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Controllers: Using more than 16 midi channels


Chip Michael

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Hello, 

I use virtual instruments to create temp tracks. While playing in a given instrument, I have a controller which adjusts CC: 1, CC: 11, & CC: 19 for the channel.  This works great as long as I only have 16 instruments.  The moment I work on a project with more than 16 instruments, any controller signals for a previously used channel impact the new channel.

Example: Violin 1 Aggressive is set to channel 12 - the melody begins the section strong, but fades the CC controls over four measures. 
                      Trumpet Aggressive is set to channel 12 - the trumpets start soft, but take over the melody at measure four crescendo to the end. 

If I play in each track separately, I can sent the appropriate signals to each track.  But, if I let the tracks play together, both trumpet and violin get confused as to which signal they should be following. If a CC signal for the trumpets say increase, both trumpets and violins increase. But then, if the CC signal for the violins say decrease, both tracks decrease.  

This prevents any sort of playback option.

Work around: Write for 16 tracks at a time, Bounce the tracks to audio, import audio for all the tracks into a new project, mix using audio.  

Anyone else having this issue?  Or know of a way to get more than 16 midi tracks to play nicely together?    

 

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If you instatiate a new instance of a virtual instrument you can have a whole new 16 channels to work with. When playing with your controller you have to enable echo on the ones you want to record or play.  When playing back as long as the Midi track is directed towards the desired synth then the midi data for that one midi track should only affect the pointed to instrument.

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Maybe I'm not understanding or not explaining my situation. 

I have 16 tracks with 16 instruments, all will controller information in them. 
I add a new virtual instrument with 16 more instruments, play in controller information into those 16 channels. 
Now, I have 32 instruments. When I play back, I get channel 1 instrument playing the right virtual instrument, but the controls for that instrument are affected by the controls set in channel 17 as well as channel 1 - because both have CC: 1 set to channel 1.  

I can replicate this with two midi tracks, using two virtual instruments, but using the same channel for controls, but each midi track controls are different. 

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