Importing "old" midi files...no audio

Cubase
#1

Hi there,

I have a little problem and I hope someone out there can give me a hand. Thanks in advance.

The problem:

a few years ago I used Cubase VST and many synths (hardware). Then I changed everything, still keeping my synths, but switching to Cubase 4, then 5, and now 6 and to many Virtual Instruments, orchestral libraries and so on…
In Cubase VST I had a few pieces I wanted to “transfer” into (and through) the new versions of Cubase. So I converted these tracks into midi files. Yesterday I tried to re-import one piece into C6 and everything was smooth and easy. It loaded perfectly. Keeping the old settings (old synths ready to play) and pressing start, everything - again - went all right. The sound was there etc…etc…

As soon as I changed, for example, Cellos Stacc with Kontakt 5 and loaded a virtual instrument’s patch and done the suitable changes with settings, the audio just left…Into Cubase in and out worked, but only “visually”, the same in Kontakt.
Everything was there (clips included!), but just visually…
I just checked all I could think of, audio card settings included, midi ins and outs, and so on…

I just hope I missed something, because it seems a sort of “ghostly issue”, unless…

Thanks for reading. Any suggestions more than welcome!

#2

It is unclear to me what you mean by “changed” and what you mean by “visually.”

Are you saying you just changed the midi routing from hardware to Kontact?

Are you saying “visually” you see the midi playing in the track by the inspector (the green activity)?

Is nothing playing or only a few of the tracks? (Did you click the little button in the VST Instruments window to the far right of the slot with Kontakt to set it up for multitimbral?)

Or are you using Kontakt in an instrument track instead of using MIDI tracks and the VST Instruments panel?

Have you made sure that you have set the MIDI channels in Kontakt to match the track MIDI channels in the Inspector?

Finally, are you sure there is no embedded channel or patch info in your MIDI files that is interfering with sending the MIDI to Kontakt?

So many questions and so little time!

Como

#3

Hi Como,

thanks a lot for your prompt reply!

“Changed” means that if in my original project Cellos Stacc were assigned and played by Roland XV-5080, in the “new” project I assigned Cellos Stacc to Kontakt 5 (and, let’s say, to LASS 2 patch).

“Visually” means that if I press a key (either clicking or physically pressing keys in one of my motherkeyboards) I’m able to see the levels (in C6 transport bar and K5 Vmeter level) going up. But in either situations no sound is produced.

Midi is active (and playing) without sound.

Nothing assigned to Virtual Instruments is playing, all the rest plays.

I’m using Kontakt into a midi track.

Midi channels match everywhere.

Concerning your last question I’m not sure about what you mean…

Thanks again!

#4

Could be the ranges of notes on the two plugs don’t match. If you notice on Kontakt’s GUI, only certain keys on the keyboard are highlighted for any given patch. Also, some plugs ref middle C differently which could cause a mapping issue.

#5

I meant that a midi file can contain channel information and/ or patch information that can later complicate it’s playing back on another setup if everything doesn’t match routing wise.

You can open the file in a list editor to see that info … typically at the beginning of file.

Since I don’t know how these files were created, it occurs to me that this could be a problem.

Probably a ‘stupid’ question, but have you successfully used Kontakt before? Multitimbrally?

Are you able to open a new midi track in your project and route it successfully to a Kontakt patch to produce audio?

What I’d do is a ‘save as’ and then wipe out all midi tracks in that project and see if I could get Kontakt working.

Oh, and do the instruments in Kontakt show they are receiving midi data in the Kontakt GUI (what I should probably have asked first!)

It seems to boil down to is Kontakt receiving MIDI and not producing audio, or is Kontakt not receiving MIDI.

If the former, then I’d try change to a differnt instrument in Kontakt; send the same track to a different VSTi to see if I’m getting audio; or, look to see if somewhere there is a CC7 volume or a CC11 expression message being sent that is taking all velocity out of the notes messages.

If the latter, then there’s something amiss with the Kontakt mixer routing or your Cubase mixer.

Doesn’t LASS also have key switches? Something there maybe.

Como