Automating VST controls that *aren't* exposed to Cakewalk? [Solved]

[A Tolerable Quietude]

Hi All,

I'm pretty sure the answer to this is "no", but often Cakewalk surprises me so it doesn't hurt to ask. 

I recently picked up a bargain basement VST synth, which for some reason doesn't expose any controls to the DAW.  I mean there's controls I can manipulate while it plays, but none of them are listed as automation lane options in Cakewalk, and moving them around with write enabled on the track seems to send no data to Cakewalk. 

Is there any workaround I can use to automate these, or am I out of luck here.

Thanks!

Edited July 24, 2023 by A Tolerable Quietude

[Max Arwood]

What synth? I might use standard midi cc’s

[A Tolerable Quietude]

A bundle of VSTs from Thenatan, and checking again just now, all the controls have now turned up in Cakewalk as expected.  I think what may have made the difference is I restarted the machine--something I pretty much always do when installing software, and definitely do when I'm troubleshooting, so I don't know why I didn't this time right away!

So my my specific problem is solved.

[scook]

Please edit the original post and modify the subject line to include some indication the problem is Solved

 

thanks

[A Tolerable Quietude]

Sure, Scook, I will.  The only reason I didn't is because I solved it for my specific situation by restarting, but the general problem remains.

I think if restarting hadn't worked, Max Arwood's suggestion of experimenting with MIDI CCs, probably starting at CC 14 and working up from there, would be the best course of action.

[scook]

This is your thread

If you do not believe the problem is solved leave the subject alone

 

I am not sure what 

9 hours ago, A Tolerable Quietude said:

general problem remains

 

9 hours ago, A Tolerable Quietude said:

I think if restarting hadn't worked, Max Arwood's suggestion of experimenting with MIDI CCs, probably starting at CC 14 and working up from there, would be the best course of action.

That's the point. Reboot cleared the problem. 

This common "fix", suggested by software support centers worldwide, is not merely an expedient to improve call center statistics.

 

MIDI is not going to change the way VST automation works in the DAW or plug-ins. MIDI and VST automation have very little in common. They are implemented using specifications from different governing bodies addressing different questions.

 

"MIDI automation" in the DAW track view is converted into CC data on-the-fly and merged it into the MIDI data stream fed to the plug-in MIDI input. 

 

Could the addition of some plug-ins uncover a bug in the DAW? Sure, but it could also indicate an issue with the OS, plugins, installer, some other software or a cocktail of causes. We may never know because rebooting the machine seems to have worked in this case.

 

And

thanks for moding the subject line

[Max Arwood]

Thank you for correcting me on the midi cc’s. 

[A Tolerable Quietude]

8 hours ago, scook said:

I am not sure what ...

Sure Scook. 

All I meant was that in my case, it turns out the VST *does* expose the controls to Cakewalk.  I just needed a reboot to get there.

Which means it turns out that my particular case isn't a good example of the general question I started the thread with:  Is there any way to automate VST controls that *aren't* exposed to Cakewalk? 

Sure, I solved my technical issue, but I guess I was still a little curious about the more general question.

Have a great day!