Cantabile 2.0 User Guide Copyright © 2006-2009 Topten Software. All Rights Reserved http://www.cantabilesoftware.
Table of Contents 1 Introducing Cantabile Editions Registration Installation Compatibility with Cantabile 1.
Automatically Loading Recordings Media File Groups Track List (MIDI Files) Visual Representation View Moving the Current Play Position Play Ranges and Selection 45 45 46 47 47 47 6 Timing and Synchronisation Synchronisation Modes Synchronisable Objects Transport Controls Metronome Media File Synchronisation MIDI Clock 49 49 49 50 50 51 52 7 Session Management Session Files Sub-Sessions Set Lists 55 55 56 60 8 Working with Audio Audio Channel Assignments Master Bus Configuration 63 63 64 9 Workin
Engine Start/Stop Alternate Configurations System Tray Icon Multiple Processor Support 12 Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Understanding Cantabile’s Load Meter Choosing an Appropriate Buffer Size Deferred Procedure Call (DPC) Spikes Technical Support 13 Options General Options Startup/Shutdown Options Audio Engine Options MIDI Devices Options Plugin Options Recordings List Options MIDI Recorder Options Audio Recorder Options Set Lists Options Metronome Options Keyboard Options External Tools Customize Resour
CHAPTER 1 1 Introducing Cantabile Welcome to Cantabile! Cantabile is a simple to use host for virtual music instruments and audio effects with an emphasis on real-time performance and use in live performance situations. Editions Cantabile comes in two editions: Cantabile Solo Intended for home hobbyists and casual users who need a more flexibility, including unlimited plugins and racks, preset morph and randomize tools, MIDI filters, MIDI controller assignments and set lists.
Registration If you have purchased a license for Cantabile, you would also have received an email containing your registration details and instructions on how to download the software. The first time you run the software you will be asked to enter these registration details. Wherever possible use copy/paste to enter these details. Installation To install Cantabile, simply run the downloaded setup program. You will be prompted for some basic details and the software will be automatically installed.
CHAPTER 2 2 Getting Started Introduction to Computer Based Music If you’re new to the world of computer based music this sections explains a few of the basic concepts you’ll need to understand to get the most of Cantabile. If you’re already familiar with computer music you can skip this section. MIDI vs Audio In computer music, there are two main ways of representing musical information: Audio Audio data is a digital representation of the actual sound waves that make up sound.
In general it is not possible to accurately convert from audio to MIDI (though there are some programs that can do this reasonably well). Plug-ins and Hosts Computer music software typically falls into one of two main categories – plugins and hosts. A host is the main program that a user uses to create their music and provides the framework for routing audio and MIDI between external devices and loadable modules called plugins.
Bringing it All Together So to bring all this together, Cantabile is a host application for VST plugins. It accepts incoming MIDI and audio data and can route it to one or more VST plugins. The audio and MIDI generated by these plugins can then be routed to speakers and other external MIDI devices.
The Quick Configure dialog Selecting an Audio Driver When selecting an audio driver, choose the ASIO driver that matches the sound card of your computer. If your sound card doesn’t have an ASIO driver you might consider using ASIO4ALL (a free ASIO driver that works with most computers available from http://www.asio4all.com). DirectSound driver support is included for compatibility; however ASIO is the preferred driver model.
If you don’t have any plug-ins installed, you may leave this field blank for now. For a comprehensive list of free and commercial plug-ins please visit http://www.kvraudio.com. More Options Cantabile has many more options and settings. Click the More Options button to adjust these settings.
Selecting a plugin with Cantabile’s plugin selector If you hear no sound, check the following: When playing an external keyboard, check that the same keys on the on-screen keyboard light up. If not, there is a problem with your MIDI configuration. If the on-screen keys light up, check whether the output level meter on the main screen is indicating any audio output. If it is then there is a problem with your audio configuration. Next you should check the settings of the plugin itself.
Enabling Audio Input Connect the rack's input to audio input by clicking the Input Connect button on the rack slot: Connecting a rack to audio input Be careful when using audio input not to create feedback loops where the incoming sound is processed, and sent to output where it's picked up again as audio input.
