VEP MAS Issue/Bug

[davepelman]

Hi all, hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these crazy times.

I'm experiencing significant sluggishness and beach ball hangs when I attempt to reorder a MIDI/audio track using the VEP MAS plug in a 16 instance, 16 channel template. The AU version of VEP does not cause this issue. MOTU has successfully reproduced this issue on their end.

Open a blank session and create 16 instances of MAS VEP with 16 MIDI channels and a few stereo audio tracks. Try to move a few MIDI/audio tracks, do you have the same issue?

[davepelman]

There’s no way I’m the only one dealing with this issue. It takes less than 3 min to create the test session. Perhaps save a plug-in set all disabled except MAS VEP, then 16 instances of VEP MAS with 16 channels each. Try to move/reorder a MIDI channel now. Let me know.

[dix]

There’s no way I’m the only one dealing with this issue...

You might be.

I'll try to test this when I have some time, but I've never worked with 16 channels of MAS VEP. I usually keep things organized with just 5 instances (strings, brass, winds, perc, others - with multiple channels per instance) coming into DP from VEP. ...I'm only on one computer (no slave) so I'm not a power user per se.

Would I need to also create and connect to a VEP document with 16 instances for this test, or can I do it in DP without actually connecting?

[davepelman]

Hey dix, thanks for replying.

I'm testing without running/connecting to VEP.

The 16 instance/channel array is merely for testing purposes, to show how sluggish DP runs with the VEP MAS plug as compared to the AU version. My template is similar to yours where in VEP I have main categories of the orchestra (5 or 6 instances) and within those instances I have my respective libraries loaded as Kontakt instruments. Then in DP I'm using the multi-port function of the VEP MAS plug for my MIDI routing. I can send you a session file privately if you wish.

Regardless, 16 instances of VEP MAS (in DP, unconnected) with 16 MIDI channels (each) hangs with beachballs when re-ordering tracks while the same array with the AU version does not. MOTU has reproduced the issue and alerted the dev team.

Curious to see if you can also reproduce.

Best,
D

[dix]

Hmm. If I open a new DP project and create 16 instances of MAS VEP (by duplicating), Audio and MIDI tracks can be reordered no problem. I tried moving them all to a V-Rack and even created and assigned MIDI tracks to the unconnected VEP instances, still no beachballs or problems reordering tracks.

Hope this helps in some way...

[davepelman]

You forgot to add 16 MIDI channels per instance.

From a blank session, go to “create tracks”, add 16 VEP MAS with 16 MIDI channels, click ok, then try to reorder one of them.

[dix]

Ah. Yes, that did it. With 256 MIDI channels going to 16 instances of VEP, DP does indeed show a lag and beachball when I reorder tracks. Using the AU version has dramatically less lag for the same operation.

Now I'm wondering why are we using the MAS version? I've always used the MAS version and never though to try the AU. Are there advantages to the MAS version in DP?

I have my own, rather similar issues with VEP, where I get beachballs when changing the focus in the ME (moving the little pencil in the selector). MOTU has confirmed this too and said they would have a fix in a future update. Now, I'm thinking I should try it with the AU version.

[davepelman]

Thanks so much, dix. I really appreciate your time here, glad you were able to reproduce.

To your question, if you used the AU version instead you would loose the multi porting feature of the MAS version. AU only allows one port to 16 channels... so your VEP sessions would need to be rearranged as I had to do.