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21
Discussions / Re: Communicating with an FX VST within Cakewalk
« Last post by azslow3 on October 27, 2023, 09:39:55 PM »
Hi Robert,

VST is a VST. There can be host specific extensions (f.e. ARA, ProChannel modules, REAPER API) but I am not aware of anything in Cakewalk which can be used for levels.
So the only "direct" way is define a "parameter" with level and make it controllable, so AZ Controller can set it. I don't know any ready to use VSTs which use that, but
you can try DIY with https://ctrlr.org/ (BTW you can then send to it directly throw difference MIDI port, bypassing AZ Controller).

Regards,
Alexey.
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Discussions / Re: Communicating with an FX VST within Cakewalk
« Last post by norfolkmastering on October 27, 2023, 12:49:24 PM »
Hi Alexey
Thanks for the information and advice.

I have tried controlling FX Parameters in both directions using a test AZ preset and it works just fine.  So I know I will be able to control my FX audio units in this way.
My FX audio rack will have two dedicated PICs, one PIC for general control (100% driven from AZ feedback outputs) and the other PIC dedicated to collecting audio level information for the FX audio units to send back to AZ/Cakewalk/VST panels.

I can see no problem to send audio level information from a PIC on a dedicated MIDI channel, to a dedicated instance of AZ running with Cakewalk.  I can send either as CC values or as SysEx.

Can you let me know about the following please:

1. Does AZ pass control data to VSTs via the Cakewalk API? or by some other direct method?

2. If AZ passes control data via the Cakewalk API, would there be any problem so send audio level data, apart from the issues of data quantity and potential response time?

3. Have you seen any VST based FX control panels which make audio level information level available to AZ (either directly or via Cakewalk API)?

I think that most VST control panels generate data for their level meters as a by-product of DSP audio processing, so what I am going to try to achieve is probably quite unusual!  I am in contact with two companies which sell VST design software, so I will focus on understanding whether driving a VST control panel meter from an 'external' data source is possible within the VST framework.

Regards

Robert
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Discussions / Re: Communicating with an FX VST within Cakewalk
« Last post by azslow3 on October 26, 2023, 09:55:26 PM »
FX Parameters are controllable the same way as strip parameters (f.e. track volume), so in both directions (you can try this with any VST).

But level information is a tricky one. While you can define it as "parameter", I am not sure how good that will work in practice. The only other method I can imagine is implementing OSC stack in your VST, so AZ Controller retransmit the info it receives throw MIDI. But that is still an easy way to saturate MIDI communications, till carefully selecting reasonable update rate.

For that reason OSC based Behringer DMs send all levels in "one go" instead of one message per channel. I mean if you plan to have many FXes, it can make sense to foreseen something like one SysEx for levels from all of them.
BTW old Yamaha DMs was composing one SysEx to update several channels.
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Discussions / Communicating with an FX VST within Cakewalk
« Last post by norfolkmastering on October 26, 2023, 03:11:37 PM »
Hi Alexey

Could I please ask you for some advice!

Having completed my Cakewalk/AZ controlled mixing console, I want to take a next step ...

I am going to design some analogue FX units which will be controlled from FX VST based control panels which I will design.
I am fairly confident to design the VSTs and there are a number of software tools available to help.
The VST based control panels would be allocated to Cakewalk tracks or buses in the normal way.

Although I can use AZ Controller to read the status of VST controls using the AZ FX and Monitor actions, is it also possible to control the VST buttons and pots from my PIC via AZ Controller?

The biggest issue is that I need to send meter level information from my PIC to the VST, e.g. for a compressor gain reduction meter.  Is this theoretically possible via AZ if I design the VST correctly?

Regards

Robert

25
Sibiac / Re: Request: Boss Tone Studios for Me90
« Last post by gadeuvall2000 on October 22, 2023, 08:26:14 PM »
THe U1-1 INit is just a default patch to be messed with.  WHen connected to the unit, all the preset and user patches line up and they're accessed by actually clicking on their names. 

Using OCR to activate Librarian and TOne Central pages is doable.  in all honestly, the pages, themselves, are accessible enough to operate them, more specificly the librarian page.  to a degree, with the exception of dialog boxes.  However, if you navigate away from the page, and navigate back, you lose all accessibility. 

