Does anyone have a link to a video or explanation outlining the advantages of using widgets for Keyboard Controllers?
I get it for setting variation differences.
But what if you’re not using variations? (yet)
I’m not sure I understand the question. Note that you’re always using variations! A rackspace always has at least a default “variation”. (Program change numbers are associated with variations, not with rackspaces!)
Even if you’re only using a single (default) variation, it’s extremely useful to use widgets to control synth parameters and control those widgets in real time from your keyboard controller, assuming your keyboard controller has dials on it of course.
Oh, now I see what you’re asking — you’re thinking about the notion of sending MIDI CC events directly to a plugin from your controller instead of using host automation.
Generally you don’t want to do that. There are huge advantages to separating what your physical controllers are doing and how your plugins should be responding. There are obvious things such as what happens if you have two different plugins that you want to control and they both happen to use the same CC number? Some plugins limit the amount of control via MIDI and only use host automation. Also, every time you want to change something and/or use a different plugin, you’re going to have to have to relearn MIDI events for each plugin for your knobs.
You’ll also have to deal with different plugins doing their own scaling in different ways, something that you avoid completely when you handle scaling via widget properties.
Then there’s the whole issue around what happens if you want to use a different controller and the dials generate different MIDI CC events by default? You’ll have to spend a lot of time reprogramming the controller as well as having to change all your MIDI In blocks to use a different device. Imagine what happens if you’re on tour, your keyboard breaks and you need to use a different one? Or you’re on tour where the backline is being provided to you and each venue has a different controller for you to use?
So I could have 2 panels in 1 rack space using different widgets that use the same CCs from a controller to control different parameters on two separate VST instruments?
That does sound like a great advantage!
I would love to see an example of this being done in a video!
Thanks!
Huh? It’s a lot easier to just create two widgets, put them in a group, then associate ONE of the widgets with your physical controller knob.
There’s already a blog article with an embedded video showing how to do this.
Ok - NOW I get it (finally) You HAVE to use Widgets to get Variations to work - to remember their settings.
Please excuse the newbie
Well yeah but that’s not their only purpose. You need widgets to have real time control over parameters even if you only have a single (default) variation. Even if you’re not doing control from your keyboard etc, sometimes you want to be able to tweak settings such as the cutoff filter or the ADSR settings, etc