tripping the midi fandango

Introduction

Now that computers have significantly advanced in terms of performance the once dreamt of possibility of running softsynths alongside sequencers all on the same machine is now distinctly possible. Even on my crummy AMD 500 MHz machine I can run a sophisticated midi-sequencer (The KCS Omega) alongside several softsynths. This article describes how to use Hubi's midi loopback device in order to run a sequencer alongside a seperate softsynth within the same machine. If you don't yet have Hubi's midi loopback, you can find it here.

Installation

The most difficult thing about Hubi's midi loopback is installing it, not because it is intrinsically tricky, but because the accompanying documentation is somewhat cryptic, and because you need to install the application as if you were installing a new piece of hardware. So here's how you do it:

1. Go to "Start". Open the Control Panel. Double Click on the 'Add New Hardware' icon.

2. Windows offers to look for Plug and Play devices. you can't over-ride this, so just click 'Next'.

3. Windows then offers to look for new hardware. Choose 'No' and click on 'Next'.

4. A list of hardware types appears. Choose 'Sound, video and game controllers'. Click on 'Next'.

5. Although you don't have a disc, choose 'Have disc', in this dialogue. Now use the 'browse' function to find the path to Hubi's midi loopback on your hard disc. Once you've found it "oemsetup.inf" will automatically be recognised. Click on 'O.K.'

6. The next dialogue indicates the directory you have selected. Click 'O.K'.

7. A list of the hardware found should appear, showing only Hubi's Midi Loopback. Go to the next dialogue.

8. Another dialogue appears. Click 'Finish'.

9. Hubi's Loopback panel appears. Don't worry about this, you can go and adjust your settings later.

10. The final dialogue asks you if you if you want to re-start your computer. Click 'Yes'.

Using Hubi's midi Loopback

The purpose of installing Hubi's midi loopback is to add virtual midi ports to your computer. Once it is installed you will be able to route midi around in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most useful way of doing this is to route the midi out of a sequencer application to a seperate softsynth. I use Hubi's midi loopback to route midi out of the KCS Omega sequencer to the Orion virtual studio. As the KCS Omega was designed for the Atari I run this under the STEEM Atari emulator. This gives me the advantage of being able to use The KCS Omega's considerable sequencing capabilities (not least of which is algorithmic composition capablity) to drive Orion's creditable generators, thus affording me the best of both worlds, sequencing in a manner way beyond Orion's capabilities, whilst having acces to as many different virtual instruments within Orion as my computer can handle.

The way this is acheived is that the midi out out is routed to one of the loopback ports. Your sequencer of choice should have an option somewhere that enables you to do this. This is normally found lurking in the menu somewhere, under something called 'midi', 'configure', 'settings' or whatever. Having done this it is time to fire up the softsynth (or, indeed virtual studio). Providing the softsynth accepts midi, it is now a matter of setting the midi in so that it is on the same midi loopback port (i.e. LB1, LB2, LB3 or LB4) as the sequencer's 'out' setting.

With any luck, if you've done the above you should find that when you play a midi file on the sequencer it will now play back on the soft synth.

Troubleshooting

If you have done the above, and still aren't hearing any sound, there are a number of things to check:

Make sure that the sequencer is playing! Most sequencers and softsynths have a useful midi activity light that might be of help here.

Is the sequencer transmitting on the same channel as the softsynth is sent to receive on?

So all of the above is hunky-dory, and still no sound? It's time to return to the settings of the softsynth. This time select a different sound-driver for the output of the softsynth. (This sorted out the Omega/Orion arrangement described above. I presume that there was some sort of conflict, with both applications simultaneously trying to access the same driver.)

And Finally....

All of the above may sound tricky, but I can assure you that once you have the installation sorted, you should be able to get up and running in no time. I got the KCS Omega and Orion arrangement to work within 15 minutes, including the time taken to install Hubi's midi loopback, and figuring out adjusting Orion's sound-out options. Some softsynths, such as Reaktor and SynC Mod will appear as an option when you fire up your sequencer and look at the midi routing options. I'd like to see more of this level of user-friendly fuctionality, but in the meantime let's hear it for Hubi.

Article by Tim Wilson, 2001.http://www.stillspace.co.uk