Zynewave.
Donald S. GriffinDoes Podium have the ability to route audio and/or MIDI from one track to another podium track?
One thing I am trying to do is create a home for all the synths and VSTi plugins I want to use with Sibelius. The idea is that this program (maybe Podium??) would run concurrently and have multiple MIDI devices open. Receiving the MIDI from Sibelius via loopback ports (I am using NTONYX at the moment) and routing that MIDI data to VSTi plugins on Podium tracks. This would be all during composing in Sibelius. Then when I wanted a recorded version I would have Podium (if possible) record the VSTi audio output from these tracks to one or more other tracks in Podium. Hopefully without having to route real audio cables out of, then back into, my audio interface, or via a virtual audio loopback. I just learned that Tracktion lets you do this (supposedly) just by designating where the output of each channel goes (which can be another track.) Though I could not make it work because the Tracktion demo disables audio recording.
One problem with this idea is that sync would not work. Sibelius does not send sync. But it can be told to send Start Stop and Pause/Continue messages. Though I have only heard of this working when using Gigastudio. Could this work with Podium as a slave?
Thanks.
ZynewaveThis can be done in Podium, without the use of real cables.
You would use the Wizard to create a batch of MIDI input mappings. Possibly filtered on individual channels, so that you can have 16 input mappings per virtual MIDI port.
The arrangement you create would be just like any typical arrangement in Podium. On the tracks that hold the VSTi’s or external synths you would then assign the proper MIDI input mappings. Press the monitor button, and then your arrangement is live. Anything you play in Sibelius will then be played on the plugins.
It will not be possible to get Podium to sync to Sibelius, as you mentioned, so you could create the arrangement with linear timebase, meaning that time-signatures will not be used and the time ruler will show minutes/seconds.
If you created the plugin tracks using the ‘… with bounce’ option in the Wizard, the arrangement is set up to record each plugin separately to a wave file, and you can use the ‘B’ button to toggle the track between playing the live input from Sibelius or the bounced audio. Read about bounce recording here.
Donald S. GriffinGeez, I didn’t even see that you had a Podium Guide or I would have been reading it. When did you get that up?
Zynewave😯
It has been there all the time. You mean to say we could have avoided all this conversation? 😛
Donald S. Griffinwell, no. Because it would have still taken me a year to figure out how to do all that audio routing. In fact, when I read the overview pages, on the web site, of Podium’s general layout and features it went totally in one ear and out the other. And I have practically made a career or reading software manuals.
ZynewaveI’ll admit that writing manuals is not my strongest side. Could you be more specific and point me to the parts that was confusing? I may inadvertently have skipped over some parts that needs clarification.
Donald S. Griffin@Zynewave wrote:
I’ll admit that writing manuals is not my strongest side. Could you be more specific and point me to the parts that was confusing? I may inadvertently have skipped over some parts that needs clarification.
It turns out that when I thought I was reading a synposis of Podium I was reading the first pages of the manual. I got the page from clicking the like for more info so I didn’t realize it was a manual.
But here is one example that would sure scare away anybody’s grandpa from trying it out. 😕
“The combination of device mapping, device definition, preset and parameter objects are used to encapsulate the configuration of plugins and external devices along with their different mechanisms for handling presets and parameters. The purpose of these objects are to shield you from the complexities involved in communicating with different types of devices, but it also provides a uniform way of accessing plugins and hardware devices in the arrangement editor.
Preset objects are used to recall and store settings for your plugins and external devices. Preset objects can be configured to select predefined programs in your devices, or they can be used as a storage container for a plugin preset or a MIDI SysEx preset for an external device. This enables you to build your own library of presets within Podium projects. Podium stores the library presets using a zip packing mechanism to minimize disk and memory usage.
Parameter objects are used for automating single parameters in your devices. They can be configured to use e.g. MIDI control changes, NRPN messages or SysEx messages.
You use device mappings, presets and parameters by assigning them to tracks in your arrangements. Once a device mapping is assigned to a track you will have access to the list of presets and parameters that are available for that particular device.”
ZynewaveToo technical, I guess? The intent was that the first page would show summaries for the sections in the guide, and the further down you go in the menu structure, the more detailed are the explanations. I guess I need to trim down the details from the first guide page. In its current form it’s akin to a feature list. If anyone got any ideas on how to present this better, I’m all ears.
Donald S. GriffinI always like it when software immediately tells me how its different than others. When I see a long feature list I know they are just trying to dazzle me with BS. To hide that they really have nothing special at all.
I also like it when there is a jpeg with lines leading onto it to labels not just pointing to what things are, but making a comment about why THIS one is different (better) than what you are used to.
Also, in something like this, where there are bound to be new paradigms, its critical to have small pictures every time you mention some part of the program so a person can immediately know what part of the screen you are talking about and where to find it rather than trying to remember what the thingy is and where to find it from a previous chapter.
Your online manual is very professional looking. In fact that gives me more confidence that Podium will be worth checking into. I am just saying. More of the little pics scattered around when you refer to anything that may be confusing. I think we are all comic book readers at heart. 😉
ZynewaveThanks Donald, some great tips there.
I will remember this when I decide to spend some time on a site makeover. The next couple of weeks will be devoted to programming, to get the v1.00 ready. One thing I also intend to look into, is online video presentations/tutorials. Something along the lines of what the Camtasia Studio can offer, or Macromedia Flash.