99benns

(this seemed like the most appropriate place to post this, please excuse me if I've put it in the wrong place)

I thought I'd share a few live videos of a band I play with. We mix electronic and acoustic music and one of the challenges was to move the electronic sounds from the studio to live. After trying many different stand-alone VST hosts and researching into soundslate/receptor/seelake I found that a custom app with MAX/MSP was the best and most flexible solution to take our tracks live.

My patch contains 8 VST objects and allows you to layer up to 8 VST instruments. Each channel contains a MIDI routing subpatch which allows you to take the input information from up to 4 MIDI devices and filter any part of the MIDI signal (note, CC, aftertouch etc...) along with controller numbers and key ranges.

I have integrated a harmoniser using the Antares plugin. My patch allows you to select up to 8 notes on the keyboard. When the note is detected, you can send out up to 4 different note numbers to the harmoniser.

I use the PATTR object to manage storage and some message controlling. I have a global file which manages the default VST instruments, program files and app settings, then a performance file which will store all presets. Each preset can have it's own volume levels, track info including tempo and name and a program change number.

The patch is fully MIDI customisable with MIDI feedback. I have a Behringer FCB pedal which mutes different channels and has wah pedals to control different parameters. I have 2 keyboards, one with dials and sample pads I can send over to the VSTs. I also sometimes use a Behringer BCF to control the mixer (I love the feedback on the faders!).

I have also created a second patch for the drummer which allows him to open 2 instances of addictive drums and one instance of battery. For each track he can choose which VST to send his drums to, change the note number and set a maximum/minimum velocity.

I'm still tweaking the apps, trying to optimise them and find bugs as I go along (for example, the MIDI parse object often crashes when you send it lots of information, therefore I often need to reset this with a panic button or when changing presets!). Right now we have done a 2 day shoot in a garage with no crashes which is pretty good going. The main issue I have is that when a VST plugin crashes, it will crash MAXMSP completely and ImpOscar2 is not 100% stable. I will post my patch on here at some point for other people to work on. I want to encourage other groups to make more use electronic instruments live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnAvDUQN9Zs

-Here I layer up 3 instances of Omnisphere, for the sound bed at the beginning, the sea at the end and the second verse counter melody thing.

-ImpOscar2 for the synth chords in the verse, a bass sine from massive and a piano from Kontakt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shNIHW3qysg

-Here I have an impOscar2 sound at the beginning

-Some big fat bases layered in Omnisphere and Massive with the wah pedal controlling modulation

-Some sampled synth sounds with the pitch controlled by one of the wah pedals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTzL_8hliDs

-This track uses some strings with Kontakt. I use some of the buttons on my keyboard to change the string articulations, pizzicato at the beginning, sforzando for the string melody and tremolo strings for the heavy end section

-I have an impOscar2 sound which is used in the chorus, the velocity is controlled by the aftertouch on the keyboard

-I layer a piano in Kontakt with a synth pad in Omnisphere

-In the second verse I use a couple of arpeggiated sequences from Omnisphere, I tap the BPM with a button on the keyboard, the BPM is then sent over to the global transport which sends to tempo to all the plugins. I don't like playing to a click track!!

-In the heavy section I use a CC message fomr my keyboard to jump to the next preset containing a lot of distorted heavy bases. All instruments are always fully loaded so when I jump between presets, the sound changes are instant

-I use the harmoniser in the bridges (the wooooahahh sections)

A few videos:
Alone in Kyoto cover (by Air)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnAvDUQN9Zs
-Here I layer up 3 instances of Omnisphere, for the sound bed at the beginning, the sea at the end and the second verse counter melody thing.
-ImpOscar2 for the synth chords in the verse, a bass sine from massive and a piano from Kontakt.

Evidence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shNIHW3qysg
-Here I have an impOscar2 sound at the beginning
-Some big fat bases layered in Omnisphere and Massive with the wah pedal controlling modulation
-A lead synth in Omnisphere
-Some sampled synth sounds with the pitch controlled by one of the wah pedals.
-I use the harmoniser in the chorus

Defeat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTzL_8hliDs
-This track uses some strings with Kontakt. I use some of the buttons on my keyboard to change the string articulations, pizzicato at the beginning, sforzando for the string melody and tremolo strings for the heavy end section
-I have an impOscar2 sound which is used in the chorus, the velocity is controlled by the aftertouch on the keyboard
-I layer a piano in Kontakt with a synth pad in Omnisphere
-In the second verse I use a couple of arpeggiated sequences from Omnisphere, I tap the BPM with a button on the keyboard, the BPM is then sent over to the global transport which sends to tempo to all the plugins. I don't like playing to a click track!!
-In the heavy section I use a CC message fomr my keyboard to jump to the next preset containing a lot of distorted heavy bases. All instruments are always fully loaded so when I jump between presets, the sound changes are instant
-I use the harmoniser in the bridges (the wooooahahh sections)


my-band-performing-with-a-maxmsp-vst-host

Cool to suss out the clips to see this stuff in action. I'm struggling to get the Antares plugin to respond to MIDI note messages in from Max like you've described being able to do. Using VST~ object which responds to parameter changes but I can't do the MIDI Omni mode like you have going on.

Eight and a half years later, are you still running this type of patch and can you shed any light on how to get the plugin to respond to note in?

Cool to suss out the clips to see this stuff in action. I'm struggling to get the Antares plugin to respond to MIDI note messages in from Max like you've described being able to do. Using VST~ object which responds to parameter changes but I can't do the MIDI Omni mode like you have going on.

Eight and a half years later, are you still running this type of patch and can you shed any light on how to get the plugin to respond to note in?

My band performing with a MAXMSP VST host