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VEP7 AU3 Template and Instructions


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Note - this article has been updated since its original post to reflect software updates from both Apple and VSL since then.

Summary

LogicPro has historically limited to only using one midi port while connecting to Vepro using AU2.  That is a limitation of AU2. This limited LogicPro to only 16 instrument parts per VePro instance.  This post will explain new updates to both LogicPro and VePro7 which provides the opportunity to use multiple midi ports into a single VePro instance (up to 768 total midi channels, with some caveats)

In version 10.4.5 of LogicPro and v7 release of VePro from VSL, the possibility to use an AU3 version of the VePro plugin was introduced.  Both Apple and VSL called it a beta feature at the time, due to some limitations.   Some of those limitations and quirks have been fixed since then, but it is still considered to be beta.  AU3 provides multiple midi ports.

Templates

Here are a couple LogicPro templates if you just wanna load one up and try it out.  These are quite easy to make yourself though, which I will explain below; and I thoroughly recommend you just create your own templates, it's quite easy to do.  These can serve as examples.

VEPAU3-1270-tracks.zip

VEPAU3-1536-midi.zip

 

Requirements

  • LogicPro 10.7.6 or above
  • latest version of VePro7

AU3 Notes

  1. Apple and VSL both still consider this beta software.  FWIW.
     
  2. LogicPro 10.7.5 broke AU3 substantially in terms of working correctly with Vepro.  Later updates from both Apple and VSL brought it back and took care of a few earlier problems too, so I recommend using at least LogicPro 10.7.6 and VePro7 completely up to date as of today.
     
  3. 5 years ago when this first came out, the transport sync did not work.  It has since been fixed and seems to be functioning normally today
     
  4. LogicPro is currently limited to a max number of audio returns from AU3 plugins to 25 stereo returns.  If you are planning to return all tracks separately to mix in LogicPro, then you will be limited to 25 stereo tracks per VePro instance.
     
  5. if you try to save Library Patches in LogicPro from AU3 tracks, the port assignment is not currently saved with the patch, so if you use anything other then port 1, that won't be saved with the patch at all.  This is bug in LogicPro
     
  6. If you use any third party midi plugins in the midi fx section of your channel strip with VePro.AU3, the port assignment is erased while passing through them. So don't use third party midi plugins with VePro.AU3 if you are using more than 1 port.  This is bug in LogicPro
     
  7. I have heard rumors that logicPro 10.8 has introduced problems with hanging notes in AU3, but I cannot confirm or deny those rumors since I am stuck on 10.7.9 until further notice.  you know what they say about rumors.

 

How Many Ports?

So the official word from VSL is that this supports 127 midi channels per VePro instance.  It turns out there is a way to support up to 768 channels which I will explain later in this forum thread.  For now, suffice it to say you can easily have as many as 127 midi tracks feeding 127 channel/port combinations in a single VePro instance.  That is already a vast improvement over the 16 allowed with AU2.  But you can also use a simple enviornment trick to expand the track count all the way to 768 without issue.  See below for more details.

 

Manually creating AU3 multi-port tracks - instructions

It turns out that the instructions for creating up to 127 multi-timbral tracks to each VePro.AU3 instance are actually pretty easy now.  The first year or two after this came out there was a little tap dance that had to be done to get around some flukey behavior in LogicPro, but that is now fixed by Apple.  You can easily create a 127 track template using the following procedure.

  1. Create a new instrument track with VePro.AU3 as the instrument.
     
  2. The new track will default to using MIDI channel "ALL". Change the MIDI channel to "1". The Port should default to "1".
     
