Articulation ID is now a reality: ARTz•ID by SkiSwitcher

[CCTMusic]

HI

I'd guess that it's a matter of creating some Art Id's one time up to 127 or whatever and you are good to go next restart???

 

 

CCT

[MusiKLover]

Quick question so I fully understand: I get that you cannot change the value when routed within track stacks, which you mention in effect act as VCA faders, but how about these scenarios:

 

 

- No track stacks are created, however several VCAs are. Will the articulations still change if the track is assigned to one of the VCAs, though not in a track stack?

 

- You have a track and use ARTz-ID's functionality and correctly encode the note data. What if you now add this track to a stack? Will the values remain intact? If so, this could be a remedial work-around to Jay's issue.

 

 

Effectively, it would appear this solution is akin to Expression Maps, quite a major accomplishment, and I like how there are two aspects: Smart Controls & the MIDI Scripter.

 

And it's simple!

[ski]

@ CCT, I'll try that and see what happens. Tyvm.

 

@ MusiKLover, it would seem that putting a track into a stack breaks a very specific thing: the ability to switch articulations live. Playback remains wholly unaffected. More on that in a minute...

 

To your first question, using a freelance VCA to control levels won't get in the way of anything. And just to clarify... The location of the VCA's are actually within channel strips. Every channel strip. The VCA fader itself remote-controls the levels of the VCA's for all faders assigned to a particular VCA group.

 

- You have a track and use ARTz-ID's functionality and correctly encode the note data. What if you now add this track to a stack? Will the values remain intact? If so, this could be a remedial work-around to Jay's issue.

 

Absolutely! Great thinking! I just tested this and yes indeed! If you record a part on an ARTzID track that's outside of a stack, and afterward you move that track into a stack, playback is guaranteed 100% the same. See, the breakage only occurs on the input side, not the output side. Once a part is recorded, the MIDI output of that track (and all of the processing done by the Scripts) just plays down. This is the way the system is designed... Once something is recorded, playback is not influenced by input. This carries over to the feature where the articulation you select to play live can't be changed by what's playing back from the track.

 

What a fantastic bit of workaroundage. Thank you!

[FredBegin]

Here's my own solution for editing Art ID data. I have made some macro with Keyboard Maestro. To busy to give more details at the moment.... But I just hit one key to bring up the Keyboard maestro search bar and start typing. And no need for the event list window!

 

[MikeShapiro]

Is there any way to view the articulation ID embedded into a given note, other than by opening the Event List window and visually scanning for the note of interest?

 

i.e. Is there a way to see articulation IDs directly in a track, a la Art Conductor?

[FredBegin]

The only other way to view Art ID is to R-Click the note and check wich Art ID is selected in the menu.

Art ID can't be shown in the automation lane (just like the midi channel). But maybe the ArtzID Scripter menu is automatable (I didn't start using it yet.) But the idea behind ArtzID is to use it directly on the notes.

 

And the "Select Same Articulation ID" Shortcut (Shift-D) is really helpful too.

[MikeShapiro]

The only other way to view Art ID is to R-Click the note and check wich Art ID is selected in the menu.

Art ID can't be shown in the automation lane (just like the midi channel). But maybe the ArtzID Scripter menu is automatable (I didn't start using it yet.) But the idea behind ArtzID is to use it directly on the notes.

 

And the "Select Same Articulation ID" Shortcut (Shift-D) is really helpful too.

 

Ah, that's too bad. I love the idea of this system, but I personally need to be able to discern articulations at a glance. The primitive "split each articulation onto its own track" method, for all its clumsiness, offers that.

[ski]

Here's my own solution for editing Art ID data. I have made some macro with Keyboard Maestro. To busy to give more details at the moment.... But I just hit one key to bring up the Keyboard maestro search bar and start typing. And no need for the event list window!

 

Nanook, that's insanely cool! Thanks for sharing your approach. Great stuff!

[ski]

Hi Mike,

 

Thanks for your interest and posts.

