MIDI Signalflow

[azslow3]

6 hours ago, user905133 said:

I will have to double check, but I thought if Cakewalk's Remote Control was set (for example, CC7 on midi channel 10) the midi command learned in Cakewalk  (for example CC7 on midi channel 10) did not get passed on to any destination past what it was assigned to in Cakewalk.  Based on that, when I started using software synths, I only used Remote Control / MIDI Learn in the soft synth, not Cakewalk.

I could be wrong; I haven't checked it in a while. I will try to make some time to explore this further.

That is how it should work.

Unfortunately, it seems like that is not (or not always) the case. Yesterday I have created a simple project, one audio track and one MIDI track. I have assigned one CC from device knob as "Remote Control" for track one volume. Then I have armed MIDI track and have started recording. Turning the knob was recording CC changes...

The test was quick, may be I have overseen something. 

[Astraios]

10 hours ago, user905133 said:

 Based on that, when I started using software synths, I only used Remote Control / MIDI Learn in the soft synth, not Cakewalk.

Yes, but with MIDI Learn, you only have access to the basic functions of a plugin, or rather, all the knobs and sliders. With switches, it can get tricky, and many specific things can only be triggered in the clip editor via VST parameters. The advantage is that the setup is saved (though often unreliable).

[Astraios]

4 hours ago, azslow3 said:

That is how it should work.

Unfortunately, it seems like that is not (or not always) the case. Yesterday I have created a simple project, one audio track and one MIDI track. I have assigned one CC from device knob as "Remote Control" for track one volume. Then I have armed MIDI track and have started recording. Turning the knob was recording CC changes...

The test was quick, may be I have overseen something. 

Try changing the settings here and then reverting to the originals... I've sometimes had the impression that things change when I do that.

[dougalex]

I did not read carefully but thought I should add this to the  discussion in case could be relevant:

See the option "Allow MIDI Recording without an Armed Track"
 

Edited 4 hours ago by dougalex

[Astraios]

On 11/15/2025 at 10:21 PM, Astraios said:

I don't entirely agree with you there, because FL Studio has further developed precisely this type of remote control, and it's very popular worldwide, especially in the EDM world. Sonar Synthrack has a feature (Assig Controls) where you can open a plugin or softsynth and then record the movements of its switches and knobs, for example, 25 consecutive movements. All the VST parameters are then assigned to them in Synthrack (as controls). This is brilliant, but unfortunately, you can only display a limited number of these assignments; if there are more than 15 or 20... (Show/Hide Assigned Controls)

 

the 'assign contol' service will only accept 36 assignments. --> VST parameters labeled with a * in the list

[Amberwolf]

8 hours ago, azslow3 said:

Unfortunately, it seems like that is not (or not always) the case. Yesterday I have created a simple project, one audio track and one MIDI track. I have assigned one CC from device knob as "Remote Control" for track one volume. Then I have armed MIDI track and have started recording. Turning the knob was recording CC changes...

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding people's use cases for remote control and midi learn and even ACT, but:

If you could't record the incoming control data onto the tracks, how would it be useful for automating things?

If all you could do with it was do a realtime control, you could not use it to do anyting more than you could just do within the program or synth interface itself as a one-time change, and would not be very useful beyond avoiding opening the UI sections with the controls you're changing.   

Being able to automate the changes over time within a project, which is the most useful (to me and probably many or most others) application of external control of a parameter, requires being able to record them into the tracks so that they get played back to the controlled parameter during the project.

Otherwise you have to remember all of your sequences of control manipulations and then manually do these over and over eveyr time you play back the project.   You must also do them again while you realtime record the project out from the tracks to an audio recording, because you won't be able to ever fast bounce anything without that control data being automated inside the tracks themselves.