Nobletonmusic

Hi Craig, not sure if you saw my post in response you mentioning an article you were doing for soundonsound.com. I have been checking the site a number of times but haven't found it. Did they publish it at soundonsound.com ? Thanks

Craig, I looked for it at the SOS website but didn't see it. Perhaps it's still being in process before it's posted at SOS ?

Yes, as one of the posters said, once you start connecting all kinds of hardware, software & VSTs from various companies, digital music production can be a "challenge" Azslow3, I did what you suggested, placed notes on the piano roll, then played around with the velocities. No luck. maybe I just reload the whole 7 + GB Acoustic Picked & hope it works. Was on sale for $ 75 and there are still a lot of things I can do with it. After 8 days I heard back from NI. They didn't answer any of my questions about velocity level sensitivity from instrument to instrument, did they find anything in the support tool I created which captured a whole pile of information from my computer, look at the screen shots of the MIDI-OX data I sent, where there setting s I may have wrong that I could correct... All they said was to send it back, & they'd repair it. If it was the keyboard & couldn't be fixed, they'd sent me another one. At this point I'm so pissed off. I might just take it back to Sam Ash & start from scratch, look at another option. Might even buy a refurbished Mac, switch to Studio One. Hate to leave CbB after all these years.

Okay, I should build a midi clip without using the keyboard. Manually enter on the piano roll. Then adjust the velocities and see if the VST responds the way I expect it to. Thanks again, great idea.

Thanks, I think I understand what you are saying. I assume you are talking about using your MFX on the Akai, or does the Akai have a feature to make the adjustment you describe? I hit a key softly and see where the yellow lines on your MFX are, then use the virtual pen to pull those up to say 50. Hit the key with a medium pressure and do the same, creating a 60 - 110 for that pressure. Hit the key harder and make the adjustment, etc Then connect all the dots with a smooth ascending line. Not to belabor the point, but it's all about how these lower velocities are affecting the articulations of the virtual instrument. I tried your velocity MFX, followed the instructions to create a hammer-on in SG - Acoustic Picked, it didn't happen. I played two notes beside each other without the MFX, then went back and manually adjusted the velocities in the piano roll view, nothing. I'm starting to think it's a glitch in the VST. I wish the support people at NI would get back to me, maybe all I need to do is redownload the entire VST. It is over 7 GB and takes a while. I agree, I don't expect a perfect result, all I care about is that I can create the slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs in the Acoustic Picked VST. When I play in my XLN Addictive keys, the velocities may be low & I don't get that crisp edge, but when I lift the velocities afterward, it sounds great. So I can live with that on all my other VSTs. Thanks again, I sure appreciate your patience and your expertise. I see you help a lot of people in other posts, that's wonderful.

Azslow3.. I finally went in downloaded your velocity MFX. Inserted in a track and played around with the curve. Of course it altered the dynamics but the velocities that I played in were the same, what I thought were low. Maybe some of these virtual instruments, like the NI The Gentleman piano only put out certain velocities? Hitting the key as hard as I can , will produce about 100 velocity. As I said in another post - The nuances of the instrument are not there when I getting 30 - 90 as the velocity range. Especially on the SG - Acoustic Guitar, where slides into notes, hammer-ons and pull-offs are based on differences in velocity. Not getting those functions in Acoustic Picked. I'm going to play in a track on the SG - Picked and see if using your velocity MFX will create the hammer-on effect, the slide into a note, etc. So is there a way for me to increase the velocities as I play them in. I would like to hit the keyboard firm and get a 115 and hit softly and get a 40. Thanks again, I sure appreciate your help.

Appreciate the response, I don't think I was clear enough on the problem. I can find ways to increase the volume. I'm concerned about the velocities I'm seeing in the Event View. For the life of me I can't figure out why they are so low and what I can do to increase them when I play a track in. It's affecting the articulations on something like the Kontakt The Gentleman piano, and on my XLN Addictive Keys. The nuances of the instrument are not there when I getting 30 - 90 as the velocities. Especially on the SG - Acoustic Guitar, where slides into notes, hammer-ons and pull-off are based on differences in velocity. Not getting those functions in Acoustic Picked. There are no velocity curve options on the NI Komplate Kontakt controllers both A & S- Series. The MFX velocity plug-in seems to work to lift velocities, after I have records them in at lower levels. Maybe I'm not seeing a way to put that into the track before I play in any notes. Someone else in the CbB forum sent a link to a velocity curve I could add. But why the hell do I have to do all that to get a decent velocity for instruments I'm playing through the KK A61? It seems the velocities produced differ from instrument to instrument. I use the KK A61 to enter a drum track, using XLN Addictive Drums and no problem. I hit the C3 for the kick, with a good hit and get 127 velocity no problem.

If I could ask a question in this thread, as I'm having a heck of a time with my KK A61 and getting a decent volume level. I have the NI Gentleman piano loaded. I hit a note on the keyboard on the instrument with my mouse & it's quite loud, maybe set at 127 at default. I hit a key on the KK A61 and it's very low. I checked this "Accept standard controller.. " option. It's set at -6 dB. I have the box checked (filled in white as you say).. Right now I'm playing Kontakt player as a standalone, trying to solve this volume issue, Any input would be most appreciated. Still waiting to hear back from NI support.

