Jump to content

Matthew Carr

Members
  • Posts

    99
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Matthew Carr

  1. Thanks Mark - I totally agree, it's definitely possible to set up a project that will work; 95% of what's needed is there. A few minor mods to existing features would just really make live performance a distinct workflow, and easier to setup. Studio One is really pushing their live performance 'Show' page, and Cakewalk can knock the socks off that, with just a few enhancements. I haven't really progressed to breaking out my songs into sections, but being able to easily loop or jump to sections of the song on the fly would be great! Conceptually, I would expect the performance arranger view to display two lists; A) Songs, and B) Song Parts. Selecting a song would filter the Song Parts to only show parts belonging to the Song. It didn't seem to me that normal arranger mode does that? Using my project as is, I do find I hit some limitations 1. I have to use the mouse to interact with the arranger view. That's not great for live use, ideally there would be keyboard commands for navigating the arranger view which could then be bound to midi commands. (Would also be great if an external program change could be associated with selecting a section) 2. If I select an arranger section, program changes that belong to the song are not sent out until the playhead moves over them So if I cue up a song which selects a crunchy patch on the guitarists FX board, the patch change doesn't get sent until I start playback of the backing track. Ideally there would be an option to send out the initial program changes of a section when selected, if playback is stopped / paused. (as happens when you open a normal .cwp file that has patch changes) I totally take on board your comments re tempo / key changes - they can be added to the timeline using normal methods, I just thought it was more intuitive to be be able to set them for each song (which would then add them to the timeline in the background) - but I can see that would probably cause a massive headache with UI inconsistencies.. Being able to set the playback mode of the song / section, rather than adding MCI to add pause events, would be better I think. Using an MCI event to pause playback doesn't work so well if you then want to loop the section - playback still pauses when it reaches the MCI event. Having a dedicated playback mode for the section also opens up the possibility of an Icon to show the current playback mode of the section, and also controlling the mode via keyboard / midi. I'm sure that there are loads of different ways people would approach this, what I wanted to do was start a discussion and put forward some ideas if there was interest. Let's keep the ideas flowing!
  2. Hi craigr68, It's always fascinating to see how others approach live performance, I'm intrigued by your approach! I get the impression that the performers amongst us are always looking for the perfect tool, but it's not out there, so we end up 'constructing' something using what's to hand . In my project, I've basically implemented a lot of the things Mark pointed out in his post (the screenshots below are for a test project, not a real gig btw!) 1. I have a 'Pause Events' track, where I've inserted MCI commands to pause playback at the end of each song (where needed) 2. In the 'Leadsheets' track folder I have a some midi tracks with outputs set to a 'Sink' virtual midi port, i.e. the midi doesn't go anywhere. I then set the staff view to view these midi tracks, and for each song I've added the leadsheets I need on the same tracks. It means all songs have the same generic track names in the staff view, but that's fine. I maximise the staff view and then as each song plays I can view any Chords / Lyrics / Leadsheets I've entered, in sync with the backing track. Entering lyrics is an exercise in frustration, so I tend to find remembering them is almost easier! (one day staff view will get some love... we just have to believe harder🤣) 3. In my song instrument tracks, I use 'Automated mute' to mute the VSTs outside of the songs they are used for This means the VSTs are all loaded in memory when you open the project - so if you want to use massive Kontakt instruments, you're going to run out of steam eventually. I tend to use (for my shame) Air Music Technologies Xpand2 as my goto live VSTi - it's a pretty low resource multi timbral rompler, so I can set up keyboard splits all within one VSTi. It sounds... OK... (for pubs gigs, anyway) In my FR I suggested the track folders linked to songs could always be muted, and only un-muted when the linked song was active - which would avoid having to draw automation for every VSTi. It's a simple solution using existing functionality, but if If the bakers really wanted to go to town on this they could look at dynamically loading / unloading the VSTis in the linked track folder for each song loading based on the setlist. That's what some of the live performance hosts do (e.g. Gig Performer) As and aside, I tried out Gig Performer and it was pretty neat, but to me none of the live VST hosts has the full package yet, esp. if you want to be able to view notation / leadsheets 4. For backing I used mixed down Audio track - streaming audio doesn't use much resource, so it's a much better option than generating it via midi / vist
