Virtual Instrument Track in VCA Group retains "invisible" volume value

[James Steele]

This is weird and very frustrating. Experimenting a lot with using VCA Groups in some of my projects. It’s convenient to group similar tracks together this way when using my S3 control surface.

So I have a project made up of several MIDI tracks and a Virtual instrument track with Stylus RMX on it. I can move the fader of the Stylus track up to -5 for example and then save the project. I can the close and reopen the project and that track drops down to some value that it for some reason beyond me, thinks it should be set to. Automation is off. There are no MIDI or audio volume events in that track or any of the MIDI tracks targeting it. Yet it doesn’t retain where it was last set and drops down to this lower, incorrect setting every time I reopen the project.

Moving it OUT of the track group ends this behavior. I don’t really get it though. I thought that with a VCA group, moving one individual fader in the group changes the volume of that particular track in relationship to the others, then when you move the VCA fader they all change maintaining the same relationship. Perhaps I have to temporarily ungroup them, but I didn’t think that necessary with a VCA Group? I guess maybe there some modifier key I have to hold down when I change an individual fader that’s part of a VCA group? Seems counter intuitive as if I move the fader for just Stylus RMX, the faders that belong to the MIDI tracks that are also part of that group do not move.

Seems odd to me.

[James Steele]

I think I solved this one for myself. Unless I'm doing something else wrong, it appears that you can't set a fader in the group controlled by a VCA fader higher than the VCA fader itself. if that makes sense?

[Phil O]

There is discussion about a VCA fader bug here:

https://www.motunation.com/forum/viewto ... =vca+fader

I think there might be other threads as well, so do a search. No one has been able to nail down exactly what's going on. It seems to be fixed, them it pops up again in another scenario. Seems finicky. I think where we left off with discussions was that VCA groups work best when automation is turned on (but I could be mistaken ). Quite frankly I got it working correctly for the project I was working on and haven't used it since. I thought at one point I declared it fixed, can't remember. Read though the posts.

Bottom line, yes there was a bug. The question is whether on not it's been fixed.

Hope this helps in some way.

Your friendly neighborhood Phil

[HCMarkus]

Yeah, tried VCA, got bit by the VCA Bug, been back with Aux since then.

I appreciate the research, James, as VCAs are definitely a useful tool. I'm keeping an eye on this for sure.

[Phil O]

James, please let us know how you make out with this. And thanks again for whe wonderful job you do running this board.

Your friendly neighborhood Phil