Midi Fx in NS2?

db909

I’d like a thing to humanize my midi tracks in NS2. Is this what the midi fx is for on the tracks? And do you all have a recommendation for this kind of thing?

wim

@db909 said:
I’d like a thing to humanize my midi tracks in NS2. Is this what the midi fx is for on the tracks?

It could be for anything, not just humanizing.

And do you all have a recommendation for this kind of thing?

If you have Mozaic, Ranbo is one. There are others. A few I found with a quick search on the wiki scripts list page.

https://patchstorage.com/humanise/
https://patchstorage.com/beatgroove/
https://patchstorage.com/velocity-randomizer/

One important note: You can't record this humanization to a piano roll without resorting to hacks to route out of NS2 and back in.

attakk

@wim said:
One important note: You can't record this humanization to a piano roll without resorting to hacks to route out of NS2 and back in.

While this is true, I have found that such a “hack” is very easy to set up and execute (it literally takes me 5-10 seconds max. now for the first instance in a project - any additional instances in a project even less).

By way of comparison, 5-10 seconds is probably less than people take to load up a synth auv3 and then search for an appropriate bass patch for the track they are working on, or to dial in their own bass patch.

I find the word “hack” gives connotations of something difficult or clunky, but in this particular case it really isn’t. And remember, this is only needed at all if - as @wim says - you want to record the amended midi data.

senhorlampada

@attakk and @wim what is the setup needed on NS2 for this?
does it require something like Midi Tools or RouteMidi? (Because this is the workaround needed for recording midifx in BM3)

db909

I don’t need the humanization to be recorded into the piano roll, just need the audio. Looking to randomize/tweak velocity and timing offsets per note. So far we have a Mozaic patch on the list. Is there not an AUV3 out there specifically for this thing? I’d be surprised if there wasn’t. It’s a bit difficult finding these apps in the store it seems.

senhorlampada

@db909 said:
I don’t need the humanization to be recorded into the piano roll, just need the audio. Looking to randomize/tweak velocity and timing offsets per note. So far we have a Mozaic patch on the list. Is there not an AUV3 out there specifically for this thing? I’d be surprised if there wasn’t. It’s a bit difficult finding these apps in the store it seems.

I still use this... Not AUv3, though... it's from before all that

https://www.midiflow.com/audiobus/

senhorlampada

Uhmmm I don't have any of these... But maybe Midi Tools

https://apps.apple.com/app/midi-tools/id1446209019

or Pagefall's Cality

https://apps.apple.com/app/cality/id1448694455

db909

Sheeeeit you guys. So I purchased Mozaic, hoping to grab all those patches, and then searched for it in the MIDI fx within NS2, didn’t find it, but what did I find? Chordjam was in there. And lo and behold chordjam can randomize velocity and timing of incoming midi lol.

wim

@attakk said:

@wim said:
One important note: You can't record this humanization to a piano roll without resorting to hacks to route out of NS2 and back in.

While this is true, I have found that such a “hack” is very easy to set up and execute (it literally takes me 5-10 seconds max. now for the first instance in a project - any additional instances in a project even less).

By way of comparison, 5-10 seconds is probably less than people take to load up a synth auv3 and then search for an appropriate bass patch for the track they are working on, or to dial in their own bass patch.

I find the word “hack” gives connotations of something difficult or clunky, but in this particular case it really isn’t. And remember, this is only needed at all if - as @wim says - you want to record the amended midi data.

I stand by that word choice. A hack is a workaround. The word itself doesn't imply anything about the level of difficulty only that it's a way around a limitation, which in this case it is. Sorry if my word choice has negative connotations to you though.

Speaking of this totally simple and effective enhancement to NS2's workflow that's really no trouble at all and takes only seconds to set up ... are you interested in describing it to @senhorlampada? Or should fire up NS2 to remind myself how I did it way back when I did it, and write it up. 😉✌🏼

wim

@senhorlampada - here's a way that works with Midi Tools Route. This won't work on iPhone unfortunately.

