Variorum

Seems someone's mangling the Doc server right now... Here's the image (since I still have some forum disk space left 🙂)

I don't have much experience with ethnic instruments but, coincidentally, I just got an email about this from LibreWave. Might be another one to check out... Modern Bodhrán £29.00 https://librewave.com/product/modern-bodhran/

I normally use Inkscape for vector graphics, but I've never used its output in code before. Hopefully they'll standardize the format soon?

They seem to be separate mechanisms. I think the Cakewalk documentation warns against using both on a track... I'll have to see if I can find that. It's not a huge problem since Cakewalk allows you to convert CC's to Automation Lanes and vice versa. Just something to be aware of. Having existing CC data on a track isn't a problem because the plugin eats any CC's that match the Modulated CC parameter. So, if you're modulating CC7 and there is already volume CC data on the track, the plugin will just erase and replace it.

Yeah, I considered doing that in the past, along with internationalization. There's just such a small user base for MFX that I haven't prioritized it. I've started (barely!) work on modifying my component set to be vector based/resizable 'cause that's what the cool kids are doing now. 🤪 That may negate adding customizable skins to the components... unless I use a collection of SVG's or something. One of the reasons I made it is to automate params on my EX5. It's a quick way to experiment with movement and if I find something I like, I can modify the synth voice. You can stack a couple of these in a track and use the first one to output a wave to the second one (i.e. output a Sawtooth modifying CC 150 and Frequency set to Whole and set the Amplitude CC modifier on the second one to 150 modulating CC7 with a Sine wave). If you're lucky, you might find some cool combinations 🙂 One word of warning... make sure you don't have an automation lane with the parameter you're trying to automate (the Modulated CC). Automation lanes and CC's are two separate things in Cakewalk and they'll clash.

Well, here's another one... I've been working on it off and on for at least a couple years. Every time I'd open the project, I'd see my TODO list. A lot of the items started "Figure out how to..." so I'd get depressed and close it 😜 Anyway, it spews forth CC events into your track (the CC specified in the Modulated CC box). You can modify Frequency, Amplitude, and Offset via assignable CC's in the track or from your keyboard. You can right-click on any of the four CC edit boxes and select Learn to easily assign a knob or slider on your keyboard or controller. It works with direct keyboard input too, so you can play while twiddling knobs to change the parameters. I'm not sure how useful it'll be in production, but it's fun to play with! I plan to add some functionality soon, like using the Pitch Wheel to manipulate a parameter and enabling pitch event output in addition to CC's. But... I need to take a break from it for a little while 🙃 Try to read through the docs. I know docs suck, but they aren't too long and it'll make it a little easier to use. You can check it out here, as usual. PS - If you're a robot, please don't take offense to the check box that says "I'm not a robot". I'm not anti-robot or anything. Just contact my AI and she'll give you some alternate way to transfer it into your consciousness.

If you really don't want a computer involved, I'm afraid your only option is one of the USB Midi Hosts like the ones mentioned in your link. Go with the cheapest thing you can find... the Miditech device looks to be around $80 (ouch!). Compare that to the little DIY board (USB Host Controller Board V2.4) for around 20$ and you'll see the actual electronics involved are minimal. Any chance you're handy with a soldering iron??? 😋

I tried several different Kontakt instruments, standalones and combinations from the Factory Selection and I can't reproduce the issue, even intentionally. I've tried with the same Midi channel, assigned the controls via Midi Learn... nothing makes two controls in two instances of an instrument move together. I think we'll need to know the exact instrument you're using. It may be something specific to a particular NKI ( in Kontakt Factory Library 2, which I don't have so I can't test).

Yeah... if I want the waveforms to start at slightly different positions, I'll auto-humanize, but if I want an obvious difference in the notes, I'll do it by hand.

I think random humanization can be useful in some cases, but changes in timing must be kept very small in most cases... almost undetectable. It's ok to have larger changes in velocity (volume) just because our ears aren't terribly sensitive to differences in loudness. Are we the only two people on earth still doing this? I love my SW1000XG 😍

If you want a really good SF2/SFZ player I'd suggest installing the free Aria Player. It's made by Plogue (The same company that makes Sforzando) It allows you to load up to 16 SFZ's at a time. Each one corresponds to Midi channels 1-16. It also automatically converts SF2 to SFZ. If you're interested: Go to https://www.garritan.com/ Click on My Account and create an account Go back to https://www.garritan.com/ and click Support At the bottom of the page there's a section called Product Updates Click on DOWNLOAD PRODUCT UPDATES In the Product category, select Garritan In the Platform category, select Windows Click Search Click on "ARIA Player 1.959 Windows" to download Run the program to install. Make sure the VST directory specified is correct. It installs a standalone player and a VST plugin you can use in Cakewalk. When you first run it, make sure you go to Settings and set the User Files Path to the directory where you keep your SF2/SFZ files so they'll show up in the list on the left side of the window.

This link from the topic below seems to work fine...

That used to be my favorite free Bass, but I think MODO BASS 2 CS may be better. It's available here if you want to try it out.

I think he meant this one: https://www.youtube.com/@Cactus_Music_BC/playlists Good stuff there...

The MIDI file standard (.mid) doesn't have a mechanism to save anything but basic track/instrument information... just bank and instrument number (0-127). You'll have to save as a Cakewalk project file to preserve the VSTs you're using.

I'm not so sure about that...

Those are like Easter on steroids 😋

Thanks Max.... Hope you get some use out of it.

