Can't get keyboard input to SI String Section

[Barry Seymour]

I seem to be unable to set up SI String to accept input from my computer keyboard. I did it last month for a song I recorded, but now I'm trying to do it again and bless me but I can't get it to work! I even went back to my previous project and it's not working there either.

Here are the steps I take:

• Right-Click and select "Insert Instrument"
• Select "SI String Section" and click "Create"
• VST appears. I can hear sounds when I click the keys with my mouse
• I click the keyboard button at top right ("Give all keystrokes to plug-in")
• I press computer keys. No sound.

What am I missing?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Barry

 

[scook]

use the virtual controller

 

[Barry Seymour]

Okay, I found the Virtual Controller (thanks anyway, scook) but now when I hit keys it plays both the strings and the drum kit! I was able to freeze the audio from the drum kit to prevent that, but might there not be a better way?

[scook]

Turn off Always Echo Current MIDI Track and assume manual control of input echo then double check all the instrument and MIDI track input assignments.

Keep in mind when an instrument or MIDI track has input echo enabled and the input is set to None, CbB changes the input to "All Inputs - Omni" so the track has some input to echo.

 

[Barry Seymour]

On 6/5/2020 at 9:08 PM, scook said:

Turn off Always Echo Current MIDI Track and assume manual control of input echo then double check all the instrument and MIDI track input assignments.

Keep in mind when an instrument or MIDI track has input echo enabled and the input is set to None, CbB changes the input to "All Inputs - Omni" so the track has some input to echo.

 

Sorry, I'm Mr. Analog Instrument, never knew much about MIDI. I am unsure of what you mean by 'check all the instrument and MIDI Track Input Assignments.'

But I created a new empty project with an eye toward learning; Just Drums and Strings. Here's what I understand so far...

•  I have to set input to each track to Mini OMNI for the virtual controller to work
• If I select a track, then the virtual controller records that track.
• If I shift+Click the track NUMBERS, both are selected and VC input is routed to both. Gotta make sure I avoid that.
• If I start recording, manually entering notes, the first few beats / notes are not captured / recorded. Any suggestions on that?

I tried setting the MIDI input to separate channels for each of the instruments, but then the VC didn't work. I suspect that's by design. I don't think the VC has a 'MIDI channel,' per se.

Am I barking up the right tree so far?

Thanks for your help so far....

Barry

 

 

[Barry Seymour]

On 6/5/2020 at 6:45 PM, scook said:

use the virtual controller

 

Okay, I read this again and I think I have an even better take on things. Will research more.

 

[scook]

 

 

1 hour ago, Barry Seymour said:

I have to set input to each track to Mini OMNI for the virtual controller to work

Using the Virtual controller the following inputs work for both synths.

• All Inputs - MIDI Omni 
• All Inputs - MIDI Ch, 1
• Virtual Controller - MIDI Omni
• Virtual Controller - MIDI Ch. 1

The difference between these 4 input settings are

All Inputs accepts data from from all MIDI devices including the virtual controller

Virtual Controller accepts data from the Virtual Controller only

MIDI Omni accepts data from all channels from the specified device

MIDI Ch.1 accepts data from channel 1 only from the specified device

AFAIK, the Virtual Controller only transmits on channel 1.

FYI, SI plug-ins play all notes in the instrument's range regardless of their channel assignment.

1 hour ago, Barry Seymour said:

• If I select a track, then the virtual controller records that track.
• If I shift+Click the track NUMBERS, both are selected and VC input is routed to both. Gotta make sure I avoid that.

Just like recording audio, there is no need to select a track to record just click the record button. Also like audio, to hear the track while recording, input echo must be enabled. Again like audio if two tracks are set to record from the same input (in this case the four inputs identified above are effectively the same) they both will record the same data. Finally, if both are set to input echo they both will play whatever data is at the track input just like audio tracks.

 

1 hour ago, Barry Seymour said:

If I start recording, manually entering notes, the first few beats / notes are not captured / recorded. Any suggestions on that?

They should but it is common practice to leave an empty measure or two at the beginning of a project to allow virtual instruments time to prepare for data. SI series should not be that sensitive.

[Barry Seymour]

3 hours ago, scook said:

 

 

Using the Virtual controller the following inputs work for both synths.

• All Inputs - MIDI Omni 
• All Inputs - MIDI Ch, 1
• Virtual Controller - MIDI Omni
• Virtual Controller - MIDI Ch. 1

The difference between these 4 input settings are

All Inputs accepts data from from all MIDI devices including the virtual controller

Virtual Controller accepts data from the Virtual Controller only

MIDI Omni accepts data from all channels from the specified device

MIDI Ch.1 accepts data from channel 1 only from the specified device

AFAIK, the Virtual Controller only transmits on channel 1.

FYI, SI plug-ins play all notes in the instrument's range regardless of their channel assignment.

Just like recording audio, there is no need to select a track to record just click the record button. Also like audio, to hear the track while recording, input echo must be enabled. Again like audio if two tracks are set to record from the same input (in this case the four inputs identified above are effectively the same) they both will record the same data. Finally, if both are set to input echo they both will play whatever data is at the track input just like audio tracks.

 

They should but it is common practice to leave an empty measure or two at the beginning of a project to allow virtual instruments time to prepare for data. SI series should not be that sensitive.

Thanks for all the information. The pieces are slowly coming together in my fevered brain.

[balloonhead]

I have the same problem with Reason Rack Plugin. Wanted to search an instrument within the plugin but as soon i press a button (in my case T) this button is catched by Cakewalk as hotkey. No chance to put in the search text in the field.

the button Give all Keystrokes to Plugin wont work.

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by balloonhead
addition of text

[abacab]

1 hour ago, balloonhead said:

I have the same problem with Reason Rack Plugin. Wanted to search an instrument within the plugin but as soon i press a button (in my case T) this button is catched by Cakewalk as hotkey. No chance to put in the search text in the field.

the button Give all Keystrokes to Plugin wont work.

 

Same here! I guess that Reason Rack isn't communicating correctly with Cakewalk, or vice versa.

If I use another VST, such as IK Sampletank, I can use the search box within the plugin and 'T' doesn't trigger a hotkey in the host.

If I try Reason Rack with another host such as Studio One the plugin search box works, even if I type a letter assigned to keyboard shortcuts in that host. Close the plugin window, and the shortcut works in the host.

By the way you posted this issue in a thread about an entirely different topic. Might try starting your own thread. The original post was about using the computer keyboard as a MIDI keyboard to send MIDI to the plugin. ?

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by abacab

[balloonhead]

22 hours ago, abacab said:

By the way you posted this issue in a thread about an entirely different topic. Might try starting your own thread. The original post was about using the computer keyboard as a MIDI keyboard to send MIDI to the plugin. ?

 

well its the same problem that the computer keyboard wont be available for the plugin. By the way Reason is a VST3 could be the problem. Someone else maybe has another DAW that supports VST3 and also has Reason Rack Plugin and could test what happens there?

[abacab]

3 hours ago, balloonhead said:

 Someone else maybe has another DAW that supports VST3 and also has Reason Rack Plugin and could test what happens there?

I did mention above that the Reason Rack works OK in Studio One 4. And yes it was a VST3.