Option to create virtual MIDI ports

[clik]

There's a handy feature in Plogue that allows user to create new 'virtual' MIDI ports (see pics).

x_iMac 2018-10-25 at 17.29.51.jpg
These display in Logic's Physical Input along with that MIDI port's number.

x_iMac 2018-10-25 at 17.30.56.jpg

Would it be practical to add such an option to OSCulator?

In the interest of research, I've learned that you can already create multiple virtual ports by making copies of OSCulator (2, 3 etc.).
These do appear in Logic's Environment alongside OSCulator's default MIDI port, though without identifying numbers.

x_iMac 2018-10-25 at 17.42.41.jpg

The good news is these extra ports work!

...incoming MIDI data from multiple OSCulator docs arrives in separate streams and doesn't all flow through just one port,
which saves time routing data through Channel Splitters, Transformer Objects etc. before it can be passed through to channel strips etc.

Duplicating the app works, but the price is x n higher CPU

[camille]

Hi click,

Thank you for your suggestion!

At the moment OSCulator publishes a single virtual MIDI port called "OSCulator Out". All documents share this single output, so when you make more copies of OSCulator, there is always a single output.

I understand you would like to be able to create more virtual MIDI ports. With multiple MIDI virtual ports available, do you want to be able to choose which MIDI message goes to which port? Or do you want OSCulator to send the same information to all ports, like some sort of MIDI thru?

What I'm most interested in is:

...incoming MIDI data from multiple OSCulator docs arrives in separate streams and doesn't all flow through just one port,
which saves time routing data through Channel Splitters, Transformer Objects etc. before it can be passed through to channel strips etc.

If you could please elaborate a bit, it would be tremendously useful, thanks again!

Cam

[clik]

Hi Camille,

do you want to be able to choose which MIDI message goes to which port?

I don't think so, but, hmm, maybe that could be useful...

Or do you want OSCulator to send the same information to all ports, like some sort of MIDI thru?

I think this is closer... all MIDI messages in a document are sent to a specified OSCulator virtual port.

Let's say in Logic you have have 2 channel strips, Audio 1 and Audio 2, and both channel strips have plug-ins in insert slot 1 (where Insert Slot 1 is identified as Ch.2 in Logic's numbering hierarchy)

Both channel strips are cabled to the same MIDI Instrument Object in the Environment Mixer, which sends to the 'OSCulator In' Port.

Parameter 16 in the plug-in on Audio 1 and Parameter 16 in the plug-in on Audio 2 are tweaked and value changes are sent to the same OSCulator document and stored as snapshots.

But, tweaking this Parameter on the plug-in on Audio 1 or the plug-in on Audio 2 appears as the same Message on arrival in OSCulator: /midi/cc16/2.

To get around this, methinks, each channel strip needs it's own MIDI sent out of Logic to it's own dedicated OSCulator port/document.

But, when snapshots from those documents are triggered, two different /midi/cc16/2 messages return to the Environment, through OSCulator's default virtual MIDI port...which is which, and which goes to which channel strip?

Basically, I need MIDI from one OSCulator document to arrive into Logic via one virtual MIDI port...
MIDI from a 2nd OSCulator document to arrive into Logic via a 2nd virtual MIDI port etc.
then it's much easier to route the right MIDI to the right destination.

I hope that makes sense.


(If there was some way within Logic to arbitrarily stamp MIDI messages from channel strips with some unique identifier, which OSCulator could identify, that might solve it - or maybe the MIDI HD protocol that's being developed will provide a solution)

[camille]

Ah! Now I get what you mean.
The idea is to have one or several user defined virtual ports per document, while keeping the "OSCulator Out" virtual port. That makes sense.

I will add this idea to the backlog. In the meantime, here is a workaround that you can easily do:

• Open Audio MIDI Setup
• If the MIDI Studio is not displayed, choose Window -> Show MIDI Studio
• Double click the IAC Driver to edit its properties
• Create a bunch of IAC ports, you can also change their names (don't choose names that depend on a specific gig or setup, they should stay rather generic)
• In OSCulator, for each document, open the Parameters window and select the desired IAC port in the MIDI Output list as shown in the screenshot.

Let me know if that helps with your original request.

Screenshot 2018-10-30 08.50.44.jpg


Best,
Cam