  3. Yes, Studio One looks very appealing for the show page - was considering buying but the fact you can't have a midi track (to control external gear or to view as a leadsheet during performance) put me off. It's something they are actively developing though, so maybe in a future update. As for Cakewalk - having arranger sections triggered by midi would be great. I've actually been trying out cakewalk for live performance using the arranger and it works pretty well - midi control of launching arranger sections would be definitely be a good enhancement. I added a few other ideas in this FR https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/topic/28172-use-arranger-track-as-a-set-list/
  4. Sorry for a long post! I think there's an opportunity to leverage the great work made on the arranger track, to create a fantastic live performance tool. I've been trialling it out, and all the component pieces are there, it just needs a bit of glue / enhancement to make it a really workable option Here's an example project being used for my 80s (ish) cover band, which uses backing / click tracks extensively: Basically, I use the arranger track to create sections for each song, then use track folders to contain my audio backing tracks, Midi data to control outboard gear, Midi control of DMX etc. I then create a track folder for each song, which contains the virtual instruments used to perform the song controlled from my master keyboards. It works surprisingly well! I can re-arrange the set list before any gig using the arrangements functionality During the gig, I can jump to any track I want by clicking on it - it cues it up instantly I use a workspace to remove any GUI components not needed I use Mix recall to move between live and playback scenes The Live scene plays the project, and allows recording on any track that's armed The Playback scene plays back audio, and sends recorded midi data to the vsts After rehearsal, I can adjust the mix, effects, instrumentation etc in context of other band members performance At a gig (hopefully soon!) it makes it easy to do a virtual soundcheck Importantly, (which could be a big USP for cakewalk), I can view notation, chords and lyrics via the staff view during the performance - perfect! Once you've had the ability to glance over and see notation / lead sheets synced up perfectly with the backing track you really don't want to go back... To bring this all together and make it easier to use I'm thinking of perhaps a new project file format (.cwl - cakewalk live), which when opened changes the behaviour of the arranger track to make it more suitable to live performance. It could also be achieved by a toggle switch on the arranger menu, which could be simpler for the bakers I guess? There's a lot of options that could be included in the set-list version of the arranger window - I'm sure others have ideas, but my initial thoughts would be 1. Add a separate right click context menu to each song in the set list, along the lines of: With this context menu you could define some additional properties for the song The Play mode, which determines what happens when the playhead reaches the end of the song Continue, pause at end of song, loop song The tempo and key of the song Yes, I know you can insert tempo and key changes in the timeline, but would be a nice to have to be able to set this on a song basis! 2. When creating a song section, a linked track folder is created with the same name as the song section The linked track folder is only displayed when the song is selected Any virtual instruments within the track folder are bypassed (muted), unless the playhead is within the song This would tidy up the project view and make it easier to manage, and avoid the current situation of having to draw automation to mute each virtual instrument outside of the song it's used for I have a bunch of other ideas, but this post is long enough already.. If there's any interest I can add more 😁 Cheers, Matt
  5. Spoke too soon, as soon as there's a mix of real and virtual midi inputs, the issues start up Project with two tracks: one input from a preset mapped to virtual midi cable one input from a preset mapped to physical controller All mappings look good Close the project, connect another physical controller, open the project and... The mapping for the virtual Lower_Keyboard (PrLowerKB) stays mapped correctly The track with input from the physical controller LX61 has changed to receive input from both virtual midi cables, and the the newly add physical controller SL MKII. The input from the LX61 has been lost The mapping for the virtual Upper_Keyboard (PrUpperKB) is changed to receive input from the physical LX61 If I attempt to view the mapping for the physical controller again, the screen shows no mappings - I think this is a different bug on the Input Presets screen (sorry) If I open the preset manager via clicking on the 'Manage Presets' button for the track, the mappings are shown If I use the drop down list to select the preset, the mappings are not shown Hopefully this helps Mark, please let me know if you need any further info
