I’m trying to write a Macro utilizing Track Visibility Configuration. What I’d like to do is have my one touch KC change the view of the selected tracks and solo them.
Say I’ve got 100 tracks with a Rhythym Section, Brass, Vocals, Strings, Percussion & FX. I would like to just see and hear the rhythm section. So I select my configuration for the Rhythm Section and all the other tracks leave the screen. I want the remaining visible tracks to be soloed, so that that’s all I’m hearing as well.
I wrote the command calling up the configuration, then the “all on selected tracks command,” then “solo.” When I executed the KC, I got the rhythym section only view but only the kick drum was soloed. What do I need to tell it to solo ALL of the selected tracks?
As Steve said, I suppose they all need to be selected.
One workaround here would be to create a VCA for the group of tracks, and then have a macro that solos the VCA (and the tracks follow suit), and then execute “Show channels that are connected to the first selected channel”.
Of course this requires the following two:
A) A fully functioning VCA with the ability to trigger solo/mute etc - and it’s now incomplete and broken.
B) The ability to trigger the same visibility agents in the Arrange Window - which for some reason is currently different.
Are “we” starting to see how these seemingly small things have big implications on workflow yet?
PS: HERE is my started thread on having visibility agents be the same for both mixers and arrange page. Feel free to give it a +1.
That seems like a pretty complicated workaround to me, considering the simplicity of the request. And it wouldn’t actually work due to the reason you stated. So as moderator, I call ‘off topic’
Back on topic- No, selecting the configuration doesn’t select them. Also, the tracks will look like they are selected if they are selected.
There are several ways to do it.
Have Track Selection follows Event Selection activated, and add a Select All command to your macro before the Solo command.
If you don’t want to keep that pref active, you can probably activate it and deactivate it in the macro.
Or you can create a PLE preset that selects all tracks and call that in your macro.
Ok, but that excludes any track that doesn’t contain content. So if one has an empty track one wants to use then it won’t be soloed until one places an event on it.
Seems like the easiest way to do what you want is to organize the things you want to hear as a unit into their own folders. Don’t forget about subfolders as well.
To make my life simple, I use unique and consistent names for such Folders and then use that name for the Macro function I want to perform.
You may not like the idea for various reasons, but given the current capabilities of Nuendo, it is pretty effective.
I use folders for Drums, Percussion, Guitars, Keys, Brass, Strings, etc. I used to just solo the folders. But I never thought of making a macro out of those. How would I write that?
I guess you’d have to select the folder track first, then the first item in your macro would be “solo” and then you’d move on to the correct visibility.
I just meant that for me “s” solos selected channel. So if I have a folder track selected and press “s” it’ll solo it and the channels within it. So I thought you could have your macro trigger “S” first, then visibility, but with the folder track selected. I realize now (after coffee) that you might not have the folder track visible to begin with… so… then it won’t solve anything.
I take it you don’t have a macro-capable keyboard, right?
I have an X-keys unit to store macros. I just need to know what to write. I wanted to store it on my MC Control on the Mixer Controls Page. Either way, I need a workable macro to load in.
I solo folders all the time. That’s what I set up for my visibility preset. So, Rhythym Section = Drum Folder + Keys Folder + Guitars Folder and maybe the Percussion Folder. When I had that view and tried “Select All,” it only selected ALL EVENTS IN THE PROJECT WINDOW, NOT THE CHANNELS.
I tried selecting the folders (actually hi-lighting all the tracks involved), assigning Q-Link and then soloing the tracks. It worked on the desk. But when I wrote the macro: Visibility Config + Q-Link + Solo, I got the same results, only the kick drum was soloed.
I’m thinking that the problem MAY be that the visibility feature doesn’t alter the actual configuration. For example, I keep my drum tracks far left and my percussion tracks far right. In between those tracks are the bass, guitars, keys, vocals, brass, strings, etc. So when I make a rhythym section VISIBLE configuration, those invisible tracks are still physically in between. So, the selection process is not accurate, in that I cannot link “A to D” without going through “B & C.”
That was one of the most appealing features of the Smart AV Tango. Since it overlayed it’s software on Nuendo, you COULD CREATE ALL KINDS OF EXTRAPOLATED ENVIRONMENTS directly from Nuendo components. I don’t think that I can mimick that feature on the MC Control because it’s actually intergrated with Nuendo. I can’t build a different mixer, I can only build different mixer views, which I use to great advantage all the time. But just getting the right views won’t help in this instance. Layouts are limited to the 4 fader confine of the MC and these set ups easily utilize 24 - 32 faders. So, I’m starting to think that you can’t write this macro.
Anybody else got any idea of how to work around this?
Ok, so since you’re using a programmable keyboard, could a solution be to trigger both more individual key strokes and macros from there instead of writing it all in a Nuendo macro?
For example; you set up your desired tracks and locate them all in one folder (workaround of course) and call that folder “bajs”, and then trigger on the X-keys
macro or key command to get the visibility configuration you want, which includes the folder
key command for “Find Track/Channel”
key strokes **[a] [j] [s] (assumes you have same name always)
key [enter], the folder should now be selected
key command for “solo”
?
Heads up that in my experience you may need an execution sequence that is a bit slower than usually, so that key presses aren’t sent before Nuendo has completed the prior task. Perhaps it’s possible to reverse steps 2 through 4/5 and 1 for example, or insert a trigger delay into the X-keys, if needed…
The problem with this idea stops right at getting all of the selected tracks into one folder. I’d have to physically re-locate each track into the new folder. The only way that would work, WHILE KEEPING THE ORIGINAL LAYOUT, would be to duplicate each track into the various layout folders, which would swell the project size to ridiculous proportions.
What MIGHT work is to write some kind of macro, telling each selected folder to temporarily re-locate into the larger “solo folder” and save that as a layout?
No macro required or anything! I just loaded the Drum Folder, Bass Folder, Keys Folder & Percussion Folder into a new folder and labeled it “Rhythym Section.” Then I soloed the Rhythym Section Folder. It did NOT change the original lineup of the tracks and it didn’t change any of the visibility configurations!
**So, now all I have to do is:
Pick the config that I want to see.
Solo that folder.
Done!**
When I’m finished, I just hit the “Show All” button and go back to work in normal mode. Unbelievable! After all of those trials and errors the solution was THIS SIMPLE!! I’m doing my “Happy Dance!”
Thanks to all of you who tried to help with this. Our “Brainstorming Session” directly developed this idea!
**
I’m doing my “Happy Dance!”