Subject:VSTi and midi omni

Posted by: dlcham

Date:8/22/2002 8:46:14 PM

Does anyone know if there is a way to access the multiple channels of a VSTi in Acid 4 using midi omni (instead of having to change the channel of my midi controller to match that selected in the VSTi)? It's not a huge deal, but it would be a little more convenient.

Thanks -

Subject:RE: VSTi and midi omni

Reply by: pwppch

Date:8/22/2002 10:14:40 PM

This would depend on the VSTi and your contoller's ability to send Omni mode CC msgs. ACID passes through what ever the controller spits out. If the synth can listen, and do something with it, then it will.

Mode msgs deterimine how all subsequent voice msgs will be handled by the reciever. A transmiter can only tell the reciever to go into one of the Omni modes.

So, this is completely up to the VSTi. ACID will just pass everything it recieved from the controller right to the VSTi (or external synth.)

Peter
NOTE: VSTis don't support SYSEX, so we do filter out this as there is no way to send SYSEX to a VSTi.

Subject:RE: VSTi and midi omni

Reply by: chaircrusher

Date:8/22/2002 11:34:35 PM

Peter, in Cubase, I record VSTi instrument fader moves as sysex all the time. The
Native Instruments stuff all transmits sysex with knob moves if you're like me and
too lazy to figure out MIDI Learn. So I don't know what the VSTi documentation
tells you but it is possible. Of course the VST developer docs are pretty sketchy.

Subject:RE: VSTi and midi omni

Reply by: pwppch

Date:8/23/2002 1:10:30 AM

No offense to you, but I am not lazy, you may be, but I am not. I DO know MIDI - inside and out. If you need to learn something, by all means, knock yourself out.

What I stated is accurate. What you state is misleading in that only Steinberg has the actual structure and documentation to support SYSEX transfers to and from VST Instruments.

Read the NI docs. They EXPLICITLY state this. Have a look at page 26 of the FM7 Operation Manual, and I quote:

"..due to a limitation in the VST 2.0 interface, the FM7 cannot receive MIDI Sys-Ex data when operated as a plug-in...."

The problem is the VSTi spec and Steinberg's lack of consitency in documentation and support.

Yes, a VSTi can transmit SYSEX, using an undocumented , or rather partially docuemented, structure for SYSEX buffer transfer to and from VSTis. It is part of the VST GUI 2.2 (or is it 2.3) spec that has yet to be released.

It is just like the FXP and FXB file formats. Some VERY wrong header files are floating around, but they are a use at your own risk type thing until Steinberg gets this officially out.

So, while it may be possible, is not supportable by third party hosts because Steinberg hasn't released the updated SDK.

Peter





Peter

Subject:RE: VSTi and midi omni

Reply by: dlcham

Date:8/23/2002 6:51:53 AM

In midi sequencer apps that I've used (Cakewalk, Sonar, Cubase), it seems that I've always made the "omni" selection right in the sequencer. I just want to make sure: there's no setting that I need to make in Acid to enable omni mode, correct?

Thanks -

Subject:RE: VSTi and midi omni

Reply by: pwppch

Date:8/23/2002 10:00:18 AM

Really? Where is it SONAR? I have been looking for this, but found nothing. Nuendo neither.

SONAR can be made to send the omni mode CC at startup I believe, so this would releave you from having to set it manually. Where and when would you set this in ACID? How would you control it?


Peter

Subject:RE: VSTi and midi omni

Reply by: dlcham

Date:8/23/2002 2:48:03 PM

In Sonar, add a midi track, then in the "IN" dropdown, there are the selections for input. "Midi Omni" is an option in that list. Also, in the menu, see Track -> Property -> Inputs.

I don't remember where the setting was in Cubase VST 32,but I do recall a similar setup.

As far as where to put that in Acid, I guess it would go in the same place that channel selections are made now, just that Midi omni would be an additional option along with channels 1-16. Regarding implementation, I haven't a clue, but I'd bet you guys can figure something out.

I know earlier I said it wasn't a huge feature, but it's one that I'd sure like to see implemented in a minor release.


Thanks -