    1259627277_ScreenShot2021-04-09at8_48_21PM.jpg.7bc2e9292b3c5d57f0286945fde4d01a.jpg
     
     
  3. While this new track is selected, using the following menu command, or factory key command CTRL-RETURN:
     
    655736603_ScreenShot2021-04-09at8_50_35PM.thumb.jpg.6d7ca8d301694ed1513e6c845d87b976.jpg
     
     
  4. The above will create a new track that is pointing to the same VePro.AU3 instance, but configured on (Port1, Channel 2)
     
  5. Press CTRL-RETURN 125 more times to end up with no more than 127 tracks.  If you accidentally go past 127 some really scary stuff will happen due to bugs in LogicPro.  I will explain below more about that.  For now, just don't create more than 127 tracks this way.
     

In fact if you try to create a 128th track, LogicPro will literally blow up. See below for a deeper explanation and how to dig yourself out if you do that. You don't want to do that. If you are using consecutively numbered tracks, that works out to port 8, channel 15 being the highest channel you can use per VePro.AU3 instance. DO NOT CREATE port 8, channel 16 or higher unless you know what you're doing. There are some hints later in this thread for tricky stuff you can do, but don't do that now.

Using the above you can build up 127 tracks under a minute, the 1270 track template I provided above is basically using 10 VePro instances, took less than 10 minutes to build it.

You don't have to do the whole template at once you can just add tracks as you go using CTRL-RETURN as mentioned above to create new multi-timbral tracks on the next available midi channel, but make sure you don't create more than 127 tracks for any one VePro instance

 

What happens if you go to 128 tracks?

Here is a brief explanation for LogicPro nerds.

  1. When you create a new instrument track, LogicPro creates a new instrument channel strip in the environment for you. Usually given a boring name like "Inst 1"
     
  2. When you change its midi channel from ALL to a specific channel like 1-16, then the track becomes a multi-timbral track, which means its possible to have 15 more tracks pointing to the same internal Inst 1 object with AU2 instruments, and up to 127 total multi-timbral tracks on an AU3 plugin using channel+port to define each one.
     
  3. When you use the CTRL-RETURN command to create a new track on next channel, LogicPro does a special function, it creates a second channel strip inside the environment but this is a special kind of channel strip, its kind of like an alias to the same internal channel strip you created in step#1 above, but it has its own channel and port values. It would, for example, be pointing also to the internal "Inst 1" object, but has its own unique channel and port settings. If you do this, you can go into the environment and see that there are now two channel strips, both of them are referring to "Inst 1" as the internal instrument object that is hosting VePro.AU3, for example.
     
    after.thumb.jpg.c6d3f552a31661c5395f048532ca95e2.jpg
     
     
  4. And so on, you can do that repeatedly until you have 127 of those environment special channel strips, using channels 1-16, ports 1-8 and all pointing to the the same internal "Inst 1" object.

By the way, this explanation also explains a bit why LogicPro will blow up if you go past (port8, channel15). The reason is because internally the environment is only able to create 127 of those special channel strips that are linked to the same internal inst object, such as "Inst 1". If you try to create a 128th one of those environment strips, it ends up blowing up the environment and all of LogicPro will become confused. Its some kind of internal limitation in LogicPro and the environment, at least for now as of version 10.7.9.  I will elaborate more on this issue below.

 

Troubleshooting

 

The following problems will not happen with the provided templates above, except perhaps if and when you try to add more tracks to it or build one up from scratch.

Problem #1

If you accidentally hit CTRL-RETURN past the 127th midi channel (usually port8, channel15), then the problem is a little crazy. In this case it will not create a new VEP instance channel, it will attempt to create a 128th track on port 8, channel 16, and that will break the entire instrument setup because you're only allowed 127 of those special environment strips per internal inst object.

You will know if you have accidentally done this mistake if you open up the environment and go to the Mixer layer. You will see many mixer channel strip objects. Some of them will be blank...and when you see a group of blank ones for a particular instrument, that is where you probably messed up.

if you see something like the following, then you will know that this is what you did:

before.thumb.jpg.310c19090d64e22bf14a31298406e4ac.jpg

 

To rectify this situation:

  1. first open the environment.
     
  2. While the environment window is open, select the errantly created track header on the arrange page. The environment should also highlight the object that is associated with that track header.
     
