Automating a track's volume envelope with MIDI -ACID Product Family

Subject:Automating a track's volume envelope with MIDI Posted by: darrena Date:3/27/2009 8:33:57 PM This is maybe an obscure request, but here goes anyway. I'm not a big automation guy normally, so I'm not super familiar with automation in Acid. I have this idea that I want to build a rhythm track out of a continuous audio track. That is, I want to have a track that has a single audio file that is the entire length of the song and use a volume envelope that is either all off or all on (or maybe stepped to give some dynamics to the equation, but that's secondary). But there's no curve to the envelope, just 0 or 100%. But given the complexity of the patern of the envelope, doing it by hand would be a chore. I was thinking the closest thing to this is really a drum machine, but a drum machine that could handle a 5-minute-long sample and every time I pressed a key on the keyboard it would unmute the sample, and every time i released a key it would remute it rather than starting the sample over every time you press a key. But I don't know of any drum VST that can do that. Similarly a synth might be able to do this. I think omnisphere (a synth, not a drum VST) has a mode that will not restart the waveform over when you press a key (as long as I played a key right at 0:00:00) but it doesn't let me load my own samples and I think this mode only works for keys that are pressed back to back (legato mode). The other way to think of this is a sidechained noise gate with an attack and release of 0ms that would key off of some MIDI track where a note was going on and off in the desired pattern (I could then mute the MIDI track and just play the WAV). But Acid doesn't do sidechaining or using MIDI input to a VST on an audio track. SO! I'm thinking the only way I can do this is with a volume envelope. And I was wondering: can I map the volume envelope to MIDI in automation? Can I set a MIDI note ON to volume 100% and MIDI note OFF to volume 0%? And how do I arm the particular track? And how do I quantize it (critical)? I'm sure there are some bright minds out there that can tell me how to accomplish this effect. Thanks!
Subject:RE: Automating a track's volume envelope with MIDI Reply by: MarkWWW Date:3/28/2009 8:18:21 AM Why not just use a Mute envelope? Mark

This is maybe an obscure request, but here goes anyway.

I'm not a big automation guy normally, so I'm not super familiar with automation in Acid.

I have this idea that I want to build a rhythm track out of a continuous audio track. That is, I want to have a track that has a single audio file that is the entire length of the song and use a volume envelope that is either all off or all on (or maybe stepped to give some dynamics to the equation, but that's secondary). But there's no curve to the envelope, just 0 or 100%.

But given the complexity of the patern of the envelope, doing it by hand would be a chore.

I was thinking the closest thing to this is really a drum machine, but a drum machine that could handle a 5-minute-long sample and every time I pressed a key on the keyboard it would unmute the sample, and every time i released a key it would remute it rather than starting the sample over every time you press a key. But I don't know of any drum VST that can do that.

Similarly a synth might be able to do this. I think omnisphere (a synth, not a drum VST) has a mode that will not restart the waveform over when you press a key (as long as I played a key right at 0:00:00) but it doesn't let me load my own samples and I think this mode only works for keys that are pressed back to back (legato mode).

The other way to think of this is a sidechained noise gate with an attack and release of 0ms that would key off of some MIDI track where a note was going on and off in the desired pattern (I could then mute the MIDI track and just play the WAV). But Acid doesn't do sidechaining or using MIDI input to a VST on an audio track.

SO! I'm thinking the only way I can do this is with a volume envelope. And I was wondering: can I map the volume envelope to MIDI in automation? Can I set a MIDI note ON to volume 100% and MIDI note OFF to volume 0%? And how do I arm the particular track? And how do I quantize it (critical)?

I'm sure there are some bright minds out there that can tell me how to accomplish this effect.

Thanks!