ACT set recall parameters from VST

[EnglandBross]

Hello everybody,

yesterday I was trying Studio One and I noted that when i switch from one plugin to anoter , the controller set itself on a new set parameter of new vst.
in cakewalk it need to "match" then knob til the value if you want change the parameter.
is it possible to improve teh ACT engine in the way that when Skip to another plugin the controller set itself on new parameter?

cheers 

elix 

[msmcleod]

It sounds like you've got the capture mode set to "Match".  Go  to the options tab on the ACT Controller dialog, and change the capture mode to Jump.

[EnglandBross]

13 minutes ago, msmcleod said:

It sounds like you've got the capture mode set to "Match".  Go  to the options tab on the ACT Controller dialog, and change the capture mode to Jump.

ok , but if I set to JUMP the controller skip immediately ... I might prefer that controller follow the vst value and not vst value skip to value of controller set ... and the problem is that I risk to loose the old vst value paramenter.

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by EnglandBross

[azslow3]

"The controller" is like "the music instrument". That tells nothing about which device and mode of it you use, and for your question  that is important.

If your controller has encoders (infinite knobs), they send right type of messages (increment/decrement) and "ACT MIDI" is configured to understand these messages, you will have controls always "in sync".

If your controller expect a "feedback" from the DAW and it is sending absolute position, the DAW should know how to send the feedback. That is controller specific and can't be done "generic" way.  "ACT MIDI" is not designed for that. Some DAWs support simplest feedback (send current value to the place and in form the control is sending to the DAW) and for some controllers that works, but in most cases there is a separate software for particular DAW and controller combination.

[EnglandBross]

On 3/8/2023 at 12:02 PM, azslow3 said:

"The controller" is like "the music instrument". That tells nothing about which device and mode of it you use, and for your question  that is important.

If your controller has encoders (infinite knobs), they send right type of messages (increment/decrement) and "ACT MIDI" is configured to understand these messages, you will have controls always "in sync".

If your controller expect a "feedback" from the DAW and it is sending absolute position, the DAW should know how to send the feedback. That is controller specific and can't be done "generic" way.  "ACT MIDI" is not designed for that. Some DAWs support simplest feedback (send current value to the place and in form the control is sending to the DAW) and for some controllers that works, but in most cases there is a separate software for particular DAW and controller combination.

I have a behringer MINI touch , it works with cubase, Protools, Studio one, Mixbuss ...and more, but not with cakewalk.
when I change plugin , the controller didn't follow the parameter ..  it wait for match  the knob... it's so boring !!!

 

[azslow3]

With Behringer X-Touch Mini you have several options:

• put it into Mackie mode and use "Mackie" control surface plug-in in Cakewalk. But It will not control VST plug-ins, only strip pans (Unlike Compact and big X-Touch, it has no sufficient number of controls to mimic Mackie).
• put it into MIDI mode, set knobs to transmit relative value, use "ACT MIDI" control surface plug-in, set it to use relative values for knobs. There you can configure to use knobs for different parameters, including "dynamic plug-in mapping". It will not "jump", but there will be no ring indication ("ACT MIDI" is not supporting feedback).
• put it into MIDI mode, set knobs to transmit relative value, use it as MIDI input (without control surface plug-in) and MIDI learn in VSTi in question (assuming it support relative MIDI controls learning). Unlikely you will get any feedback.
• put it into Mackie mode and use preset for AZ Controller: https://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,377.0.html
  You will get feedback and can control VSTs in "Plug-in control layer".

Sorry to says, but quickly searching YouTube videos for Mini and Cubase/Protools/etc., most videos are a kind of "it's so boring!!!" for one or another feature which doesn't work. Well, logical... google top "known bloggers" which normally have no idea what are controllers and how to make them working, with any DAW (till particular controller officially support particular DAW)  ?

Any controller/DAW combination require the user spend a bit of time to learn how to setup it optimally for the use case (which can be different). You can "hit" something good working "by luck", f.e. when someone has added particular controller support into particular DAW or controller comes with own software for particular DAW. But you can't expect that magically automatically works. "A controller" is not "a mouse", they are all different.

[EnglandBross]

17 hours ago, azslow3 said:

With Behringer X-Touch Mini you have several options:

• put it into Mackie mode and use "Mackie" control surface plug-in in Cakewalk. But It will not control VST plug-ins, only strip pans (Unlike Compact and big X-Touch, it has no sufficient number of controls to mimic Mackie).
• put it into MIDI mode, set knobs to transmit relative value, use "ACT MIDI" control surface plug-in, set it to use relative values for knobs. There you can configure to use knobs for different parameters, including "dynamic plug-in mapping". It will not "jump", but there will be no ring indication ("ACT MIDI" is not supporting feedback).
• put it into MIDI mode, set knobs to transmit relative value, use it as MIDI input (without control surface plug-in) and MIDI learn in VSTi in question (assuming it support relative MIDI controls learning). Unlikely you will get any feedback.
• put it into Mackie mode and use preset for AZ Controller: https://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,377.0.html
  You will get feedback and can control VSTs in "Plug-in control layer".