 

Here's why I didn't include the ability to view articulation names in automation... With 126 articulations per track, the display becomes awfully crowded. Shown here are articulation choices stepping through just the first 27 articulations. You'd have to constantly zoom in to a hugely huge level just to be able to discern the names:

 

I admire the utility of showing names in automation. And yes, I could modify the code to allow a display of articulation names in automation. But I'm pretty sure that some people might get the impression that they could change articulations from automation too. That would only cause headaches for me, and disappointment for people who want to work that way.

 

It's also possible to make the automation display less crowded by limiting the number of articulations on a patch-by-patch basis. But that would require users digging into the code. It's not something that can be made variable with a slider or menu on the plugin GUI. Though modifying the code isn't hard to do, part of my design philosophy is to never require customers to have to modify code to obtain a feature. I made an exception for one SkiSwitcher script, where users changed a variable to reveal some programming utilities for setting up Cinematic Strings. Fortunately, with new coding possibilities in the Scripter I no longer have to ask customers to do that. Anyway...

 

More after coffee...

[MikeShapiro]

Hey Peter,

 

Thanks for the rundown. I don't challenge your decisions here; I know you're adding functionality to Logic by repurposing and unburying existing features, and trying to lasso them together as elegantly as possible. Of course there are going to be tradeoffs and you won't be able to address everyone's priorities.

 

Mike

[airforceguitar]

I'm sold! Purchasing as we speak!!!!

[ski]

Hi Mike, oh, I didn't take it at all that you were challenging my decisions. I really enjoy this kind of discussion and I appreciate your questions. "Why (or can't) you do this"? Then I go, "Well, here's why... (blah blah blah)". I don't mind explaining some of my design decisions. On vi-control, someone asked about a feature that's available in SkiSwitcher2 but not ARTzID. This was during the "coming soon" stage. Two days later, bingo! It was tested and included in the package. He got a free copy of the system for his suggestion and it gives everyone else something to play with.

 

There's just a whole lotta joy to be had when every note plays the right sound and while I'm making a few dollars from this endeavor, I get more joy out of people writing to me saying, "Holy Guacamole, this is awesome" because of the note=articulation thing. Anyway, "keep the cards and letters coming".

Edited June 2, 2016 by ski

[FredBegin]

Here's my own solution for editing Art ID data. I have made some macro with Keyboard Maestro. To busy to give more details at the moment.... But I just hit one key to bring up the Keyboard maestro search bar and start typing. And no need for the event list window!

 

Nanook, that's insanely cool! Thanks for sharing your approach. Great stuff!

 

thanks Ski,

 

A bit more details on the keyboard Maestro approach if anyone is interested.

 

The last action (send MIDI...) is optional. You don't need it.

In Keyboard Maestro you need to create a Macro for Trigger Macro By name and assign a hot key to trigger it . This will enable opening the search bar.

Never use this outside the piano roll window because it will start typing some unwanted shortcuts.

 

To make sure there is enough Art ID numbers in the R-Click menu...

First thing I do when opening a project is to open the event list, select any midi note and assign its Art ID to a hi number (i put 150) then revert back to normal its value. Each time you close Logic those Art ID numbers are resetting to the minimum value.

[ski]

This is very cool. When I have some time later this week I'm going to try this myself. Thanks again for sharing!

[ski]

BTW, I've extended the promotional pricing on ARTzID for another two weeks. I mean, why spoil the fun, right?

 

$20 off until June 15th.

 

Existing SkiSwitcher2 customers get "a heck-of-a-deal" upgrade pricing. Please see http://www.skiswitcher.com for details.

[ski]

Hi nanook,

 

I still have plans to try this out! Meanwhile, a question for you... Do I take it that the articulations you've listed are for UACC/Spitfire patches?

[ski]

A lil' gift for my ARTzID customers: a simple but effective Articulation ID -to- UACC mapper. Lets you remap up to 126 ID's to the UACC values of your choice.

 

Totally menu-driven (126 menus in all). Includes built in Articulation ID monitor and reset function. And to help keep track of all the ID's, they're visually grouped in "octaves" (every 12 notes) by way of colored dots and... well, you'll have to get it to find out the rest of the story! Free for all ARTzID customers. Visit the contact page at SkiSwitcher.com website to request your copy.

[Jordi Torres]

Congrats on your new product, ski!

 

J.

[ski]

Thanks Jordi!

