So many controllers on so many midi channels...

[jkoseattle]

I imported a .mid file and I thought it would be nice and clean, but when I go into PRV every track has got a large number of controllers in it. Most of them are empty, but even if they weren't I probably don't need them.

What I DO need is a controller for CC11 Expression. There's already one there for every track. But when I add expression info in there for one track, when I go to the next track, there's a CC11 controller in there for BOTH the track I just left, as well as the new track I just went to. Different Midi channels. I've set all my instruments to Midi Omni, but when I look in the Event List I see that the original Midi file has different Midi channels for every track. Can I just get rid of all that and reset the Midi channels to 1? I learned how to do it today in another thread, but the notes are already in there. Am I going to mess something up by setting everything to Midi 1?

Second question. Here is the layout in question:

Vln 1: Channel 12

Vln 2: 13

Vla 14

Cello: 15

I have entered a ton of Expression data into the top three tracks. Sounds good. When I go to the cellos to enter expression data there, I see that CW was showing me controllers for CC11 for channels 12, 13 14 as well as 15. So I deleted those controllers from the cello, leaving just CC11 channel 15. When I go away from that track and return, however, there are 12, 13 and 14 again. Ugh! What should I do here?

 

[JnTuneTech]

32 minutes ago, jkoseattle said:

I imported a .mid file and I thought it would be nice and clean, but when I go into PRV every track has got a large number of controllers in it. Most of them are empty, but even if they weren't I probably don't need them.

-You've definitely not picked a "nice and clean" MIDI file, or at least judging from the rest of your post, not one that has only what you want to start with. So, without delving into all the possibilities there, I suggest trying another import/project version, and cleaning up the MIDI manually - before trying to use it. I do that often with MIDI files from outside sources.

Basically, I recommend deciding what MIDI you do want to keep, and then using a tool like Event Viewer to strip out anything else after you import the track(s). -For instance, I often keep the MIDI notes, and any expression items I don't want to recreate, and go from there. Using the Event Type filter in Event Viewer can be good for that, especially if all you want to keep is the notes. Just un-check Notes in the view filter, and then delete everything else in each MIDI track you want to clean. -Oh, and it may also be necessary to delete any Sysex banks from the imported MIDI as well, depending on how you imported the MIDI initially.   -Once you start clean, it's much easier to go forward from there. -Just a suggestion!

[OutrageProductions]

@jkoseattle: IIRC you are using solo strings, each in an instance of Kontakt, right?

What I do is convert each MIDI track and all data therein to MIDI channel 1 in the event viewer using any of the available filters & tools, delete any CC data that I don't want/need, set the MIDI input to channel 1 of my specified keyboard controller, and then proceed. [NOTE that this will only work if each instance of Kontakt is on ch1, and does not work well if Kontakt is running as a 'multi'.]

When you focus a track (Echo Input), the kbd [sending on ch1 only] will drive that track and only that track allowing all controllers to be written/ edited in that track.

Your keyboard probably has a volume [CC7] pedal input, pitch wheel [NRPN], and Mod wheel [CC1] as defaults. Some keyboards allow one to change the CC# of the pedal and/or the mod wheel to operate on CC11 expression in MIDI mode. That may be worth investigating. 

On 'pre-built' MIDI files, it is generally useful to set the volume CC7 and expression CC11 to a continuous static level of approximately 101 and then use any of the myriad ways to modify them in automation lanes, either in the PRV, or in track automation lanes, post facto.

I can swap my keyboard controller between several MIDI templates on-the-fly so that my pitch & mod  wheels can be changed to things like CC2, 3, 7,  11, 14, 32, etc.

I also use one of these for more complete control of CC's in most of my orchestration projects. 

[Promidi]

What I would do is create a RechannelMIDI=1 entry under the [WinCake] section in the Cakewalk.ini file

Then after you have opened the MIDI file in CbB, select all, then bounce tracks.  This combines all the MIDI clips on each given track to one clip per track.

This will also rechannel all the MIDI events to match the MIDI channel if the MIDI tracks that those events are on.  The MIDI tracks will retain their track separation.

Don’t use Omni. Make sure your MIDI tracks are set to specific channels.

[David Baay]

5 hours ago, jkoseattle said:

Am I going to mess something up by setting everything to Midi 1?

When not using multitimbral synths, every instrument has it's own dedicated port, so distinguishing channels is not necessary.  But setting a specific port and channel for the track input as Promidi suggested is a  best practice to ensure you only record and echo the port and channel your controller is on. They can still all be channel 1 at the input. If you ever need to distinguish cannels for a Multitimbral synth, you just  set a forced output channel for the track (the wideget labeled C).

5 hours ago, jkoseattle said:

I deleted those controllers from the cello, leaving just CC11 channel 15. When I go away from that track and return, however, there are 12, 13 and 14 again.

I'm thinking possibly you just removed the lane from the Controller Pane by clicking the minus button; this doesn't remove the controllers from the track, it just temporarily removes them from the display. To delete them I would select the track(s) and use Edit > Select > By Filter. This gives you the same dialog as Find/Change; click the None button and then re-check only Controllers, OK to apply the filter, and delete. If you want to leave some controllers, enter only the range of controller numbers to be deleted. Or you can wipe them out with the erase tool in the PRV Controller Pane one lane at a time.

 

[Andres Medina]

Also, you could delete all controllers, or the ones you don't need, by using Edit/Select/Filter.

I do it all the time to clean midi files imported from other programs.

 

[jkoseattle]

Yeah, tried doing that, sounds like @Andres Medina and @David Baay both had the same suggestion. Thank you for those! 

But of course, didn't work. That's the thing about CW, Once you know how to use it, it's very powerful ---- until you have to do something you've not done before, in which case you are painfully reminded that everything in CW is a lot harder than it should be.

Thank you everyone, I'm giving up. Lesson learned. This is the first time in 35 years of CW usage that I've needed to import a Midi file of this size and complexity, and I probably won't need to again. But if I do, I'll grab a scotch and be prepared to massage the daylights out of it before I do anything else.

As for this project, I'm just going to struggle along while the freight train known as The Deadline comes barreling down the track...

[David Baay]

PM me a link to the MIDI file (or partially-reconfigured project) and let me know what you want/don't want on each track. I'll fix it for you.

Dave