![]() Without the underlying Virtual Instrument, the patch would have to explicitly connect the master keyboard to all the Emu instruments, and if either the master keyboard changed, or a new Emu instrument was purchased, every patch containing either of these devices would have to be changed. ![]() Virtual Instruments are also the key to producing simple patches like the one I explained last month, where the master keyboard was connected to all my Emu devices. ![]() I'd have to rewire the cables without getting lost and having to start all over again, whereas with the MIDI patchbay/interface and a few Virtual Controllers, it takes just a couple of double‑clicks to completely alter the MIDI topology of my studio. If I was changing real MIDI cables at this point, I would have to wire up the WT11 as the 'keyboard' input, and somehow merge the SY99 MIDI clocks with it. Of course, when I use the WT11 wind controller as the 'master keyboard', I may still need to have the SY99 as the source of the timing, since the WT11 obviously can't do this - and in this case I would change only the source for my 'Master No Clock' Virtual Instrument. Although the clocks usually come from my SY99 (which acts as the master keyboard most of the time), I could change the source of the clocks merely by editing this one patch. Once again, because all the filtering is in the Virtual Controller instead of the individual patches, you only need to edit this one filter to change the filtering for all the patches which use this controller.īut one of the 'other' versions of the SY99 produces just a MIDI clock, and this patch is called 'Master MIDI Clock'. The filter block removes everything else. By replacing my use of the SY99 output with a Virtual Controller, I can have an SY99 master keyboard that does not produce clocks - and I've only got one thing (the filter in the Virtual Controller patch) to change if I need to change the allowed MIDI messages - like Active Sensing, or extra Controllers, for example.Īnother 'virtual' version of the SY99 only produces MIDI Clocks and related messages (Start, Stop, and so on). The basic one produces no MIDI Clocks, so is very useful when I don't want to clog up the MIDI bandwidth with unnecessary timing information (I can't be bothered to turn it off on the SY99 - it takes rather too many button‑presses). Not content with just one Virtual Controller, I also have several different 'versions' of my SY99. As it is, I have a very quick and simple method of selecting sources for the master keyboard. Without using a Virtual Controller, I would instead have to go to each patch that used the SY99 as the master keyboard and edit it, which could be a long and very tedious task. If I want to use a Wind Controller instead of the SY99, I go to the Virtual Controllers window and select the WT11. Notice the two other greyed‑out sources to 'Master No Clock' ? They are 'reminders' for the other sources I have available for my master keyboard. To achieve this painlessly, I have my Studio 5LX set up so that I need only make one change, and I don't even need to touch my patches! This trick is achieved by using a Virtual Controller, which is a neat way of mapping real MIDI sources to ones which exist only inside the software in the Studio 5LX and the Macintosh. I currently use a Yamaha SY99 as my main master keyboard, but sometimes I want to change it to something else - like another keyboard with different facilities, or a wind controller. This month, I'll describe yet more applications for these useful devices. Last month, I explained just some of the ways in which you could use a multi‑port MIDI interface, like the Opcode Studio 5LX, to make working with MIDI equipment easier. This is the last article in a two‑part series. But, as Martin Russ explains in the concluding part of this two‑part feature, they can really help you to get the best use from the MIDI gear you already own. Multi‑port MIDI interface/patchbays can seem like an expensive indulgence for the average studio.
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