[GPnicolett]

It took me a long time to wrap my head around the "dedicated controller" requirement - so ARTz*ID switching requires I have TWO midi keyboards connected at once, or some other dedicated peripheral?

 

I prefer only 1 keyboard controller attached, so I suppose I'd 100% be a SkiSwitcher2 guy then. If the only real difference is staff styles and # of articulations? 16 is PLENTY.

[ski]

Yes. It's not possible to use notes from your main controller to switch articulations with this system, hence the need to have a second device on which to switch articulations. But it doesn't have to be hardware. It could be something as simple as an iPad-based MIDI keyboard, or a TouchOSC setup on your phone.

 

If you're comfortable with the workflow and 16-articulation cap of SkiSwitcher2 then I'd suggest staying with it. No need to spend more money. While the added advantages and features of the new system go beyond just compatibility with staff styles and greater # of articulations, they mostly have to do with creating situations where you can address more articulations. My feeling is that you should stick with SS2.

[ski]

 ARTzID UPDATE

 

I figured out a way around the Summing and Folder Stack Problem! Sooooo happy about this!

 

Backstory: Logic prevented tracks living in Summing or Folder stacks from receiving information about your choice of articulation when you selected it from your articulation-switching device (mini keys, TouchOSC, etc.). This is no longer a problem for tracks that live in stacks!

 

Details to come...

[Ashermusic]

Of course you did. My boy Peter is relentless and wicked smart.

[dbudde]

Yes. It's not possible to use notes from your main controller to switch articulations with this system, hence the need to have a second device on which to switch articulations. But it doesn't have to be hardware. It could be something as simple as an iPad-based MIDI keyboard, or a TouchOSC setup on your phone.

 

 

I don't understand this requirement for a separate midi device. Since you already have an environment object doing whatever it is doing, can't you just transform the keyswitch octave on the main keyboard controller into a CC number and then feed that to a smart control that converts it to the articulationID?

 

For instance, in the following image, a transformer is converting octave C0..B0 into CC100,0..CC100,11. Then your smart control can convert the CC100 values into the articulationID.

 

[ski]

Aw shucks Jay! I dunno about smart, but relentless? Yup.

 

@dbudde, thanks for offering your suggestion. Unfortunately I can't discuss the processes I use to make the system work. What I can say that it's not possible to use notes on your main controller due to a technical limitation in Logic. But rest assured, it's on my to-do list to see if I can't find a way around this too. Thanks again for your input.

[dbudde]

OK, we can take this offline if you like. I built a much simplified mechanism which works for me. My needs are sparse compared to what you are trying to do, so you could well be right. Feel free to contact me privately if you want to discuss specifics beyond what is posted above.

[ski]

I appreciate that dbudde. I believe we had some exchanges in the past here on LPH about scripting a while back. OK, I'll let you know. Thanks again. Much appreciated!

[airforceguitar]

Oooh! I'm excited about that track-stack solution!!!! BTW Ski, tell your customers that it works well with Garritan instruments when used both in Plogue Sforzando and the Aria Player. I created a Multiswitcher patch to add all the missing Garritan Orchestral Strings articulations to the default Keyswitch patches, and a Hybridizer patch with 25 articulations! Now I just have to go back and reprogram all my custom EXS24 patches to work with Articulation ID instead of keyswitches.

 

Ski for Logic guru of 2016!

[ski]

Aw shucks AFG!

 

We're almost there! It's the documentation that's taking the time. That aside, thanks for that additional info.

 

Now I just have to go back and reprogram all my custom EXS24 patches to work with Articulation ID instead of keyswitches.

 

 

Nope. You don't have to do anything of the kind! Just use the Multi-Purpose Script preset, as it automatically loads with a blank EXS-24. Load your sound into it. Then, set the Scripter's Mode to Keyswitch. Wait a second, that's the default -- you don't even have to do that. All you have to do is choose a note from the KS Low menu to inform the Script about the patch's lowest keyswitch note. Bam. You're done!

[ski]

Here's a little sneak peak of what's new in ARTzID Version 1.1, which will be released later today! PDF attached.

 

 

ARTz•ID Version 1.1 Release Notes.pdf