agree with you that this option could be useful as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...