Freeze VST's without midi data?

Is there a way to freeze VST’s and the associated midi tracks without having any midi data on the tracks?

I want my orchestral template setup with numerous VST’s ready to be unfrozen when needed, but don’t want any midi data on the tracks.

thanks

Eh!!!

Kind of defeats the point of frozen tracks does it not.

You could set up your vsti’s and midi tracks and switch off the vsti’s in the instrument rack!

You need to find the Freeze folder in windows and manually import the files back into the pool.

What Split said. But as long as there are parts on the tracks the freeze function will work, whether we understand why you’d want to do it or not.

Well, the point/purpose is to have several instances of VSTs set up (8 midi tracks per instance) as a template that I can later freeze or unfreeze as needed when I work on the different sections of the orchestra. Unless there are existing parts/events on the midi tracks, the freeze function will not work, not in the VST instrument bin either. So I suppose I will have to add a short midi part for each VST so I can perform the freeze function.

But surly when you freeze a track it renders the file and switches off the Vsti

So why cant you just make a template with all the (blank) midi tracks assigned to the vst rack loaded with your instruments with the instruments switched off?

What am I missing?

Are you using 1 VST for each section of the arrangement or is it 1 VST for several sections and/or solo instruments?

+1

Split. I see two options in the VST rack, one for freezing the track, which will unload the instruments from RAM. The second option is simply to turn it off, which does not unload instruments from RAM. The freeze function will not work unless there are midi parts recorded on at least one of the midi tracks assigned to the VST (at least on my system).

Cramar. Each VST instance handles a section of the orchestra. E.g. VST 1 handles the woodwinds, VST 2 brass, VST 3 percussion, etc, etc. I have about 10-12 VST’s in the rack, all with 8 midi channels each and 8 stereo outs each.

However, what I am realizing is that I will have to add a key switch note event for most midi tracks anyway to make sure the correct articulation for each instrument is selected as the default. Perhaps Expression Maps will eliminate this need though.

Thanks for everyone’s input. Let me know if you have further thoughts on this.

Hi

So you are freezing multi-timbral/multi-output VST instruments and you’d prefer to only freeze particular instruments in each “array”. If so then I’m on your side.

If not then, why must there be some data on the tracks in order to freeze a VST in the vst instrument window?

Cramar. I want to freeze an entire array with all the instruments. And I don’t know why cubase won’t allow you to do that without adding midi data to a track. You can try yourself. Load a vsti with several midi tracks and outs and load instruments for the midi tracks and then try to freeze the vsti. It won’t work–at least not on my system. But if you add just one midi note on any of the midi tracks, it will become enabled.

Hi yogee

That I believe is the point, that you cannot freeze particular outputs of a multi-instrument VST, since if you could then you’d not have to arbitrarily insert data, eg coarse volume change just to trigger freeze on a particular channel.

Basically, the whole concept of instrument freeze is flawed, not to mention limited in the way it handles audio post fact.

If I were steinberg I’d want to consider revamping this “feature” in totality or instead drop it altogether since it is really an extremely vexed issue in any event including MIDI and audio and is part and parcel of the companys’ desire to compete with other platforms albeit in a tacky and ill defined way.