Automating the Leslie [Resolved]

[spitfire31]

OK, I'll try to disseminate my hard won ability to assign a MIDI control to the Leslie FAST/SLOW…

This is about the Amplitube version, mind you. I don't have TRacks, so I don't know if the procedure is different.

In this example, I start out with the standalone version of Amplitube 4.4 and I select the 'Classic 122 Stereo' preset. What happens is that the amplifier appears (Amp A in the chain on top). The component I want, though, is the cabinet, so I click the Cab A box in the chain.

When the cab has loaded, I click the MIDI button in the lower right hand corner of the GUI. The MIDI Control window appears in Program Change mode. I want Control Change, so I click on the button that says (you guessed it…) Control Change.

With Control Change selected, the window goes blank (which can be a bit disconcerting). Also, by default, the Preset button just below the Control Change lights up. That's the way I want it – it means that the assignment(s) I'm about to make refer only to the currently selected preset ('Classic 122 Stereo' in this example).

Now comes the important part. I click the Add button below the empty grey window. A pop-up menu appears and just below the middle is a field named Cab A, with an arrow to the right signalling that there is a sub menu. On roll-over, I get a pop-out field named '122', also with a right pointing arrow. When I roll over it with the cursor, a long list of control targets appears and, close to the bottom, the magical word 'speed'.

I click 'Speed' and hey, presto! – a yellow field appear along the top of the previously blank grey window. It says to the left 'Cab A – 122 speed' and it has several options to the right: CC#, Min, Max, Curve and Latch.

I drag horisontally in the CC# field which is intitially set at '0' until I reach '64'. I then click in the rightmost 'Latch' field to change it from 'OFF* to 'ON' – this is optional, but it's because I prefer my momentary foot pedal to work as a toggle – press once for speed up, press again for speed down. Some people prefer to get the fast speed as long as the pedal is pressed; then the latch field should be left at 'OFF'.

I then click 'OK' and it's done. The last operation is to store the preset using 'Save as', adding, for instance, a handy description to the preset name, such as 'Classic 122 Stereo CC#64'.

That's it!

Kind regards,

Joachim

[dnr]

Thanks or your long and detailed reply. I am afraid that I have the TRacks version and this does not work for me. Bummer!

[dnr]

All IK software installers include and install the user manual for the product locally. If you are not aware of this and/or their location please consult the FAQ at http://www.ikmultimedia.com/faq/2497

Thank you.

I am afraid this is less than helpful to me as there is no response to Leslie automation in FAQ in fact no response to automation. I am pleased that Spitfire managed to solve the situation with regard to AmpliTube. I would say that automation is broken in TRacks Leslie but for the fact that it seems it was never there in the first place. I hope you are going to tell me that this will be sorted out? I have been having the same problem using the Leslie in the TRS Suite.

[Peter_IK]

All IK software installers include and install the user manual for the product locally. If you are not aware of this and/or their location please consult the FAQ at http://www.ikmultimedia.com/faq/2497

Thank you.

I am afraid this is less than helpful to me as there is no response to Leslie automation in FAQ in fact no response to automation. I am pleased that Spitfire managed to solve the situation with regard to AmpliTube. I would say that automation is broken in TRacks Leslie but for the fact that it seems it was never there in the first place. I hope you are going to tell me that this will be sorted out? I have been having the same problem using the Leslie in the TRS Suite.

You can automate in T-RackS too. It is different but doable, I know that IK Support is helping some who have issues in their DAW with T-RackS Leslie and if you have a ticket open with them they'll help you too. Note that there may be some oddities with Pro Tools (sometimes the MIDI and Instrument tracks may not stay record armed together for some reason) but overall it isn't an oversight or left out.

[DarkStar]

As for the specifics, the automation features are described in both the AmpliTube and T-RackS user manuals. Both, as plug-ins have 16 plug-in parameters, to which many of the knobs/sliders etc can be assigned. AmpliTube also supports assigning MIDI CC messages directly to parameters.

But, as far as I can see, T-RackS 5 (that is the standalone program and its Suite plug-in) does not have MIDI CC automation (that is the approach described by spitfire31 above). In the T-RackS 5 Suite plug-in up to 16 controls can be mapped to the plug-in's parameters and those 16 parameters can be automated from within a plug-in host.

Here is an example (not using Leslie, though).

>>> https://i.imgur.com/EF1KCAA.png

1 In the T-RackS 5 Suite plug-in, click the Automation button,
2 Find the module to be automated and click the right-pointing triangle to display its controllable parameters,
3 Select the desired module parameter,
4 Select the plug-in parameter to be used,
5 Click [Add],
6 In the plug-in host, display the parameters, rename them to the real targets and use the host's "MIDI Learn" function to map MIDI CC messages to those parameters.

This method is the same for all the modules in T-Racks 5 Suite. Have a look at the T-RackS 5 User Manual, chapter 6.

[f.staal]

You can automate in T-RackS too. It is different but doable, I know that IK Support is helping some who have issues in their DAW with T-RackS Leslie and if you have a ticket open with them they'll help you too. Note that there may be some oddities with Pro Tools (sometimes the MIDI and Instrument tracks may not stay record armed together for some reason) but overall it isn't an oversight or left out.