  6. Thanks Mark - that looks interesting, never come across that functionality before so will give it a try! Updated: This looks like it could be a great workaround, on a simple test it seemed to work, I just need to try it on a more realistic situation - I'll give an update once I have Thanks again Mark, really appreciate your help
  7. Sorry for the long post below - the tl/dr; I think there is an issue with virtual midi ports, but not physical midi ports (For clarity, in the below tests each physical midi controller was plugged into the same physical usb connector each time) I removed all virtual midi cables on the PC, rebooted, and created a new project with one physical midi controller connected (Impact LX61) I then closed the project, connected another physical midi controller (Novation SL MKII), and re-opened the project. No changes, everything as expected I closed the project, enabled the SL MKII as a midi input, and opened the project. Again, no changes to the midi input of the track This is what I would expect - connecting / adding new midi devices doesn't impact old projects - happy days! 😀 I then disconnected the SL MKII, added a virtual Midi cable (Lower_Keyboard) with loopMidi, rebooted, and opened the project again (note, I hadn't enabled the virtual midi cable). Still good, no changes the the midi input I close the project, connect the SL MKII, and open the project - still good, no changes. I close the project, enable both the SL MKII and virtual midi cable as inputs, and open the project - still good, no changes So, to summarise at this point - if the project only has midi inputs from physical midi devices, they work exactly as expected - they are not changed by the addition / removal of other physical or virtual midi devices I then close the project, disconnect the SL MKII, open the project and add another track using the virtual midi cable 'Lower_Keyboard' as the input Opening and closing the project works as expected, the track inputs stay as they were originally saved I then close the project, connect the SL MKII, open the project and.... The midi input from the physical midi device stays the same The midi input from the virtual cable is changed to accept midi data from all active midi inputs!! 😲 Sooo... this to me really seems like a bug, inputs from virtual midi devices are being changed when new physical midi controllers are added to the setup, whereas inputs from physical midi devices are not changed. Getting to the limit of my understanding now.. I hope someone can chime in with an explanation, or confirmation that this is a bug and I can report it. Cheers, Matt Just to add, this seems like an edge case scenario that only happens when you add a new midi controller to your setup, but it affects me a lot. E.g. When I open a project in my rehearsal space, that I've worked on in my studio, the inputs from virtual midi devices get corrupted on opening. I even have the same PC and midi controller keyboards plugged into the same physical USB ports at both locations, but it's not enough!! Because there is some gear connected at the rehearsal space that has USB midi functionality (even though it's not checked as active in preferences) , it's enough to trigger this bug.
  8. Thanks for the replies, they're appreciated! Due to the way Windows handles USB connections, we've always had to be super careful with making sure Midi devices are on, and connected to the same physical hardware usb connector to avoid problems, but this seems more than that. The midi input was changed from receiving midi data from one single device to receiving midi data from three devices. I could maybe understand if the input was switched to a different device - but why has the input been changed to receive data from three devices? Following the above comments, the conclusion is I can never connect a new piece of USB hardware with midi functionality (mixer, keyboard, interface etc), as if I do, then all my existing projects will be corrupted on opening My gut feeling is that this may be to do with the way virtual midi ports are being enumerated for tracks with input echo set to on. I'll do a few tests and report back.
  9. Just to add results of a further test If I enable the newly connected hardware controller for midi input and then open the project, one of the inputs stays as it was when saved, whilst the other gets set to all three midi inputs So the inputs are now being royally messed up when opening the project!
