guitarist, new Cantabile Performer user + FCB1010 questions

[amagalma]

Hello!

I am an acoustic guitarist and I have just bought Cantabile Performer, in order to be able to use my laptop live as an effects rack for my guitar. I have also in my possession a Behringer FCB1010 Midi Foot Controller with the UnOfficial UnO) firmware 1.02.

I have found my way around Cantabile to a satisfactory degree but I still have some questions and I would be grateful if you could help me out!

Firstly, a newbie question: does a stereo plug-in consume more CPU than its mono version? I guess yes, but I am not sure. If yes, then how can I specify in Cantabile that I want a mono plug-in (a mono rack)? In Cubase for example, when you load a VST plug-in in a mono audio channel then the plug-in loads in a mono version. If you load the very same plug-in in a stereo channel, it loads in a stereo version. How can this be achieved in Cantabile, in order to reduce CPU usage? In addition, how can I specify which channel input I want to use? My audio card has a stereo input and I connect my guitar to the left in. How can I make a mono rack that uses only the left input (centered, and not panned left) and load mono plug-ins into the rack?

Another question: I assign one of the pedals of the FCB1010 to control the Master Output volume and the other one to control the Partial Send knob. BUT, the problem is that the Range in the MIDI assignments is greyed out. What should I do so that when I press the pedal all the way up (midi value 0) the Cantabile knob doesn't go to minimum but to another value that I set? And similarly, for the all the way down position (midi value 127), the knobs don't go to the maximum but to the value I set. How can I set the range?

Question three: I want to use one of the foot switches as a boost toggle (+5dB of output when pressed once and, back to the previous state when pressed again). How could I set this up?

Last question (for the time being ): I want to use one of the foot switches for taping the tempo (Master tempo in Cantabile). How could I program that?

Thank you very much in advance for your help and I apologise for the long post and the many questions!

Cheers!

[amagalma]

Hello!

And yet other two questions!:
- are Waves plug-ins not supported in Cantabile!? I don't see them in the list and I cannot load them. Why?
- is there a way to set the ASIO buffer to 192 samples? Or alternatively, is there a way to set the ASIO buffers in Cantabile to those set by the ASIO Control Panel of my soundcard? (192samples is my preferred setting)

Thanks!

[Steviebone]

I'll be watching this thread with some interest. Sorry I can't answer ur questions other than to say that yes, as far as I know, I never got waves programs to work right in C. I think this is because of the non-standard wrapper they use (in other words waves is at fault here in that their plugins aren't really standard VSTi's). I'm no expert tho. There are others here that will chime in.

If u ever get waves to work let me know. On my setup I could sometimes get a plug to load but always had errors and crashes on reloads and saves.

Fwiw, I have loads of plugs and everything but waves works fine.

As for 192 samples, that sounds like an usual setting to me... try setting both to 256 maybe. The difference in latency wouldn't be much although for guitar work latency is often an issue.

Good luck.

Hello!

And yet other two questions!:
- are Waves plug-ins not supported in Cantabile!? I don't see them in the list and I cannot load them. Why?
- is there a way to set the ASIO buffer to 192 samples? Or alternatively, is there a way to set the ASIO buffers in Cantabile to those set by the ASIO Control Panel of my soundcard? (192samples is my preferred setting)

Thanks!

[bradr]

Hi amagalma,

Hello!

Firstly, a newbie question: does a stereo plug-in consume more CPU than its mono version? I guess yes, but I am not sure. If yes, then how can I specify in Cantabile that I want a mono plug-in (a mono rack)? In Cubase for example, when you load a VST plug-in in a mono audio channel then the plug-in loads in a mono version. If you load the very same plug-in in a stereo channel, it loads in a stereo version. How can this be achieved in Cantabile, in order to reduce CPU usage? In addition, how can I specify which channel input I want to use? My audio card has a stereo input and I connect my guitar to the left in. How can I make a mono rack that uses only the left input (centered, and not panned left) and load mono plug-ins into the rack?

Currently you can't set the speaker arrangment of an individual rack, but you can set the master bus format. Setup -> Configure Master Bus, click the presets drop down button and choose "Mono". This will setup a speaker arrangement with a single channel of Front Center. You'll then need to check you channel assignments for each plugin in existing sessions (Tools -> Audio Channels in the plugin slot). Also check the assignments from the master bus to your sound card in Options -> Audio Engine -> Assign Audio Channels. In each case you want to assign the front center channel.

Cantabile uses a decoupled system where plugins are assigned to the master bus and the master bus is assigned to audio inputs/outputs. It makes things a little convoluted but isolates the session configuration from the current hardware.

Another question: I assign one of the pedals of the FCB1010 to control the Master Output volume and the other one to control the Partial Send knob. BUT, the problem is that the Range in the MIDI assignments is greyed out. What should I do so that when I press the pedal all the way up (midi value 0) the Cantabile knob doesn't go to minimum but to another value that I set? And similarly, for the all the way down position (midi value 127), the knobs don't go to the maximum but to the value I set. How can I set the range?

The MIDI assignments only allow range settings for plugin parameters. There is a way around this for what you want however which involves creating a MIDI filter that remaps the controller before it reaches the assignments.

1. Setup -> MIDI Filters
2. Select either Global Input or Session Input, depending whether you want this applied to all sessions, or just the current session.
3. Add a Controller Map filter
4. Enter the controller number of your pedal for both the source and target controller number.
5. Leave the source controller range, but change the target controller range to something reduced (eg: 20 to 100)
6. Leave everything else the same and close the MIDI filters window.

You should now have a reduced range from your pedal.

Question three: I want to use one of the foot switches as a boost toggle (+5dB of output when pressed once and, back to the previous state when pressed again). How could I set this up?

