Any script or logical editor preset to automatically assign instruments from track names

[Sebastian_Alvarez]

In the last week I came to find out that VSL offers a lot of projects downloadable in both MIDI and Cubase projects, the latter with the caveat that they are all done with VSL’s Vienna Ensemble Pro, with a lot of VSL’s own virtual instruments, usually the ones that are pretty expensive.

The good thing is that they usually offer the MIDI file, which normally assigns HALion Sonic instruments, and the rather old version of them. If you have Iconica for example, it won’t assign the violins to it, it will assign them to the basic barebones version it has, which is rather terrible.

I usually download lots of MIDI files and work on them, the first step obviously is to replace each and every instrument depending on the name of the track. So depending on the MIDI file, that can take hours. Generally not, but the VSL tutorial projects can have over 50 tracks, and if you work on one of Ashton Gleckman’s projects, it can have over 200.

So I was thinking, what if there was a script or something that you could set options for beforehand, and then it would assign the instruments based on the track name. For example, if the track name is “Violins”, it would assign the Violins from VSL’s Synchron Prime. Or the 18 violins from the Eastwest Opus orchestra. Whatever you programmed in the settings. Then it would keep going for cellos, bass, trombone, all the way down until it’s done.

Surely it wouldn’t work every time, for example if the name of the track is Kontakt and nothing else, it would at best load Kontakt but empty. But the MIDI files I have downloaded, whether they are the VSL ones, the Ashton Gleckman ones, or even the ones I find in those weird search engines, generally have the instrument as the track name. Hell, I’m working on “Mars the Bringer of War” from Holst’s The Planets now, which I got some some generic MIDI website for free, and it has lots of tracks, and it’s really well done. That’s not an easy piece to do.

So I take it that by now you’re all laughing and thinking “Yeah, in your dreams, pal!” And sure, this may just be a crazy dream of mine, but I bet if it doesn’t exist, at least it should be kind of possible.

[m.c]

The closest to that that I can think of, is to have an external app connected to a midi remote, getting the name of the tracks properly, replace all Halion Sonic instruments with Komplete Kontrol and then send back to Komplete Kontrol instances (NOT Kontakt) NKS presets that match the track names (limited to the first entry). This is doable, yet, too specialised for a dev to make it, unfortunately, at least so I suppose.

The second one, pretty similarly, is IF all these manufacturers properly update their vstPresets, to engage mediaBay instead of Komplete Kontrol. This would be a bit easier, but again, too specialised.

@Sebastian_Alvarez

all laughing

I actually find it a great idea for those who use MIDI files a lot and expect the best match in their VST libs for the tracks imported, so I just smile, no laugh here

[raino]

@Sebastian_Alvarez

f you have Iconica for example, it won’t assign the violins to it, it will assign them to the basic barebones version it has, which is rather terrible.

Most likely they are using General MIDI for the instrument assignments.

The problem doing what you want is that the VSTi, not Cubase, controls it’s own GUI & that’s what’s needed to change Presets.

I think you might have better luck if you started with a Template that contains all the VSTi’s you typically use and then work on moving the MIDI Parts onto the desired Tracks…