  10. Hi, Can anyone please help explain this behaviour - it's driving me nuts and I can't understand WHY this would happen To simplify, I've created a project that has two midi tracks with input from 2 virtual midi devices (Lower_Keyboard and Upper_Keyboard, created with loopMidi.) Both tracks have input echo set to on, and have their outputs set to different cakewalk synths All works fine; I save the file, open it, and all stays the same as I expect. I close the file, and then connect a hardware controller to the PC. When I open the file again, both midi inputs have changed to receive input from both virtual devices! This is crazy.... or am I crazy??? 😬 Note that after connecting the hardware controller, I didn't even select it as an input in preferences, it was just connected to the PC. I.e. the original device list was: And after connecting the hardware controller, the active inputs were still the same, although the hardware controller was now shown in the list So the fact of just connecting a hardware controller to the PC was enough for the project to be corrupted on opening! I can only think there is a bug with the way inputs are being set on tracks with input echo enabled, but perhaps this is some behaviour I don't understand - if so, I'd really appreciate any ideas on how to stop this from happening! Cheers, Matt
  11. I have one of these, great IO and performance for the money - and built like a tank! Latency is good too
  12. Yes, I find it really annoying when MIDI inputs / outputs are changed if you open a project where the midi hardware doesn't match what was connected when you saved the project. Raised a feedback request here Option to set Disconnected Midi Devices to 'None' at startup
  13. This is the scenario, I have a lot of external gear controlled by MIDI tracks (output) and a few controllers providing MIDI In. If I open a project where one of the external devices is disconnected / powered off / not available, then the MIDI data is assigned to a random MIDI device Tracks receiving input from the missing midi controller are set to receive input from random MIDI devices(s) Tracks outputting to a missing MIDI devices are, more often than not, assigned to a random VST within the project This causes havoc when opening the project, and it's not possible to prevent this from happening. It's particularly problematic for outputs - they get assigned to a random VST in the project, which can result in a program change being sent - which then changes the VST patch the project was originally saved with. E.g. A test project with Novation SL2 connected (it has both MIDI In and MIDI Out, to demonstrate ) If I open the same project, without the SL2 connected: The MIDI output on track 1 has been set to control Xpand2 (resulting in a patch change) The MIDI input on track 1 has been changed from 'None' to a random MIDI input device The MIDI input on track 2 has been set to a random device in the MIDI input list The changes were made silently - no warnings given - which makes it very easy to miss in even in a fairly simple project. I guess there was a use case for this at some point, but frankly I can't imagine how this behaviour can be of use to anyone... 😉 Instead, can please we have an option in preferences along the lines of If this option is checked, when opening the project, any MIDI inputs / outputs set to missing midi devices are set to 'None' rather than some random allocation. This would massively help my workflow - at the moment I'm on tenterhooks every time I open a project (esp. at a different location), looking for any silent changes that have been made. Hopefully the checkbox option would be a quick fix to prevent the craziness of above. I guess the longer term solution would be a dialog presented when opening the project to prompt the user to select the Midi device to be used for each missing MIDI device - similar to what happens for audio. Cheers, Matt
  14. Update 1 fixed the slow start of Cakewalk (looking for updates I guess) on a networked PC without access to the internet... a minor inconvenience, but nice to be resolved. Great work on the recent updates, they have been stellar!