After having more time to tinker with it, and the BOss IR loader app, which I have Golden Cursor locations for,  it turns out that a decent majority of the app it's self is accessible, however, the parts that are not are what make it so tideous to navigate, that and some thing sare out of order, as you mentioned.  IF there was just a way to put it in order and activate those pages, that'd be fine.  THe only other problem I'm honestly having with the app is knowing when effects are on or off when using CTL mode..
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Sibiac / Re: Request: Boss Tone Studios for Me90
« Last post by azslow3 on October 18, 2023, 02:18:50 PM »
It seems like the App is only partially usable without hardware. Nothing really happens when I select something, I guess with device it at least should select the settings for editing. For me the editor is always in U1-1 Initial, can be edited but not ordered to preset nor saved.

The app is build with theoretically accessible framework, chrome based. Technically the app is described by HTML and Java Scripts. All elements in the editor are in fact can be navigated, but the order is wrong. So some "clickable" are components and can be selected by enter, but corresponding labels of the component and type labels are in different lists and so it is not possible to understand the relation. Nothing is grouped reasonably.
Also as you have noticed many operations make accessible navigation stuck till the app is restarted. Unfortunately that is the case with most mouse clicks.

I mean I can't reasonably combine SIBIAC approach with available build-in accessibility. Modifying HTML/JS sources is also not feasible, they are too complicated.
So the only simple task is selecting the page, and that you have already figured out how to do with OCR. Otherwise we will need to develop complete overlay, ignoring all existing accessibility.
Theoretically possible since everything appears on predictable places, but practically comparable in complexity with our AD2 or EZ2 projects.
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Discussions / Re: Track Input not reporting on Soft Instrument Track
« Last post by norfolkmastering on October 16, 2023, 07:01:02 PM »
Hi Alexey
Thanks for the explanation.

I have a routine in my mixer PIC which allows the audio output from MIDI based soft instruments in Cakewalk to be bounced to tracks in my tape machine.

I noticed that the source for those soft instrument tracks was not being reported, which was confusing my bounce software in the PIC.

So I have modified my PIC software to get around the issue.

Today I finished my final big software update so now I can have stereo tracks in Cakewalk which map to two adjacent tracks in the mixer and in the tape machine.  This makes recording and mix down sessions a lot easier.

Previously I had to control stereo sources (e.g. stereo piano recordings) as two Cakewalk tracks, one panned left and the other panned right.  Then I had to link the two faders in Cakewalk and do all the routing to groups twice.  Same for solo and mute and FX inserts.

Now it’s really great!

I’m getting ready to do a big recording session to see how the new software works out.

None of this would be possible without AZ Controller so a big Thank You! to you.

Regards
Robert
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Sibiac / Request: Boss Tone Studios for Me90
« Last post by gadeuvall2000 on October 16, 2023, 06:28:42 PM »
I own a Boss Me-90 Multi Guitar FX pedal.  I tracked through the BOss Tone Studios app and found that the editior is somewhat readable even without OCR, but there are some things that are invisible, and cannot be  operated.    The only other function I'd like is to be able to upload libraries that I download from the Boss Tone Exchange website, which is integrated with the APP, but is not accessible so I go straight to the site.  I"ve yet to figure out how to make that actually work.

From what I can understand, the app is fully functional without the hardware, just cannot save patches.    I will be more than happy to allow you to do what you need with my machine.

Thank you.
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Discussions / Re: Track Input not reporting on Soft Instrument Track
« Last post by azslow3 on October 16, 2023, 03:30:37 PM »
Hi Robert,

As you can guess, that means the logic informing about MIDI input change is not the same as for Audio Input, inside Cakewalk.
The API is exactly the same. Even more, surface plug-in (AZ Controller) has no consistent way to detect "Instrument" tracks.
Instrument tracks exposition throw Surface API is traditionally buggy, apart from omission of one half of parameters. Technically and logically
an Instrument track consist of 2 completely separate tracks, with all corresponding parameters. Cakewalk only visually represent them as one. In API
they also represent them as "one", so taking some parameters from the first and some from the second, without a possibility to choose which parameter
we really want. Summing that with some bugs (I don't remember when was solved and which not), the result was always disappointing.

Do you have MIDI part in your mixer?

Regards,
Alexey.
30
Discussions / Track Input not reporting on Soft Instrument Track
« Last post by norfolkmastering on October 15, 2023, 02:40:38 PM »
Hi Alexey
I have a problem that any track which is configured with a Soft Instrument (so combined MIDI/Audio track) is not reporting a change in track source to its feedback output.
The 'skip midi tracks' box in the Logic actions is not ticked.
If I trigger the action using a selective Monitor reset, then the track source reports correctly.

Could you let me know why this might be happening and any possible solution.

Regards
Robert
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