  3. Select that highlighted object in the environment and delete it.
     
  4. The Tracker header should change to a label of "NO OUTPUT". If it doesn't, then you did something wrong. Undo and get it right before the next step
     
  5. Presuming the track header in the arrange page now says "NO OUTPUT", select that track header and delete it.

 

After doing that the environment should look more like this without blank looking strips in the environment:

after.thumb.jpg.c6d3f552a31661c5395f048532ca95e2.jpg

 

If you're careful not to hit CTRL-RETURN too many times while manually creating AU3 templates, then you shouldn't have either problem mentioned.

I thought you said 768 tracks per instance are possible?

Yes it is.  See this post for details: 

 

 

 

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  • 6 months later...

I have a new update about AU3. As mentioned earlier, there has been a limitation of 8 midi ports. This appears to be related to the LPX environment in some way. However, we only had half the answer before, it turns out that the limiting factor is the total number of underlying environment objects that get created for each track feeding a multi-timbral instrument. LogiPro is limited to 127 of those per multi-timbral instrument. The fundamental limitation can be stated perhaps more accurately like this:

 

You can only have 127 channels feeding into a single AU3 multi-channel instrument, each with unique midi channel/port

 

But those 127 tracks do not have to be within the first 8 midi ports, they can be spread all over the full spectrum of possible midi ports. You just can't have more than 127 of them. And actually if you accidentally create a 128th track feeding a single instrument, the whole GUI will become messed up. Its possible to fix that when it happens if you read the first post of this thread troubleshooting section, but not friendly.

 

What does this mean? With VePro7 and AU3, that means you could use all 48 midi ports available in VePro7, using up to 768 separate instrument channels in each VePro instance. If you have some instrument tracks in LogicPro which are a single source track, but using an ArticulationSet or Scripter to channelize notes per articulationID, for example, those are only using 1 out of the 127 source channels/tracks, even while feeding many more channels through scripting into the VePro instance. You can definitely feed up to 768 total midi channels into a single VePro instance under some of those channelizing strategies.

 

So for example, I quickly made a template, which I will share later, that has 96 single-channel instruments and 31 multi-channel instruments that provide up to 16 channelized articulations on each one. 592 total channels in single VePro instance. This is quite a valuable thing...

Edited by Dewdman42
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UPDATE - this post is interesting but a better way to get more ports is found at the following post: 

 

 

Multi-Channel Instrument Expansion

So here is a workflow for adding some multi-channel instruments per the above...

This involves starting with an existing template and then changing midi channel port assignments on the existing tracks without adding any new tracks. Its very important not to add any new tracks because that will likely result in going over the 127 limitation and throw LogicPro into GUI chaos. So.. follow these instructions and you can setup some much bigger templates if you using any multi-channel instruments (articulations on multiple channels).

So let's say we want to take the 1270 track template provided in the first post of this thread and expand it to include a 16-articulation multi-channel configuration for a few of the source tracks.

  1. Start with the 1270 Track AU3 template provided at the top of this thread.
     
  2. When you open the template you will see that it is configured for ten VEP instances, with 127 tracks per VEP instance, each track using a unique midi port/channel assignment.
     
    vep1.thumb.jpg.97a29a15f3f83fa1a2c8461fb8bfa18b.jpg
     
  3. The best way I have found to do this is to start with the last track within a VEP instance folder, and work backwards from there. Select the last track and you will see that its currently configured to port 8, channel 15 in the inspector panel on the left.
     
    before.thumb.jpg.5f233af3b6c1588fbd3cdc28adf03d67.jpg
     
     
  4. Change the port to port 48 and the channel to 1. Rename the track if you like to remind you its now on Port 48, channel 1.
     
    changed.thumb.jpg.af7f77ed5aef6cfc1e4910afa6f54813.jpg

That's actually all there is to it. Now that track will be routed to port 48. If you use an ArticulationSet and/or Scripter to re-channelize notes per articulationID, then they will all be sent to port 48 channels 1-16. Meanwhile you still have 126 regular single-channel tracks left.