Master Levels group on the Home tab Recording Cantabile supports recording audio and MIDI files and both recorders can be controlled from the Record tab. To Record MIDI Input: Ensure MIDI input is working correctly. Switch to the Record tab (using the mouse or press Alt+R). Click the Auto Record button in MIDI Recorder group. Start playing the MIDI device you want to record from. Cantabile should automatically start recording when you start playing.
Pinned records will be kept while unpinned recording will be deleted when the session is closed. You can select whether to automatically pin all new recordings (optimistic recording), or only those you select (pessimistic recording) in Recordings List Options. You can also delete, rename or explore recording files by right-clicking the recording. Playing Media Files Cantabile supports the playback of audio and MIDI media files.
Cantabile also keeps a list of recently used session files in the list on the right side of the Application Menu. You can “pin” favourite entries here to prevent them from being pushed off the bottom of the list. Cantabile’s Main Window Cantabile’s Main Window The Application Menu The Application Menu is displayed by clicking the round button in the top left corner of the main window.
Besides clicking on the tabs, you can also switch between tabs using the mouse wheel while the cursor is over the ribbon. Quick Access Toolbar The Quick Access Toolbar is the small toolbar typically displayed just to the right of the Application Button in the title bar area. The Quick Access Toolbar contains commands that are often used and can it be customized to suit your working style.
Status Bar The status bar appears at the bottom of the main window and can be configured to show a wide range of indicators. To customize the status bar, right click on it and select the elements to be displayed. Most of the status bar indicators are self-explanatory except perhaps the following: The memory indicator shows memory usage, displayed in the format x/y (n) where x is physical memory used, y is virtual memory allocated and n is the number of page faults in the previous 1 second.
General Editing Tasks This section describes common editing features that can be used when working with Plugins, Racks, Media Files, Triggers and MIDI Routing Tables. Creating New Items To create a new item click the New Item button that appears near the bottom of each panel. Depending on the type of item it will be either created immediately or a popup will be displayed where additional options are available.
Note: clipboard commands are also available from the Home tab and by right clicking on items. Using Drag/Drop Items can be rearranged and duplicated using drag drop: To change the order of items: Click on the name of the item to be moved. Hold the mouse button on while dragging up or down to choose a new position for the item. By holding the Ctrl key while dragging you can create a copy of the item at the new location.
CHAPTER 3 3 Working with Plugins Understanding Racks and Plugins Cantabile supports loading multiple plugins through a simple rack approach (as opposed to a completely free-form wiring method). This approach provides a flexible yet easy to use mechanism for connecting plugins. A rack is simply an ordered list of plugins where each plugin is connected to the one after. The rack's input is connected to the input of the first plugin and the output of the last plugin becomes the rack's output.
Plugin Wiring Diagram Dry and Wet Mix Levels The dry mix level of a plugin determine how much of unprocessed incoming audio signal should be passed through to the next plugin. The wet mix level determines the amount of output signal from the plugin that should be passed through to the next plugin. The wet and dry mix levels can be used to determine the volume of an instrument or amount of effect to be applied in the overall output.
Partial Sends Cantabile Performer also supports partial sends. A partial send is typically used to send part of the output signal of a rack to an effects rack. Partial sends only applies to the audio signal (not MIDI) and peels off a percentage of the rack’s output, while leaving the direct signal unaltered. You may configure up to two partial sends for each rack. Each partial send can be routed to any other rack - so long as this wouldn’t cause a circular routing.
Rack Expand Button Clicking this button expands or collapses the rack's list of plugins. You can also use Ctrl+Left and Ctrl+Right to expand and collapse the rack. Rack Bypass Button When bypassed, all plugins in a rack are suspended from processing and all audio and MIDI input to the rack is passed directly to the rack's output. Rack Mute Button When muted, all plugins are suspended and any incoming audio or MIDI is discarded.
MIDI Pass-through Replace Plug-in Suspend Bypass In-place Edit Bypass Button When a plugin is bypassed, all incoming audio and MIDI data is passed through to the next plugin (or the rack’s output if the plugin is the last in the rack). The plugin is left running however, allowing still sounding notes and effects to sound out. This option is also useful for situations for slow starting plugins that need to be resumed quickly.
