Record MIDI Arpeggiator Output to another Channel

[omac]

I haven't upgraded to version 8 yet. I see that some MIDI changes were made. Hopefully this isn't a stupid question, can I record a MIDI arpeggiator's MIDI output to another channel in version 8 without any additional third party loopback devices?

[Acoustica Eric]

I am not 100% sure what you mean. But then again, I am not an extreme midi user either.
With version 8 you can use other midi or even audio tracks to control parameters of effects and instruments. Not sure if that helps you.
I suggest downloading the trial and see if it has what you need.

[Anorax]

In mixcraft 8, midi arpeggiators affect whatever vst source that is after it in the instrument list. Also in mixcraft 8, you have the ability to route midi information from one track to another. When you create a Virtual Instrument track, open the instrument changer, and you should notice a <route to track> section in the category list. Select your destination track, and then in the details panel, add an Arp plugin and then arrange it so that the arp is before the route-to-track "plugin."

At which point you can hit record and as long as you have midi playing in the first track, then you will be recording the results in the second track.

If you would like, I can get a video made soon to demonstrate this.

[omac]

Thank you for replying, Eric. Anorax addressed what I meant.

@Anorax - I read about the ability to route midi from one track to another and assumed that it would work for midi editing plugins but haven't had a chance to try the upgrade yet and hated to just assume something without posting the question. I would have thought someone would have posted regarding it before now. Thanks for the detailed response. Thanks for the offer of the video, but I shouldn't have a problem using it.

[CazaroTaro]

I tried the method suggested by Anorax and could not record to another MIDI track. I created a new project with two virtual instrument tracks set up as shown below.

The desired routing of MIDI from Track 1 was that the arpeggiator output would route to Track 2 where it could be recorded.

The actual routing was that the MIDI from Track 1 was routed directly to the instrument of Track 2, bypassing the arpeggiator of Track 1 AND the MIDI recording function of Track 2.

Audibly, when I play a chord on my MIDI keyboard which is routed to Track 1, I hear the chord apeggiated on Track 1, but only the continuous chord on Track 2.

I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. I look forward to Anorax's video, or some sage advice from a Mixcraft veteran.

Cazar

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

To do what you want to do, you need a MIDI utility like Loopbe or LoopMIDI. You would route the MIDI out to the MIDI utility, and then arm a track in Mixcraft to record it.

Greg

[CazaroTaro]

That seems easy, but it isn’t . . . . at least it wasn't for me.

I downloaded and installed LoopBe1 and LoopMIDI and encountered MIDI feedback that would mute the MIDI port. After around an hour of fussing, I finally figured out how to break the feedback loop. For the few users that have an interest, here is what I did:

LoopMIDI or LoopBe1 create a virtual MIDI device that exists outside of Mixcraft. Mixcraft sends MIDI data to this virtual MIDI device from a track, just like it would send MIDI to an external sound module. The virtual MIDI device retransmits this data to any device or software that is listening to it.

By default, all Virtual Instrument tracks in Mixcraft listen to All MIDI Devices on All MIDI Channels. The virtual MIDI device is one of the MIDI devices that Mixcraft will listen to. Herein is the source of the feedback loop.

The first step in the process to break the feedback loop is to change the transmitting track default input setting from ALL MIDI Channels to a single, specific MIDI channel using the ARM dropdown box. For instance, MIDI Channel 01.

The LoopBe1 or LoopMIDI port that you insert on the transmitting track must be set to a different MIDI channel using the Preset dropdown. For instance, change the default All Channels to MIDI Channel 16. Now, when you transmit MIDI data to the virtual MIDI device, it will retransmit this data on MIDI Channel 16. Since you have set the transmitting track to listen only to MIDI Channel 01, the data from the virtual MIDI device is ignored, and the feedback loop is broken.

I was then able to successfully transmit MIDI from one track, and receive and record on another.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

You can also arm the recording track for a single device. So, you would arm the track for LoopBe or LoopMIDI or whatever MIDI utility you are using.

I'll have to remember to mention this in the future. Thanks for coming back to post the solution you found!


