My problems with the plugs started here with the Standard MIDI File Issue ( MIDI FILE QUESTION - Nuendo - Steinberg Forums ). As I never received a reply to this oddity, I’ve been making do with the workaround of opening MIDI channels in Nuendo 4.3 and moving the imported MIDI file to the track with the instrument insert window.
So last night, I started a new project by importing a 16 track standard MIDI file, I opened 16 Nuendo MIDI channels (with the instrument insert windows) and moved the files to those channels and deleted the original import channels (which don’t have the insert windows). I had to rename all of the files because the imported names didn’t match the actual content (a hand claps track was labeled glockenspiel!). Now it SHOULD just be a simple matter of inserting the VSTi into the MIDI instrument/channel insert window (NOT the FX insert window).
But when I hit play, I GET NO SOUND! 
The MIDI activity meter is showing healthy signal.
The VSTi is showing that it is clearly receiving the MIDI signal.
If I play the VSTi with the cursor directly, I get a healthy sound!
But when the MIDI signal is playing the VSTi, I get nothing but lights. Wait, it get’s wierder.
Some instruments play just fine. I tried 3 bass VSTi plugs all in the same MIDI bass channel. 1 out of 3 played. the other 2 gave me MIDI activity lights only.
My B4 organ plug wouldn’t play at all at first. So, I deleted it and launched another instance of it. I got sound from the keyboard but not from the MIDI file. But a different instrument played from the same source plays just fine.
What the hell, has anybody else had this kind of trouble with such inconsistant performance with VSTi’s? I can’t figure out what’s left to check. Anyone got any ideas? 
I’m posting some screen shots to show you guys what my problem with the VSTi’s are. Now remember, I’m doing the exact same thing with several other instruments and they are playing just fine.
I have the exact same setup for the bass, strings, brass, flute and piano tracks and
they all sound fine. But the organ and drum VSTi’s will not play from the MIDI data. What am I missing here?
Okay, I’ve tracked down most of the problems.
1) Whatever bug N4 has on importing standard MIDI files scrambles all track labels and, in some cases, actually alters the pitches. My song is in the key of F, but my bass line came out in F#. 
So I transposed the line down to F. This made it sound better, but not correct. The bass line was now a little flat. When I checked the Key editor, it was showing the F’s as E’s! What the hell? I’m guessing that my work-around will have to be to just synch the 01-W to N4 and let the internal sequencer play the bass line in the correct key. I sure would like to know WHY the key changed. If anyone has had any experience like that, I’d like to know how they corrected it.
2) The problem with the drum tracks turned out to be that they never loaded in the first place. The drum tracks in the 01-W Pro were set to external to trigger my Yamaha drum module. So when Nuendo imported those tracks as standard MIDI, they imported empty shells that, at first glance, looked normal. But when I opened the tracks, I found only vleocity and fade information, no actual events! I reset the 01-W to internal and the next attempt to import the drums worked out just fine and my my drum patches play all of those parts just fine.
3) There had always been a problem with Halion in N4. Sometimes the Halion Shell would load but not the engine! So there would be no menu for the instruments OR the instrument menu would be “frozen.” So you couldn’t load any sounds. A re-boot of Nuendo would usually solve this, I think that there is now some version of that glitch on my B4, because it is now the only instrument that won’t play with the MIDI track. It will only sound with direct contact to the keys via the cursor. So, if anyone has an idea about why the organ will play “live” but on’t play via the MIDI triggers, I’d love to hear it!