If you want more multi-channel tracks, keep working back from the end like I did, select the second to the last track, then assign it to port 47, channel 1, etc... as many as you want.

Pretty easy to do and if you use multi-channel instruments such as PLAY a lot, this will greatly expand how many instruments and articulations you can fit into a single VePro instance. Up to 768 total independent instrument channels in VePro.

if you choose to use my channelizing script, then you can have channelized instruments with more than 16 articulations also, spread across multiple ports. See that here: viewtopic.php?f=45&t=143326

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  • 4 weeks later...

768 midi tracks per Instance!

Here is an additional different way to create a VePro template, which provides 768 midi channels and tracks per VePro instance. VSL says that LogicPro is limited to only 127 channels on 8 midi ports with AU3, but this is not correct. The limitation in LogicPro is related to environment objects. When you create multi-timbral instrument tracks, underlying environment channel strip objects are created for each of those channels, each one assigned to a port/channel. LogicPro is limited to creating up to 127 of those internal channel strips. Thus, when using the normal multi-timbral approach in LogicPro, where tracks are directly assigned to channel strips, you are limited to 127 unique midi/port tracks.

However, its possible with some simple environment cabling to have all 768 tracks feeding a single VePro instance. This is accomplished by creating 48 Channel Strip objects for each VePro Instrument, corresponding to 48 ports. Each one will be configured as midi channel ALL and the ports 1-48 respectively. Then environment multi-instrument objects are cabled directly to each one of those. The multi-instrument object will provide channelization of channels 1-16.

cabling.thumb.jpg.a57de3317d2f17348daede941bf7d698.jpgconfig.jpg.05738d64fdd47bb904c723d53e196baa.jpg

This method works very well if you are comfortable using old school midi tracks instead of instrument tracks to record your project, there are pros and cons, but if you want a really big template feeding a single VePro instance, this is how to do it with VePro AU3.

I have provided a template with 1536 tracks feeding two VEP instances. 768 tracks each. let me know if you have any questions about how its setup, or how to expand it if desired.

 

Notes and Questions

  1. Since the environment multi-instrument will channelize the notes, then any channel assignments configured in an ArticulationSet will be ignored. Use Scripter for articulation channelizing.
     
  2. I need to test to make sure that PDC works entirely as expected when using environment midi tracks.
      
  3. I'm not sure if non-midi automation lanes are more hassle this way compared to using normal instrument tracks assigned directly to the instrument channel. Perhaps.
     
  4. Any other weird stuff related to using old school midi tracks will apply here.
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  • 3 months later...

As we go along we are finding out what does and doesn't work with AU3 yet in LogicPro, so I just want to make the following observations to that end (as of LogicPro 10.5)

 

  1. Apple supposedly added official AU3 support several years ago, but insiders say the developers think it is not fully developed yet. FWIW.
     
     
  2. VSL, for similar reasons, is calling their VePro.AU3 plugin as "beta", primarily I think because Apple is saying its not fully done yet.
     
     
  3. As of today, the transport sync is not transmitted through the VePro.au3 plugin to the VePro server. so if you try to use any kind of tempo based plugin in VePro, it will not work through AU3, you will need to use AU2. Its not clear yet whether this is due to Apple or VSL, but it doesn't matter. As of today, that doesn't work.
     
     
  4. if you try to save Library Patches in LogicPro from AU3 tracks, the port assignment is not currently saved with the patch, so if you use anything other then port 1, that won't be saved with the patch at all.
     
     
  5. If you use any non-Apple midi plugins, the port assignment is erased by unaware AU2 midi plugins. Its possible that AU3 midi plugins will not erase the port assignment, but I'm not aware of any Au3mfx plugins at this time, other then what is included in LogicPro, these seem to retain the port assignment, perhaps hey are AU3, I'm not sure. But other third party AU2 midi plugins definitely strip the port assignment if they are used on the channel strip.