Greg

[vkris]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and in the last 3 days I'm trying to send arp from one track to another in Mix8.
Everything works on one track, but when I try to do it on 2 tracks I don't know how.
I followed the instructions given by CazaroTaro.
Something I do not understand or i'm doing something in a wrong way.
Everything works in Acid Pro.
I play using Korg Nanopad2. Kirnu or Bluearp make arpeggio and all this goes to the soft synth of my choice.
Is this possible in Mix8 with or without the loopmidi?
Are there detailed instructions or videos?
Can anyone here explain how to do it in detail with loopmidi or even better without it?
Should we use <route to track> and how?

I'm totally lost ... I need it for live performance but all this is too complicated for me as a musician and midi routing should be much more intuitive and it should be explained what is advanced routing in Mix8 and how to do it.

Please help.

Thank you,
Kris

P.S. sorry for bad English ... I used Google Translate.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Why don't you just put the arp on the same track as the instrument you want to control?

Greg

[lfarrolas]

Thanks a lot for the great information in this forum. I'm new new new to DAWs and Mixcraft.

I followed the instructions here and I have an arpeggiator followed by a vst synth in a midi track. I arm the track to record and once I press rec I hear the synth playing the arpeggio. But - the midi notes are not recorded. In the timeline I see the clip being created with no notes and once I press stop the clip disapperas. I'm pretty sure this is quite a dumb question, but I swer I tried to solve it by myself before coming here and asking for help. So - help?

Thanks again.

In mixcraft 8, midi arpeggiators affect whatever vst source that is after it in the instrument list. Also in mixcraft 8, you have the ability to route midi information from one track to another. When you create a Virtual Instrument track, open the instrument changer, and you should notice a <route to track> section in the category list. Select your destination track, and then in the details panel, add an Arp plugin and then arrange it so that the arp is before the route-to-track "plugin."

At which point you can hit record and as long as you have midi playing in the first track, then you will be recording the results in the second track.

If you would like, I can get a video made soon to demonstrate this.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Are you inputting MIDI notes somehow? You can't just record the output of the arp, you either play your MIDI controller keyboard and record that, using the Musical Typing keyboard, or enter notes on the piano roll. The notes will pass through the arpeggiator to the other virtual instrument and you'll hear the result. If you want a "hard copy" of the arpeggiated notes, you could mix them down to an audio file.

Greg

[Anorax]

There appears to be a bug in Mixcraft where MIDI-editing plugins (arpeggiators and other MIDI filters) do not play nice with the Route To Track option. Either the Route-to-track function ignores the plugin (tends to happen with arpeggiators in my experience - just now tested this), or simply doesn't pass any midi to the new track (happened with a MIDI filter plugin, which I discovered a while back).

In the following setup, the route to track option ignores the MIDI input of the arpeggiator, sending MIDI to track 2 as if the BLUEArp plugin is disabled.

What should be happening is that the MIDI information played by the Acoustica Instruments piano in this track sould also be the same as the MIDI information received by the instruments on track 2. However, they are not.

[lfarrolas]

Thanks for your quick reply, Greg.

I need to be more precise: I am not using an arpeggiator, I'm using a generative VST (Nova3 - https://tonecarver.wordpress.com/nova3- ... encer-vst/) and I suppose (maybe wrongly?) that Nova3 is generating the midi notes (after all, I can hear them played in the synth).

But the notes do not "record" in the midi clip.

Hi,

Are you inputting MIDI notes somehow? You can't just record the output of the arp, you either play your MIDI controller keyboard and record that, using the Musical Typing keyboard, or enter notes on the piano roll. The notes will pass through the arpeggiator to the other virtual instrument and you'll hear the result. If you want a "hard copy" of the arpeggiated notes, you could mix them down to an audio file.

Greg

[Acoustica Greg]

There appears to be a bug in Mixcraft where MIDI-editing plugins (arpeggiators and other MIDI filters) do not play nice with the Route To Track option. Either the Route-to-track function ignores the plugin (tends to happen with arpeggiators in my experience - just now tested this), or simply doesn't pass any midi to the new track (happened with a MIDI filter plugin, which I discovered a while back).

Hi,

There is a bug filed on that particular problem, and it should hopefully be fixed in the next build.

That's different from what we're talking about in this case.

Greg