Yet Another Workaround for Sequencer Playback / Midi probs: GSt + Logic

[Freud]

ok if all else fails, try this.
so far the only sollution for Logic + GSt co-operation with my setup:
1. Install Hubi
2. Open GSt and in \"settings\"set the LB1 as the MIDI-input for Port 1. Close Gst.
2.5 Open Logic. Then close Logic. New midi-ports are discovered.
3. In win.ini go to the logic section and SET ALL MIDI OUTPUTS EXCEPT HUBI\'S LB1-4 PORTS TO =0 INSTEAD OF =1. This Includes setting the Nemesys Gstudio ports to =0 as well as the internal synth and MIDI output of your soundcard.
Also Set Hubi\'s LB1-4 INPUTS to =0
4. Open Logic and check that you only can select LB1-4 in the output assign column. Close Logic.
5. Open GSt, load a sound, launch Logic, select LB1 as output in Logic. Make Sure that the keyboard in the left corner of GSt isn\'t blinking. if so, click on it.
6. A most peculiar thing: Go to \"settings\" in Gst. The MIDI-input for port1 should be LB1 but still no sound. Now RE-SELECT THE LB1 AS MIDI-SOURCE FOR PORT1 AND CLICK \"APPLY\"
7. Pray
8. Strike a key
9. enjoy the sound, or utter some foul words in desperation.
10. Have some beers.

If you still wanna use the midi-output of your soundcard, you might be able to get that to work with a different Hubi routing. haven\'t tried it though.

Good Luck!
Freud.

it\'s all a matter of basic psycho-analysis really.

[migo]

I believe that the info you\'ve posted had already been mentioned...except for \"Have some beers\". Hubi IS the key to synch to GSt & Logic.

Thanks for the repost.

[cc]

Freud: 2 quick questions:

If you skip setting all the other outputs to 0 in win.ini, does your system stop working? What if you follow your work around, get it working, and then set all the other midi outs back to =1 in win.ini? Do things stop working again?

Second question: if you skip step 6 (reassigning LB1 in GSt), I presume you get no sound. Lets say the keyboard icon is white: does any of the midi icons flash when you strike keys? (specifically the chans 1 & 4 icons...)

[Freud]

migo: i have not been able to get it working with any other solutions posted on this forum. god knows i\'ve tried... if you check it more closely you\'ll find that this method IS a bit different from previous sugestions.

cc: setting the win.ini\'s back to =1 made it all go silent again. =0 is a must in my case.
and yeah, i get the midi icons flashing, but no sound until i reset the LB1 and press apply. god knows why. any clues?
me getting it all to function properly was just pure stupid luck in the first place...

[LHong]

CC, are you there?
Could you (or someone here) explain about the \"HUBI\", How does it work? maybe I miss some posts here? is it some king of soft-MIDI drivers? Maybe I can find somehow that it would helpul for me!
just a stupid question!
Thanks in advances
LHong

[cc]

Freud: I think the reason things come right when you re-select LB1, is that GSt then re-opens LB1.

Everything about this problem seems to scream \"incorrect message buffer alignment\".

*Maybe*, just maybe, you could solve the problem more cleanly by substituting Midi Yoke for Hubi.

LHong: Hubi (and Midi Yoke) are software midi drivers that provide \"virtual\" midi ports. These ports are loopback devices, so anything you send to Hubi\'s LB1 port (for example), just comes right back out of LB1.

The big advantage is that these ports are multiclient. Say for example that you have an external synth, and some editor for that synth (e.g. an XG keyboard, and XGedit95): the problem is that most midi outputs can be opened by only 1 program. So you can\'t run the sequencer & xgedit simultaneously.

Now if you were to use hubi, you could \"connect\" your midi output port with hubi\'s hwmdcabl (a virtual cable) to hubi\'s LB1 port. Both your sequencer & xgedit can then open LB1, and send data to the synth simultaneously.

Another configuration would be to set XGedit\'s output port to LB1, and then record the edits in the sequencer on LB1.

Programs like these also allow you to insert programs like Midi-OX into a midi chain, which allows you to monitor the midi data flowing down that chain. You can use Midi-Ox to transform that data (Hubi also has some transform facilities) - e.g. you can transform note-on B1 to transmit a \"Volume 127\" message, and note-off B1 to transmit \"Volume 0,\" thereby creating a type of \"gating\" effect. (Then again, if you use Logic, you have all those transform facilities built right in!)

[Freud]

a bit off-topic:
cc: speaking of that gate effect, i tried to get this effect once messing around in the environment and using a whole bunch of transformers and stuff. I just wonder what the most simble way is to achieve such an effect (note off\'s to vol 0).
My method surely was unnecessary complex.
grateful for help.

[Chadwick]

The way we used to do it was to just put the track through a gate and trigger the gate from a rimshot or something playing at the right speed.
Later I actually cut the sample into segments and played them in via step input in the sequencer. Bit fiddly.
These days I\'m lazy and draw volume controller data in little columns jumping from 0 to 127. If I\'m after 16ths gating I usually only make the volume on for a 32nd, and off for a 32nd so that the stutter is more obvious. I think the old analog gate still sounds more percussive though. Probably something to do with how slow midi is.

[migo]

Thanks Freud. After I posted my message, I read the fine details of your workaround & compared it with cc\'s original workaround, posted 6-12-2000. There are some obvious differences. Great job!

[Damian Smith]

To CC:

Can you give me a bit more info on how to make up that batch file that you mentioned in your post for the workaround. It would make things easier than always opening up the Hubi executable file to change these ports manually.

[cc]

If you double-click hwmdcabl.exe, then right click on it in the taskbar, the window pops up listing all the ports.

Next to all the ports, a number appears. Note down all the numbers you need:

e.g. in the Input column, you may see:
3 LB1
4 LB2
etc.

and in the output column, you may see:
A NemeSys MidiOut: Port 1
B NemeSys MidiOut: Port 2
etc.

(These numbers will vary according to system, and basically reflect the order in which one has installed various midi devices, etc.)

The commandline uses these numbers, so if I wanted to create a batch file for my example that connected LB1 to Nemesys 1 and LB2 to Nemesys 2, I would put the following two lines into a file:

hwmdcabl IN=3 OUT=10
hwmdcabl IN=4 OUT=11

It should be clear that the IN numbers correspond to the numbers in the input column, and the OUT numbers correspond to the numbers in the output column, as noted down previously. The main thing to remember is that you use numbers (i.e. 10 rather than \"A\"). The other thing is that IN and OUT should be in capitals.

To connect all 4 ports, just add the additional appropriate lines.

Put these lines into a file (put in same directory as hubi), and name it something like MyCables.bat

In future, just double-click this file to start all the cables in one go. It is also quite handy to put a shortcut to this batch file on your desktop.

PS: It sounds as if a patch is due out soon that will cure these problems...


[This message has been edited by cc (edited 07-19-2000).]