Graphic CC envelopes in Tracktion - do they actually work?

[rockstar_not]

OK,

I've searched the forum but I don't know if I've used the right terminology.

I have some MIDI tracks using sfz as the sound source as a filter.

I edited the MIDI in Tracktion, turning on the little controller knob and drawing in some pan and volume curves by selecting the fine pan and volume controls.

Play the track - no pan or volume changes.

I tried duplicating using the Tracktion-specific 'automation' curves, and these worked.

I thought, 'well perhaps it's sfz, that won't respond to midi CC' so I tried changing sfz to some other VSTi's that I have.

None of them worked with the graphically entered CC data that I did in the midi editor, but they did work with the automation curves in T.

Am I not enabling something, or does T not pass midi CC information like pan and volume on to the VSTi filters?

I have to believe this question has come up before, but I was unable to find it in the Newbie sticky or anyhwere else.

-Scott

[koolkeys]

The only thing I can think of is that you don't have automation "read" on. On the transport bar, there are two buttons side by side. One is red, the other green. Make sure the green one is lit. That is the automation read button. The other one is the automation write button, that you turn on when trying to record changes in real-time and you want it to remember them.

I hope this works. If not, check back, giving a more detailed list of plugs, and your settings. Good luck!

Koolkeys

[koolkeys]

Oh, another thing. Some plug-ins seem to change the CC numbers around. So you may be changing the standard volume CC, but the plug in may have volume set on another number. You have to check with each plug-ins documentation to check this though.

Koolkeys

[stoney]

I just tried this with sfz. I entered some volume data,cc7, from my controller, and after I recorded something with that, I also drew in some pan data,cc10. Playing this back effects the volume and pan accordingly. However, the fine pan,cc42, did not effect sfz, I don't know what 'fine pan' is, but sfz probably doesn't read it.

The automation read and write buttons in Tracktion should have no effect on cc data recording or playback.

Good Luck.

[rockstar_not]

Koolkeys and Stoney,

Thank you for replying back.

Stoney- I checked and I was trying to use the fine pan and fine volume cc's.

The coarse settings were very coarse - at least it appeared like a stair step in the midi clip I was trying to draw them in on in T.

I'll give it another try. I'm glad to hear that sfz does work, since I've got a boatload of soundfonts that I want to use sfz with (legacy of my SBLive usage with my previous sequencer).

-Scott

[P.T.]

If you want a finer resolution, try zooming in.

[stoney]

Scott
If you zoom out on the clip when drawing in the cc curves, many more points can be drawn on the line so it will look more like a curve, and not a stair step, especially when you zoom back down.

[ModuLR]

click the link below... go to tools, and d/l cc-rider. Place cc-rider before sfz. Drag the automation "A" to cc-rider. then select the cc you want to automate. Then just draw the automation using tracktion's VST automation vs. using cc's in the midi clips. Might this be what you are looking for?

[rockstar_not]

Thanks again guys..

I'm not at my machine with T so I can't try these tips right now.

ModulR - I think I'll give the zoom out/in a try first. It seems a little more intuitive since you can 'draw in' CC curves with T. That's all I'm really looking to do.

-Scott

[chagzuki]

CC rider has really saved my arse. In fact, 2 of moduLR's plugins have saved my arse now.

[glurgle]

another thing worth mentioning is that the snap setting affect CC curves. Turn of snap and you can get a much more natural curve.