V-Rack automation and preset selection

Discussion of Digital Performer use, optimization, tips and techniques on MacOS.

Moderator: James Steele

Forum rules
This forum is for most discussion related to the use and optimization of Digital Performer [MacOS] and plug-ins as well as tips and techniques. It is NOT for troubleshooting technical issues, complaints, feature requests, or "Comparative DAW 101."
dewdman42
Posts: 1217
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Contact:

Re: V-Rack automation and preset selection

Post by dewdman42 »

There are numerous approaches and I'm sure MOTU could easily work this out.

You lost me on the V-Rack automation though. V-racks don't have timelines. Yes MOTU could add that, but that is way beyond what V-Rack is designed to do. If you have different sequences sharing the same V-Rack channel somehow, you don't want the same sequential automation data shared. See what I mean? You don't store notes on a V-Rack track, no music, no automation; just a place to host plugins that can be fed MIDI data (and potentially automation data), but not to store sequential data. That's what sequences are for.
5,1 MacPro 3.46ghz x 12 cores,96gb, Monterey (OpenCore), Lynx AES16e-50+X32
User avatar
Shooshie
Posts: 19820
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Dallas
Contact:

Re: V-Rack automation and preset selection

Post by Shooshie »

dewdman42 wrote:There are numerous approaches and I'm sure MOTU could easily work this out.

You lost me on the V-Rack automation though. V-racks don't have timelines. Yes MOTU could add that, but that is way beyond what V-Rack is designed to do. If you have different sequences sharing the same V-Rack channel somehow, you don't want the same sequential automation data shared. See what I mean? You don't store notes on a V-Rack track, no music, no automation; just a place to host plugins that can be fed MIDI data (and potentially automation data), but not to store sequential data. That's what sequences are for.
Again, you miss the point. Create VIRTUAL TRACKS. Layer those in with the MIDI tracks. They aren't MIDI automation layers, but real automation layers. They are not IN the V-Rack, but they feed it.

Switch to another chunk, and the V-Rack gets fed by other virtual tracks, layered into THAT chunk's MIDI tracks.

Automation data exists within the tracks, not the instruments. For an example, create an Aux track and automate it. You'll see its automation in the Tracks Overview Window. Yet there is nothing in the aux track. It's merely a place-holder, a routing tool. But it has automation data.

Don't think of automation belonging to the V-Rack. Think of V-Rack automation as virtual tracks that exist in space, but have no real home. When you add a MIDI track to the V-Rack, it will have layers that you can access in the Sequence Editor, and those layers allow you to view the V-Rack automation that exists in limbo without a MIDI track or Aux track.

Shooshie
|l| OS X 10.12.6 |l| DP 10.0 |l| 2.4 GHz 12-Core MacPro Mid-2012 |l| 40GB RAM |l| Mach5.3 |l| Waves 9.x |l| Altiverb |l| Ivory 2 New York Steinway |l| Wallander WIVI 2.30 Winds, Brass, Saxes |l| Garritan Aria |l| VSL 5.3.1 and VSL Pro 2.3.1 |l| Yamaha WX-5 MIDI Wind Controller |l| Roland FC-300 |l|
dewdman42
Posts: 1217
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Contact:

Re: V-Rack automation and preset selection

Post by dewdman42 »

ok, maybe the name "virtual tracks" threw me off. I think we're in complete agreement with different language.

I hate to have to have actual seperate tracks for it, but maybe lanes that tack onto existing MIDI and audio tracks. If and when an audio or MIDI track is routed to/from a V-Rack, then make all the plugin parameters available from that yonder V-Rack channel, thusly automatable on this sequence's track. Totally doable!

Preset selection could potentially be handled the same way, but presets are a bit more complicated truthfully, but I think it's solvable also.

Well anyway, enough dreaming... Back to suggestions for how to kind of accomplish some of this with 3rd party products. Aside from Plogue Bidule, any other suggestions?
5,1 MacPro 3.46ghz x 12 cores,96gb, Monterey (OpenCore), Lynx AES16e-50+X32
dewdman42
Posts: 1217
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Contact:

Re: V-Rack automation and preset selection

Post by dewdman42 »

ok I found a better 3rd party solution then Plogue Bidule. Blue Cat has a plugin called "PatchWork" which basically is a plugin chainer, a bit simpler and more straightforward to use then Plogue for this particular use case. It also supports mapping of up to 40 MIDI controllers to underlying parameters. I've been playing with the demo and it works!. Put the plugin you want to automate inside PatchWork, put Patchwork on the V-Rack...and then you can automate it with MIDI.

Handling presets is another issue, not really solved.
5,1 MacPro 3.46ghz x 12 cores,96gb, Monterey (OpenCore), Lynx AES16e-50+X32
Post Reply