[maxmsp] Re: Re: Controlling an RME FireFace 800

Quote: jeanfrancois.charles wrote on Thu, 01 May 2008 02:29
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> > ... Wind Controller player. We got stuck because we used exclusively Logic and
> > reached the ceiling.
> 
> Your requests must be pretty high. Michael Brecker had a crazy
> live-electronics set-up to play with his EWI, and that was a all-Logic
> system. 

Breckers requirements were different and the setup apart from the built-in looper in no way crazy but very individual. His patches are basically identical parallel MIDI processing lines that got configured for particular performances, plus a routing matrix. The looper is another story.



> The ceiling with Logic seems pretty high for MIDI processing.

And the number of bugs and the necessity for workarounds is also pretty high. Furthermore, if you try to route audio in Logic by MIDI, you run from one shortcoming into the other. The development of this very good part of Logic was simply stopped at some point.



> Agreed, that [Brecker's environment] was done by a real specialist of the Logic Environment. 

It was done by his keyboarder. At this time, not many people had the idea to replace a complex hardware setup by software. Well, some had the idea, but they didn't do it.



> ... It surely depends on the
> precise things you want to do.

Exactly. Here is the short version of the list:

1. Acceptance of any controller input, mapable to at least 64 preconfigured virtual instruments including keyswitches, keysplits, transposition, adjustable curves for continuous controllers and dynamics, message conversion. Input distribution based on MIDI port and channel.

2. At least 4 "routes" of active instruments per preset that can be mixed, muted, crossfaded, sent to effect paths (soft- and hardware) on demand, controlled by the artist. Global parameters like transposition can be changed on the fly, the same applies to instrument specific parameters of the virtual instruments themselves and to plugins in their individual channelstrips.

3. MIDI control from controllers to the software and from the software to external units. This includes external multieffects and amp switching and output to custom MIDI aware devices.

4. At least 64 presets (better 100+), that store all settings for the minimum of 4 parallel "routes", where each route can consist of several solo or layered sounds. Preset switching has to occur within few milliseconds. Configurable crossfades between presets, especially for spill-over of delay and reverb. A kind of song list where each song combines several presets would be fine.

6. Ability to process audio and mix audio input with virtual instruments. Audio routing within the DAW and via external effects loops.

7. Big and clear onscreen feedback for the artist.

That's it, basically. And as you see, the requirements are quite different from Brecker's.

I got more than 50% of the above running in Logic. But then the last update broke an essential function, I had time to rethink the system and came to the conclusion, that with all the upcoming problems in the growing patch I would not be able to fulfil more than 70% of the requirements. I started to look for other ways and finally, as John correctly assumes in his post, I am here.

I use Max/MSP only for several weeks now but it is enough to tell me that the project can be successful with this software. I am not sure yet what I will do in Logic, what in Max/MSP or probably in the mixer of the RME interface which could be a requirement for a setup.

--
Peter