 

Otherwise it seems to be working rather fine. As long as you avoid the above points #3 and #4.

Edited by Dewdman42
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  • 1 month later...
Thank you for these awesome templates and scripts. I'm in the process of rebuilding the template and i'm trying to figure out the most effective way. I've been working with key switching and using Articulation ID to trigger key switches in a single Kontakt instrument. Do you have any Video walkthroughs of this setup?
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  • 6 months later...

Is the "VEPAU3-1270-tracks" not using the VEPro AU3 multi-output plugin? Because my outputs inside VEPro is limited to 1/2 only when connected to this plugin. Logic doesn´t offer any external inputs, plus-signs are not present on the instrument tracks in the mixer.

 

Edit:

Either way, setting it up from scratch from your excellent guide, and it look all good now. Thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks so much for all of this! It is extremely helpful for a lot of us starting with VEP and wanting to get it right from the beginning!

 

I am facing a very weird problem... this system works well for me when using both the server and Logic on the same computer but when I run logic on another computer and connect to the server with exactly the same template I use when loading Logic on the same computer, it only communicates with Port 1

 

I've tried everything... all your templates, starting from scratch, adding the extra bit in case CC99 wasn't acknowledged... nothing - The only thing I can play is all instruments loaded in port 1 of each instance

 

Then I open exactly the same server project and exactly the same logic file but on the same computer and all works fine...

 

Any ideas would be massively appreciated!

 

I know AU3 works good to connect with different ports now but all my routing in VEP and Logic is done for this workaround which took me ages to do!

 

Many many thanks in advance!

 

Alfonso

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The template above is designed to work with AU3 and vepro7. The old multi port macro based templates are designed to work with the AU2 vepro plugin and vepro6. I have never tried them with vepro7. There is another thread dedicated to the old templates,

 

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=137085

 

but why do you feel you need to use those?

Edited by Dewdman42
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Is the "VEPAU3-1270-tracks" not using the VEPro AU3 multi-output plugin? Because my outputs inside VEPro is limited to 1/2 only when connected to this plugin. Logic doesn´t offer any external inputs, plus-signs are not present on the instrument tracks in the mixer.

 

 

Ps i can’t remember if I made the template using multi-out version of the plugin but in logicpro you can easily change the plugin mode without redoing the whole template. Nonetheless it sounds like you did rebuild template from scratch so at least you know how to do that now

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  • 9 months later...

Hey there!

 

So, I do love this template layout, because it allows me to have a fairly large number of channels, which is great for my workflow.

 

The problem that I'm having is that this method of template building seems to have a weird affect on printing stems. When I send VEP to audio outs, and then to STEMS and print those STEMS, they are totally silent. Curious if you have a printing strategy with this template that works for you.

 

I've found that logic doesn't print stems unless there are midi/audio regions in the immediately preceding channel that it's been bussed to. So -

 

Violin 1 with midi > STRINGS STEM AUX = Prints STEM

 

Violin 1 midi VEP channel, which then VEP sends audio to OUT 3/4 received in logic (therefore the audio channel doesn't have midi in it) > STRINGS STEM AUX = Prints Silence

 

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks :)

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This template should not have any bearing on printing stems. Please provide more details about what and how you trying to do it.

 

which template are you using by the way, the 1270 one or the 1576 one?

 

you may have to do real time bounce for your stems, if you are using the 1576 one.

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I'm not using either template. I used your great CNTRL - RETURN method to make my midi channels. Then, in order to have some control over individual audio, I'm creating Multi-channel outs with the + on my midi channel 1 port 1 channel.

 

I write midi into the midi channels, and then VEP returns audio through the multi channel outs (attaching pictures below).

