Rayzoon Technologies LLC

[paspallum]

Ralph
I know there is another thread that starts off dealing with this subject... but over five pages it has got rather convaluted and off the point.

Here's my problem.

In Cubase SX I can open my BFD ALL and Cubase loads a mixer setup that is perfectly correct and corresponds to the BFD module.
However... I do manually change the names of each track so they are easier to read in my onscreen mixer... for example BFD defaults it's name of channels in Cubase to:
BFDkcki
BFDKcko
BFDSnab
BFDSnat
(etc)

I prefer to name them:

KICK Inside
KICK Outside
SNARE Top
SNARE Bottm

It's WAY easier on the eye when you are 'scanning' the channels looking for a drum to mute, solo or whatever...

The mono mics are on single mono channels, the stereo (room, overhead etc) are on stereo channels and the mono mics for the top and bottom of the snare and the inside and outside of teh kick are on their own mono channels... I usually set up all these BFD channels to route to a group output for easily muting or overall volume control of the the entire BFD kit.

Obviously I can mix, add EQ, Dynamics and compression and modulation to each and every piece of the BFD kit.

This all works wonderfully.



Now... when I start a song off with Jamstix (and no kidding Ralph... I will ALWAYS be starting EVERY song off with Jamstix from now on!)

When I get to a stage that I decide I want to be hearing Jamstix playing through BFD this is where the dramas and dilemmas begin.

First off... I switch to external VSTi and load your BFD ALL. mapping.
(I have already restarted it for 17 outputs)

I know you know what I'm going to say here... the same thing as the beginning to that other thread... (but I read the entire thread and didn't find a satisfactory solution)..

Anyway... now I have 17 JS outputs and they are all in stereo.
It seems that the first four JS channnels are the original JS outputs... still registering that they are outputting... but of course the internal samples have been dis-armed... but they are showing activity anyway.

Cubase gives me no way of changing any of these stereo channels into two mono channels so I am stuck with my inside/outside kick channels and my top/bottom snare channels being hard left/right at a 'shared' (and fixed) volume...

Plus they hav eno corrsponding (BFD) Names... just JS1 to JS17

Part of BFD's excellant 'bleed' function makes it really hard for me to identify which channel is which... as they all register to some degree when a single drum is 'played' ...confusing!!

I know that I can just open BFD as a VSTi and route Jamstix to it.
This works for sure.... BUT...

When I do this I have to manually re-name each kit piece after I have opened an instance of BFD... In Cubase I SHOULD be able to just save the mixer template and just import it... but this doesn't work.

So if I want the VSTi mixer set up how I like it... I have to create a new group channel... name each drumkit piece how I want it.. then change the routing of each of the BFD channels to the group out... then... after all that tinkering around....I'm 'there'.... but I have 4 JS channels still taking up (valuable) real-estate space on my VSTi mixer panel... and I can't get rid of these.

Would there be any way that we could just configure between Jamstix, BFD and cubase a saveable mapping that would let me open BFD with Jamstix as it's host.. with each BFD output named and correct and in it's intended mono or stereo configuration? without all this drama?

Is it possible... or am I asking for too much??

Paspallum

[paspallum]

Hey
It's OK if I answer my own question isn't it?

I've been working away with my brain ticking over and I have found an answer to my dilemma... I thought other CUBASE SX/Jamstix/BFD users might benefit from my thoughts (unless I am the 'slow-guy' and everyone else has already worked this out!)

To get my mixer set up how I want.... I'm best to use the MIDI Out of Jamstix and set up BFD as a VST instrument in the regular way and have it accepting the midi output of Jamstix... this is REALLY easy to do and is in effect (as far as I can tell) the same as opening BFD or any other sequencer from inside Jamstix.

It's just a matter of using Project Templates in CUBASE (which I always do anyway).... set up a project Template with an instance of Jamstix and an instance of BFD.... then edit the BFD VSTi mixer panel to be configured how you prefer it to be..... do NOT load a BFD kit (as everytime you open this template it will take longer to load the BFD kit... you may only want to use jamstix alone in a lot of cases)

......Now turn OFF the BFD kit in the VST intruments panel...
ALL BFD mixer settinsg will be intact.. although you do not have BFD active (until you click it ON in the VST panel)

This solves 98% of my problem... just by configuring my CUBASE SX project Templates properly!

The only probelm left is the 4 JS channels that I can't get rid of... they eat up a bit of space... but I think I can live with that.

Hey also.. a good tip... use FX-MAX's FREEZE plugin... it really works and enables you to use stuff that eats up heaps of processing... it leaves your CPU/RAM 100% free to get on and do more recording and adding more plugins... works awesome with BFD and with Guitar RIG...

Paspallum

[wellesleymusic]

Hi Paspallum, good solution. Guess you could just "hide" the JS channels to clean up your mixer?
_________________
Core 2 E6600, 2GB RAM, 2x320 SATA II HD
Cubase Studio 4
Jamstix, BFD, NI B4II, Trilogy, Lounge Lizard EP3, The Grand 2, EWQL Gold

[paspallum]

Wellesleymusic
No I can't hide my JS channels... they are on my same mixer panel as my BFD channels... it is the VSTi Panel.... I can hide the entire panel but not selected individual channels. I can 'minimize the JS channels (make them skinny) and that helps.

Unless you know a way in Cubase SX2 that you can 'hide' individual channels? I'd be keen to hear it!

Thanks
Paspallum

[wellesleymusic]

Hi Paspallum,

I'm using SL2.2 and to the right of the minimize funtion (><) at the top of each VST or channel there is a downward pointing arrow. If I click this I get the "Can Hide" option for that channel, which I can check. The option is the same for midi, vsti and audio channels. At the left end of the mixer I have options like "Hide midi channels", the bottom one being "Hide channels set to 'Can Hide'". Click this and whichever channels you have flagged as "Can Hide" will be removed from the mixer.

I know Sl and SX differ slightly in the mixer dept. but I would have thought this would be the same? Give it a try.

Cheers,
_________________
Core 2 E6600, 2GB RAM, 2x320 SATA II HD
Cubase Studio 4
Jamstix, BFD, NI B4II, Trilogy, Lounge Lizard EP3, The Grand 2, EWQL Gold

[paspallum]

Hey wellesleymusic!
Thanks so much for that little pointer.

NOW my mixer channel is PERFECT!

Little things like those little 'right-clicks' to find the ticks.. and then knowing that only the ticked ones will be hidden... well they are hard to find out... and often not in the manual.

Thanks for sharing... you've made my day!

Paspallum