I just insert the TRS Leslie (the single plugin) to a slot in Logic X. All the automation stuff I see here does not apply. How can I simply use a pedal without using the overhead of either Suite. I want to use the Leslie as a replacement of the leslie in Arturia's Hammond B3V because it doesn't implement separate acceleration/decelleration speeds. So, in MainStage/Logic I have a channelstrip with B3V as instrument and TRS Leslie as an insert effect. I open the Leslie and then?...

[DarkStar]

I would have thought that the TR5 Leslie (as for the other TR5 plug-ins) would have its own set of controllable plug-in parameters published to the host. Are they not available in MainStage/Logic?

[garfy]

I would have thought that the TR5 Leslie (as for the other TR5 plug-ins) would have its own set of controllable plug-in parameters published to the host. Are they not available in MainStage/Logic?

Darkstar is correct here, the parameters are available as standard automation lanes in Logic Pro (version in my sig).

To get hardware control of a parameter you'll need to use Smart Controls - map the Speed parameter of the Leslie to one of the smart controls and then use the External Assignment Learn to trigger the control. I now have a non-latching speed control using my sustain pedal.

I can't say if this will work in MainStage as I don't have it.

[dnr]

As for the specifics, the automation features are described in both the AmpliTube and T-RackS user manuals. Both, as plug-ins have 16 plug-in parameters, to which many of the knobs/sliders etc can be assigned. AmpliTube also supports assigning MIDI CC messages directly to parameters.

But, as far as I can see, T-RackS 5 (that is the standalone program and its Suite plug-in) does not have MIDI CC automation (that is the approach described by spitfire31 above). In the T-RackS 5 Suite plug-in up to 16 controls can be mapped to the plug-in's parameters and those 16 parameters can be automated from within a plug-in host.

Here is an example (not using Leslie, though).

>>> https://i.imgur.com/EF1KCAA.png

1 In the T-RackS 5 Suite plug-in, click the Automation button,
2 Find the module to be automated and click the right-pointing triangle to display its controllable parameters,
3 Select the desired module parameter,
4 Select the plug-in parameter to be used,
5 Click [Add],
6 In the plug-in host, display the parameters, rename them to the real targets and use the host's "MIDI Learn" function to map MIDI CC messages to those parameters.

This method is the same for all the modules in T-Racks 5 Suite. Have a look at the T-RackS 5 User Manual, chapter 6.

This is rather frustrating. All other vst/vsti's that I have used midi learn works directly from the plugin. I am a Cubase 9.5.30 user. I have been using Blue 3 and the TR5 Suite in an insert. The manual does not indicate how the link to CC messages might work Cubase. Any help at this point would be greatly appreciated.

[f.staal]

I would have thought that the TR5 Leslie (as for the other TR5 plug-ins) would have its own set of controllable plug-in parameters published to the host. Are they not available in MainStage/Logic?

Darkstar is correct here, the parameters are available...

Now that you mention it, I haven't looked at the normal automation method after I saw the MIDI window. My bad... I'll check tonight

[DarkStar]

@ dnr,
Those details should be covered in the Cubase manual - try searching for "MIDI Learn"? Sorry I do not know Cubase.

[f.staal]

I would have thought that the TR5 Leslie (as for the other TR5 plug-ins) would have its own set of controllable plug-in parameters published to the host. Are they not available in MainStage/Logic?

Darkstar is correct here, the parameters are available as standard automation lanes in Logic Pro (version in my sig).

To get hardware control of a parameter you'll need to use Smart Controls - map the Speed parameter of the Leslie to one of the smart controls and then use the External Assignment Learn to trigger the control. I now have a non-latching speed control using my sustain pedal.

I can't say if this will work in MainStage as I don't have it.

The Smart Controls is indeed the way I can have it working in Logic X. MainStage has Smart Controls as well, so it should be the same.

Thanks for all.

[dnr]

I am still waiting for a reply from support. Surely there is someone out there who has got the TRacks Leslie midi control working in Cubase 9.5. If so I would be very interested to hear from you.

[dnr]

The fact is that IK Support don't know how to automate TRacks Leslie and have contacted Steinberg support - so we should get an answer next year. It seems to me that there has been a failure of beta testing with regards to Cubase and a misunderstanding of how players might actually want to use the Leslie. To be honest I have, together with a number of Cubase experts on the Cubase Forum, tried everything that Cubase has to offer and have come up with no way to use Midi Automation with the Leslie. If this continues to be the case I would have to ask for my money back as I would feel that it would have been mis-sold to me.

I really cannot understand why IK has not implemented Midi learn in the single vst version of the Leslie.

[Peter_IK]

It isn't a matter of not knowing how to automate T-RackS Leslie (as is pointed out in your ticket) it is a matter of issues with MIDI control which in testing is found to be happening with other plugins too. The rep has reported this issue to Steinberg, of course, and will work with them on what appears to be a MIDI control issue that is not unique to IK plugins.

I will relay your comments to the support team about this but note that this is covered in your ticket and there was indeed testing as with all of our plugins. Support will continue to assist you with this issue.