Performer Lite - MIDI input source stuck on "any"

[FrankM]

I've RTFM'd and tried changing some prefs, but clicking to set the MIDI input source on either an instrument or plain MIDI track does nothing - it's set to "any" and I can't change it.



All other drop-downs there work. I also know for sure I have other MIDI sources - I see them when I select a source to receive sync from:



The user guide says this on page 75: Each MIDI track can record from an individual MIDI device on a particular MIDI channel... Click on the current input source to change it. If the input assignment for a MIDI track is blank, click in the blank space to open a menu of MIDI devices.

I'd appreciate someone with Performer Lite checking this out - is this a limitation of the "lite" version MOTU forgot to mention in their user guide (i.e., that text above is copied from the full DP guide)? I'm happy to cop to an error on my part but right now I'm stumped. Thanks!

PS - I'm pretty sure this is the latest version of PL as of now - 11.23 94286, I just downloaded & installed it a few days ago.

[mikehalloran]

There are so many mistakes in the PL User Guide that I don't know where to begin. I collaborate with a handful of PL users and it's beyond frustrating.

The worst is that there's no way for users to generate new project folders from within PL unless starting from one of the stock templates. This can lead to PL projects showing hundreds of missing files and input sources. Yes, the manual says that one can create User Templates and other such nonsense, none of which is true.

I've spoken with MOTU Support a few times about this but updating PL with the promised functionality or changing the manual to reflect what can't be done and give a workaround has yet to happen.

One of your graphics is not showing. Better to upload screen shots directly.

If I was sitting at your machine, I could help you straighten this out and show you a kludge to keep such things from happening. Do understand that there is much of DP missing from PL, however.

[stubbsonic]

Look for an option called "Multi Record".

In Digital Performer, it is in the Studio menu.

The default behavior is like "OMNI" mode. It listens to all MIDI, and auto channelizes to the one track you have in record. I suppose you could say that it is ready to record one track at a time, and most two-handed human music recorders might choose.

To enable it to route multi-channel sources to individual tracks, you turn on Multi Record, and the MIDI inputs will now show submenus with 16 separate channels for each MIDI device.

[FrankM]

Thanks for these replies so far. Stubbsonic, there is no Multi Record in PL. And Mike, based on your description of inaccuracies in the PL manual, I'm now thinking that the inability to select a particular MIDI input source is probably deliberate. I can't complain too much, I guess - except that I did spend quite a bit of time searching the manual for a solution. The manual also refers to selecting a MIDI input on page 276: "If you need to specify a MIDI device and channel to record from (in order to exclude data received from other input sources at the time of recording), choose the input device and channel from the track’s settings panel in the Sequence Editor." There's no doubt about it: clicking anywhere on or near the area of the MIDI input parameter in the Sequence Editor does absolutely nothing: the MIDI input is always and only "any."

I have an oddball setup that I won't bore anybody with, but to make a long story short, an unfortunate byproduct is identical MIDI data coming from two MIDI sources in my rig, which results in doubled notes from VIs hosted in PL. To prevent this, I was hoping to be able to limit the MIDI input to only one of those sources. I've already thought of a workaround so I'm probably gonna be OK.

And of course I know that DP is much more capable than PL. Thing is, the limitation of 16 audio tracks happens to not cramp my style much, since my projects usually have track counts near or less than that. One other minor detail: the difference between $0 and $500 is not exactly insignificant!

One of your graphics is not showing. Better to upload screen shots directly.

Weird, they're both showing here. I just looked through the composing options and only see a way to link to an image file on a hosting service, not upload an image here.

[mikehalloran]

There's phone support for PL. Give MOTU a call.

At the bottom of the screen, click on Attachments. You can upload up to three, .jpg or .png and place them inline or they will default to the bottom of your post.

Screenshot 2023-10-29 at 9.27.01 PM.png (129.4 KiB) Viewed 2781 times

Screenshot 2023-10-29 at 9.26.17 PM.png (73.86 KiB) Viewed 2781 times

[FrankM]

Thanks! And yes, one of my pics is gone from postimage - I still see it here so it must be cached. This was it - what I circled is the MIDI input drop down that doesn't drop down!

any midi -PL.jpg (58.6 KiB) Viewed 2767 times

[mikehalloran]

There's too much we don't know. For starters, what's your OS? How input sources are handled begins in setup before it gets to the DAW. This is different for Mac (Audio MIDI Setup.app) and Windows.

