Trying to change articulations in VSL instruments via custom button

[Mavoz]

Hi All,
So I’ve been trying this evening to figure out a way to change articulations in Vienna Synchron Player ( Vienna Instruments.) via my Behringer X-Touch controller. I found a thread that described a method…but it just doesn’t work for me…and I have to admit I am completely stuck!

Challenge;
Custom program two buttons on my Behringer X-Touch controller to change the articulations within Vienna Instruments…so for example here is a simple two patch setup:

I simply want to press one button and it changes to legato…another back to staccato.

Solution 1 tried: Using Gig Performer Midi In Block
In this thread a method is described where the Midi in block is changed:

Control articulations in Kontakt

I don’t have a grasp of programming. I don’t know how to get started with GPScript. Can anyone help with a script to send a CC to Kontakt? I tried creating a widget and assigning to host automation, but it doesn’t send the state of the widget on patch change. Once the patch is selected I can move the widget and get Kontakt to respond. Thanks in advance for your help.

*"The good news is that this is easy to emulate in Gig Performer. I’ve attached a trivial rackspace you can use to study how to do it. Basically, you create a few buttons and associate them with the MidiIn block that’s connected to Kontakt. Then you set the parameters so that each button is mapped to a specific note number. Then it works…VSL *
No scripting needed."

However while I can get the demo file to work with Kontakt Strings…it doesn’t seem to work with VSL…VSL isn’t recognising the Midi in block commands. Now it could be that I am missing something basic in the setup…here is a screen shot:

But I press the buttons…and there is no response in VSL…it doesn’t understand that input (It will work with the physical C0 on the keyboard itself.

Solution 2: Programming Synchron Player itself
I then tried going to edit Synchron player to match the buttons from the Behringer X-Touch…so I would press learn and choose one button…Synchron player can learn the first button…eg. C0but then the software defaults to just going up the tree of notes…eg next articulation = next button on X-Touch that happens to match C#…but I don’t know how I could actually custom choose an articulation to match whatever button I want…Synchon player seems to only allow learning the very first articulation button…and then you are locked in to the following scale for all articulations after that. C C# D D# etc (However I am new to this software) At least though I can ‘hack it’ to match…

Anyway has anyone figured out a way to get Gig Performer to communicate by itself with the VSL instruments to change articulations? Is that possible…or is VSL locked down? Thanks!

Edit: And now back in my main gig I also cannot program Synchron Player to recognise the X-Touch…so something else is blocking it.,…couple of hours of trying to program two buttons to change an articulation…this certainly is tricky!

[Mavoz]

Continuing to try and think through this problem myself…

Vsl support got back to me re whether I could custom map individual articulations:

Hello Mathew,

Thanks for your email.

instead of just defaulting to whatever button happens to match C#…is that possible?

==> No, sorry to say - since these notes are conceived as keyswitches, they need to be in a consecutive sequence by design.

Troubleshooting thoughts:
1)
There appears to be something in my Gig Performer setlist that locks the midi receiving in Synchron player… if I have a blank new rack space… I can get Synchron player to receive and learn from my Xtouch controller but then at other times… like in my big setlist… it doesn’t

2. I can get the keyboard itself to consistently send an articulation change to Synchron player… there must be some way to ‘fake’ this same behaviour… so for example if I press a c0 on keyboard… OR… I press a custom button with the mouse for example in Gig performer … it does exactly the same thing… effectively I could make a fake keyboard with buttons that just sends c0 c#o do etc.

How can I do that? Is that via the midi in parameter? Thanks!

[dhj]

@Mavoz

Synchron player

What is that? By any chance does it provide its own MIDI input rather than receiving MIDI from a MIDI In block, for example? If so, and you’re on Windows, that could be the issue.

[Mavoz]

Thanks dhj. I threw a lot more time at it last night.
I made progress…part of my problem was a ‘beginner’ error…I don’t think I set the X-Touch as the correct input…however even then there were some buttons that wouldn’t be recognised in VSL…while others would…almost as if maybe something else was blocking it…so I need to check if anything in GP has reserved it.

I also was able to get my Maschine Mikro mk3 working for custom buttons too…so I’m learning a lot.

Thank you for your ttips!

[Hermon]

@dhj
Synchron player is the proprietary sample player for VSL sound banks