Tools Import Program or Bank Loads a bank (fxb) or preset (fxp) file into the plugin. Tools Export Bank Saves the plugin as a bank (fxb) file Tools Export Program Saves the current program as a preset (fxp) file Tools Audio Channels Assigns audio channels between the plugin and the session's master bus. See Audio Channel Assignments.
1. Right click on it again and select Reload, or 2. Click its bypass button. Unloaded plugins are an easy way to completely disable a plugin without actually deleting it. This feature works particularly well in conjunction with sub-session where some sub-sessions have the plugin loaded and some don’t. Unloaded plugins are also used when a session contains a plugin that fails to load. In this case, the state of the plugin is read from the session file and stored as the unloaded state.
The Plugin Selector Plugin Groups Download the left side of the plugin selector are a number of plugin groups. Selecting a group shows the plugins belonging to that group in the list on the right hand side. Favourites Group Shows all plugins that have been “pinned” as favourites. Each plugin in the list has a pin icon. By clicking the pin icon you can control which plugins appear in the favourites group. Recent Group Shows plugins that have been recently used.
In-place Plugin Editor The in-place plugin editor displays a plugin’s user-interface within Cantabile’s main window - as opposed to display it in a separate popup window. Only one plugin can be displayed in the in-place editor and it is only supported on plugins that provide a custom user-interface (nearly all plugins).
Most of the plugin editor's functionality can be accessed through its menu and toolbar commands. The toolbar also has a program selector (shown as 1 ) in the screen shot below that can be used to select different programs. The Plugin Editor (with Synthogy Ivory VST loaded) File Menu Open Program Displays a file selector window for loading a program file (.fxp) Save Program Saves the current program as a .fxp file. Save Program As Saves the current program using a new file name.
Rename Program Renames the currently selected program. Toggle Previous Program Switches between the two previously selected programs. Previous Program Selects the previous program. Next Program Selects the next program. Toggle A/B Swaps the current program for the plugin's "B" state. See A/B Preset Toggling. Copy A to B Copies the current program to the plugins "B" state. See A/B Preset Toggling. Program Organiser Displays the Program Organiser.
Copy A to B Copies the state of the currently selected program to the B slot, Toggle A/B Swaps the selected program with the saved B state. Since the B state is shared across all instances of the same plugin it can be used as a simple way to copy a program from one program to another, or even between two instances of the same plugin. The content of the B state is discarded when Cantabile is closed. Program Organiser The Program Organiser provides tools for managing program banks.
that have a limited number of program slots. When a program is loaded in this way it is loaded into and overwrites the currently selected program. Using the Program Organiser Using the program organiser is fairly straight forward. Here are a few tips though: Clipboard commands provide a familiar way to move programs either within the one bank, or between the two banks. Drag/drop can be also be used to re-order or move plugins.
The toolbar buttons above each list operate in a very similar way to the menu commands except they always work on the associated list. Rename Renames the currently selected program. Cut Copies the selected programs to the clipboard before deleting them from the list. Copy Copies the selected programs to the clipboard. Paste Insert Pastes the contents of the clipboard before the selected program. Paste Replace Pastes the contents of the clipboard over the selected programs.
Selecting parameters to be morphed/randomized This window also supports learning which parameters modify. Click either the Include or Exclude button and then move the control that should be included or excluded. Also note the indicator next to each parameters name lights up when that parameter is being moved in the plugin editor. This helps to locate which parameter corresponds to a particular control. These tools can be used either manually, or in animation mode.
Randomize Between Tools To use the Randomize between tool: Select the program you want to randomize. This will act as one end of the randomization limit. Display the Randomize Between tools. From the To Program drop down select a second program to define the other randomization limit. Click the Randomize button. All selected parameters will be randomized between the values of each defined limit.
CHAPTER 4 4 Recording Cantabile Performer and Solo Only Cantabile has the ability to record audio and MIDI files. Recording is controlled through the Record tab (Alt+R): The Record Ribbon Tab Or by the Record button drop down on the Home tab (Alt+H+R): The Record Button When using the record button, click the top half of the button starts or stops recording while clicking the bottom half displays the drop down menu.
