tutorial for using RC in logic Pro X as VST

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PS: still me I really like to use RC plug in that way (inside logic) but unfortunately for now I can only use 1 instance of it- I use it as sort of a super arpeggiator with all the amazing tools included and it s great- Do you know if it s bidule related or RC ? Thanks

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Hi Tanislas,
I am not sure why that is happening or if the Bidule midi effect has any side effects. It is always better to use one RC VST instance but on different MIDI channels. You need more instances if you have to handle more than 16 channels. But I suppose you had to do that because of this workflow. I am planning to make an AU version of the plug-in for this spring.
Thanks,
Attila

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Because you are sub-hosting RC inside of PlogueBidule, I reckon that RC can't communicate well between the different instances you are using. If it where available as AU plugin (or when :-), then maybe the communication that normally happens between each plugin instance will all work ok. I am just guessing. When each instance is inside a separate Plogue Bidule plugin, then its like separate hosts as far as RC is concerned... But I don't know the internals of how RC works.

Personally I would avoid using more than one instance of RC inside LogicPro at this time. You can always send the output of RC to IAC and back into LogicPro that way in order to channelize to different channels. Plogue Bidule can send it to IAC for you, or you can use the external instrument plugin in logic to do that. Then you have to also take care in LogicPro not to get an endless midi loop from the incoming events on IAC hitting RC again...
MacPro 5,1 12core x 3.46ghz-96gb MacOS 12.2 (opencore), X32+AES16e-50

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I must be missing something in how you guys are using RC as a VST in Logic, in some AU MIDI FX version of a vst host. I can set that up as well (I have Patchwork), and have, but don't…since you can't record RC's MIDI output when it's in Logic, only drag it out from RC (unless you also run the no-longer available Midi FX Freeze). So, what's the advantage exactly?

I always run RC stand-alone into one or many simultaneous Logic software-instrument tracks via IAC, not only to drive my preferred plugins, but also so I can exactly record the RC MIDI output, for as long as I want, capturing any and everything I do to vary what RC is doing in RT—basically, performing in RC and recording in Logic. I don't know of any other equally efficient, elegant way to do that.

So I guess that's not what you most want from RC, but something else… Which is what?

Thanks!

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first, you can use the MFX version of Patchwork, which will let you put RC into a midi fx slot. When you do that, you still can't record the output, but you can at least direct the output to an instrument on the Logic channel, which could include the external instrument plugin.

When you do that, then you can send the output to an IAC midi port, which will then show up back at the input of Logic and allow you to record to tracks as you wish, including to multiple different tracks.

Midi FX Freeze also works very well to capture the midi..and will be sample accurate, where IAC will not be, but I have found IAC to still be sub-millisecond accurate, so its no big thang

what you are doing with standalone will also work, and is not much different then the IAC loopback I mentioned, except that when you save the Logic project in the loopback approach, RC plugin state will be saved directly in the Logic project. Also, when using the loopback approach, RC will be following the clock of logic exactly..no futzing around with midi clock or any other business...it will be much more accurate actually and tight then when using separate apps connected over IAC.
MacPro 5,1 12core x 3.46ghz-96gb MacOS 12.2 (opencore), X32+AES16e-50

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But if you do the loopback approach, I recommend that you create a channel that does not have any tracks associated with it, and host RC there...so that when the midi comes back around through IAC it will not feed back into RC again in any kind of endless loop.
MacPro 5,1 12core x 3.46ghz-96gb MacOS 12.2 (opencore), X32+AES16e-50

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  1. Create a new project
  2. Go to the environment and create a channel strip object, doesn't matter what kind, of what's available
  3. After creating the mixer channel object, select it and look at the inspector on the left side. Change the "Channel" field to one of the instrument objects...I would use number 255 to avoid future conflicts.
  4. Make sure its also set to midi channel ALL
  5. In order to access this mixer channel, go to the main logic mixer and make sure the ALL filter is selected to see all channels, you will see it there. name it as you wish.
  6. add Patchworks MFX to the midi fx slot, add RC inside of that, and make sure patchworks is configured to send midi out to the host.
  7. on the same logic channel add the external instrument plugin and configure it to send to an IAC port.
  8. create any other instrument tracks you want listening on various channels, enable them for record or select their track header, and they will all be hearing what is generated by RC when you hit play in logic.
The only further complication is that if you need to actually use midi to record stuff into RC or to control RC in any way, then with the above setup...you don't have a path for that. In order to do that you will need to cable your midi controller to that inst 255 mixer channel in the environment....then your midi controller will be able to control RC...and RC will be safeguarded against midi feedback loop...you'll have the ability to record the output from RC...RC will play to Logic's clock, you can even use midifxfreeze if you want...
MacPro 5,1 12core x 3.46ghz-96gb MacOS 12.2 (opencore), X32+AES16e-50

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Wow, excellent; thorough and helpful (in the Grand Tradition of RC users:)—MANY thanks!

