Midi Monitoring Idea

daveny5What soundcard do you have? What's your computer's specs? I record MIDI tracks all the time and don't have any problem with latency and my Delta 44 is probably 10 years old or more. I do use an external mixer. (Mackie). 

brundlefly

I've done a similar kind of thing using Savihost using WDM to trigger the VSTi for the Audio (so as not to clash with the ASIO driver in Sonar) then routing the midi out through that via a virtual midi cable into Sonar.  There's a small (but acceptable) latency for the audio coming from the Savihosted synth but the miid latency into Sonar is virtually nil.

That's still not going to address the late MIDI recording issue, because the root of the problem with PDC is that you're syncing your playing to a delayed audio signal, and the MIDI recording position is not compensated for that.

And all the hoop-jumping is not necessary just to eliminate the audio monitoring latency. PDC Override will take care of that.

And if you throw in setting up the independent hosting machine/app, it's a little more involved than just to "dog-leg the midi-routing".

jkleban


Well,

Didn't need to override anything... it just WORKS (almost perfectly).  It is a pleasure hearing my MIDI triggered instruments in real time along with the pre-mixed tracks.. I think I even felt a groove going (been a long time for that in MIDI).

Jim

jkleban


Jonbouy,

My problem is every project for me is like this.  I only use Virtual Instruments triggered by MIDI, I have tons of plug-ins and my projects are pretty much huge.  Add to the problem, UAD2 latency and you can see what a mess this is.

Just being able to monitor my MIDI performance in real time, playing the correct instrument is a godsend.  Been years since I was able to do this.

But it is worth it, my MIDI projects DO NOT sound like MIDI at all (which was my goal).

Jim

jkleban


So, I can't stand the fact that if I try and play a MIDI controller, triggering a VSTi in a project that is already mixed, that the LATENCY is unbearable without turning off all the plugins in every bin and which point the MIX is unbearable.

So, I have an idea that I would like to run by you folks (and perhaps someone has already tried this). 

What if I got a MIDI patchbay and took the MIDI output from my controller and send one MIDI send to the DAW to record the MIDI with the PORT muted so it wouldn't trigger anything on the recording, project DAW but just recorded the MIDI data in the track?

At this point, I wouldn't be able to hear what I was playing which for me wouldn't work at all. However, I think take another MIDI out from the MIDI patchbay and send it to another computer which had the same VSTi's on it and I used this other computer to trigger the MIDI input to an instrument which would have very LOW latency.

In order to hear both PC's audio, I then could send a stereo out from each PC to a mixer desk and hear both the mixed song and my performance in real time.

The more I thought about this the more I realized I wouldn't need a very powerful PC to be the VSTi monitoring machine since all it would be doing is triggering one VST (stand alone) and sending its audio out to the mixer.

So, I have a AXIOM 61 (old one) controller keyboard and was wondering if there exists a MIDI patchbay that can handle MIDI over one USB in and two USB outs?

Thanks, and please let me know you thoughts,
Jim

PS - been thinking about this for quite awhile now but haven't yet tried it hoping that somebody on the forum has already solved this problem.

Jonbouy

brundlefly


If you don't track with PDC plugs, and/or are direct-monitoring through an eternal mixer, you might never have encountered either of these issues.

This is the bit I still don't get, if as you say one is direct-monitoring and these issues do not manifest, why then does it not follow that the next best thing, virtually direct monitoring a synth on a different signal path to Sonar, would also stop these issues manifesting themselves?

I'm just curious here because you are usually right on the money.

It all starts to add up (the latency) with this much going on in real time and like I said, my DAW is fine if I record audio tracks, it is just when I try to monitor new MIDI tracks where this delay rears its ugly head.