Simulating a volume booster for keyboard

VST Live
1

Hi.
I’m new using virtual instruments, and I’m also new using VST Live.
I have a digital piano and a midi controller working with VST Live 2. For the moment, I started to play virtual instruments in a live setting.
What I would like to do is to press a midi controller button and boost the volume a fixed amount, for example 4dB; pressing again would revert to the original volume. It would be similar to how a guitar booster pedal works. The idea would be to use it when I have to play a solo, or whenever I need to give that little extra boost.
I figured out how to make VST Live “learn” to link my controller’s dials to the layer and mixer volume sliders. But these are sliders, not buttons, and I cannot raise and lower the volume a predefined amount.
Any idea or suggestion is welcomed.
Thank you very much for your help.

2

Hi,
You can insert a compressor plugin in your Stack or in a Mixer group channel, and enable/disable it via an Action. With a threshold set at max and a gain makeup, you should be able to use this compressor as a gain boost. Maybe a VST Amp is a better choice than a compressor, and there are probably tons of plugins that can act as a volume booster.

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3

… or…

  • You could send your signal to virtual audio and then route that to 2 Song Groups which are set to different levels. Automate Mute as appropriate.
  • Or use 2 sends from a single channel and control them.
  • Or, if using Stacks, set up 2 stacks with the same input and control Mutes.

Plenty of ways to skin this cat, but @Jihem answer probably the easiest.

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4

Thank you very much @Jihem and @CliveJ, it worked!
In case someone would like to know in detail:

  1. First I edited the mixer group to add a Compressor insert exactly as @Jihem suggested.
  2. Then I went to the menu “Devices” > “Actions and Shortcuts”, to the “Channel” tab.
  3. I clicked on the plus sign to add a new row.
  4. I selected the row and clicked on the “Learn” button. Then I clicked the physical button on my MIDI controller so it gets linked.
  5. In the “Action” column I selected “EnableInsert1” (this is the only insert I have)
  6. In the “Channel” column I selected the number of the mixer group (I found it at the bottom right of the group itself).
  7. In the “UI” I selected " Toggle"
  8. Finally, in the “Data2 From” and “Data2 To” I selected “127” (to give it a “Toggle” behavior).

Many thanks!

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