Multi-channel DAW setup
Some MIDI plug-ins like ChordPotion can send their output notes to different MIDI channels at once. You can use this feature to trigger several instruments simultaneously.
However, usually this requires a more or less advanced setup in your DAW. Below you can find some tips for different hosts.
Please note: If you don't find your DAW here, please make sure that you read the manual of your DAW or contact their support team. If you cannot find the setup information here, FeelYourSound cannot help in this case.
Can you help? If you know how to achieve a multi-channel routing in a DAW that is not listed, please contact me and tell me how it can be done. I will share this information on this page then.
- Setup guides
- Ableton Live
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Unfortunately, Ableton Live does not support multi-channel MIDI plug-ins. Live removes all the channel information from the output notes and replaces everything with MIDI channel 1. This makes it impossible to re-route or filter the notes afterwards.
However, you can use Blue Cat's PatchWork (commercial) or Kushview Element (open source) to make multi-channel MIDI possible with a third party solution.
- Bitwig
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- Add ChordPotion to a track.
- Create two other tracks and add a synth plug-in to each of them.
- Choose one of the two instrument tracks. Now put a "Note receiver" effect before the instrument and set the "Source" to ChordPotion. Add a "Channel filter" effect between the "Note receiver" and the instrument, and kick out all the channels that you don't need for this instrument.
- Repeat the same steps for the second instrument.
- Blue Cat's PatchWork
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PatchWork is a plug-in (VST, AU, AAX, RTAS) that can host other plug-ins. You can use it in any DAW to create a multi-channel MIDI setup:
- Add PatchWork to a track.
- Inside PatchWork, add the VST version of ChordPotion to a slot of the "Pre" section.
- Click on the ChordPotion slot, set "MIDI Output" to "Port A".
- In the "Parallel Chains" section, add a new synth to the first slot of a row.
- Click on the slot, set "MIDI Input" to "Port A -> Channel 1" (or any other channel that you want to use). Make sure that "MIDI Input -> Host" is set to "None".
- Now add a second synth to the "Parallel Chains" section and repeat the steps above (but use a different channel in the last step).
- Cubase
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Please note: There are different versions of Cubase. The following guide should work for Cubase Artist and Pro. Unfortunately, it does not work with Cubase Elements (however, you can use Blue Cat's PatchWork to make multi-channel MIDI possible with a third party solution inside Cubase Elements).
- Add ChordPotion to a track.
- Create two other tracks and add a synth plug-in to each of them.
- Quote from a thread at https://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=73053#p421195:
"At the top right of the inspector for each midi track you will find a button entitled "Input Transformer". If you click that and select 'local' you can then begin to set up the track to filter out the unwanted midi channels (pass through the correct midi channel).
The "input transformer" will now appear. At the top of this window you can select a preset - "channel filtering" -> "pass channel xxx". Select the channel you are interested in & all the other uninteresting channels will be ignored for that particular midi track.
After having done all this you must do one more thing. "Enable" the module - this looks like a tab (there's 4 of them) at top of the tranformer window." - Repeat this for all instrument channels.
- FL Studio
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FL Studio needs some extra steps and tools to work with multi-channel MIDI. If you find an easier solution, please let me know!
PS: It is also possible to use Blue Cat's PatchWork to make multi-channel MIDI possible with a third party solution.
- Download the free VST MIDI Polysher by eaReckon. Install it, then start FL Studio.
- Add ChordPotion to a track.
- Switch to the "VST wrapper settings" for ChordPotion and set the MIDI "Output port" to 1 (box "A" in the image below).
- Add "MIDI Polysher" to another track. Open the "VST wrapper settings" and set the MIDI "Input port" to 1. Set the "MIDI Output port" to 2.
- In the top bar of the "MIDI Polysher" interface you can see the channel numbers 1 to 16. You can click on the numbers to enable and disable the different channels. Make sure that only that MIDI channel is active, that you want to forward from ChordPotion to the synth (box "B" in the image below).
- Add a synth plug-in to a third track. Open the "VST wrapper settings" and set the MIDI "Input port" to 2.
Explanation: As you can see, this concept involves three basic steps: 1) Forward all ChordPotion notes to MIDI Polysher. 2) Let MIDI Polysher throw out all MIDI channels that you don't need. 3) Forward the remaining notes to the synth.
You can repeat these steps to add another synth to your setup. The second "MIDI Polysher" should also listen to "MIDI Input port" 1 then, but forward the notes on a different "MIDI Output port" (for example port 3).
- Kushview Element
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Element is a plug-in that can host other plug-ins. You can use it in any DAW to create a multi-channel MIDI setup:
Please note: Kushview Element is open source. However, to get the latest pre-built installers, you will need to become a patreon of the project or buy the Pro version. More info: https://kushview.net/element/download/form/.
You can download an old (but free) installer version here: old installer.
- Logic Pro X
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Unfortunately, Logic Pro X doesn't provide a way to route the MIDI channels to different instrument channels internally. But you can work with a virtual MIDI cable and re-route the notes this way. Here's how:
PS: It is also possible to use Blue Cat's PatchWork to make multi-channel MIDI possible with a third party solution.
- Create a new virtual MIDI cable called "ChordPotionCable". You can find a guide for this here: http://feelyoursound.com/setup-midi-os-x/.
- Add ChordPotion to the MIDI effect section of a track.
- Add an instrument of type "External Instrument" to the same track. Set the "MIDI Destination" to "ChordPotionCable" and the "MIDI Channel" to "All".
- Create two other tracks and add a synth plug-in to each of them.
- Click on the first instrument track and make sure that the information section is visible (click on the "i" icon at the top left of the Logic Pro X window).
- Click on the "Track" header. Take a look at the "MIDI Channel" field. Pick the MIDI channel that you want to route from ChordPotion to the instrument.
- Repeat the last two steps and route another MIDI channel to the second instrument.
- Now click on the recording markers ("R" icon) of the two different instrument channels. They need to be active so that the MIDI notes can go through.
- Reaper
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- Add ChordPotion to a track.
- Create two other tracks and add a synth plug-in to each of them.
- Click on the "Route" button of the ChordPotion track. A new window will pop up.
- There is a section called "- Sends -". Click on the box that displays "Add new send...". Choose one of the two instrument tracks.
- Reaper will create a new sub-section for you. Take a look at the "MIDI" field. Pick the MIDI channel that you want to route from ChordPotion to the instrument. Set the second box to "All". The area will look like "MIDI 2 -> All" then, for example.
- Repeat the last two steps and route another MIDI channel to the second instrument.
- Studio One
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- Add ChordPotion to a track.
- Create two other tracks and add a synth plug-in to each of them.
- Click on the Instrument Input list of the first instrument track and select ChordPotion (maybe you need to change the track height to make the instrument input box visible). Pick the MIDI channel that you want to route from ChordPotion to the instrument.
- Repeat the previous step for the second instrument.
- Turn on input monitoring on all tracks (click on the Monitor button).