1. Add a track for the plugin you want to play
2. Set this track to receive midi always.
3. Add a midi out track
4. Add the AU Midi plugins you want to the track.
5. Add the MIDI Route plugin from MIDI Tools Suite as the last MIDI Fx in the chain.
6. Set the Destination in MIDI Route to NanoStudio 2
7. Set MIDI Input for this track to On-screen Keys Only
8. Press Record.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has a way to do it on iPhone.

senhorlampada

I'll give it a try later.
Then drop the knowledge

wim

OK, here's something that will work on iPhone as well:

1. Add a midi out track
2. Add the AU Midi plugins you want to the track.
3. Open Audiobus and on the midi page add Virtual Midi In as the input and Nanostudio 2 as the output.
4. On the Audio page in Audiobus add a Speaker output. This will do nothing but keep Audiobus from going to sleep in the background.
5. Set the MIDI Input for the MIDI track to On-screen Keys Only
6. Important: Set the output of the MIDI track to Audiobus 3. You get to this setting by double-tapping the track to open the keyboard controller, then tap the little keyboard icon at the top left to dismiss the controls and reveal the MIDI settings. (Took me a long time to find this part).
7. Add a track for the plugin you want to play.
8. Set this track to receive midi always.
9. Press record.

There will probably be a bit more latency to this option than there will be with the MIDI Route plugin. You can probably set latency compensation in step 6 to correct this.

senhorlampada

Thanks, @wim
Will give this a try
Now I just gave BM3 and NS2 a run for this with RouteMidi (didn't want to expend o a new app if I didn't need to)
But BM3 has midi out options, so i managed to route internally
but NS2 can't, send midi out, it seem
edit: it does... I went to settings. It was all ok, but maybe there was a bug now it's working

wim

I created a wiki page for these two methods for future reference.

I tried to come up with a similar method using AUM but couldn't get it to work. If anyone knows how please update the page or post here and I'll update the wiki.

senhorlampada

Nice!
thanks, mate
will try your AB3 method later and then try with AUM and report back (and update the wiki if it works)

senhorlampada

@wim just edited the wiki
If you wanna give it a try to check if I wrote the steps right and it works for you

1. Add a MIDI Out track in NS2.
2. Add the AU MIDI plugins you want to use in this track.
3. Set the MIDI Input for the MIDI track to On-screen Keys Only to avoid double-receiving MIDI.
4. Open AUM. Add an Audio track and put Nanostudio 2 as Generator (IAA)
5. Open the Midi Routing panel and select AUM Destination (Virtual) going into Nanostudio 2 (Virtual)
6. Important: Set the output of the MIDI track to Audiobus 3. You get to this setting by double-tapping the track to open the keyboard controller, then tap the little keyboard icon at the top left to dismiss the controls and reveal the MIDI settings.
7. Add another track for the plugin you want to play
8. Set this track to receive MIDI always, and be sure that it is set to receive MIDI from the NanoStudio 2 source (or all sources).
9. Press Record.

Yep... I copied your info from BM3 and edited from there

wim

@senhorlampada said:
@wim just edited the wiki
If you wanna give it a try to check if I wrote the steps right and it works for you

1. Add a MIDI Out track in NS2.
2. Add the AU MIDI plugins you want to use in this track.
3. Set the MIDI Input for the MIDI track to On-screen Keys Only to avoid double-receiving MIDI.
4. Open AUM. Add an Audio track and put Nanostudio 2 as Generator (IAA)
5. Open the Midi Routing panel and select AUM Destination (Virtual) going into Nanostudio 2 (Virtual)
6. Important: Set the output of the MIDI track to Audiobus 3 AUM. You get to this setting by double-tapping the track to open the keyboard controller, then tap the little keyboard icon at the top left to dismiss the controls and reveal the MIDI settings.
7. Add another track for the plugin you want to play
8. Set this track to receive MIDI always, and be sure that it is set to receive MIDI from the NanoStudio 2 source (or all sources).
9. Press Record.

Yep... I copied your info from BM3 and edited from there

Nice! Yep, works, with the tiny correction above already made in the wiki.

senhorlampada

Thanks for that
It was pretty late here when I posted, and was pretty tired