Input vs Output The recorders can be used to record either input or output: MIDI Input All incoming MIDI events from external MIDI devices and the on-screen keyboard. MIDI Racks and Plugins Records the MIDI input arriving at any rack that has the Record MIDI Input option selected. Also records and plugin slots that have the record MIDI Output option selected. Audio Input All input audio received from the audio driver. Audio Output All audio output by the audio driver.
Record Status Indicators The left indicator shows the state of the audio recorder, while the right indicator shows the state of the MIDI recorder. (You can hover over the indicators for tool tips showing which is which). The meaning of indicators is as follows: Off (Grey) The recorder is off. Green Armed for auto record Red Recording Recordings List The recordings list appears as a dock panel on the left side of the main window and maintains a list of all recordings made.
Unpin All Unpins all recordings in the list. Toggle Pins Pins all unpinned recordings and unpins all pinned recordings. Explore Launches Windows Explorer with the recording selected. Open Loads the recorded file into Cantabile for playback. Loading Recordings for Playback You can easily load a recording for playback by right clicking the recording in the recording list and selected Open. Alternatively, to have the last recording always loaded see Automatically Loading Recordings.
Since the musical encoding modes require a playing transport they can also be thought of as synchronised recording and the following also applies: If the master transport is not playing when recording starts, it is automatically started. If the transport was automatically started when recording started, it will also be automatically stopped when recording stops. It the transport is stopped manually, recording is also stopped. Media files don’t stop playing at their end if recording is in progress.
CHAPTER 5 5 Playback Cantabile Performer and Solo Only Cantabile supports loading multiple MIDI and audio files. Each can be played individually or they can be synchronised to each other, the metronome or an external MIDI clock. Media files can be triggered using Cantabile’s user interface or triggered remotely using MIDI Controller Assignments.
Expand/Collapse Expands or collapses the Visual Representation part of the media player. Loaded Used to load/unload media files without actually deleting them from the session. Replace Media File Replaces this media file with another. Group Selector Sets the group number for this media file. See Media File Groups Name The filename of the media file. To discover the full path of the file, select Information... from the file’s Tools drop down.
Gain For audio files, applies an audio gain/attenuation to the output of the media player. For MIDI files, adjusts the velocity of all notes in the file. Automatically Loading Recordings To have new audio and/or MIDI recordings automatically loaded for playback, select Auto-load -> Audio Recordings or Auto-load -> MIDI recordings from the New Media File drop down. This will create a new media file player (initially empty) that will automatically load the latest audio or MIDI recording.
exclusive group, use sub-sessions to load a different one for each song and use the one MIDI controller button to play the group – resulting in just the loaded file in that group being played. To do this: 1. Load the media file for each song. 2. Set all the media files to belong to a single group (say group 1) by clicking the group selector drop-down and selecting the group number 3. Make the group exclusive by clicking the same drop down and ensuring the Exclusive option is checked. 4.
Visual Representation View The visual representation shows a microscore of the notes for a MIDI file, or audio waveform for audio files.
CHAPTER 6 6 Timing and Synchronisation Cantabile Performer and Solo Only Cantabile supports several timing and synchronisation modes as well as the ability to synchronise to an external MIDI clock and/or to send MIDI clock events.
Transport Controls Transport controls are the play, pause and stop buttons used to control the playback state of an object. The metronome and each media file have their own set of transport controls. Transport controls for a media file The master transport controls which control whichever object happens to be the master. Master Transport Controls All transport controls can be used either directly through Cantabile’s user interface, or through MIDI controller assignments.
Tempo and Synchronisation Options for the Metronome To make the metronome the master, select Master. When another item is the master, use the Synced and Unsynced options in this menu to control whether the metronome is synchronised or not. The ability to have the metronome unsynchronised is useful when switching often between listening to a media file and using the metronome to practice against.
