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This forum is for seeking solutions to technical problems involving Digital Performer and/or plug-ins on MacOS, as well as feature requests, criticisms, comparison to other DAWs.
SixStringGeek wrote:I agree. Sadly, there is no such thing as a MIDI plugin standard like there is for audio plugs.
It's interesting to me, Geekster, that MOTU said something about it's MIDI plug abilities extending to being able to host 3rd party offerings as far back as... wait for it... 2000.
I think they are indeed plugs of a sort. But, like MAS, MOTU only lets you write plugs, not host their plugs in other places - so the incentive to do the Last Great Arppegiator (tm) that will take over the world isn't there.
Its kind of sad and FWIW, I have filed this omission with Apple as a bug against CoreAudio, but after meeting a number of the engineers recently, I can state pretty clearly that it just isn't a priority for them. They're not really into MIDI as a future technology. It works for getting performance info to VIs and that's about it as far as they're concerned.
As a relative newcomer to MIDI (partly due to my All-Acoustic Rebellion during the 1990's), I got burnt so badly by a Windows-only piano-roll style MIDI editor that one of my bandmates imposed on me initially (via a broowed laptop), that I was overjoyed when I bought DP3.5 and was able to switch to direct MIDI recording and notation-style editing!
Then I discovered the event editor, which enabled me to quickly filter and edit in some very sophisticated ways. But it was severely limited in seeing the "big picture" (as is the Quickscribe editor). So I finally got over my "piano-roll hangups" a few months ago, and have found that DP did a pretty good job compared to others. I can actually control resolution, drag/drop in real-time without errors/hangs/crashes, and perform both large-grain and small-grain operations more precisely and confidently.
Nevertheless, I mix the three main methodologies, along with Track View for arrangement-based cut/paste work.
I have still not had time to dig deeper into getting the sort of resolution I would like from velocity curves, but am also finding (as I suspected when I posted my followon to Shooshie's detailed reiteration of the basic technique) that I was being unnecessarily hung up on the smoothness of the curve, using my eyes instead of my ears to judge.
Even so, I think that process could be streamlined. And the visual feedback of MIDI CC's at the bottom could maybe do with a redesign that makes it a bit easier to take in. Some of that can be customised (including colour-coding), and a larger monitor (mine is 14-15") would help. I simply find I have to do more zooming than I would like.
I still maintain that Sonar's MIDI editing allows for faster workflow than DP's. But I can't think of much positive to say about the other contendors.
And it's actually because of DP's support for MIDI that I bought a computer in the first place, as I was debating at the time between a home computer (my first) and a multi-channel standalone hard disc recorder from either Mackie or Alesis.
In the end, due to my awful initial experiences with MIDI editing on the Motif Classic Workstation and my bandmate's awful off-brand Windows-based MIDI editor, as well as the pain in my fingertips from direct front-panel editing on my Alesis MasterLink (which I later sold), I decided a computer would be the better long-term choice and result in better workflow and productivity.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was my choice of the G4 iMac (and my ignorance about which memory block was which based on Apple's bizarre terminology, thus staying stuck at 384 MB of RAM until two years ago), I didn't really get into high productivity mode with computer-based recording until slightly over a year ago.
This forum has proven a godsend in learning better workflow and productivity tricks. As Shooshie said earlier, there's probably nothing you can't do in DP, but you do have to search for it sometimes. I honestly can't say that certain other DAW's truly offer everything that is needed -- although surely by now that has changed, as any industry matures to the point that features become a diminishing criterium for DAW choice.
Mac Studio 2025 14-Core Apple M4 Max (36 GB RAM), OSX 15.4.1, MOTU DP 11.34, SpectraLayers 11 RME Babyface Pro FS, Radial JDV Mk5, Hammond XK-4, Moog Voyager Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35
Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, Johnny Marr Jaguar, 57 LP, Danelectro 12
Eastman T486RB, T64/V, Ibanez PM2, D'angelico Deluxe SS Bari, EXL1
Guild Bari, 1512 12-string, M20, Martin OM28VTS, Larivee 0040MH
Hypercyclic is an LFO-driven MIDI arpeggiator, gate effect and step sequencer for mangling MIDI input chords. Two tempo-synced LFOs can be used to modulate various parameters to create interesting rhythmhic effects and chord variations. A unique feature is the possiblity to modulate the sequencer step size itself, which is useful for creating glitchy stuttering effects.
rumble wrote:
i would love to see more creative and experimental MIDI plug ins, like things that would give the effect of strumming a guitar or something that would do user programmable drum rools or flams and be able to save these as a preset without having to set them and do a lot of tweaking in dp
for each effect you're looking for.
for instance, metro's new sequencer sounds incredible:
multiple arpeggiation patterns; multiple methods; up, down, updownedges, chords and diatonic chords; octaves control; sync control; swing control; steps control; pattern UI area with 16 X 3 steps, each with quick independent control over transpose, velocity and duration via popup; latching keeps the arp playing; retriggering; initialize pattern; randomize pattern; shuffle pattern; load and save presets; copy and paste; transpose up and down; remote control of arp parameters; spread slider for guitar like strumming; left and right arrow keys can be used to rotate the current pattern; works with all soft synth plugs and external MIDI;
then you have a spray paint tool that lets you "paint" MIDI notes (constrained to any key), as well as randomizing rhythm generators where you can copy part of a sequence and randomly generate 8 variations of it based on different criteria you select.
then there are standalone MIDI warping apps like M which are also really cool...
but i'd love to see some of this stuff implemented in dp.
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Hello forum,
Rumble, for strumming there is a program freeware, open source called Mamba and it's at version 3.0. It's suppose to work on mac also but, I am not a programmer and I couldn't figure it out. It was programmed in TCL/TK. Anyway, I did test it on my wife's Windows computer and it's very nice.
