Recruiting answers: How do you have your MIDI devices set up?

[Harbinger]

Since i no longer have access to MIDI through my computer, but i need to write up the section on hooking up MIDI devices for new users in the upcoming Helpfile, i need to find out how ModPlug's users have configured their MIDI setup? I don't need to know HOW it's done generically, but i want to get some anecdotal wisdom on what users have found in configuring their MIDI device to use in MPT.

More specifically i'd like to know:

1. Obviously you used plugins to route the MIDI signal thru. Which ones?
2. What kind of connection do you have (serial, USB, or MIDI)? What have you learned about working with this connection?
3. What MIDI device are you using (or have used) with ModPlug? What kind of issues did you have?
4. After you initially hooked it up according to all the instruction you could find, did it work right away, or did you find you were missing some important information to get the MIDI device to enter notes and receive MIDI messages from MPT?

[Saga Musix]

Ok, you really want to know? Not much to tell...

1. Obviously you used plugins to route the MIDI signal thru.

Actually, I haven't. I thought about using the freely assignable control matrix of my AN1x for finetuning and automation, but I haven't done that so far.

2. What kind of connection do you have (serial, USB, or MIDI)? What have you learned about working with this connection?

All classic MIDI with DIN plugs. What I learned is that the better the audio interface is, the better the latency is too. (not-so nice memories of MIDI through the AWE64's gameport on a P2 come to mind...)

3. What MIDI device are you using (or have used) with ModPlug? What kind of issues did you have?

Yamaha CS1x and Yamaha AN1x, without any problems related to the synth or MPT itself (just that sending MIDI from or to the CS1x fucks up all the data on my current audio interface for some strange reasons)

4. After you initially hooked it up according to all the instruction you could find, did it work right away, or did you find you were missing some important information to get the MIDI device to enter notes and receive MIDI messages from MPT?

I think what I forgot most often back then™ in MPT 1.16 was to actually activate the MIDI In button on the main toolbar.

[Harbinger]

Actually it's intersting to me...

Anyone else?

[KrazyKatz]

I don't use my MIDI for modplug, but since you are asking, I'll check it out and report back.

[LPChip]

I haven't used my midi gear much with modplug, as I usually use my sequencer for these purposes, but here's my rig:

I have 2 midi controllers over USB (Roland Digital Piano FP-2 and a simple 49 keys controller, can't remember the brand right now.)

I use it to control samples and VSTi's, by playing notes in the instrument tab. The notes get redirected to Xlutop Chainer with VSTi's and VST's inside, like I normally compose.

By having ASIO, the latency is good enough, although the delay is slightly higher than when using a sequencer, but thats also because I have to set my latency a tiny bit higher.

[Harbinger]

Hmmm... well, that's not good for ModPlug's ego. People have MIDi devices, but they're not instinctively using it thru ModPlug...

So my next question is (for those who have MIDI devices but hardly use it with MPT): why not? Do you have other more accomodating software? Is it too difficult to route thru ModPlug? Did you once have it set up then you ventured away from ModPlug+MIDI?

[LPChip]

Its not too hard to use with modplug at all. Modplug's power really is that it has patterns and you work with a pattern at a time. Entering notes using the keyboard is as easy as using midi gear. I simply don't need it. With sequencers, where you have to use the mouse a lot to enter notes, there its much handier to use midi gear.

[Saga Musix]

The answer is simple: There is no need to. I use my synths for jamming and sampling, and finding new ideas, but I seldomly use them to actually record notes through MIDI (though it simplifies entering new chords sequences ideas a lot). Also, I guess the lack of proper quantisation prevents me from using it to record melodies more often...

[Christofori]

I agree, echoing the sentiments above; I tend to get ideas and/or play with riffs on the MIDI gear; while most of my compositional work is entered via the PC keyboard (though with some of the EWQL Stormdrum 2 patches I use now, finding the proper drum sound via my MIDI keyboard is easier than using the PC keyboard -- mainly because I don't have to change octaves on my MIDI rig).

But for the record, I use a M-Audio Keystation61 controller in tandem with an Akai LPD8 controller (as my MIDI keyboard doesn't have many knobs/sliders available); to run them both at the same time in the tracker, I've been using Marblesound Maple MIDI Tools.  It's basically the same thing as MIDI Yoke (which I would have rather used, except I had been using GigaStudio at the time, which isn't compatible with MIDI Yoke).  But to make a long story relatively short, I'll mention this gives me the ability to play sample-based or VSTi instruments through OMPT on the MIDI keyboard whilst also being able to play with the filters and other assignable controls in real-time; and while I could also enter knob commands into OMPT via recording them (which works as I tested it when I set it up), I haven't actually needed to do so yet for actual composing.

Ah -- one thing I forgot to mention, I'm using an analog joystick on an old USB gamepad to give me the ability to control VSTi's X,Y vector -- this is done using an app called "Rejoice" which allows using game controllers as MIDI instruments.  I rarely use this one, though.. but it's there.   Haven't tested to see if it possibly records into the tracker yet, though.. only have ever used it real-time.

Not really what you might've been asking for (since it requires using 3rd party apps), but I thought I'd mention (as it is different than the 'norm') what I'd done with my rig. ^_^

[Harbinger]

Not really what you might've been asking for (since it requires using 3rd party apps), but I thought I'd mention (as it is different than the 'norm') what I'd done with my rig. ^_^

On the contrary, i myself use third-party apps to get a lot of composition and post work done, but MPT has always been the starting point. Actually, third-party apps (actually plugins) are needed to route MIDI thru MPT. The apps users have in their setup will help me in my perpetual research, which will probably end the day ModPlug is completely MIDI-ready and MIDI-standardized...