1433819810_ScreenShot2021-12-08at2_20_14PM.thumb.png.67fcd9eaf6472cf93201d4d872e7ae74.png

 

1557472044_ScreenShot2021-12-08at2_22_19PM.thumb.png.c9a1bf8a2ddef632fc317e7af60a3c9b.png

 

1036804225_ScreenShot2021-12-08at2_23_42PM.thumb.png.d3006174464293bed4cf4e35a5801055.png

 

When I route the multi channel outs to AUX channels and CMD E, the result is that the stems print total silence. As I've looked through this, I've found that Logic does have a bug which makes it so that you can only print audio from an aux stem if the IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING channel has track information. Ergo...

 

Instrument channel with midi info > Aux STEM = Printed Audio

 

BUT

 

Instrument channel with midi info > Reverb Aux > Aux STEM = Silence

 

Similarly, because VEP is sending out audio to an empty receiving channel (one of my Stereo x 25 channels) and then that audio channel is routed to my stem... the stem prints silence.

 

The only way I can think to solve this issue is to use my multi channel outs as my midi channels as well, and then limit my VEP instances to 25 tracks... which I think doesn't make much sense.

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  • 3 months later...

The problem with this whole CONTROL+RETURN method (and thanks for this thread Dewdman42 - your help/contributions are so valuable) - is that it doesn't allow you to create corresponding tracks in the mixer and you can't mix each track separately. Right? Or am I missing something?

 

Before I go, I should mention I'm using Logic 10.7.2

 

The way that comes closest to an ideal way to work is to make a new Multi-out VEP7 AU3 instrument track. Have this set to Port 1. Then in the mixer, click the plus symbol to add Auxes. Then when you select those auxes you can CONTROL+T to create corresponding tracks in the arrange window. Now you have proper tracks that all point to the same instance of VEP, they have a presence in the arrange and the mixer and they can be treated/processed/mixed separately. The problem is you can't change the port on any of those 'child' tracks, only the original, master/parent track. The child tracks only allow you to change the MIDI channel info. So then we're back to square one again with a limit of 16 tracks (corresponding to the 16 MIDI channels).

 

If anyone knows a way around this, feel free to chime in. But I don't think it's currently surmountable. I know in Cubase when you follow the equivalent workflow and create these tracks that are children of a parent track which houses the VEP instance, you can change the port on all or any of those child tracks. You simply can't do this in Logic. So, dead-end as far as I can tell.

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The problem with this whole CONTROL+RETURN method (and thanks for this thread Dewdman42 - your help/contributions are so valuable) - is that it doesn't allow you to create corresponding tracks in the mixer and you can't mix each track separately. Right? Or am I missing something?

 

the way LogicPro creates multi-timbral tracks is to create many tracks that feed a single instrument (in this case that instrument is VePro). There is only one instrument channel... If you want to create separate AUX channels in the mixer to handle up to 50 channels of returned audio from VePro you have to do that manually..there is no system in LogicPro whatsoever that will do that for you automatically. Its just the way LogicPro is designed for dealing with multi-timbral instruments.

 

The way that comes closest to an ideal way to work is to make a new Multi-out VEP7 AU3 instrument track. Have this set to Port 1. Then in the mixer, click the plus symbol to add Auxes. Then when you select those auxes you can CONTROL+T to create corresponding tracks in the arrange window. Now you have proper tracks that all point to the same instance of VEP, they have a presence in the arrange and the mixer and they can be treated/processed/mixed separately. The problem is you can't change the port on any of those 'child' tracks, only the original, master/parent track. The child tracks only allow you to change the MIDI channel info. So then we're back to square one again with a limit of 16 tracks (corresponding to the 16 MIDI channels).

 

There is a hidden feature of LogicPro where you can create aux channels in the mixer and then create tracks from those and then use those tracks, but as you just to explained, you can only handle 16 channels that way, its a hidden feature that is only partially useful and is not aware of AU3 ports at all...and furthermore there are some other problems with that mode, such as midi track delay does not work properly and other strangeness. If that is your preferred method, then there is no point to using AU3. Stick to 16 midi channels per VePro instance.