  15. I'm finding that in #03 the vertical scroll bar on the Arrangement sections no longer scrolls the list of sections up and down when there are more sections that can be displayed in the screen area. I think this was working in #01, but certainly in 2020.09 Rolling the mouse scroll wheel, when the mouse is over the list of sections, will move the list of sections up and down though
  16. Cheers All - to give an update I updated my live rig to CbB Version 2020.09, and haven't had the crash relating to Raum / Phasis etc In no rush to update the OS on my live rig to check further, but think that proves it's not an issue with build 2020.09
  17. As far as I'm concerned recent Dell laptops are a complete non-starter for audio work - especially live use. Just google 'Dell ACPI.SYS latency issues' and it'll become apparent you're better off going with another brand .It's endemic across all their models - even the XPS series, which is often touted for audio work
  18. Anyone else seeing this - I can't track down what the problem is. I think it maybe something to do with the latest version of bandlab / windows When adding Native Instruments effects (Raum, Phasis, Replica etc) to the FX bin, or attempting to edit them in an existing project, I get a complete crash However, it's not consistent: - I I do the same in an new empty project, then it seems I can add the effects to the bin / open the FX UI, no problem. - When I load an existing project, then opening the UI for the effect, sometimes it crashes, sometimes it doesn't Have tried re-installing the effects from Native Access, but no change. I have one particular project where the crash seems to happen pretty consistently. I copied this project onto my live rig (exact same hardware, but different builds), and haven't been able to get a single crash: Studio Machine (Crashing): Windows 10 Pro version 2004, build 19041.508; CbB Version 2020.09, Build 006, 64 Bit Live Rig (No Crash): Windows 10 Pro version 1909, build 18363.836; CbB Version 2020.04, Build 179, 64 Bit Which makes me think it's something to do with updates to windows or CbB? I need to bring my live rig up to date, but want to try and iron this out first - Is there a way of installing an older build of Bandlab on my machine that crashes? Thanks for any advice in advance, Matt
  19. Hi Jim, In my mind it would just be another option in the FX Bin context menu (of a Simple Instrument Track) shown below - "Insert Midi Plugin" i.e. the same as the option available in the FX Bin context menu for a midi track I use Midi FX a lot to condition data from external controllers; mainly the Event Filter, Transpose and Velocity plugins. Cheers, Matt
  20. Hi, Would be great if we could add Midi FX directly to the FX Bin of a simple instrument track. At the moment you have to either: a) Break the track into a midi track and an instrument track in order to add the Midi FX to the separate midi track. This seems unnecessarily complex b) Use the track inspector, switch to the midi tab, where you can then add the Midi FX for the simple instrument - but then the midi FX is kinda hidden. If it showed in the track FX bin, it would be more obvious, esp. when there are lots of simple instrument tracks. Instead, if the drop down on a simple instrument track FX Bin allowed selection of Midi FX, any midi effects would be obvious by looking at the track FX Bin, without having to split the instrument track and add complexity to the project. Behind the scenes I guess this would be the same as option b) above. Cheers, Matt
  21. Been seeing this issue few times in the arranger view: 1. Renaming a section (from within the arranger sections tab, or from the section along the top of the prv) can cause the program to lock. After typing the new name you can't submit the new section name by pressing enter - it's ignored, but then you can't move the focus to elsewhere in the program as the area to enter the new name is modal. Only way out is to force close the app Issue seems intermittent - some times it works ok, sometimes not. Version 2020.09 (Build 006, 64 Bit) Windows 10 Intel i7, 12 Mb Ram
  22. Personally I'd like to see the Staff view get some attention - it doesn't need to be a complete notation package, but just given some love so it works better. Perhaps even take Don Williams up on his offer to update the staff view based on overture. IMO Providing usable notation within a free DAW seems like a great idea for the educational market, and could be a fantastic way to add new users into the userbase
  23. Same here, think I mis-understood about the unlock code given before CbB came into existence - it wasn't forTH3 Full, but a code that allowed the bundled version to be run outside of Sonar - you had to pay more to get an upgrade to TH3 Full. Hence the current upgrade to THU is still expensive, as it's not an upgrade from TH3 Full. Thanks for the link Scook - made it all clear. Hmm.. I just contacted Overloud with my serial, and they gave me a voucher for 20% off TH3, meaning it would still be 183.04 GBP. @tonemangler - did you manage to get an upgrade to TH3 Full?
  24. Hmm.. I just contacted Overloud with my serial, and they gave me a voucher for 20% off TH3, meaning it would still be 183.04 GBP. @tonemangler - did you manage to get an upgrade to TH3 Full?
×
×
  • Create New...