basic multitimbral questions

[blackthorn media]

1) I am trying to create a multitimbral instrument in the form of native instruments B4. I create a multitimbral instrument track with 3 tracks. I can see that each of the three tracks has a been assigned a different midi channel, 1, 2, 3, respectively. If I select these tracks individually, it plays the upper, lower manuals, and pedals individually and midi notes recorded on those tracks play back on the corresponding manual or pedals. Why then does the midi information that encodes the pan and velocity get sent to all tracks uniformly (track automation), if the midi information encoding the actual notes only plays on the individual tracks within the multitimbral instrument. I am not understanding the signal flow here. Why are these two types of information treated differently?

 

2) After I create the mutlitimbral instrument with the three tracks and assign the b4 to the instrument input, exactly what is the next step in being able to automate these tracks independently? I go to the environment window and do what? I see my three tracks in the mixer layer of the enviroment window. I am assuming they have to be cabled to or from some other instrument or device that will route the midi data correctly. What is that instrument or device and what is the signal path that needs to be established?

 

THanks

 

j

[blackthorn media]

system info below

[fader8]

B4's "pan" automation point affects all 3 sections. So, regardless of what you do in the environment, there's still only one pan control that can be automated within the instrument.

 

Not sure what your issue could be with velocity. Is anything in the B4 velocity sensitive?

 

If you really want pan control for the 3 separate sections, you could create 3 separate instrument tracks and insert 3 B4 instances.

[blackthorn media]

The basic question is how to get the midi automation (like volume) on tracks within a multitimbral instrument to function independently. The B4 is just an example. What are you supposed to do after you create a multitimbral instrument? What do you have to do in the environment after you create that instrument?

[fader8]

The basic question is how to get the midi automation (like volume) on tracks within a multitimbral instrument to function independently. The B4 is just an example. What are you supposed to do after you create a multitimbral instrument? What do you have to do in the environment after you create that instrument?

This very much depends on the particular multi-instrument plug-in. The B4 example actually illustrates this difference well. Some, like Kontakt for example, have both host automation and MIDI automation capabilities. All freely assignable. Some sample set packaged sample players can be much more limited, but then may have multi-output capabilities allowing you to automate "audio" functions with a Logic aux channel.

 

So, I'm not trying to be difficult, but there's no simple, direct answer to your question. It's rare that you'd have to create a custom environment scheme to handle an instrument, but many people do this to gain certain workflow advantages or for additional capabilities.

 

Which instrument are you intending to work with?

[blackthorn media]

thank you, fader.

 

Let's start with B4.

 

How would the host volume automation for the midi tracks for the upper and lower manuals be set up to function independently within the same multitimbral instrument?

 

Thanks

[fader8]

Let's start with B4.

 

How would the host volume automation for the midi tracks for the upper and lower manuals be set up to function independently within the same multitimbral instrument?

That's a no-can-do with that plug-in. If you look in the automation dropdown list in the track header and look at the list of automation points for the B4, you'll see there's only one volume parameter listed. No separate ones for upper, lower or pedal. Same for expression (swell pedal).

 

It's the same issue if you wanted to control it via MIDI. In the B4 window click Setup. At the bottom it allows you to only select a single MIDI channel for controller messages. So the plug-in ignores cc's on any other channels.

 

Since it doesn't provide separate audio outs for upper, lower and pedal, then it can't be controlled externally from the plug-in either. We just can't make it do what the plug-in just can't do. Sorry! You can still open 2 or 3 instances of the B4 and do it that way though.