Hi all,
I have X1 Studio and I am working myself through all the troubles I have with it.

It is all more or less related to my midi keyboard (M-Audio Oxygene 61) and making it work properly with Sonar. Those two just must hate each other.

So first thing...

1. One of my soft synth plugin has a modwheel binding for volume crossfading between different samplesets (volume and timbre change), but there is not a virtual knob/slider to control it. So the plugin shows me all different possibilities what I can automate (and what hasa knob), but not this one. Can I still created an automation envelope for, say, MIDI CC 11 (expression) and then remote control it from my MIDI keyboard? I have found one way, in pianoroll view at the bottom is the controller space with velocities, where I can add other controllers to draw and it seems to work, but I would really like to have an option to remote control it, rather than draw it.

I think this is more about how to configure your keyboard to send CC1 from one of its wheels/sliders.

You can create a MIDI automation envelope in a track by choosing Automation > MIDI from the Edit Filter dropdown (default "Clips") in the track header, and even if it doesn't list "Modulation" per se, you can enter the controller number 1, and the envelope will send modulation to the synth.

But if you want to send and record modulation controller events in real time, you need to check your controller manual. Or wait for one of the many people probably familiar with it to chime in. 

Thanks Brundlefly for your quick reply. 

I know the keyboard is sending CC1 with modwheel (it shows it on the display) and the plugin itself is responding to the movement by actually changing the sound as I am playing, but I don't know how to record this. When I enable write automation on the track it doesnt record anything by itself. I can still hear it "live" when trying to record it, but the automation doesn't store/record.

I cannot see MIDI or anything similar to that in my edit filtr (see the picture). When I tried to add the volume envelope and change it's CC, I don't know how, the rightclick sets the type of envelope, but not really it's options. Edit filtr shows the vst64plugin I am using and there are maybe 20 things I can automate, but not the thing I need.
Automation pic


Edit: Thanks to other thread I managed to convert the CC data into envelope - even if loosing the CC data - the envelope is just a line. But it doesn't stay in the edit filtr data options after I select "notes", edit some notes and want to select the enevlope again. Ahh...

It surprises me that not so many people mention this envelope problem. It must be widly used. Do they have a workaround or it just works for them?

Have you got Preferences, Playback and Recording, Controller checked?

This is happening because you are using a Simple Instrument Track. Unfortunately, those tracks only display automation for audio, not MIDI.

Right-click the track and choose Split Instrument Track. You should now have two tracks... one for the MIDI data and one for the audio data of the soft synth that you are using. In the Edit Filter of the MIDI track, you can now choose Automation > MIDI. Then in the dialog box, you can choose the MIDI controller you want to use. This will create an envelope for the chosen MIDI controller.

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
* Publisher of the DigiFreq free music technology newsletter: http://digifreq.com/?DigiFreq
* Publisher of the NewTechReview free consumer technology newsletter: http://newtechreview.com/?NewTechReview

Edit: Thanks to other thread I managed to convert the CC data into envelope - even if loosing the CC data - the envelope is just a line.

Correct. Controllers are normally recorded as MIDI events, not directly to envelopes. But they can be converted to envelopes, and converting them removes the controller events as it should (you can archive a copy of the track if you want to preserve them).


In order to write envelopes from a controller, you need to set it up as a control surface (Edit > Preferences > MIDI - Control Surfaces).

As a quickie solution for Volume and Pan, you can set up Remote Control from the context menu of the widgets and map them to their respective controls (CC7 for Volume and CC10 or Wheel for Pan, depending on what your controller sends). But I don;t think there's a ways to Remote Control envelopes that don;t have track header widgets.

But it doesn't stay in the edit filtr data options after I select "notes", edit some notes and want to select the enevlope again. Ahh... 

That's an issue I've not encountered, but I don't use MIDI envelopes much.

garrigus


This is happening because you are using a Simple Instrument Track. Unfortunately, those tracks only display automation for audio, not MIDI.

Right-click the track and choose Split Instrument Track. You should now have two tracks... one for the MIDI data and one for the audio data of the soft synth that you are using. In the Edit Filter of the MIDI track, you can now choose Automation > MIDI. Then in the dialog box, you can choose the MIDI controller you want to use. This will create an envelope for the chosen MIDI controller.

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
* Publisher of the DigiFreq free music technology newsletter: http://digifreq.com/?DigiFreq
* Publisher of the NewTechReview free consumer technology newsletter: http://newtechreview.com/?NewTechReview

Thanks Scott, this solved my problem. It was an instrument track, I didn't realise this is causing my troubles. Now it even properly converts the controller data into envelopes. Cool. Finally got over this and can go back actually creating music again. I hate when it seems the software is fighting with me instead of helping. But slowly we will get along, I guess.

Bigdogs


Have you got Preferences, Playback and Recording, Controller checked?

Yes, I got that. The controllers got recorded when I write enable automation.

  Scott - I like this answer. It's clear and direct. Thanks!