So in trying out GP I see there’s no ability to record a performance as a MIDI file… is that correct? If so, are there plans to add this at some point?
Could anyone recommend a good workaround for this? Would there be a way to output live MIDI to a DAW to record, that would somehow be able to play it back using all the correct instruments (maybe send it back through GP)?
There are times when I would need to record a performance, adjust notes/velocities via MIDI later on, and then record as a WAV file. A MIDI file would also be very handy for updating instruments later on.
When you are on Mac you could use the IAC as Midi Out and route all your incoming midi parallel to the midi out.
In your daw you can record this midi and then play it back sending it to IAC driver out.
In GigPerformer you can switch your midi In to IAC and with a free Melda Recorder Plugin you can record as a wav.
This wav you can use in the audio player.
Just saw a record button in EZPlayer Pro, seems you can record midi within Gig Performer.
The idea has been suggested a few times and we’ll probably do it at some point. The thing is, there are so many easy ways to accomplish this using a DAW in conjunction with Gig Performer that it hasn’t been a high priority compared to many other things going on
On Windows you can use virtual MIDI ports which perform the same functionality as the built-in IAC ports on a Mac. That way you would record your performance using your daw but just set the output MIDI port to a virtual MIDI port. Then you can have Gig Performer receive those MIDI events and pass them into your synth blocks just as if you were directly using a MIDI keyboard device.
And also thanks ‘dhj’ – but what’s “easy” for a programmer isn’t necessarily easy for others! If I switch to GP (which I’m seriously considering only because the patch persistence function is so great), I would very much appreciate MIDI recording built in as I would be using it on a regular basis. Loading up more than one program and relying on them to communicate during a live performance would make me pretty nervous! Anyway the fact that it’s possible is great, so thanks again.
Actually, we try very hard to address the needs of the performing musician without their needing to be technical. As a currently touring musician myself, I hate it if I have to come out of “music mode” to deal with technical stuff.
But this notion of connecting several programs together is very common, although it’s sometimes a little bit harder on Windows than it is on Mac because the latter already has built-in support for such things whereas on Windows you often need to get third-party tools (like virtualMIDI) to accomplish the same thing.
For example, many of our users routinely run Ableton Live alongside Gig Performer.
Is there some sort of resource that would guide me through the process of using virtual MIDI ports to connect GP to Reaper in order to record MIDI played in GP? That link you send with the SDK download is way over my head…
Right now, the easiest way to do that is to install the virtualMIDI app, which is free. That app allows virtual MIDI ports to be created on Windows (they already exist on Mac) and you can then send MIDI from one application to another easily.
In that environment, you wouldn’t so much record from GP into Reaper, but rather you would just have both of those applications respond to incoming MIDI so Reaper would record it and GP would perform it.
I couldn’t figure out how to use VirtualMIDI – downloaded it, installed it, then couldn’t find a trace of it as a MIDI device (maybe it doesn’t work that way?) and couldn’t figure out if I need to load it… or if so how.
But since I had just installed LoopBe1 to get multiple GP instances to work (in Windows), I did see this as a MIDI device in Reaper and was able to get it to record incoming MIDI (simultaneously playing instruments in GP). So it’s great to know this is possible. I haven’t figured out how to use LoopBe1 to output a recorded MIDI track back into GP to record a WAV file yet, but I think with time I’ll get it. Hopefully the PC messages will have been recorded and pass back through.
MIDI recording is not intended for use inside Gig Performer…GP is not a DAW. The idea (similar to what we did for audio input recording) is to capture all incoming MIDI, save it to a file time stamped with he date of the recording so that after a show or a tour, for example, you can drag the raw MIDI data into your DAW and work with it.
Philosophically, the idea is to keep the focus on performance, not on editing.
Oh… but if we have to recreate our racks in a DAW in order to use the MIDI file recorded in GP, then we lose some of GP’s functionality, like patch persist.
I suppose I was envisioning we would be able to record MIDI in GP, then bring it into a DAW to edit velocities/correct notes, then bring it back into GP to playback (retaining rack changes, patch persist, etc.) so that it could then be recorded as a WAV file.
I haven’t upgraded to GP3 yet, but I am already brainstorming this same concept. I am very pleased that I can now capture MIDI file from GP, and I agree that I would love to be able to manipulate the MIDI file in a DAW and then export from my DAW to somehow import in GP to trigger playback of my VI’s in my Rackspaces. I do not want to use my DAW in conjunction with GP, as my DAW is cpu heavy, but GP is quite the opposite. It would be great to have a MIDI File Player GP plugin much like there is an Audio File Player. I understand that GP is not intended to be a DAW substitute, but this would be a nice feature.
We have a midi file player implemented. We just weren’t able to get it beautified in time for the official release of GP3. Those of you who have been around GP for a while will know that we tend to put out updates with new features ( not just bug fixes) quite often so don’t go away😉
Well, that player will really only be useful for playing backing tracks. For what you’re trying to do, you essentially need to drive Gig a Performer from “outside”
For what you’re trying to do, you really should just record with a daw but have the tracks associated with external MIDI and just drive Gig Performer, i.e. think of Gig Performer as your audio engine. That should not cause undue strain on your DAW
Oh that’s too bad, I was really hoping the MIDI record/playback in GP would be able to catch everything.
Back when I was trialing GP I was finally able to get Reaper to record MIDI being sent from GP (using LoopBe1), but I wasn’t able to use LoopBe1 to send the recorded MIDI from Reaper back to GP – before the trial ended. Even if it’s possible, it seems like a precarious way to do it… it would be great if GP could eventually record and fully play it’s own MIDI recordings.
If I switch to GP (which I’m seriously considering only because the patch persistence function is so great), I would very much appreciate MIDI recording built in as I would be using it on a regular basis. Loading up more than one program and relying on them to communicate during a live performance would make me pretty nervous! Anyway the fact that it’s possible is great, so thanks again.