QUESTION: How to "navigate" between the different INSTRUMENTS and PRESETS?

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Multimedix
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2024 2:48 pm

QUESTION: How to "navigate" between the different INSTRUMENTS and PRESETS?

Post by Multimedix »

I am a bloody Beginner in MIXCRAFT 10 Pro - I would like to know how to navigate between the different INSTRUMENTS (VST) and then between the PRESETS from the actual loaded Intrument (VST)???

I would like to have either an MIDI-BUTTON on my Midi-Keyboard (NEKTAR LX-25+) to navigate/load the next VST-Instrument - and two Button more to navigate/load the PRESETS (back and forward)! When this is not possible i would like a Shortcut for the "Compter-Keyboard) (ALT+1/Alt+2)

Why are the small Buttons in the "Instrument-Archiv" ( < and >) not kompatible with MIDI??? Please help me, i love my Mixcraft DAW, but this is not practicable.....Thanks to the Community!!!

Look at the Screenshots from Mixcraft that you check which Buttons i mean!
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1.png (37.21 KiB) Viewed 1999 times
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2.png (130 KiB) Viewed 1999 times
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3.png (750.17 KiB) Viewed 1999 times
cactus-head
Posts: 1150
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2017 3:09 pm

Re: QUESTION: How to "navigate" between the different INSTRUMENTS and PRESETS?

Post by cactus-head »

Hello,

There is no way to navigate the change instrument dialog without a mouse it seems. You can't even use the tab and cursor keys. This would be an excellent suggestion to be made - navigate the instrument selection dialog box with Keyboard keys or MIDI assignment.

You can select patches within virtual instrument Plugins using MIDI. You don't even need to use MIDI learn for that. If the VST has patches or presets, you can navigate through them the same way you would select a patch on an attached MIDI keyboard or controller.

For instance, with Messiah in your example if my MIDI keyboard is attached as an input device on the particular track, by choosing a patch on my keyboard, messiah will change to that same number. Messiah 2 is a more up to date version and works better than Messiah, as Messiah will flub the settings when controlled remotely in some cases where as Messiah 2 will not. At any rate, patch or preset changes on any VST that has them related to standard GM, will switch the patches with whatever MIDI input is given to them.
Multimedix
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2024 2:48 pm

Re: QUESTION: How to "navigate" between the different INSTRUMENTS and PRESETS?

Post by Multimedix »

I am testing a "Hack" with the following "Mini-Tool" you can Transform Midi-Keys (with CC-Number or so) to Shortcuts for Windows/Programms!
So now i can navigate up and down with my Midi-Keyboard!

Close your Mixcraft-Application before you begin to programm the Keys!
After programming the Hardware-Midi-Keys to the Shortcut (up/down/delete/ctrl+c and so on....) runs the Programm in Background (look to the clock at right...) and you can start Mixcraft - now you can navigate with your favorate Keys up/down and so on.... :D

The Name of the Tool:
Midi2Key

Homepage:
https://midikey2key.de/index.php?lang=en
PowerChord
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2024 3:14 pm

Re: QUESTION: How to "navigate" between the different INSTRUMENTS and PRESETS?

Post by PowerChord »

I briefly checked the NEKTAR LX-25+ manual, you appear to have two things that you can try, maybe even without configuration.

First, make sure the VST you're playing with is open and has focus (blue border).

The Nektar manual (assuming I read the right one) says "Change instrument patch by pressing [Shift]+[Patch>] to go to the next patch or [Shift]+[<Patch] to go to the previous patch". This is supposed to happen for Studio One but maybe it works here too.

Note that some VSTs, like the Messiah, take several seconds to load the new preset. You won't see it change immediately, there's going to be a pause before it changes. Don't expect to fly through them.

If that doesn't work, you can try programming the Octave keys as Program Change keys. I refer to the same manual, it was in there.

As a 3rd alternative, like mentioned above, you can still make Mixcraft learn some of your Midi keys to act as these buttons.

It actually is also possible to flip through presets using your computer keyboard. Again make sure you have the VST's dialog box focused (blue border) and press the UP and DOWN arrow keys. Note, your VST can make this slow.

How to flip through VSTS instead, I don't know, but I also don't know if this would be productive for several reasons: 1. they can take long to (un)load, 2. They can be vastly different (what's the point of going through drums if you're looking for keys) and 3. unlike presets, they aren't particularly ordered or in any sense related.

I do recommend favoriting any instrument / preset you find worthwhile, because the list of sounds to try gets extremely long as your VST collection grows over time.
Multimedix
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2024 2:48 pm

Re: QUESTION: How to "navigate" between the different INSTRUMENTS and PRESETS?

Post by Multimedix »

Hi Powercord, Thank you very much for your help, I understood! With "Midi2Key" i have found a simple Solution for my Problem!
But why is this 2024 not possible in Mixcraft to navigate to the next Preset with my MIDI-Keyboard???
Greetings, Claus
Multimedix
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2024 2:48 pm

Re: QUESTION: How to "navigate" between the different INSTRUMENTS and PRESETS?

Post by Multimedix »

Hi Powercord, Thank you very much for your help, I understood! With "Midi2Key" i have found a simple Solution for my Problem!
But why is this 2024 not possible in Mixcraft to navigate to the next Preset with my MIDI-Keyboard???
Greetings, Claus
PowerChord
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2024 3:14 pm

Re: QUESTION: How to "navigate" between the different INSTRUMENTS and PRESETS?

Post by PowerChord »

Multimedix wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2024 5:29 am Hi Powercord, Thank you very much for your help, I understood! With "Midi2Key" i have found a simple Solution for my Problem!
But why is this 2024 not possible in Mixcraft to navigate to the next Preset with my MIDI-Keyboard???
Greetings, Claus
Maybe it is a simple solution, but it is completely unnecessary. Midi2Key sounds like something you would use if your program cannot handle MIDI. However, any DAW I know understands MIDI, because MIDI is very central to making music with a computer.

Look, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of different MIDI devices out there just like your Nektar keyboard. They do not all work out of the box because they can be very different with as few or as many different buttons and knobs as you can imagine.

To make your MIDI device and your DAW understand each other, they need a configuration that we call mapping. Without mapping, you can only really expect the black and white keys to do what you want them to do because notes are pretty universal. Other MIDI commands can be anything. Mixcraft has some mappings for some popular devices, but even then not every hardware control that such a device has is mapped to a Mixcraft function. For devices like your own, you need to do it yourself. Fortunately, you only need to do this once.

The positive side is that the mapping allows you to assign many / any DAW functions to your MIDI controller buttons and knobs entirely as you like it. Your Nektar is a modest mini controller so you will find that Mixcraft has more to map than your MIDI keyboard can support, so you'll have to pick and choose what you find important.

See also the manual:

https://acoustica.com/mixcraft-10-manua ... l-surfaces
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