Epic FAIL - ACT and MIDI mapping - how do YOU map your VST synths?

Hi guys!
 
Many times I still have to open some old projects in my Ableton, so it happends that I compare X1b with Ableton.
This time - too, but it will - I hope - make my question more clear....
 
I have problems with ACT and MIDI mapping of VST softsynths and plugins. ACT with BCR2000 works like sh*t, it's almost useless, moreover doing any mapping in ACT just oNLY seems to be piece of cake - but this "Cake" is uneatable.
Simply - "ACT learn" function and ACT controler window behaves very weird, they can stuck, hang for a minute or two during "trying to map something" and it's almost impossible to do something with it.
I don't think it's because of BCR2000, which I bought especially to VST plugins controll....
 
In comparison with Ableton: I turn on "configure" button into "vst chain" window, turn the wirtual knobs in my VST plugin, and automatically Ableton creates "macro control". I can add as many "macro controls" as I want, I can manage them, I can map them to specific MIDI controllers, or leave as they are, because they are acccesible via V-Pots in any "Mackie-mode" Control Surface.
 
question:
IS THERE, IN X1B, such good and easy way to make mapping for your/my VST plugin parameters?
Or - do I have every time I add plugin - read manual, and manually make "mapping scenes" in my controller?
 
thxx in advance and sorry for my English ;)
 
Adrian

ACT is very easy....



1. Press ACT button on the VST-I

2. Move with the mouse the "control" or multi "controlls" you want to control in the VST-I.

3. NOTE: ---->Move them with your mouse in exactly the same order you will map and use them on your hardware controller.

4. Now---> Move the faders on your hardware controller you want to set the controls to.

5. Now Press on the same ACT button on VST-I to un-light it! DONE!!! 



Now you ready to rock!
Best Regards
Freddie

the biggest fault od ACT is, that you have to have ACT window still open to see actual mapping... moreover, I have to make some tests concerning using one and the same unit s a ACT controller and general purpose controller ...

For now I don't want to buy another piece of gear like Novation Nocturn or RMT to using it for controlling VST's only, but it seems that I'll be forced to do it near future....

But I'm still interested in USING 100% of controllers I have.
It's easy when VST plugin has ability to mapping/LEARN function, but otherwise - sitting with manual of specified VST plugin and map my CONTROLLER manually and create scene after scene???

How do you get rid of it?

Freddie - can you write less "theoretically"?

I ask for help in solving problems, not for infomercial....

adrian4u


Next one: ONE CONTROLLER, TWO Control Surfaces at once. Will it work or not?

Do you mean one physical unit with two ACT plugins? In that case yes. I use that with my Kore controller setup, and it works quite well. I'm not going to be quite as effusive as Freddie about ACT's virtues (that's just his style, you'll get used to it!), but I am able to get useful results out of it. 


One trick is to assign a button on your physical controller to 'Property Page Toggle' and make sure that button is a) excluded from ACT and b) the same on all button 'pages' if you're using them. That way with a single button you can always bring the controller window up to see what controls are doing what in the current setup - kind of a 'cheat sheet' as it were - and then make it go away again with the same button. 


Another useful assignment is to have a similarly always-on button for 'ACT Enable' which allows you to switch from controlling whatever more general things you've assigned things to in the controller setup (volume, pan, whatever) to the current contextual ACT-driven functions with, again, a single press. Because you have control over which buttons, and which rotaries and sliders pages, are excluded from ACT, you can have some functions always stay the same while others adapt contextually. 


ACT needs an overhaul, no doubt about it, but it ain't going to happen before X2 at the earliest (and even that is frankly a crapshoot at best) so it probably makes sense to either drop it wholesale or use it on its own terms. I've taken the latter course and again, I can get it to do useful things. But it's taken some time to get it there... not exactly plug-and-play!

hope that helps... 

@ djjhart - don't tell me 'bout connecting hardware synths and all the "EXTRA FEATURES", that Sonar don't have, but other, even less "pro"  DAWS - do have as STANDARD.

I did little comparison between Sonar and Ableton to show those of you who are not familiar wth other DAWs, that mapping is easy and SHOULD BE EASY in such advanced DAW as Sonar wants to be called.

More - I noticed several lack of other user-friendly features, and it makes Sonar good DAW for live recordings, not for electronic musicians.
HARD way to precise drawing of envelopes, copy-paste envelopes is "strignt and fast" as water in your toilet....

ACT custom mapping ahould be as usefull as Automap software (by Novation); using ONE controller as a two Control Surfaces or CS and simple MIDI ontroller should be breeze....

For now I ahould look at any general purpose wrapper for using with hardware controller and VST plugins, and to do not use ACT at all.

maybe any of you have seen it?
http://www.sharewareconnection.com/vst-midi-control-extension.htm
Seems to be very interesting....
I was trying DEMO - it works with WIN7/64 and Sonar X1b quite well, but maybe is on this forum someone who has full version?

adrian4u


Freddie - can you write less "theoretically"?

I ask for help in solving problems, not for infomercial....

Yeah Automap is much better, but it does require you to wrap all your plugz, which in itself can be a pain, but there's also peeps who have had functionality problems with wrapped plugs. Still, Automap seems to be the best universal control system out there.

I also love Ableton's way of doing it in that it's no-think easy. 

When ACT it working perfectly it is very nice, but like said above it seems to reset at will, requiring you to dig in and reconfigure, which is incredibly tedious. There's also what seems to be an absurd arbitrary limit of controls, which on a unit like the BCR more or less wastes half the unit. I don't know why SONAR has gone so long without a major update to ACT, but it certainly needs it. 

I think there's probably a limit to what they can do without needing to do something like Automap and basically recreating every plug, but sheesh I'd settle for a common sense UI and MUCH higher limits (like NONE) on number of controls. I liked Cakewalk's old Studioware better than I do ACT.

That's why I want to try out, or - know more about this wrapper:
http://www.midevice.com/Products.aspx?ProductID=0
Midevice MCX

And - Wicked - look:
 - if you using jBridge - you have to do plugin scan and pray that everything will work fine.
- if you using ACT - ACT itself maps "accidental" controllers from your VSTplugin to knobs/faders - they you propably do mapping yourself
- Automap - more convenient, but acts like ACT ;)
... So I'm ready to do another scanning, but I want to be sure that another wrapper will work as it should.
That's why I was searching and found this MCX.
But I need somebody who uses it - is it worth to spend 20 Euro or not?