Help with Using External MIDI and Instances in Logic Pro?

[pokemoneinstein]

Hey guys! I've been facing problems with my computer for quite some time now in terms of the number of samples I load into Logic Pro, and even my 16GB RAM computer can't handle it. I do my best to explain the whole situation in the video, so please give it a quick watch and help me out—I'd really appreciate it. Thanks so much!

http://youtu.be/vEFcvsQDwqo

EDIT: AbsoluteZ3R0 posted a comment on the video suggesting I try what's offered here, but unfortunately it did not work. The problem is that the track linked to each instance is reading the automation data for every external MIDI instrument linked to any one of the instance's channels, but I need them to run through the track to load the samples and then use a different output, but I'm having no luck figuring out a solution like that.

Edited December 15, 2013 by pokemoneinstein

[pokemoneinstein]

So I'm gonna take it that nobody knows a solution?

[Moseph]

It sounds like something's MIDI input may be incorrectly set to all or omni, which would make it accept MIDI input from all devices/channels rather than just a single channel. I'm not familiar with how Logic's MIDI instances work (which seems to be what is referenced in the SOS article), but my first guess is that PLAY is not set up properly.

In the Browser view of PLAY, make sure that each loaded instrument (in the upper left pane) is set to a different individual MIDI channel and not to omni. Then, for each loaded instrument, go into the Player view and make sure that Channel (in the upper left below MIDI Port) is set to the same channel you used for the instrument in the Browser view.

[pokemoneinstein]

No, that's all set up just fine. The problem is how the External MIDI instruments that route to the different MIDI channels process information. They're each reading the proper samples and playing different instrument sounds, but for some reason, all the volume, panning, etc. data is being sent back to the instance, which then tries to read it all at once. Unfortunately I'm too illiterate with this stuff and this process is too new to me to understand exactly what it is, technically speaking, that's happening.

[Moseph]

NB: I don't use Logic, so what I'm telling you is based on Googling and not on my actual experience.

If I understand how you're routing things, what you're attempting to do can be done in a more straightforward way that may solve the problem. The external MIDI tracks and the instrument instance that you're routing them to are intended to be used to feed MIDI data to a hardware unit such as a physical MIDI keyboard with onboard sounds. You're sending the data to a software unit, PLAY, and the normal way to route multiple MIDI tracks to a software unit is to use software instrument tracks rather than external MIDI tracks.

I think you should be able to ctrl-click/right-click each of your external MIDI track names and choose Reassign Track > Mixer > Software Instrument > (Whatever PLAY is called). (See user's manual section: http://documentation.apple.com/en/logicpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=9%26section=10 under the heading To reassign a track to a specific channel strip) Make sure the tracks' channels are set correctly and match what PLAY expects, and I think things should work.

If if doesn't make things work, you could try creating new software instrument tracks. In the New Tracks dialog box, select Software Instrument, check the multi-timbral option, and tell it how many tracks, and it will create that number of tracks on ascending MIDI channels all routed to the same software device. (See manual section: http://documentation.apple.com/en/logicpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=9%26section=4 under the heading Software Instrument Tracks)

Anyhow, the basic thrust of this is that multiple software instrument tracks can all be routed directly to a single use of PLAY. If the above info doesn't work, Google around for more detailed info on how to route software instrument tracks. You should not have to use external MIDI tracks at all.

Edited December 28, 2013 by Moseph

[Ryan Jobson]

Did you download the MIDI files from the internet and import them into Logic? Or did you create the MIDI notes yourself? If you did use MIDI files that you downloaded from the internet, they may contain volume changes built into the MIDI information itself. This might not be what you're experiencing but I thought I'd mention it anyway. I've use .mid files from the internet before and they usually contain set volume / velocity / other information that can't be erased.

I also don't use MIDI channels the way you are so this is the only information I can give you. Hope you figure it out.

[pokemoneinstein]

Unfortunately none of those suggestions nor anything I can find on Google is working... This is not good...