Your response was just what i was looking to understand, but after all is said and done, i guess my ultimate question for everyone is: where does ModPlug stand in relation to your MIDI setup? How do you use it, and how important is it in the music creation, composition, or mixing process?
You focused on this point, christofori, when you wrote, "This gives me the ability to play sample-based or VSTi instruments through OMPT on the MIDI keyboard whilst also being able to play with the filters and other assignable controls in real-time." This tells me exactly what i need to know...

This thread is always open for veteran and new users alike....

[Christofori]

[You focused on this point, christofori, when you wrote, "This gives me the ability to play sample-based or VSTi instruments through OMPT on the MIDI keyboard whilst also being able to play with the filters and other assignable controls in real-time." This tells me exactly what i need to know...

Cool!  Glad to have been helpful.

Recently (yesterday/today) I've expanded the use of my MIDI control done through/with OMPT.  I've been running EWQL's PLAY application stand-alone (the VST won't work with OMPT... there's a whole thread on that though.. hehe) and controlling it via my sound card's MIDI port using the VST2MID component of Midibag.  Well, I was sending my tracked/sample audio to that card, the PLAY output to it also, and MIDI routing through it as well -- not to mention I also was running Garritan Personal Orchestra 4 via ARIA with several patches loaded.. and I was getting occasional lag.

So the recent development numero uno, was switching PLAY to use my Roland SH-201's ASIO driver (it is connected to the PC via USB to allow editing and library functions for sound patches, but includes MIDI capability and ASIO support) -- so PLAY's audio goes thru there which is then routed to my sound card via inputs (so it doesn't actually process PLAY's sampling) -- VST2MID still sends through my card's MIDI though.  But I also found out (this would be numero dos) that I can send MIDI to my SH-201 which prior hadn't been an audio source I could _TRACK_ with, unless I sampled the patches I'd created first.  Not only that, it runs flawless PLAY patches and I can still access the effects and parameters of the 201 in a 'seperate' space.  I might also connect my Alesis Micron in a similar manner and 'play' it from the tracker using VST2MID as well, now, giving me access to all of it's sounds in the tracker as well... Basically, using MIDI I no longer will be sampling my analog synths as much.  I know that seems like one of those "why didn't he do that a long time ago..?" things.. but for a while I didn't know the tracker could be made to generate MIDI data.. which makes multiple instances (one for each device) of VST2MID quite handy, indeed.

[Edit: Had to leave to pick up my folks who just returned from their mission trip to Ethiopia -- now that I'm back, I'll add a bit below, to my admitted long-windedness above.. ]

Anyway, the control of my analog gear is important to me for more than one reason; but prior to investigation into alternative ways to make PLAY work I hadn't ever thought of a VST to send MIDI data (to then control MIDI hardware from OMPT..).  To be honest, I'm not much of a keyboard player anyway... I play trombone and a few other wind instruments.  Most of what I do with OpenMPT is compose, and until lately I would've just sampled a patch from my analog gear to track the 'perfect' riff with, rather than practice it and play/record it for a tune.  So it was definately a nice surprise to find out that the tool I fell in love with almost a decade ago is more than capable (with a few handy VST's) of doing everything I want it to do, as well as more...   I had a hunch back then (generally speaking: 2002) that if one had the right sample libraries and some of the right hardware, one could run OMPT to do pretty much what today's DAWs do.   Of course I might be biased, but I think tracking is still better (creatively speaking) partly because of the oldskool effects that enable several creative capabilities still today, ESPECIALLY when you combine the '1337ness' of tracking with modern samplers and gear!  I'd also say it doesn't hurt that OMPT is free AND open source, either -- both of which are great examples that the music industry at large should accept much more widely than they do... but for now anyway, they're pretty much still stuck on making money... . Yet alas; I digress too far perhaps..  

At any rate, this MIDI-laden tracker/composer is even more happy and satisfied with OMPT than ever.

[Harbinger]

Actually except for the use of the MIDI gear, you and i share a lot in common. I went, however, from sequencing on a Mac to tracking in Windows, because, while i haven't always had a MIDI keyboard, i've always had a computer. And with the plethora of VSTi's out there, it's like having a studio full of synths, gutiars, and drums all on my computer. Like you i can compose exactly what i want -- except vocals, we're still trying to find a singer and a decent mike.

Thanks for the elaboration. That does help as i continue updating the OHM...

[Christofori]

Of course!  Cool; glad to have been helpful. ^_^

[LPChip]

Ah, external hardware.

Yeah, I have played with that in the past. I have hooked up my performance keyboard (yamaha PSR-740) to my computer over midi and used VST2MID to track a song using my keyboard. I found out that the VST2MID doesn't allow me to access the XG instruments, which is a shame because the keyboard has a great library of those sounds. It was a fun experience, but it was a hassle to turn on my keyboard everytime I wanted to play the song and the fact that I couldn't access the XG banks was a reason for me to stop doing this. Besides, with the extensive SF2 banks out there, I get equal soundqualities a different way.

[Christofori]

True; I can definately see your rationale.  In my case, the synths are literally next to my workstation and usually on when the computer is (it's a studio PC setup, only used to track!) and at times I noodle on the synths as things could be loading or whatnot, on the PC -- so they're already on.  The beauty of it for me is that I can save a patch that I've created on one of the synths, and then use it in the tracker without having to attempt sampling it (which I used to do..).  The only bad thing, as mentioned in another post, is that if I run into problems with my setup (FE something [PLAY...] crashes or otherwise audio is out of sync for some reason) I must reboot the system and the synths to get everything to be 'happy' again.  Normally though, I don't have that kind of problem very often.