Subject:better midi managment in 4.0b

Posted by: ozzborn

Date:11/21/2002 9:46:16 PM

i know that A4 was not designed to be a full midi app and believe me I DONT WANT IT TO BE CUBASE or LOGIC or SONAR but midi in A4 is very ,very tedious.

How can the company who created a revolutionary product, one that has turned tempo and pitchstreching nightmares into nothing short of a modern MIRACLE, take the simple concept of midi (that is used in hundreds of workstations,samplers,synthesizers,and other programs) make it so frustrating and complicated, that the average and above average user would not want to be bothered with it.

SonicPch explained to me how to monitor extenal midi other than recording(thank you very much mr.SonicPch) but its extremly tedious.i dont have any problems with the way A4 edits midi,or how it loops in the pianoroll editor,my problem is in the way you monitor midi.
Once you have a coupe of vstis and external midi tracks trying to toggle the solo buttoms back and forth between the tracks become ridiculous.you guys and girls have got to have figured this out by now.
i know im not alone and probably in the majority on this subject.
you justshould be able to highlight the track,than any midi device your using (connected to the midi the interface and setup correctly in the a4 midi properties correctly) should trigger the vsti or external device.

why make midi monitoring more complicated thn it has to be.

p.s. fix the midi,add rewire, and make it stable, and there is no competition.
..........none..........

Subject:RE: better midi managment in 4.0b

Reply by: salad

Date:11/21/2002 10:55:01 PM

Speaking of MIDI....
Why is it that every time I hit Ctrl+R to do a MIDI record, I have to keep selecting the "MIDI Thru" in that bottom drop down list? I only have one MIDI device. Can't it just REMEMBER the last(only) device used? Why does it keep coming up NONE by default. This means using the mouse, and I'm tired of reselcting the ONLY MIDI device onboard. That means excessive REACHING around from the midi kybd to the mouse.
Too much....mouse useage involved overall. I want to record on the fly quickly, same for audio. No wonder there's been so much confusion about not being able to hear or monitor from the audio/midi interface. Click, click, scroll, kybd shortcut, then another mouse click...... then another. Faster access required!
OTR = One Touch Record, found on cams and vhs machines. User stored settings. Is this incorporated somewhere? I can't find it.

Sometimes the MIDI signal isn't there, even though I know it's set up properly. Just opening the the properties dialog to confirm what I already know is set up correctly and closing it......and it comes back. What was that? It's there.....then it goes away and comes back. Once it's there, it seems to stay locked in, but the next time the app is opened......it's the same routine. Overall, I get recorded what I want ok, and it doesn't seem to crash THAT often(I'm not pushing it though), and I love it, but I need/want this to be as rock solid as VV3.
I don't even want a sequencer (for now). This will do fine, but it SHOULD be faster for those creative moments, cuz it could make a great "scratchpad" for "idea" recording along with loops.

Subject:RE: better midi managment in 4.0b

Reply by: midihead

Date:11/21/2002 11:36:58 PM

Here, here. I used Acid exclusively in my last album "Dividing Asunder" and found it to be a pain to work with the newly implemented midi functions. Don't get me wrong...they are what's needed to make Acid a complete package in my opinion (I used to just record EVERYTHING live into Acid with no midi quantizing). I'm truly grateful for SoFo for listening to our pleas about the need for Midi. The bottom line is that I use Acid because I can lay down ideas that are pouring into my head, quickly. With other multi-track programs there are too many features and configuring that has to be done before you even begin a project. Logic requires a freekin' course to even begin using. This program definitely helps us artists who need to work quickly. Once the midi situation is stabilized, and made simpler and more efficient...Acid will take over the multi-track world.

-Midihead
Monolithic
www.midihead.com

Subject:RE: better midi managment in 4.0b

Reply by: salad

Date:11/22/2002 2:35:58 PM

"Once the midi situation is stabilized, and made simpler and more efficient...Acid will take over the multi-track world."

I agree. SF definitely has a knack for great GUI's, and features. They do indeed listen to their customers too.
Thanks!

I can't complain TOO much . It's all been said before, and now to just wait and see!

Just keep submitting those feature requests!!!

Subject:RE: better midi managment in 4.0b

Reply by: PHATDRUMS

Date:11/22/2002 3:32:25 PM

if sf has a knack for great guis how on earth do you explain the great big pile of shit that is midi in acid 4 you should wake up and smell the cheese ie be objective
and look at the reality if listening to their customers means delivering absolute rubbish
perhaps salad you need a little more protein and a little less excusing for sf shortcomings if sf listen to their customers how do explain the debacle that was cdarchitect 4 (finally resurrected in two years behind the times way cda 5)
and the great big pile of way behind the times that is vsti + midi implementatation
of acid i suggest that you try some other uptodate apps, get out more
therapy may help but i seriously recommend dropping the lithium its clouding your
vision
or perhaps you you just dont know any better in that case youre totally uninformed
and again get out more you need it !

Subject:RE: better midi managment in 4.0b

Reply by: salad

Date:11/22/2002 4:15:40 PM

They WILL get it right. They always have. This one's just taking longer, and it's new road for them. I don't care about CD...anything.
"....way behind the times that is vsti + midi implementatation.."
I'v heard those exact words spoken over the phone from sales rep's at a "certain" audio hardware/software dealer. I had no idea, cuz I don't get out much...I'll work on that. I'm not familiar with all these different apps' yet......this is a new road for me.
Don't mean to sound like I'm coming up with excuses for SoFo, but I am one of the probably hundreds of thousands of satisfied users of Vegas, Vidfactory, and Acid "Music". I'm also quite familiar with Sound Forge 5.
I do wish they would hurry with version B though. I don't need no stinkin 5.1
I hope that's not what we're waiting for. I'll bet it's something else that's not quite right.

I enjoy your posts, btw

Subject:sofo...this is how it should have been done1

Reply by: Zendorf

Date:11/22/2002 9:31:32 PM

I have been a satisfied user of Acid pro since version 1 and up to ....well actually I am another unsatisfied customer of V4. I recently completed a track to go with a professional animated short and although I did finish it, I nearly tore all my hair out in frustration (and I usually would leave that to old age) over instability issues.
My point to this post is to give a heads up to those who are frustrated to checkout Tracktion...a new audio/midi program that should have sofo quaking in their collective boots. At $80 (less than my acid 4 upgrade) it blows acid out of the water in many departments(especially midi and the flexibility of having anything on any track, and the most ucluttered intuitive gui ever!). I will tend to use it in conjunction with my other apps...orion, Acid , vegas, Sonar, but by the next version it may have replaced all of them ;) I still have high hopes for Vegas 4, but hey I use that to edit videos and burn red book cds.
For the frustrated checkout <www.rawmaterialsoftware.com>

Subject:sofo community ,thank you 4 responding

Reply by: ozzborn

Date:11/23/2002 12:23:36 AM

im glad im not the only one whos upset with A4.im also so glad that we can vent like adults and that most of us seem to be on the same page in what we expect from this product.

1 more request from the sofo community,please list your 3 major gripes with this product,i dont mean little things like reverse the loop or groove quantize,I mean WHAT DO WE NEED CHANGED OR IMPLEMETED IN ACID 4.0 FOR US TO BE HAPPY,SATISFIED CONTINUING CUSTOMERS.please 3 major things or less and please explain if needed and please,please,please no bashing,we need to be taken serious.

1 STABILITY

2 REWIRE master to sync reason into acid(honestly the way i would like to work once A4 becomes stable )or REWIRE slave (slave acid into cubase sx(some people want to work like this.)

3.BETTER MIDI MONITORING we have talked about this already

thank you 4 responding