Hrm... difficult. I don't think this can be done atm.

Last question (for the time being ): I want to use one of the foot switches for taping the tempo (Master tempo in Cantabile). How could I program that?

Check out the MIDI assignments: "Metronome - Tap Tempo" and "Metronome - Tap Tempo Direct". The first displays a little window where you can play notes to tap tempo. The second just adjust the tempo directly according to how quickly you tap the pedal.

- are Waves plug-ins not supported in Cantabile!? I don't see them in the list and I cannot load them. Why?

I think I've looked into this once before, but off hand I can't remember the exact issue. What version of Waves are you using?

- is there a way to set the ASIO buffer to 192 samples? Or alternatively, is there a way to set the ASIO buffers in Cantabile to those set by the ASIO Control Panel of my soundcard? (192samples is my preferred setting)

What you can set the audio buffer to depends on what your driver is reporting as being allowed. What's the problem you can set it higher/lower but not exactly on 192? If you create a debug log for me I might be able to explain this better. See http://www.cantabilesoftware.com/support/debug for info on how to do this.

Thank you very much in advance for your help and I apologise for the long post and the many questions!

No problem.

[amagalma]

Hello and thank you both for your responses!

@Steviebone: It seems that Cantabile does not support vst shells (like the waveshell for Waves plug-ins). There are other vst hosts who neither do. But, there is a workaround! Use xlutop's shell2vst utility in order to convert your waveshells to actual plugins! I can use them in Cantabile now, it works!

Currently you can't set the speaker arrangment of an individual rack, but you can set the master bus format. Setup -> Configure Master Bus, click the presets drop down button and choose "Mono". This will setup a speaker arrangement with a single channel of Front Center. You'll then need to check you channel assignments for each plugin in existing sessions (Tools -> Audio Channels in the plugin slot). Also check the assignments from the master bus to your sound card in Options -> Audio Engine -> Assign Audio Channels. In each case you want to assign the front center channel.

Cantabile uses a decoupled system where plugins are assigned to the master bus and the master bus is assigned to audio inputs/outputs. It makes things a little convoluted but isolates the session configuration from the current hardware.

The signal flow I meant is the following:
(Mono) Rack 1: Mono Guitar Input -> various MONO processing fx -> Rack 2
(Stereo) Rack 2: Stereo Reverb processing -> Stereo Master Bus
There is not a problem with things as they are now. I am just trying to make sure that I don't stress the CPU with stereo processing that I don't need. If stereo processing and mono processing have no difference in CPU load, then all this that I am saying is.. rubbish! (most probable! :oops)

The MIDI assignments only allow range settings for plugin parameters. There is a way around this for what you want however which involves creating a MIDI filter that remaps the controller before it reaches the assignments.

1. Setup -> MIDI Filters
2. Select either Global Input or Session Input, depending whether you want this applied to all sessions, or just the current session.
3. Add a Controller Map filter
4. Enter the controller number of your pedal for both the source and target controller number.
5. Leave the source controller range, but change the target controller range to something reduced (eg: 20 to 100)
6. Leave everything else the same and close the MIDI filters window.

You should now have a reduced range from your pedal.

That works wonderfully! .. New question: Is there any other MIDI filter so that I could specify the Curve of the range? Is this possible?

Question three: I want to use one of the foot switches as a boost toggle (+5dB of output when pressed once and, back to the previous state when pressed again). How could I set this up?

Hrm... difficult. I don't think this can be done atm.

I found a way! .. I loaded in the end Sonalksis FreeG and applied a 5dB gain. I assigned the foot switch on the bypass button of the FreeG. Works perfectly!

Check out the MIDI assignments: "Metronome - Tap Tempo" and "Metronome - Tap Tempo Direct". The first displays a little window where you can play notes to tap tempo. The second just adjust the tempo directly according to how quickly you tap the pedal.

Perfect!

What you can set the audio buffer to depends on what your driver is reporting as being allowed. What's the problem you can set it higher/lower but not exactly on 192? If you create a debug log for me I might be able to explain this better. See http://www.cantabilesoftware.com/support/debug for info on how to do this.

Well, it's not a bug so I am not sure a debug log would help. The "problem" is that I cannot set it exactly on 192. My audio card is a TC Konnekt Live. Cantabile seems to override the setting of my audio card's ASIO Control Panel. However, in Cubase I get clicks with a buffer of 128 samples, where as in Cantabile I do NOT!.. 192 samples is the lowest safe buffer I can have in Cubase, that is why I got accustomed to it.. But.. ok.. don't pay any attention to all this. Since Cantabile works with no clicks at 128 samples, then all is OK!

Finally, I thing I have found some strange behaviour/bug regarding Sub-Sessions. My Session has 3 Sub-sessions and 2 Racks. Rack 1 output goes into Rack 2 input and Rack 2 has 2 different Reverbs and a Stereo Delay. Each Sub-session bypasses two of the spatial effects of Rack 2. So, each sub-session is a different reverb flavour.
The Problem: when I load the Session, Sub-session 1 loads and although 2 of the the three plug-ins of Rack 2 are bypassed, they all sound together! When I change to Sub-session 2 the bypassed plugins change but the sound is still the same (all three together). I have to load Sub-session1, Sub-session2, sub-session3 in a row and then Sub-session1 again in order to sound right. If you can't reproduce that then I can make a log for you.

Thank you for everything and congratulations for this great program!

[TiUser]

... However, in Cubase I get clicks with a buffer of 128 samples, where as in Cantabile I do NOT!.. 192 samples is the lowest safe buffer I can have in Cubase, that is why I got accustomed to it.. But.. ok.. don't pay any attention to all this. Since Cantabile works with no clicks at 128 samples, then all is OK! ...

You have just discovered on of the things that addicted me to Cantabile...