Cream 1.0.8 as MIDI FX in Logic Pro X

[Mark R]

Observations about using the newly developed Kirnu Cream 10.0.8 as a MIDI FX plugin in Apple's Logic X.

First thing, I greatly appreciate how Cream is WAY easier to use than the older version's "virtual midi output". Before, every time I loaded a song or changed audio buffer settings I had to deal with re-patching in Logic's environment page.

Also, Cream instantiated as a MIDI FX gives us new possibilities like: 

- 'Track Freeze' 
    briefly tested here - timing now stays in place - It just works! 

- Stacking MIDI FX 
    Now possible to process a MIDI stream before and/or after Cream.
    Want Drag&Drop? - there's an app for that. (see below)

Specific notes below.

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The 'Note Repeater' plugin timing fixer
Playback pre-processing that can help fix timing (even in 'Cycle' looping)

There are some timing issues I am having with Cream 10.0.8 but I may have found a surprising work around. 

Say you have a fairly dense and strictly quantized midi chord region driving Cream. Playback will be intermittent on my system (dropped notes), cycle looping misfires (stuck notes). 

This can be corrected by instantiating Logic's 'Note Repeater' plugin before (above) Cream. 

In 'Note Repeater' turn OFF the top two yellow buttons, and adjust 2 controls.

    'Thru' - OFF
    'Delay' (note symbol) - OFF
    'Delay slider' - slide all the way left to show value of '5 ms'
    'Repeats' - 1

For some reason this plugin pre-conditions the MIDI stream, giving Cream a more reasonable stream to process? I do notice that note off behavior is changed a bit but most often this pre-processing works some kind of magic. I have saved the above Note Repeater settings as a patch so it can be recalled easily. I bypass it while recording and use it only for playback of quantized regions. Interested to hear if it works for others and maybe this will help the Kirnu team fine tune future versions of Cream.



The 'Track Inspector' neg delay trick 

Playback track adjustment that helps timing with both AU and MIDI FX versions of cream (not as effective in 'Cycle' mode).

Another work around, that is easier to understand, I have used with previous versions of Cream involves shifting the track that contains Cream's source MIDI data to happen slightly earlier. Cream is usually trying to output notes on the beat. If notes are coming into Cream right on the beat Cream (and the DAW) doesn't always have time to react to them. If notes are advanced slightly Cream has time to react nicely to these incoming notes. 

On the track that drives Cream, go to the  'Inspector' and find 'Delay' under the 'Track' parameters (not the 'region' parameters). Click on the word 'Delay' and select 'Delay in Ticks' then mouse over to the right of it, drag down and try a setting of -1 ticks. This is really telling logic to play notes early and sometimes I had to go as high as -4 ticks, what ever it took to give Cream a little more time to process notes.



Drag&Drop FX plugin script and App
Currently available as a free beta. 

After a few (unusual) steps, gives a Drag & Drop midi file of any MIDI FX plugin/s.

http://logicmidifx.artproweb.com

Also can be used as a simple midi retrospective recorder that can recall what you just played even if Logic's transport isn't running.



 

[jendakub]

Hello,

Logic Midi FX Helper app transformed to Audio Unit Midi FX Plugin version that can be inserted just after any Midi FX in Logic Pro X.
Check it here:

http://www.audiocr.com

[Kirnu]

Thanks for the info. Really appreciated!

-Arto