 

If anyone knows a way around this, feel free to chime in. But I don't think it's currently surmountable. I know in Cubase when you follow the equivalent workflow and create these tracks that are children of a parent track which houses the VEP instance, you can change the port on all or any of those child tracks. You simply can't do this in Logic. So, dead-end as far as I can tell.

 

Cubase handles multi-timbral instruments in general much better then LogicPro. That is simple truth.

 

You can use the techniques from this thread to create a large template with multi-midi ports, as explained, but if you want more then stereo audio you simply go to the mixer and hit the + button to add the additional AUX channels and handle as needed, but do not try to make tracks from those with the old hidden aux track trick. that is undocumented feature in any case...and....doesn't support AU3...and has other issues...

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The way LogicPro creates multi-timbral tracks is to create many tracks that feed a single instrument (in this case that instrument is VePro). There is only one instrument channel... If you want to create separate AUX channels in the mixer to handle up to 50 channels of returned audio from VePro you have to do that manually..there is no system in LogicPro whatsoever that will do that for you automatically. Its just the way LogicPro is designed for dealing with multi-timbral instruments.

 

I do want to draw a distinction between multi-timbral and multi-out (just in case it's important in order to avoid any confusion), which are not mutually inclusive and not the same thing. Maybe you're using the term to cover all multi-functionality? I'm just basing it off the way it works in Logic and there, those terms/functions are independent of each other. Inc ase anyone reading gets confused.

 

What I was describing that I was doing (the 'hidden' way as you called it) is the multi-out WITHOUT multi-timbral checkbox checked.

 

If that is your preferred method, then there is no point to using AU3. Stick to 16 midi channels per VEPro instance.

 

Totally. Agreed. And that's the conclusion I've come to also. If you're limited to 16, may as well use the AU2 version. Also just as a complete aside, I found that using the AU3 version of VEP with UVI's Falcon was causing hung notes every time. Like, immediately and consistently with every note, not just occasionally some. So I had to use AU2 there anyway.

 

 

...but if you want more then stereo audio you simply go to the mixer and hit the + button to add the additional AUX channels and handle as needed, but do not try to make tracks from those with the old hidden aux track trick. that is undocumented feature in any case...and....doesn't support AU3...and has other issues...

 

Ok so can you please confirm this to me in case I'm misunderstanding/missing something; I create a multi-out AND multi-timbral instance of VEP AU3. Then I do the CONTROL+RETURN thing to add 3 more tracks for example. Total of 4 tracks in the arrange window. Then because I chose the multi-out version of the plugin, in the mixer I can click the plus symbol and add an aux. What good is that aux? It doesn't correspond to the tracks in the arrange window. Meaning, if I click on the aux, it doesn't select the corresponding track in the arrange window or visa versa. And if I rename one, it doesn't rename them in both places. So it's literally just an audio routing mechanism. Right? They're not really 'linked' so to say. In VEP and the plugins hosted there, I can send to the corresponding stereo ins/outs in order for the audio to play through that aux, but it's not truly linked to the track in teh arrange window. That's the trade-off right?

 

Just one more thing making me feel like I need to move to Cubase. I don't want to, but... Logic is moving too slowly.

 

Did you move to Cubase? You said somewhere that you're not in Logic so much these days.

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Totally. Agreed. And that's the conclusion I've come to also. If you're limited to 16, may as well use the AU2 version. Also just as a complete aside, I found that using the AU3 version of VEP with UVI's Falcon was causing hung notes every time. Like, immediately and consistently with every note, not just occasionally some. So I had to use AU2 there anyway.

