druidI think he means that if the VSTi does not support drag and drop, then it won’t work. I think some VSTi do support this? But I can’t be sure, and have no examples on hand. I’m certain there would be plenty that don’t, however, meaning that even if Podium sent it to the plugin, the plugin would do nothing, and it wouldn’t work with those plugins that don’t respond.
druidEr, what I meant was that you could have one automation track that controls multiple controls, saving clutter by avoiding multiple unnecessary automation lanes but still keeping automation separate from the midi/audio data.
I actually prefer it the way it is, so I hadn’t really given any thought to placing automation on top of midi/audio.
druidYou can also bounce a track, right click on the track header, go to Bounce -> Export Bounced Audio to Sound File.
druidOr change Hi-Decay to Damping! Most other reverbs use this terminology, I believe?
druidInfinitoar: I didn’t look at the RAM. I’ll make a note of it to do tomorrow as I have a 12 hour work day today, starting very shortly. I’ve never paid attention because I’m not a large sample user, but I’ll find a large library and see if I can free up RAM or not using freeze.
I would like to say however that disabling a plugin from using CPU, then re-enabling it, wouldn’t take much time. However, “removing” (more like just not remembering the address and freeing the space) plugins from memory, and then placing them back, would be like reloading them again. With large sample libraries, it would take considerable time.
I think freeze has more benefit saving CPU, however, than RAM. I don’t think RAM would halt up the DAW as much as CPU if running low.
RAM is also cheap, depending on a person’s budget! 😉 And can easily be installed. My opinion is that your new computer shouldn’t have 2gb, not even if it’s a laptop. Unless it’s still running Windows XP.
As for the .mp3, I’m not sure how knowledgeable or not you are with computers, so I’ll quickly mention that filenames can have periods [.] in them. The problem with this is that some programs will assume the last period in the file name you type, or click on, is the the one after which the extension comes (.mp3, .wav, .hottoastforbreakfast). Other programs just take whatever you type there, and then add the appropriate extension, unless it’s the same as in the file.
So, in those programs, if in the file box it was saved as “scream.mp3” but the file was saved as .wav, then it would become “scream.mp3.wav” with a fiilename “scream.mp3” and filetype of “.wav”. If you don’t show file extensions (and this is why I hate this feeature) then it hides the last part, so some would only see “scream” change to “scream.mp3” and they might think it’s still an .mp3.
Hopefully you didn’t already know that, or else you might feel like I’m talking to you like a child! Better be safe than sorry, though! 🙂
druidI’d like that if it allowed linking two VST knobs together as well, rather than be fixed just to the Podium UI. Have to admit I wouldn’t use it a whole lot, but it could be good for needing to automate the same controls on some setups, like filters on layered synths, or in one setup that I have where I split the left and right signal of a synth guitar to go to separate distortion VSTs (both of which are the same plugin), if I automate a knob on one I may want to on another the very same (such as level!).
Naturally, in that case, I could clone one automation clip down to the other lane, and therefore change one and affect the other, but that takes extra vertical space.
druidIf you aren’t using ASIO4ALL, you could try that to see if it works with that properly or not. If it does, it would point towards the drivers you were using (I have issues with newer drivers for my Tascam, has caused me so much grief I fell back to ASIO4ALL which is actually working really well for me).
You may not want to do this which is understandable, but it may help point toward drivers or host!
If you are experiencing crashing during plugin loading, that may be a different problem, but I’m not sure if this is still a problem or not as I use my setup and don’t use the function!
druidHi Infinitoar.
Have you right-clicked the track, gone the bounce submenu and enabled “Unload Plugins when Bounced”?
I did some brief testing and CPU usage appears to reduce, from 34% to around 7-10%, however this is in a simple setup with two tracks, one with only samples and the other with a drum synth and distortion on high quality settings.
Are you using this option?
I tested by rendering then deleting the effects from the project, and it resulted in the same CPU usage.
