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Multi-timbral software instrument

The manual says the following about multi-timbral instruments:

"Multi-timbral checkbox: Turn on to create up to 16 tracks with ascending MIDI
channel settings (starting from MIDI channel 1, on the first track, MIDI channel 2 on
the second track, and so on).

These tracks are independent of the first track, and can be individually automated,
have different regions, and so on, but all tracks are associated with (and routed
through) the same instrument channel in the Mixer. " page 186

How do you actually automate separate MIDI channels? When I try this with Kontakt, all automation in any track controls the single instrument channel. The scenario in the manual would make sense if the additional tracks created were MIDI only, but they are audio instrument tracks with the same instrument. Thoughts?

Dual 2.5 GHz G5, Mac OS X (10.5), Also runing a 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro

Posted on Nov 5, 2007 5:51 PM

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7 replies

Nov 5, 2007 9:00 PM in response to eM-Bee

Unfortunately, it seems the manual is misleading on this subject. Logic can't handle volume/pan automation of the channels of a multi-instrument, unless you create seperate aux tracks for each instrument. Personally, I think this is a terrible bug that's been there since version 7. Others see it as a 'feature' and seem to have no problem with the crippled functionality (compared with competing DAW's).

I'm hoping it'll be fixed some day. Some day....

Nov 6, 2007 2:32 AM in response to timkertoy

Thanks for the reply; that's what I thought, but I was curious to see if there was something I was missing here. Looks like someone who was writing the documentation assumed that this implementation would logically provide this type of functionality. Like so many other things, it you need to call a piece of software Logic, it probably isn't...

Nov 6, 2007 1:11 PM in response to timkertoy

I have always wondered. Why do people want multi-timbral capabilities within software instruments? In the days of hardware a multi-timbral synth was great because it was like getting more than one synth for the price of one but this is software where the only limitations on how many instruments you can have are dictated by your CPU. To me it seems much easier to just have multiple instances of instruments then having one with a complex multi-timbral patch and different midi tracks assigned to different channels. What is the benefit? Why can't you just use multiple instances? Just trying to understand the reasons.

Nov 6, 2007 2:11 PM in response to Mutate

Well, with something like Garrantian Personal Orchestra, if you wanted to set up a string quartet, it's a lot easier to see all 4 instruments in one window than having 4 instance of the same window open. You can make adjustments relative to each other instrument in the one window.

Also, I'm guessing (but could be wrong!) that CPU load is less for 2 instruments in one plug-in instance, rather than 2 instances of the same plug-in running the two instruments?

I'm from the days of Hardware synth modules, so maybe with me it's just old habits not wanting to die!

Multi-timbral software instrument

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