 

Upgrade to LogicPro 10.7.3. Previous versions of 10.7.x had a lot of bugs and many reports of hanging notes. Seems to be fixed in 10.7.3

 

Ok so can you please confirm this to me in case I'm misunderstanding/missing something; I create a multi-out AND multi-timbral instance of VEP AU3. Then I do the CONTROL+RETURN thing to add 3 more tracks for example. Total of 4 tracks in the arrange window. Then because I chose the multi-out version of the plugin, in the mixer I can click the plus symbol and add an aux. What good is that aux? It doesn't correspond to the tracks in the arrange window. Meaning, if I click on the aux, it doesn't select the corresponding track in the arrange window or visa versa. And if I rename one, it doesn't rename them in both places. So it's literally just an audio routing mechanism. Right? They're not really 'linked' so to say. In VEP and the plugins hosted there, I can send to the corresponding stereo ins/outs in order for the audio to play through that aux, but it's not truly linked to the track in teh arrange window. That's the trade-off right?

 

LogicPro simply does not provide a great way to directly connect tracks to multi-timbral multi-out AUX channels..other then the previously mentioned undocumented aux track trick that only works for 16 midi channels. It is what it is.

 

I personally prefer to mix in VePro and avoid setting up a lot of multi-out from VePro. But that's just me. In that regard I like having as many midi tracks feeding a single VePro instance as possible, so for LogicPro the AU3 approach outlined in this thread works well. I mix in VePro and avoid messing around with multi-outs except on an adhoc basis as needed, but still...as you have pointed out.....those audio returns will be disconnected from the actual midi tracks and you have to just treat them as not being linked in any way. The tracks are midi, the mixer channels are audio in whatever manner you are returning it from VePro.

 

Did you move to Cubase? You said somewhere that you're not in Logic so much these days.

 

I am mainly using Digital Performer now.

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Interesting.

 

Can't upgrade to 10.7.3 by the way - already tried. It completely breaks track automation. Track automation wasn't showing any selectable parameters for my instruments after upgrading so I rolled. back to 10.7.2. Annoying.

 

It'd be easier to forgive Apple for all these bugs if they were quicker in remedying them.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi there! I have a quick question I wanna ask, and it would be super appreciated if you have time could possibly help me. I've been merging my old AU2 to AU3 lately, and by the time I finished setting things up I saw this and realised the tempo sync problem! (NOOOOO), so now I am actually looking at one of your old post, (with all the surgery you did inside of midi envoirment), and have no problem loading all the instruments via multi port with AU2, however I noticed that for stuff like articulation set, it did not quite working those non-port 1 track, I wonder if you know what might be the reason behind it? (is basically control message sending KS/UACC KS to vepro) do you think if this is becus those message got filted/not copied during the process?

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The old multi-port environment is not recommended for a number of reasons.  If you're going to use AU2, I rather recommend you stick to only 16 midi channels per VePro instance.  You can always put all the stuff that doesn't require tempo sync onto one AU3 instance...and then the couple of things that need tempo sync put in their own instance with AU2.

That being said..I'm not sure exactly the problem you're having, but I have noticed that in some cases articulation sets literally bypass the environment, as I vaguely recall...so the environment doesn't have a chance to insert CC99 messages in front of every midi event.  Something like that, but its been a few years since I tried to use any of that stuff.

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The other thing you can do to make it work if you are still determined, is to do the work in Scripter rather then the articulation set.  Use the articulation set just for naming the articulation ID's, but actually use scripter to send keyswitches(this happens AFTER the environment stage).   This is not really very easy to do.....it requires quite advanced Scripter scripting...but its possible.

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3 hours ago, Dewdman42 said:

The other thing you can do to make it work if you are still determined, is to do the work in Scripter rather then the articulation set.  Use the articulation set just for naming the articulation ID's, but actually use scripter to send keyswitches(this happens AFTER the environment stage).   This is not really very easy to do.....it requires quite advanced Scripter scripting...but its possible.

Hello. thank you for your time for this, good to know the scripter is after the enviorment stage:) I will surely look into that or maybe just stick on other daws while apple is fixing this problem..(hopefully! it been like 3 years already right??) anyway, appreciated your help and hope you have a wonderful day:)

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