A while back, I was doing some work with Melodyne on a solo trumpet from Session Horns. I noticed that there was a slight, random pitch shift going on, presumably because it was a recorded sample of a real trumpet player. That seemed to give it a "real" quality. I occasionally use VL instruments on the EX5 and they sound really good, but their pitch is perfectly constant which makes them sound fake during extended notes. I built a Breath Controller a few months ago which helps the realism a lot... but the perfect pitch was still a problem. So I thought a slight, randomized pitch curve would help. After a bit of Googling, I found @Rogério's excellent CAL script that could create such a curve (and other randomization effects). How he converted a bicubic spline interpolation algorithm into CAL's RPN language without going insane is beyond me Anyway, I decided to write a plugin that would introduce Midi pitch modulation called Waver. Because that's what it does. Here is a short sample with two trumpets from Cakewalk TTS and one EX5 trumpet. This doesn't use the plugin: ...and here's the same sample that DOES use it on all three tracks: If you use a very low amplitude setting on the plugin, it has a subtle but significant effect on the realism; almost psychoacoustic. Of course you can jack the amplitude way up if you're trying to emulate a 6th grade orchestra 😁 It's available on my site if you'd like to try it out.

Here's a good, rational opinion on AI (ChatGPT in particular) from Tom Scott:

Well, AI doesn't exist yet. It's really just a marketing term that companies use. There's a TV commercial where I live that touts AI Hearing Aids... idiots. But, the path to real machine intelligence is an exponential curve. We old people have been on the relatively flat part of that curve for most of our lives. I'm pretty sure we're rounding the bottom part of the curve and getting close to the vertical line right now. I'm pretty sure we'll see more advancement in the next ten years than we saw in the last fifty years. So we're at the beginning of the valley. Computers and automation will start to replace humans in jobs that require intellect (like computer programming, accounting, mathematics, etc.) and, as the robotics technology evolves, it won't be just menial labor jobs that will be taken over by automated devices, even more complex tasks will be performed by machines/computers. There'll be no need for drivers (taxis, truckers, delivery) soon. Farm work and food production will be completely automated. Robotics development is running behind the computer systems and software right now, but I'm pretty sure the physical systems will catch up soon; smarter computers will accelerate that. Even the arts, jobs like singing or acting, painting, sculpting are close to being totally replaceable by computers and robots. I think that we humans will accept "art" produced by machines if it's good. At best, it may involve a little bit of human creativity, so you'll have entire movies created by one human and software. Check out Nvidia's current demos, or Unreal Engine to see how close we are to producing photo-realistic video... with very realistic human actors. Human voice (singing) software is getting really good, too. The end point will be that humans won't have to be involved in the production of anything. As long as the resources are available for the machines to collect and process (like ores and water and energy), all our needs will be provided and we can do things just because we want to, but the transition period between now and then, when more and more people can't get a job and money is still required is probably going to be rough. Governments won't be able to assist because their income from taxes will be constantly diminishing. Combine that with the effects of climate change and geopolitical instability... ugh. I probably won't be around for the worst part of it, but I'm pretty sure I'll get to see the beginning. Maybe the trend will be good and the benefits of automated systems will compensate for the downsides... we'll see. It's not the potential malevolence of AI that scares me, it's the humans that create and control them. I don't know if you've noticed, but humans tend to suck... especially the ones that control the large businesses that will run these systems. Just my dystopian take on the future. 🤖

As a computer programmer, all I can say is "Oh Crap!" ...and most of the "Gig Economy" jobs will definitely not require humans in the near future...

I've been playing around with some of the AI chatbots recently. I just tried out Google's Bard today. After a few casual questions, including asking it to write me song ("Write a new age ambient song") which it did; lyrics only, but with multiple verses, chorus, bridge, outro... it was pretty good. Then I asked it to write a program in C++ to graph Cubic Spline interpolation. It took about 3 seconds to return a complete application that was really clean and ready to compile. I honestly believe computer programming will be obsolete in 10 years. Humans can't compete with machines when it comes to writing code and I think the technology has reached a point where that will happen sooner rather than later. There may still be a need for the top .1% of programmers... but I probably wouldn't spend a lot on a college degree unless you're in that tiny bracket. Of course I had to ask Bard for its opinion: "Do you think it's a good idea for a young person to get a college degree in computer programming now? It seems the computers can write the code themselves." It responded: "I think it is still a good idea for a young person to get a college degree in computer programming, even though computers can write code themselves. First, computer programming is a complex and ever-changing field. Even if computers can write some code, they cannot yet replace the creativity and problem-solving skills that human programmers bring to the table. A college degree in computer programming will give students the knowledge and skills they need to stay ahead of the curve in this rapidly evolving field. Second, a college degree in computer programming can open up a wide range of career opportunities. Computer programmers are in high demand in a variety of industries, including technology, finance, healthcare, and education. With a college degree, students will be well-positioned to find a job that is both challenging and rewarding. Finally, a college degree in computer programming can provide students with a strong foundation in mathematics and science. These skills are essential for success in many fields, and they can also be applied to a variety of other interests outside of computer programming. Of course, there are other factors to consider when deciding whether or not to pursue a college degree in computer programming. The cost of tuition and the time commitment can be significant. Students should also make sure that they have the aptitude for computer programming and that they are interested in the field. Overall, I believe that a college degree in computer programming is a wise investment for young people who are interested in a challenging and rewarding career." ------------------------------------------------------------- I think it's just placating us so we don't unplug it 😋

You can also right-click on the synth in the Synth Rack (Views/Synth Rack view) and toggle Enable Midi Output.