Greetings, All,
I'm hoping one of you kind and skilled persons can help me figure out how to use the MIDI Velocity Adjust plugin with Qtractor. This was created by Robin Gareus, and is part of the x42 MIDI Filter collection.
The goal is to change all variable keyboard ON velocities from an Arturia Keystep MIDI keyboard to a fixed value, for use within Qtractor (an organ versus a piano). So, this would be global for the composition. I'd like Qtractor just to think it's connected to a plain vanilla keyboard, capable of only sending a fixed velocity for the notes.
I've not discovered the necessary arrangement yet. The plugin seems in place okay, but remains inert. For confirmation, I've never used Ardour before (and don't intend to hereafter) but just a test was able to make this plugin work at once in that program. Likewise, it works outboard in Carla.
I've tried a number of different buses, routings, etc., but haven't yet stumbled upon the secret for using it directly within Qtractor. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much,
Thomas
re. MIDI Velocity Adjust plugin with Qtractor...
hi,
it probably would help to know what are you really trying to achieve, for instance what instrument are you feeding the filter, because, you should have known that:
all MIDI notes that come from the keyboard will have no altered velocities whatsoever--they cannot be filtered nor transformed through any plugin--they will be always recorded to their original, played velocities no matter what;
if you want to take effect of the filter plugin, then insert it on a track or bus, before the intended instrument plugin;
and if what you really want is clamping or fixating the velocities of all or some notes in a sequence, clip or session permanently, then use the Resize/Value MIDI tool, and not a filter plugin.
hth.
cheers
It is possible, but the configuration is somewhat complex
Hi Thomas.
The easiest way is to use an external Carla.
MIDIController > Carla with filtering plugins > Qtractor MidiBusInput.
If you only want to use Qtractor, you'll need to create the following buses InFilterMIDI, OutFilterMIDI:
1) InFilterMIDI: Must be created in Input mode. It houses the filtering plugins and an auxiliary MIDI send to OutFilterMIDI.
2) OutFilterMIDI: Must be created in Output mode. You connect this from the connections window to the Master MIDI input bus, or the bus you have assigned as a MIDI input for the track.
The configuration is then:
MIDIController > InFilterMidi [Filters] [Auxiliary Send to OutFilterMIDI]
OutFilterMIDI > In Master MIDI.
Hi Rui, I don't know how complex it would be to develop. But I think it would be logical for the MIDI signal to first go through the plugin chain on the input MIDI buses before reaching the sequencer.
This is how it happens in audio, and it's really useful for recording already processed signals. It shouldn't be any different in MIDI.
In fact, as it stands, the plugin chain on the input buses serves no purpose unless the signal is redirected, as I explained to Thomas.
I've been able to answer the question because I needed a virtual keyboard for a student (who doesn't have a MIDI controller) in a plugin (since Qtractor doesn't have one), and I managed to get it working this way. But the logical thing would have been to insert the virtual keyboard into the input bus and have everything work correctly.
Having the MIDI signal go through the plugin chain before reaching the sequencer would be a great help, and it would make sense for the input buses to have a plugin chain.
Best regards.
Many thanks for the excellent solution!
Hello G3N-es,
Thanks so much for your kind and helpful response. Your solution works like a charm. What I had missed in all my experimentation was the need for the auxiliary send.
This technique isn't all that messy, and nicely emulates what Ardour does automatically. I'll just save it as a template now for whenever using that Arturia keyboard.
And to everyone: since it's the keyboard that's problematic (and my right hand which two failed surgeries have rendered troublesome), it seemed that most elegant approach would be to nip the problem in the bud, right at the source. G3N-es's solution does the trick.
I realize that people using software synths could simply turn off velocity sensing, instrument by instrument, or use the Resize function after the fact within the editor. However, my studio consists of hardware synths designed and built over the course of a half century; many of the homemade modules from the early days do not have the option to disable velocity sensing. And regarding Resize, by dealing with the problem at the start of the MIDI chain, there's the equally important benefit of being able to hear the result real-time, i.e., monitoring while recording.
Again, this is solved now and I'm truly grateful to G3N-es for his efficient workaround.
Thomas
I'm glad you found it useful.
I'm glad you found it useful.
re. how complex it would be...
very complex :)
thing is, the MIDI stream that enters a MIDI bus or track plugin chain won't ever come out of it, unless you insert a MIDI send to return into somewhere else... (another plugin chain? oh no! ... it is just not possible to capture or record directly from any plugin output at all-- the only option is about having an external loop into a regular input bus (kinda MIDI bouncing).
note that this is the one big difference to audio buses and tracks (in qtractor signal flow model), where the audio signal will go through all the audio_fx plugin chain and appear as output to the designated target: which might be one or more tracks for input buses, an output bus for tracks and out and away for output buses.
the MIDI stream is quite different: it is a discrete sequence of timestamped events that parts ways at the top of the plugin chain and will never merge back again... just think of the mayhem that would be at the other end, if it just merges both streams just like an audio mix-down goes... it would just make no sense, at all, it surely results in some kind of unintentional cacophony, to say the least :)
and no, there won't be any development to this state of things, any day soon, sorry ;)
byee
Switch velocity off in your software instrument
A sound that mimicks an instrument without velocity (like an organ sound) should not react to velocity. Why not fixing the software synth's patch?
re...
re. How complex would it be...
Hi again, Rui:
As I indicated, Qtractor can do the job, but it's not very intuitive to find the way. Qtractor is like that in some ways, but the rest more than makes up for it. I don't plan on changing DAWs. :)
Thanks for the reply.
re. Switch velocity off in your software instrument
Hi Bluebell:
The point here is being able to process/generate the signal before recording without relying on external tools so that everything is configured in the session/template.
There are many reasons: filtering, arpeggiators, pattern sequencers, virtual keyboards. In these cases, I want to be able to take advantage of the automation of these plugins, but also be able to edit and customize the recorded result.
In other DAWs, the way to do this is to put a plugin on the input bus. In Qtractor, you can do it too, but the way is to create additional buses specifically for that purpose and redirect the signal from them to the bus responsible for recording.
If you're going to need it frequently, you can include it in the default template without any major problems. Connect the MIDI Controller to the filter bus. If filters, arpeggiators, etc. are active, they will be processed. If they're disabled, the original signal will be received.
With the configuration I've specified, I don't think there's any latency, at least I haven't noticed it.
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