So as not to derail this thread, I’ll be brief and separate the text…
[I’m using the DAW to develop MIDI sequences for covers where I play both guitar and keys. GP hosts all of the plugins. When “done”, I export the MIDI file to GP’s MIDI player. I might play they keys when I’m not on guitar and use the MIDI player for keys when I’m strumming and plucking. Normally, a plugin would only be played by the MIDI player and/or my live keyboard, but when I open the DAW and select a MIDI track, the DAW will double-route my keyboard to GP. I need to remember to manually disable the [R] button, select a different track, or disconnect my keyboard in GPs wiring to avoid the echo issue. After I’m done editing the sequence, I export the MIDI and close the DAW for performing. There’s no issue with any of the software. I just need to be deliberate when I go from one scenario to the next.]
Yes, Kuassa’s Effektor pedal is really flexible and can do anything from a subtle wah to a high-resonance comb-filter effect. I use it on the Wurli on Money as well as the guitar on Bloody Well Right.
I’ll play closer attention to the active plugins in the rackspaces I’m using the next time the audio goes away. FWIW, I’m using 100% AUs and no VSTs.
Got it. My use case is a bit different. I’m using the DAW to develop sequences, and I run everything in GP, once developed. At some point, I’ll use Blackhole or Loopback to record my performance output from GP in the DAW, so these blog posts will be really helpful.
Back on the audio quitting issue… Between us, we have some interesting comparisons:
OS: I’m on Monterey; you aren’t.
Cables: My cabling is identical to before. But the computer hardware is different. You’ve switched to a better cable, but still get the pops at idle.
Hardware: I have the 14-inch MacBook Pro. I assume that you have the 13-inch, given Big Sur.
Audio Interface: Focusrite Scarlet for us both. I have the 2+4. You are getting an RME, which will give an excellent comparison.
MIDI control: When not careful, I cause a MIDI echo with my DAW when composing. You have a more conventional, controller-to-module setup.
Plugins: Artutia, Kontakt, and Kuassa Effektor are common between us. (EZdrummer too?)
When I get a chance, I’ll play with my MIDI echo thing, since it seems to be repeatable. It’s unlikely, but possible that some random message collision can cause problems and that you only experience it rarely and randomly.
The RME interface will be an excellent comparison. And maybe your improved cables already fixed everything except the random stuff at idle.
It’s possible that Arturia Instruments can be susceptible to MIDI control noise. Out of the box, they have a ton of MIDI controls assigned by default. Let’s say you have a physical controller with a CC on the threshold between zero and one. A touch of noise causes it to change states and the controller will send a message. If it was CC7, boom, all of the output volumes for your Arturia keyboards go to zero or one. This kind of thing could mess up any parameter exposed by MIDI.
I had been going into each Arturia instrument and setting the MIDI controls to “Empty.” (Click the Gear in the upper right, select the MIDI tab, and select Empty from the pull down.) Apparently, this is just for starting an edit. It’s not a real setting and doesn’t stick. Go to a different rackspace (or restart GP, whatever), and the MIDI settings are back to default.
The trick is to save the Empty configuration as your own. This leads us to another odd behavior. When trying to type a name, keyboard input might be rejected. I found this as well when when trying present searches, etc. It’s possible that the previous configuration wasn’t saved, so the software goes passive aggressive on the user. I saved my overall preset as my own first, and then I was able to save my own Empty configuration. It’s now sticky.
And there’s more… The configuration seems to be global for that instrument. Do it once for your B3 and all instances of your B3 will have your personal, empty configuration applied. This actually works great in Gig Performer, because, we really want GP and its variations and Widgets to manage our MIDI controls and routing to the plugin parameters.
I don’t know that this caused the problem at your recent gig, but essentially, Arturia leaves a backdoor MIDI security hole open by default. For 100% reliability, we should close it and route MIDI intentionally using Gig Performer.
I’m in the process of cleaning up all my Arturia instruments. I’ll let you know if my randomly silenced system problems are solved.
I wonder how many other plugins have backdoor MIDI controls exposed. We don’t usually see that without poking around their configuration panels.
UPDATE: Regarding keyboard entry, I found that exiting the plugin view, pressing ESC, and re-opening the plugin allows the keyboard to be sent to the plugin fields again. I don’t think that this is a GP issue, because I had similar keyboard rejection issue when I tested it with Logic as the host.
Okay. More weirdness. Some Arturia instruments (B3, Wurli, Arp…) remember the MIDI configuration. Other instruments (Clav, Stage…) do not. For those that don’t, I created a “MIDI SECURITY” plugin, which is a filter that blocks everything that I don’t want to pass through. I’ve allowed note on, off, mod wheel, pitch bend, sustain, sostenuto, and soft pedals. I’ve also allowed the reset messages, such as “all notes off” to pass. Maybe this is the stronger way to enact MIDI security. Rather than search for every plugins’ assumptions, just block everything except what you want it to handle. Copying and pasting the filters is easy and easy to see.
It might be going overboard, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Belts and suspenders ensure your pants don’t fall down on stage.
One other (low probability) cause occurs to me. Is your cable running over anything that might be putting out a lot of interference? I’m focussed on the studio/OK stage/NG difference.