I also tried with and without that option, but I seem to get the same results, so I’m not sure if the option does anything in my simple test. I tried enabling the unloading of plugins, but when I moved the bounce down in the list of FX, it still used the FX, so again, I’m not sure if the option actually does anythiing.
Still, if you haven’t tried that option, give that a go and see what happens. Might need further help from Frits on this one… If I weren’t working today, I would’ve loaded a proper project and tested it, sorry!
druidI have no problems with the time it takes to load VSTs. I keep a template with all the plugins neatly ordered and named the way I like them, and I keep them up to date (or try to). I would recommend creating a template and from then on, creating new projects based on that template. This isn’t specific to Podium in itself; I prefer starting with templates for all hosts I’ve tried so far.
The plugin import feature is useful at first, when you haven’t added any plugins. However, I also found it crashed when it tried to load them all. I am not sure how, but I think Podium gets ahead of itself somewhere, when there are lots of VSTs to scan. Though it is laborious, I also recommend organising VSTs into folders. For instance, I have gen and fx, and under fx I keep folders of the type of effect. When I created my template, I imported one folder at a time, which had far less plugins for Podium to import at once, and that seemed to forestall any import issues I had.
Your mileage may vary. I’ve used Oatmeal with no problem, however I haven’t tried the others you mention. SM products tend to take a long time anyway (possibly not as long as you are experiencing though).
Anyway, hope this assists to make things a little smoother for you.
druidThere may be a way, but the way I’ve done something like this, has been to have three tracks. One parent with the synth, two child tracks which just contain midi, which then of course are both sent to the parent track with the synth. You can then mute one or the other track. This does mean 3 tracks though, even if you minimise the parent track (though using track tags you could hide the parent track, but I’m not sure if that would be the most clean way to do it).
I think if you use the same global instance of the synth on both tracks, it goes red. If I recall correctly. I would love to know if I’m wrong, though!
druid@Infinitoar wrote:
Ok. I’ll say this for the last time and I hope someone with common sense who doesn’t “live” on the internet finally lets this sink IN.
“I say whatever is on my mind about any issue I’m dealing with. There is no “tone” on the internet because there is no “AUDIO”, I repeat, there. is. no. audio. on the internet, so how would ANYONE on God’s big beautiful blue marble planet KNOW what I am saying in “tone” if there is no AUDIO coming from my “words”?”
First of all, why do you need to be so offensive? I lack common sense? And what does “live” on the internet mean? You don’t use the internet, then? How are you posting? And if I don’t know what you’re thinking, and you don’t know what I’m thinking, why are we even posting to each other, or in response to each other, at all, when we clearly have no idea about anything that either of us are saying?
And second, I’ll say this for the last time, I say what’s on my mind too, dude. If you don’t get it, don’t beat me up over it. 8)
I didn’t bother to read the rest of your post, as you clearly spend no effort reading mine. Like the other thread, I won’t be posting again on this topic. I have failed to make anything clear to you. Hopefully I had more luck with chase. And it’s true that chase’s posts have some humour or something light about them, so even if I didn’t agree with the gist of thought processes and wanted to reply, he’s amiable about it.
Thank you!
druidI have never understood why when people ask for the source to be released for whatever software and are then told that it won’t happen, by the owner of the software no less, who has almost if not wholly worked on it solely for a while, (some) people are then surprised, and even openly disappointed, that they do not want to release it.
Let’s say you’ve spent 10 years building up your music career, would you happily let out all your music, not only for free but the project files, after you’ve been selling albums for a while, at the request of some forum goers who love your music? Maybe you would. Most people wouldn’t, I would suggest.
I love open source, I have found so many useful programs that replace what I could be spending a fortune on, but owners of products are welcome to choose what they wish (within laws of course) for their project. You can disagree, but you have your answer. Begrudging that answer, refusing to understand it and push, represents a lack of understanding of others and in my opinion is insulting. Let Frits do what he wants with his project! If you see great potential, nothing stops you from doing exactly what he did. Your question was (somewhat) fair enough, but you have your answer, and it really is time to move on.