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Thank you, Dewdman42 for your help! :tu:
I would not be able to help in this topic :(

Thanks!
Attila

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Hey thank you Dewdman42, your IAC method really did the trick.I managed to achieve the same by using plogue bidule midi fx.I ll expose it briefly both for the community and for me so I can remember… :)
I followed Dewdman42 method steps 1, 2, 3,4, 5

6. Same as Dewdman42 except I used Plogue Bidule midi FX instead of Patchworks (don t forget to sync RC to pluginbidule1)
7. same as Dewdman42
8. create instrument tracks ( ex RC1,RC2 and as much tracks as you have in Rapidcompser..up to 16)
9. In the Environment page, add a physical input and a channel splitter
10. connect IAC port (the one used in 7) to the channel splitter
11. in the channel splitter object, connect output1 to RC1, output 2 to RC2……


Dewdman42 wrote: Fri Mar 29, 2019 3:09 am
  1. Create a new project
  2. Go to the environment and create a channel strip object, doesn't matter what kind, of what's available
  3. After creating the mixer channel object, select it and look at the inspector on the left side. Change the "Channel" field to one of the instrument objects...I would use number 255 to avoid future conflicts.
  4. Make sure its also set to midi channel ALL
  5. In order to access this mixer channel, go to the main logic mixer and make sure the ALL filter is selected to see all channels, you will see it there. name it as you wish.
  6. add Patchworks MFX to the midi fx slot, add RC inside of that, and make sure patchworks is configured to send midi out to the host.
  7. on the same logic channel add the external instrument plugin and configure it to send to an IAC port.
  8. create any other instrument tracks you want listening on various channels, enable them for record or select their track header, and they will all be hearing what is generated by RC when you hit play in logic.
The only further complication is that if you need to actually use midi to record stuff into RC or to control RC in any way, then with the above setup...you don't have a path for that. In order to do that you will need to cable your midi controller to that inst 255 mixer channel in the environment....then your midi controller will be able to control RC...and RC will be safeguarded against midi feedback loop...you'll have the ability to record the output from RC...RC will play to Logic's clock, you can even use midifxfreeze if you want...

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The RapidComposer community... one of the very rare KVR communities where even the beginners of a product share generously their excellent tips as soon as they found them and thought as probably very useful for others !

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Many thanks, tanislas, for the tips! :tu:

Yes, BlackWinny, there are lots of very nice and helpful people here. :hug:

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I was wondering of others experiences with Logic and having RC hosted in Patchwork as Dewdman explains above.

I have setup everything correctly but when I hit stop in Logic's transport I get stuck notes. Also the midi gets out of sync and I have to play through a phrase before it corrects itself.

Any tips?
"and the Word was Sound..."
https://www.youtube.com/user/InLightTone

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If the notes are all originating in RC then RC is responsible for making sure the sustaining notes get stopped when the transport stops. It may be that when you use RC directly inside a DAW the daw itself is handling some all notes off messages which is why RC can get away with not doing it but in the case of patchworks, logicpro is passing the transport messages into patchworks and from there into RC. Patchworks is probably not taking any actions to send note off messages to instruments hosted inside patchworks on stop because it really doesn’t have its own transport, RC does.

If you send the midi from RC out to patchworks and out from patchworks as midi to instruments hosted in logicpro then the hanging notes should go away. Otherwise RC NEEDS to do a better job of cleaning up hanging notes when you hit stop.
MacPro 5,1 12core x 3.46ghz-96gb MacOS 12.2 (opencore), X32+AES16e-50

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Thanks Dewdman, yes it seems to be Patchwork is not transmitting the transport messages. All of this just makes me want a proper AuMidi plugin all the more!
"and the Word was Sound..."
https://www.youtube.com/user/InLightTone

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