DP8 - MIDI Notes Not Sounding During Recording

[Shooshie]

I've not read all the replies, but it sounds like you've got a Continuous Controller in your DP sequence somewhere, which sets your instrument to a very low output level. That could be Controller #7, Controller #11, Breath Control #2 (very unlikely), or it could be any of several other controllers that interact a certain way with the instrument.

Have you checked for Continuous Data controllers in your MIDI file? They would be located in the bottom portion of your Graphic MIDI Edit Window, and there might only be one of them. Chances are, if there is one, it's located at 1|0|000, but it could be anywhere.

If you look at the bottom-left corner of the Graphic MIDI Edit Window (not the Sequence Editor), you will see several options as per this screenshot:


See where it says "Bars?" The other options are Points and Lines. You might try Bars or Lines to see if you can locate a continuous controller icon in that panel. In "Bars" mode, if you see a shaded area, that is a sign of a controller. In the screenshot, that area is shaded green. That's a Volume Control tic, by the way.

See if you can find one of these. I have no idea why or how it got there, or why playback in DP works if it IS there, but strange things sometimes happen. If this isn't the problem, then I don't have any other ideas at the moment. Maybe someone else has figured it out.

Shooshie

[Shooshie]

Another possibility along the same lines as my previous suggestion: turn off automation. In the Mixing Board, right above the Pan controls, there are the automation controls. Turn off the little green arrow. See if that fixes things. Be sure the MIDI fader is at 127. Now try it and see if it does what it's supposed to do.

Shooshie

[DigitalMan]

Thanks for the suggestions. In the MIDI, I don't see any bars (or lines).

In the Automation section, the green triangle was already off. Turning it on didn't change anything nor did turning it back off.

MOTU support had me try turning on Input Filter for SysEx events. This also did not help--I even tried filtering everything but Notes, but the results did not change.

Here's something new I noticed: if I just play the same guitar note over and over and over again, after the note sounds correctly once, it will continue sounding over and over perfectly (as long as I don't switch to playing a different note).

For example, if I play quarter notes of E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E, eventually one E will sound correctly and after that, they each continue to sound.

Similarly, if I strum an Em chord over and over and over, eventually one of the notes will start to sound, then another... until eventually all 6 notes of the full Em chord will sound over and over (unless I change chords).

Does any of this make any sense to anyone?

I have yet to try DP8 under OS X 10.6.8. (Hopefully, this weekend.) I read somewhere that there was a change in MIDI processing sometime after DP5, something to do with how simultaneous notes are processed. Unfortunately, I can't find that article now. Does it ring a bell to anyone.

Lastly, thanks again to everyone for trying to help. I must admit, I just assumed I was missing something obvious and that I'd be scolded for inexperience (if not incompetence). So, I guess the silver lining is that maybe I'm not quite as useless as I felt like I was!



(EDIT: MORE INFO)

OK, so I told my kids this DP thing was just bugging me, so we wouldn't be doing anything tonight. Instead, I went ahead and installed DP8 onto the hard drive where I have DP5 and Mac OS X 10.6.8... the results were exactly the same.

I could close DP8, open DP5 and record guitar MIDI with no issues. Quit DP5, open DP8 and the problem returns immediately. The MIDIMonitor.app shows the exact same sort of output as under Mac OS X 10.8.5 and the more recent M-Audio driver.

So, it seems that DP8 simply interprets this guitar's MIDI output differently (incorrectly?). Any ideas?

[DigitalMan]

Did a little more testing, since the only earlier test which wasn't making sense was when GarageBand seemed to stop working after DP8 had run.

I cannot reproduce that. GarageBand works fine, even after DP8 runs. Maybe I had not quit DP8 like I thought when I previously tested GarageBand.

I tried out the Beta version of the JamOrigin product, but even after tweaking the sensitivities, I've got to say this toy-like Rock Band guitar gives me the notes I'm expecting about 97%+ of the time, but the JamOrigin software was more like 85-90%.

I'm looking into picking up a used "You Rock" MIDI guitar on Craigslist... and hoping DP8 likes it better.

Still open to other suggestions, though it sort of looks like I'm just talking to myself here. (But also keep posting, knowing that future lurkers may find all this helpful if they're in a similar situation.)

[cuttime]

Try using the DP MIDI keys and see if you can reproduce the same results.

[DigitalMan]

Try using the DP MIDI keys and see if you can reproduce the same results.

Yep, MIDI keys is just fine, as is the little Rock Band 3 keyboard... just the Rock Band 3 guitar (the Fender Mustang thing) isn't working right with DP8. Works fine in DP5 and GarageBand, but drops notes like crazy with DP8.

(But the dropped notes are still being recorded. On playback, they're all fine.)

[DigitalMan]

So, I picked up that Craigslist guitar "thing" for $125 today and it works great.

As a summary...

The Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang MIDI Guitar controller does not work with Digital Performer 8.0.4.

The You Rock Guitar YRG1000 works just fine.

[daniel.sneed]

That's just where I'd like to see DP improve somewhat: real-time MIDI plugins.

My first wish is about an *increase duration* feature.
That is to say a note-off delay (including tempo related delay or real time delay options).

Maybe it would solve your Fender MIDI Mustang issue.

I've started a Motu techlink on this subject.

[Shooshie]

OK, so I told my kids this DP thing was just bugging me, so we wouldn't be doing anything tonight.

In the long run, it's better to do something with the kids and let DP hang out to dry for a while.

You only get one chance to be with the kids at their age, today. DP will still be there when you get back!

Voice of experience talking here, as one who too many times kept working in DP when I should have done something with the kids.

Shoosh

[DigitalMan]

OK, so I told my kids this DP thing was just bugging me, so we wouldn't be doing anything tonight.

In the long run, it's better to do something with the kids and let DP hang out to dry for a while.

You only get one chance to be with the kids at their age, today. DP will still be there when you get back!

Voice of experience talking here, as one who too many times kept working in DP when I should have done something with the kids.

Sentiment appreciated and fully agreed.

We're not a typical family, though. The kids are homeschooled and my "day job" is as an on-call computer tech. I'm usually only outside the house for about 4 hours on an average day, so we all get to spend a lot more time with each other than most families have the luxury of doing.

As far as DP, I've been tinkering with it as a wannabe hobbyist since back when it was just called "Performer"... like, oh, 15 years ago... Number of projects actually completed: zero. So, it hasn't been taking that much of my time. LOL

[Shooshie]

We're not a typical family, though. The kids are homeschooled and my "day job" is as an on-call computer tech. I'm usually only outside the house for about 4 hours on an average day, so we all get to spend a lot more time with each other than most families have the luxury of doing.

As far as DP, I've been tinkering with it as a wannabe hobbyist since back when it was just called "Performer"... like, oh, 15 years ago... Number of projects actually completed: zero. So, it hasn't been taking that much of my time. LOL

I totally get that. hehehe…

Shooshie

[DigitalMan]

I thought I'd let everyone know I found a partial workaround to this issue:

This guitar controller does record correctly if I set its output to the built-in Apple Software Synth. I can record my MIDI and hear any of the Apple Software Synth's instruments perfectly while recording. Afterward, I can switch the output to Modulo, Proton or whatever and playback is fine (as playback always has been).

MOTU support sounds like they're leaning toward this being a device incompatibility, which is what it sure looks like to me.

Thanks again to everyone who replied!

[DigitalMan]

The guys at MOTU picked up one of these controllers and confirmed the compatibility issue.

Pretty cool. Hopefully they can find an easy fix or workaround.

It feels good not to be crazy. The feeling probably won't last, but I'm going to take what I can get.

[menright]

great post! thanks for all the info!