I certainly would not want others to tell me how to interact with my family, how to use or organise my own computer, or how to write my music. Provide some feedback, certainly, but definitely not push to control.
I know this kind of post (of mine) seems very defensive of Frits, but I really am trying to appeal to you that the topic has now ceased. Further, to defend my own post and the validity of its statements rather than being a so-called “fanboy” post, I would point out that I didn’t post until after you asked your questions, got an answer, a bit of back and forth and then continued to post with pushing.
If you really feel strongly that way, why not write a professional business proposal and present it to Frits?
Finally, I would advise you against thinking that releasing the source of a project automatically makes it magically better, or that you will pick up skills suddenly, or keep motivation for it for years to come. I have some coding background and have thought to suggest helping Frits in the past, and may have even made one slight comment about it a couple of years ago, but I realise that I would not serioously be able to learn all I need to in a short time, and I would essentially have no effect, or even hold Frits up. So I have said practically nothing.
I ask that you sit and give it some very serious thought before posting again. It really seems like you both have not really considered anyone’s opinions but your own.
Sorry all for the long post. These sorts of issues are a bugbear of mine. I hope my efforts are not completely in vain.
druidInfinitoar, I don’t like your tone. You are very defensive, but no one has attacked. You attacked first, because of your feelings no doubt, and people were defending some elements, and trying to be helpful, and you strike back. I am sorry if you can’t see this, but this is how it has been.
I won’t be responding to any of your specific points as others already have been, reasonably at that (more reasonably than I would), and because the language you use, the way you go about saying it, is so coloured by emotion that it’s like you’ve taken it personally.
I was very, very upset when Assassin’s Creed 2, a computer game, decided to use a digital rights management scheme that meant I refused to pay for the product (and to be clear, I don’t pirate either), so I missed out on the game. But I don’t hate the developers for it, and I wouldn’t “rant” (my word, interpret as you wish) to them about it. I might have left feedback, but not in the way you have. If I really wanted to make a solid point or two to a developer, I would not do it the way that you have.
I didn’t take their decision personally. Instead, I chose to move my money to where I felt decisions matched more what I support.
Sometimes it is sad when developers which produce things you love start seeming to not do these things anymore, or hold a product up, when you can see so clearly how things should be. I am guilty of this, to some degree, from the energyXT forum on KVR, during the migration to the second version. I assure you, it’s not the right way to go about it, it doesn’t help anyone (nor you to feel better), and nothing will come of it. Better to put your money where your mouth is, rather than the words.
And, unlike previously, please don’t take any point here I’ve made personally. Apply to this post what you wanted others to apply in yours.
I’m writing this straight from my brain so if it’s messy, sorry.
I won’t be responding further either, as I know the dangers of that, and have fallen for it many times myself. 🙁
druidI’m not sure if you’ll like or dislike this comment, but it reminds me of old school game music. Your style seems to include a lot of the elements in leads and their chords and melodies that occurred in a lot of older games. I liked a lot of that old music, by the way!
While I dislike heavily repetitive music (tried to get into Daft Punk but was irritated by the long length and/or general lack of change in most songs, aside from other matters). However, your sections in this track feel very rushed, as if they are there one moment and gone another. Lengthening them a little, possibly quadrupling, would make them feel more whole instead of being fleeting. Repetitive songs can get boring, but songs that don’t let each section focus can also sound short and sections don’t stand out.
Change is still needed in sections, in my opinion, however only minor ones, like changed notes, maybe an added arpeggiator, or something like that, to keep interest, but to keep the theme standing out and being heard.
Hope this helps! My advice comes from a relatively non-active music-writer, so take with several grains of salt!
druidWhen you create a “global instance”, the link number it has means that anything you add with that same link number will use that exact same instance. Not a new copy of that VST/VSTi, but THAT specific setup that you’ve already used.
If you want to use multiple instances, you can, under the device list, right click on the instance you already have (either the folder they are in, or the device itself) and Podium will create a new instance automatically for you, possibly not in the way you’d expect, but try it and see.