Thanks... I l'll look it over, I assume it will allow the velocities to be increased as I play and not after the notes are entered. "Input velocities (live of from the track) are displayed for orientation."

Bizarre. I didn't change any of the settings. Turned off computer, came back in a few hours and transport was working. Now it's a velocity issue and unfortunately neither the S- Series or A- Series has a velocity curve option. I'm waiting to hear back from NI support, but from what I've read in the NI forum, it's an issue for a number of people. I could easily, lift all the velocities in the Piano Roll view, but it's the articulations I'm concerned about. Without the proper velocities, the sound of the instrument is not the same. The hammer-ons & pull-offs in Session Guitarist - Acoustic Picked aren't working at the lower velocities. I'll see what NI support says. I have Melodyne Assistant. I like CbB, and don't really want to learn another new DAW. Of course I'm not starting from scratch & already playing around in the free Studio One, it's easy to figure things out. So you are right, if I decided to leave CbB and used Studio One, I'm sure the Studio One 4 Artists would be all I need for $ 100 and then the extra $ 80 to load in the plug-ins I have. $ 180 is peanuts for a good DAW. Now that the KK A61 is running the transport in CbB, I won't have to purchase & learn a new DAW. It's the KK A61 controller now that's the issue. Is it going to do what I want. The velocity issue is key.

AZslow3, Thanks again. OMG, That sounds like such a hassle. I have CbB set up now as you outlined, KK A DAW checked in both CbB Midi devices and as the Port In & Out on Control Surface page. Have the MMcl Mackie Control # 1 and found it listed in the Utilities Menu. Then disabled the handshake.. So from the CbB end I think I have everything correct. Now I have the KK A61 MIDI I/O to figure out- reinstall it, clean up Win 10 MIDI devices ( whatever that means) cleanup CbB MIDI INI , etc. Could wait & see what the NI support people suggest, or just take it back & start over in my search for a MIDI controller that will work with CbB The KK A61 integrates with Studio One.. I downloaded the free version to try. But hell, I don't want to have to buy & learn a new DAW. Even with the Artist version of Studio One, it's an extra $ 80 to be able to load in the plug-ins I want - like Melodyne, Session Guitarist, etc.

Well, I did get a Komplete Kontrol A-61 controller. In my previous post, lots of help. Integration with CbB is proving to be a "challenge". A few people said they were able to set up a Cakewalk and be able to run some functions from their Komplete Kontrol MIDI controller. Maybe it's only the S-Series though ? I saw a post from msmcloed back in June, assisting Anders Madsen, getting a KK A-49 to assume some of the DAW duties, transport, moving through tracks, etc. So I followed the steps as best I could. In CbB Midi Devices, checked both Komplete Kontrol A-61 MIDI & Komplete Kontrol A DAW. On the Control Surfaces page, I inserted the MMcl Mackie Control #1. There was something about disabling the handshake in the set up dialogue. ( see below). I have no idea, where that is found What MIDI setting should be set on the KK A-61 ? Right now I can't select any of the KK options as Input and only the KK A DAW option as Output, which seems very odd. At the NI site they say - "In order to enable transport control, you have to configure your KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series as an MCU control surface in your host. Please consult the manual of your host software for more information. This option is only available for the S-series keyboards." It makes it sound like it can't be done in a A- Series, but it sounds like someone at CbB , msmcloed & AZslow3 may figured something out..

Wow, Craig .. you are the expert in all things CbB and digital recording in general. I remember reading your articles way back when I first started using Cakewalk. Not sure if you would go back as far as my first Cakewalk product Cakewalk 6, but certainly I remember you from the Sonar days. I look forward to reading your article and learning even more about Komplete Kontrol & CbB integrations. I will check out the links you posted. Thank you so much. That goes for everyone who has contributed to this post, that started by me simply wanting to know, if I bought a Komplete Kontrol midi interface would it work well enough with CbB?

I was curious about the feel of the keyboard used in the more expensive S-series controllers, compared to the A-Series. I was able to play a S-49. The feel is really great for a velocity sensitive keyboard. I have not found any of the A-series to try out. At the site they talk about Pro-Grade Fatar keybeds in the S-series.. In the specs for the A-61 they call the keyboard "custom NI keyboard". I read an article from Oct 2018, where the designers talked about the A-Series. They mentioned staying away from that plasticky feel. "It’s a proper semi-weighted keybed with a bespoke design using a weight and spring mechanism, built in the same way as keyboard models that are usually in much higher price brackets." I'm wondering if the keyboard of the A-series feel the same as the S-series ? Would anyone know? Thanks.

Thanks, with me a picture is ALWAYS, the preferred option. Talk about a brain freeze. I went to the MIDI-OX home page, instead of the software I'd downloaded. I see my Focusrite MIDI device listed there now. If I do purchase the Komplete Kontrol A-61. I will follow your instructions on setting up the device.