I have a Triton 76 key keyboard that I use as primarily as a Midi controller. I'm finding lots of newer VSTi's, particularly orchestral and virtual drums (like BFD3) that have either notes or articulation keyswitches below or above the range of the Triton. It used to be a minor thing, but it is becoming a true pain as of late. Short of replacing the Triton with an 88-key controller, I'd like to hear how others deal with the issue. I've tried changing the KEY in the Midi track, which works, though it screws up note names in BFD3. I also do lots of manual edits to enable various keyswitches after the performance is captured.
 
Any suggestions would be great.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

For AD2, I have gotten into custom maps (defined in the AD2 engine), but have been giving midiChords new attention because it can also function as a track chorder. I really have key limitations on my A-300, so this works well for anything done real-time. Essentially it is a complex mapper that maps 1-key hits in the bottom section to what you choose in the upper section. Fairly clean and quick, but saving of presets you have made will not seem to write to its default location (VST subfolder), so need another assigned location for them so they stay consolidated.
 
Kamikaze has played with this VST a bit, so may have more tips on how to use it.

I just add them manually in the PRV.  I've never even tried to play them while recording.

I nearly always add keyswitches manually via the PRV. I'm just not coordinated enough to play them in real time. As a piano player, my left hand is indelibly pre-programmed to play along with the right hand. It refuses to hit a C# when the right hand is in C. So my routine is to record the notes and subsequently add the articulations with a mouse.
 
If there are a lot of switches, e.g. high-end string libraries, I'll put them into a separate MIDI track rather than cluttering up the main melodic track with keyswitches. 
 
Even when entering via the PRV, keyswitches at the far end of the keyboad are still a hassle because it's often impossible to display them and the main melody simultaneously without scrolling the PRV.
 
My solution is to place keyswitches in a separate track and transpose them up 1 to 3 octaves. This lets me show them alongside the notes in the PRV (in a different color, of course) for precise positioning.
 
This is especially helpful when you're articulating violins, violas, cellos and basses. For that I'll place the keyswitches for each in 4 separate tracks in 4 different colors, transposed such that my bass keyswitches appear on the bottom, cellos above them, then violas and finally violins at the top. That arrangement lets me work on any combination of voices and keyswitches without getting confused.
 

 
 

bitflipper
I nearly always add keyswitches manually via the PRV. I'm just not coordinated enough to play them in real time. As a piano player, my left hand is indelibly pre-programmed to play along with the right hand. It refuses to hit a C# when the right hand is in C. So my routine is to record the notes and subsequently add the articulations with a mouse.
 
If there are a lot of switches, e.g. high-end string libraries, I'll put them into a separate MIDI track rather than cluttering up the main melodic track with keyswitches. 
 
Even when entering via the PRV, keyswitches at the far end of the keyboad are still a hassle because it's often impossible to display them and the main melody simultaneously without scrolling the PRV.
 
My solution is to place keyswitches in a separate track and transpose them up 1 to 3 octaves. This lets me show them alongside the notes in the PRV (in a different color, of course) for precise positioning.
 
This is especially helpful when you're articulating violins, violas, cellos and basses. For that I'll place the keyswitches for each in 4 separate tracks in 4 different colors, transposed such that my bass keyswitches appear on the bottom, cellos above them, then violas and finally violins at the top. That arrangement lets me work on any combination of voices and keyswitches without getting confused.
 

So, you're saying that I can have multiple midi tracks pointing to the same VST/port, each with different KEY transposition settings? I had no idea that would work. For articulations, I (generally) manually enter them in the PRV, but for drum hits, I'm trying to play them live to capture the feel. Two midi tracks would work if I can have one transposed with the KEY track parameter.
 
Regards,
Dan
 
 
 

mettelus
For AD2, I have gotten into custom maps (defined in the AD2 engine), but have been giving midiChords new attention because it can also function as a track chorder. I really have key limitations on my A-300, so this works well for anything done real-time. Essentially it is a complex mapper that maps 1-key hits in the bottom section to what you choose in the upper section. Fairly clean and quick, but saving of presets you have made will not seem to write to its default location (VST subfolder), so need another assigned location for them so they stay consolidated.
 
Kamikaze has played with this VST a bit, so may have more tips on how to use it.

Checking out midichords now...thanks!
 
Dan
 

Beagle
I just add them manually in the PRV.  I've never even tried to play them while recording.

THIS^^^^^^^

dcumpian
So, you're saying that I can have multiple midi tracks pointing to the same VST/port, each with different KEY transposition settings? 

Yup. The transposition happens in the host at the track level before the MIDI data is sent to the synth, which doesn't know that the data is coming from 2 tracks or that it's been pre-manipulated beforehand.
 
If you already have a track with keyswitches in it, just clone the track and then delete all the notes from one and the keyswitches from the other. 
 

bitflipper

dcumpian
So, you're saying that I can have multiple midi tracks pointing to the same VST/port, each with different KEY transposition settings? 

Yup. The transposition happens in the host at the track level before the MIDI data is sent to the synth, which doesn't know that the data is coming from 2 tracks or that it's been pre-manipulated beforehand.
 
If you already have a track with keyswitches in it, just clone the track and then delete all the notes from one and the keyswitches from the other. 
 

Well, then that's awesome and (mostly) solves my issues. Some of the virtual drum kits I use have hits on all 88 keys, so being able to split the keyboard into two tracks is workable for me. Thanks Bit!
 
Regards,
Dan