So Close, but can't get it working....

[mikekay]

Hi All. I have owned SAW Studio Lite for a while and am just now starting to use it. I have also just purchased MWS. SAW is up and running fine, and most of MWS is working. I am not able to get VST Softsynths working, and I know I'm close. The manual says " Open the VST Synth plug-in window". How? Where is this?

I have copied all vst.dll into the appropriate directory. The synths show up in the FX window of SAW. I have setup the .ini files and my hardware devices show up fine, my ports are setup fine and I understand how to use them, but getting the soft synth to go has stopped forward progress.

I know I have to go into Live mode to hear the synth, but I can't even get there.

Any help most appreciated.

BTW - SAW and MWS are awesome. There are some thing you need to get your head turned around to, but the responsiveness of this software is beyond belief. Glad I'm finally there and looking forward to getting some actual work done with it.

[jazzboxmaker]

Click on the vsti in the FX Choices window then select the track you want the vst on. Decide on pre or post fader. I use pre generally. In the FX Pre Patch window click "Add" This will open your VSTI.

To play through the vsti, the I/A assignment for the track has to be set to hardware (a physical device, not the multitrack) . Set the record meter strip up so input is from a Mixer Channel pointing to the track that has the vsti on it. ie: VSTI on track 1: C-01S

If you are playing through the MWS then you would output through a virtual port in MWS. Set up as above to select the vsti and track but click the blue triangle on the upper right and "Set softsynth midi in port" to the virtual port in the MWS.

After recording to hear play back you must disable the vsti or move your audio to a different track

I'm sure I left out some steps so ask away!
Have fun!

[Bob L]

Well... almost...

You patch a VST synth on a SAW track... I recommend the Pre patch which automatically activates the empty track in the MT loop when it sees the VST synth plugin.

You do not need to change the input assignment for the track... it can can stay set to MT.

Now... if you start the engine (Live Mode, Play, SRP, REC etc.) then the synth will be live. If the synth has its own midi keyboard display, you should be able to play the keys and hear the synth.

Clicking the blue pyramid icon at the top of the VST synth holder window will get you to the VST options. The first one will allow you to assign a midi port to control the synth.

If you select a hardware midi port, you can play the synth directly from an external midi keyboard connected to that port.

If you want to control it from the MWS, then you will select one of the MWS virtual ports which then make an internal connection from the MWS to the synth.

In this case, you can now select any MWS track and use it to control any of the patched vst synths by linking them to the same virtual ports.

Make sure to assign some of the midi devices in the MWS setup to include some of the virtual ports... then these will show up in the port list when you right-click any track label and pick the port selection option.

Set the track to the same MWS virtual port as the plugin, also make sure to set a midi chan.

Now, whatever midi data is on the track should play the vst synth.

Bob L

[mikekay]

Ok, Here is my FX list. I don't know what the {DX} NI Plug-in's are. If I select FX Pre Patchs and click add - only the top effect gets added. If I click FX in that window and select any VST - SAW totally freezes. I have to reboot the compter because if I try starting SAW again, I get an error stating the the midi output cannot be started.

[Bob L]

To patch an effect, you would first select the FX in the FX Choices window... then click the add button in the pre patch or pst patch window.

If you have nothing selected in the FX Choices window, the first entry will be used as a default.

So... for instance... select the B4 VST plugin, then click the add button in the Pre Patch window... the B4 should pop into the pre fx window and it should also open on the screen.

Bob L

[studio-c]

Get MicroStudio's tutorial DVD, in addition to the help you're getting here. He has a great way of making it seem really easy :)

Cheers,
Scott

[jazzboxmaker]

Mikekay
How are you making out with this?
I'll second getting Micro's DVD- It's excellent. I'll be going through the MWS section again soon myself as I have some MIDI stuff on a current project.

Quote Bob: You do not need to change the input assignment for the track... it can can stay set to MT.
- sorry about the bum advice, I think that was a requirement of live playing before Tape Style Monitoring