If that's where the problem lies, MOTU Support can walk you through this. If you hit a wall such as PL can't do something where DP can, you will know. If it's yet another glitch in the PL manual, they will know.

[stubbsonic]

It's a little surprising that PL has a different approach to multi-record than DP.

The manual says:

"CHOOSING AN INPUT SOURCE
A record-enabled MIDI track will record data from any MIDI channel. Each MIDI track can record from an individual MIDI device on a particular MIDI channel. This lets you record into several independent tracks from several independent sources during a single record pass. Each MIDI track displays its own incoming MIDI device and channel number next to its record- enable button. ...
Click on the current input source to change it. If the input assignment for a MIDI track is blank, click in the blank space to open a menu of MIDI devices. You can select only one device and channel for each MIDI track."

[FrankM]

It's a little surprising that PL has a different approach to multi-record than DP.

The manual says:

I know the manual says that - on page 75; I quoted it in my first post of this thread! I've been trying to tell you guys that Perfomer Lite is not allowing me to select a MIDI source! "Click in the blank space to open a menu of MIDI devices" does nothing; it stays on "any." I have two MIDI interfaces plus three virtual Performer Lite MIDI ins & outs, and they are shown in other areas of PL - so I know the program can see them - I just can't select them as a input source for a track.

And Mike, to be clear - I'm on a new 15" MacBook Air using Ventura 13.4.1 and this is the latest version of Performer Lite - I just downloaded it. I've been doing MIDI on Macs since a PowerMac 9500 in 1996 so I'm quite familiar with setting up a MIDI system too.

I had my hopes up that somebody - anybody - with PL could simply fire it up, create a MIDI track, and try clicking to select an input. I think that would save a lot of speculating (and typing!).

[CharlzS]

I don't think they're quite there yet on the multi-record in PL. This has come up in old threads. I wasn't able to find any way to select a MIDI input device for a track. If you go to the MIDI track protocol setting it tells you that 'Multirecord is disabled!'. As far as enabling it, who knows and the MIDI input selector in the SE and Mix windows is unchangeable from 'Any'. A workaround for the OP may be to Remove Duplicates in menu Region --> Apply MIDI Plug-in --> Remove Duplicates.

[FrankM]

You can tell I have some time on my hands, but here is as clear an explanation I can give of what I'm seeing and what I've done to troubleshoot this:

PL issue.jpg (176.31 KiB) Viewed 2699 times

[FrankM]

I don't think they're quite there yet on the multi-record in PL. This has come up in old threads. I wasn't able to find any way to select a MIDI input device for a track. If you go to the MIDI track protocol setting it tells you that 'Multirecord is disabled!'. As far as enabling it, who knows and the MIDI input selector in the SE and Mix windows is unchangeable from 'Any'. A workaround for the OP may be to Remove Duplicates in menu Region --> Apply MIDI Plug-in --> Remove Duplicates.

THANK YOU! So it does look like MOTU just screwed up with the manual – detailing a feature that doesn't exist. I'm going to reach out to them and complain because this cost me a lot of time. It's a new program for me, so I assumed I had a wrong setting somewhere.

I also wish I had read your post before I prepared and uploaded the graphic of my previous post! More time I won't get back!

[cuttime]

I'd ask for a discounted upgrade path to DP at this point.

[FrankM]

I'd ask for a discounted upgrade path to DP at this point.

I'm sure the answer would be no - but that's OK; I'm not interested. As much as I'm irked by what I went through, Perfomer Lite being free is pretty sweet - it certainly has more going on than something like Garage Band, that's for sure.

[bayswater]

Sorry if this has been mentioned.

When I tried Lite I noticed a few things like this, mentioned in the manual, but don’t actually exist in the app.

One of them was the inability to save templates. But as with DP, you can always save a project that is set up with all the options you would want built into a template, and then use the Finder to change the saved file as Stationary. Depending on what you save with that file, this is a workaround for a few of the mysterious missing features.

When you open the stationary file, you will be prompted to save the project, and the template/stationary copy with be kept as is.