Sorry to says, but quickly searching YouTube videos for Mini and Cubase/Protools/etc., most videos are a kind of "it's so boring!!!" for one or another feature which doesn't work. Well, logical... google top "known bloggers" which normally have no idea what are controllers and how to make them working, with any DAW (till particular controller officially support particular DAW)  ?

Any controller/DAW combination require the user spend a bit of time to learn how to setup it optimally for the use case (which can be different). You can "hit" something good working "by luck", f.e. when someone has added particular controller support into particular DAW or controller comes with own software for particular DAW. But you can't expect that magically automatically works. "A controller" is not "a mouse", they are all different.

Azslow, believe in me ... I tried to set my controller in several mode but only to have back the knob value.
I have the x-touch , it's configured in Mackie control and it work very well.
but the point is .. to have the value back by plugin .. o better , to avoid to "mach" the knob  . in StudioOne it works good, you choice different plugin and the controller is already set to the plugin's value (excellent).
Thank for your tips about AzSlow, if it works will be welcome to avoid to change DAW, cakewalk it's so old in specific function ... I feel like the only priority of stuff is to be maintained , but not for a new feature or review the old feature.

It'a a shame because cakewalk had/have a great possibility to challenge with the other DAW.

cheers 

[azslow3]

58 minutes ago, EnglandBross said:

Azslow, believe in me ... I tried to set my controller in several mode but only to have back the knob value.

Sorry, but I don't believe you ? If knobs on Mini are in relative mode, it always change the value relative to current (once DAW is configured to accept relative value, otherwise the knob always effectively set one of two fixed values...). There are several relative modes and DAW surface plug-ins support several, but both have to be set manually to match each other.

 

59 minutes ago, EnglandBross said:

in StudioOne it works good, you choice different plugin and the controller is already set to the plugin's value (excellent).

StudioOne supports several types of not Presonus controllers, but in general they protect own controllers market. So you just had luck "it works!" for your controller. When you have a controller with which it does not work, you can't make it work. And no-one (except Presonus) can. They don't have open surface API (unlike Cakewalk, REAPER, Ableton and Bitwig). The same with Cubase.

ProTools long time was supporting just one protocol for surfaces (Mackie HUI), any controller had to implement it to work with ProTools. Since long time they also use EUCON.

I mean your claim "other DAWs" do it better with controllers in general is not true. Cakewalk was the first DAW which has published open source surface API. The only other DAW which has done the same is REAPER.

1 hour ago, EnglandBross said:

Thank for your tips about AzSlow, if it works will be welcome to avoid to change DAW, cakewalk it's so old in specific function ... I feel like the only priority of stuff is to be maintained , but not for a new feature or review the old feature.

It'a a shame because cakewalk had/have a great possibility to challenge with the other DAW.

When someone writes about changing a DAW because of controller support... that is just LOL. DAWs are different and each has advantages and disadvantages. Many users have and use more then one DAW. You can't "replace" ProTools if you are forced to use it. An attempt to "replace" Ableten or Maschine is not going to work well (if you used them for the purpose they was designed...). And there are FL, Tracktion, etc. which are also quite specific. There can be (and was, when Sonar had EOL...) discussions about changing between Cakewalk/S1/Cubase/REAPER/Samplitude/some other since they have significant overlap in the functionality and in the framework. But there are always pro and cons for each, which by far overweight a possibility to work with the cheapest controller with encoders on the market (Behringer X-Touch Mini).

 

[EnglandBross]

On 3/14/2023 at 11:05 AM, azslow3 said:

Sorry, but I don't believe you ? If knobs on Mini are in relative mode, it always change the value relative to current (once DAW is configured to accept relative value, otherwise the knob always effectively set one of two fixed values...). There are several relative modes and DAW surface plug-ins support several, but both have to be set manually to match each other.

 

StudioOne supports several types of not Presonus controllers, but in general they protect own controllers market. So you just had luck "it works!" for your controller. When you have a controller with which it does not work, you can't make it work. And no-one (except Presonus) can. They don't have open surface API (unlike Cakewalk, REAPER, Ableton and Bitwig). The same with Cubase.

ProTools long time was supporting just one protocol for surfaces (Mackie HUI), any controller had to implement it to work with ProTools. Since long time they also use EUCON.

I mean your claim "other DAWs" do it better with controllers in general is not true. Cakewalk was the first DAW which has published open source surface API. The only other DAW which has done the same is REAPER.

When someone writes about changing a DAW because of controller support... that is just LOL. DAWs are different and each has advantages and disadvantages. Many users have and use more then one DAW. You can't "replace" ProTools if you are forced to use it. An attempt to "replace" Ableten or Maschine is not going to work well (if you used them for the purpose they was designed...). And there are FL, Tracktion, etc. which are also quite specific. There can be (and was, when Sonar had EOL...) discussions about changing between Cakewalk/S1/Cubase/REAPER/Samplitude/some other since they have significant overlap in the functionality and in the framework. But there are always pro and cons for each, which by far overweight a possibility to work with the cheapest controller with encoders on the market (Behringer X-Touch Mini).

 

hello , 
sorry but i don't agree with you ,?there are a several reason to change DAW, and any choice could be the right choice !
anyway ... the minithouch still works on ACT mode but in match ... it's a shame ...
slowly slowly I'm migrating by studioOne.
Cheers and thanks becouse appart Mc, you are the only interested person who answered my question