Better later than never 
So today I have realized that different Instances of Gig Performer can have different audio buffer settings. This leads me to the idea to have one instance with a buffer of 64 samples just for MIDI Guitar 2 and the other instance with a very large buffer like 512 samples for MIDI Playback in the background without any live input.
Does anybody use such a setup? I guess some might say why donāt you just run MIDI Guitar as a standalone application together with Gig Performer, but in a certain way I think GP gives me more flexibility because MIDI Guitar 2 can only handle one plugin at the same time. Another advantage is that if I would use in certain situations another tool for Guitar to MIDI like the Sonuus G2Mv3 then I could use the same Gig Files which I have setup for MIDI Guitar 2 because only the input changes.
Another advantage of using the MIDI Guitar plugin in GP vs. the standalone is that GP manages the instruments better than MIDI Guitar does. That is to say, just use MIDI Guitar for turning audio to MIDI messages. Connect to any number of instruments in GP from there.
Yes, I was thinking in the same direction, but you could theoretically use MIDI Guitar standalone and also only use it to convert audio to midi and then use any instrument in GP you want. I am still experimenting with MIDI Guitar 2 and the little Sonuus Box, but the Sonuus can only convert a monophonic input. So MIDI Guitar 2 is more powerful, but I am still in the process of tweaking and trying to find the best settings and the best way to use it (standalone versus plugin or in another GP instance etc.).
Depends on the audio interface and itās drivers, I think. On Windows, for the Focusrite Scarlet 4i4 3rd gen interface, these settings are global. And the Behringer umc 1820 it is also global
Today I was messing around with MIDI Guitar 2 in all kinds of configurations: Standalone, in GP, in a second instance of GP etc. For me running MIDI Guitar 2 as a second instance works pretty good. Today it was one of those moments when I thought, yes Gig Perfomer is a pretty awesome software A really nice surprise was to see that both instances of Gig Performer are in sync with regard to Program Changes - itās just plug and play. Before using the two instances I was running in all kind of problems with unwanted Program Changes which were received by MIDI Guitar 2. Anyway now it seems to work pretty good.
Can any one explain what is the difference and benefits of such different setups? Single vs multi instance and standalone options. I know what they mean, I just want to know about the possible scenarios where each one is better
I think stand-alone means you are using an application outside of Gig Performer, rather than as a plug within Gig Performer. For example, you can use Sampletank or Syntronik either as stand alone apps or as plug-ins within Gig Performer.
Some people use multiple instances of Gig Performer for various purposes. For example, since Gig Performer mostly runs on a single thread of a single core, if you use multiple instances, I think you can utilize other threads/cores.
I just use GP in a simple way. One single instance and I use soft synths/samplers/effects as plug ins within Gig Performer. I would think that is a good way to start. You can then assess whether you get any benefit from exploring the use of multiple instances after youāve become comfortable with the software.
Jeff
Ok so, if i understand correctly, multi instance can be beneficial if multiple audio lines are used, right? Are you using midi guitar , and other vsts at the same time using multi instances? Final question, is there any benefits of using midi guitar stand alone vs inside of gp? Using the midi guitar plugin ābarebonesā if i can say that
Hmm, maybe (?), but, I am a keyboard player. I use a lot of soft synths and sample libraries (piano, horns, strings, fiddle, harmonica, lots of different synths). And I donāt use multiple instances of GP. So, Iām really not the right one to advise you. Sorry.
I cannott answer that because I have always used the Midi Guitar plugin in GP and have never encountered any problems, so I do not feel like complicating my configuration, which works perfectly as it is.
So two instances have various advantages:
- On a Mac you con use different buffer settings. The MIDI Guitar Instance in my case has a very low buffer setting because it is played live.
- Both instances react in sync to Program Changes. Very cool!
- I donāt like the GUI of MIDI Guitar. It is a great relief to select the instruments which should be triggered by MIDI Guitar with GP. Before that I got all kinds of weird Program Changes within MIDI Guitar 2. The instrument browser of MIDI Guitar is a real pain in the ass And so onā¦
- Two instances give you a lot of flexibility or in other words. I prefer using MIDI Guitar as a Plugin because as a Plugin in Gig Performer it is very easy to have an alternative signal chain. What I mean is letās say you use MIDI Guitar to trigger the brand new Boss GM-800 Guitar Synth Sound Modul. But maybe you are not always happy with its internal sounds. So then for those case you just create a second output of the MIDI Guitar plugin in GP which goes to for example your Konktat Sampler VST with your favorite Sax Sound or to Falcon with your favorite Piano Sound and so onā¦
So I think there are even more advantages, but that is what comes into my mind after messing around with the various options for about 5 or 6 hours. Obviously everybody who is happy with using MIDI Guitar standalone in combination with GP may do so and if you have GP running with very low buffer settings then congratulations: You probably wonāt need a second instance.
Thank you for the detailed explanation