Synchronisation Settings for a Media Player Synchronise Playback By This option controls how this file is synchronised against the master transport. There are options to synchronise at the next beat, the next bar, to continuously track the play position of the master and other less common options. Tempo/Override Tempo For MIDI files, overrides the file’s own tempo with a fixed tempo. For audio files, specifies the tempo of the file so other files can be synchronised to it.
When synchronised in this way, Cantabile’s master transport controls become disabled as transport will now be controlled by the device sending the MIDI clock events. Please note that the terms “master” and “slave” can be somewhat confusing in this context. Although the metronome is the master as far as plugins and media files are concerned (ie: internally to Cantabile) externally Cantabile is the slave to the MIDI clock source.
CHAPTER 7 7 Session Management Session Files In Cantabile, session files are used to store the configured state of Cantabile. Working with session files is very similar to working with documents in most other Windows applications. Cantabile session files have a “.cantabile” file extension. To open or save session files use Cantabile’s Application Menu, which is accessible by clicking the round Cantabile icon in the top left corner, or by pressing Alt+F.
The following commands are available for working with session files: New Creates a new session file. Open Opens an existing session file. Revert Discards all changes to the current session and reloads it. Save Saves the current session. Save As Saves the current session under a new file name. Save and Increment Increments a counter in the current session’s file name and saves the session.
Sub-sessions are named states within a session. Each sub-session stores various properties of each item in the session and can re-apply those settings when the sub-session is loaded. Typical uses for sub-sessions include: Enable/bypass/load/unload different sets of plugins, Loading different presets into a plugin, Enabling and disabling MIDI routing entries, or triggers, Different tempo and transport synchronisation options. A sub-session does not store a different set of items.
Select it from the list in the sub-session drop-down menu, Double click it in The Sub-Session Dock Panel, Use MIDI Controller Assignments. Use Set Lists. To update a previously saved sub-session: Load the sub-session to be updated Make the required changes Use the Save Sub-session command to update it. Sub-sessions can also be automatically updated by enabling the Auto Save Mode in the subsession drop down menu.
Increment/Decrement Program Number Provides a quick way to adjust the program number of a subsession by 1. Even quicker is to use the N and P keys. Sort by Name Sorts the sub-session list alphabetically by name. Sort by Program Sorts the sub-session list numerically by program number. The sub-session list doesn’t have a concept of sequence or performance order. To define the order in which sub-sessions should be loaded use Set Lists.
Selected Program Mix Levels Entire Bank Rack Bypass Setting Input Connect Setting Mix Levels MIDI Source and Channel Keyboard Range Transpose Partial Send 1 Amount Partial Send 2 Amount Metronome Time Signature Tempo Master Flag Media Players Master Flag Loaded Flag MIDI Routing Entry Enabled State Trigger Enabled State Set Lists A set list is a set of previously saved session files that provides a convenient way to group and order songs for a particular perfo
The Set List Editor Using the set list editor is similar to using Cantabile’s main window and has the same commands for opening, saving and creating new set lists. Each set list entry (ie: song) has the following settings: Last Loaded Song The last loaded song is indicated by a right pointing blue arrow. Clicking this button causes the entry to be loaded. Enabled Checkmark When checked the song is marked as enabled.
Set List Commands In the set list ribbon you’ll find these other useful commands for working with set lists: Programs – Reassign All Reassigns the program number of all songs, starting at 1 Programs – Reassign All (Skip disabled) Same as above except skips disabled songs Programs – Auto Reassign Mode When enabled, causes program numbers to be automatically re-assigned whenever the list is changed. Will skip disabled songs if that command was the last reassign command used.
CHAPTER 8 8 Working with Audio Audio Channel Assignments The audio channels dialog displays a list of channel assignments between the output pins of one object and the input pins of another. Each assignment is referred to as an audio channel. To assign audio channels for a plugin select Audio Channels from the plugin’s Tools drop down. To assign audio channels for an audio media file, select Audio Channels from the media file’s Tools drop down.
Show channel assignments for Display a list of all objects that support audio channel assignments. Select the object that you want to edit. Inputs/Outputs Select whether you want to edit the input assignments or output assignments of the object. For example an audio effect plugin supports audio channel assignments from the master bus to the plugin's inputs and from the plugins outputs back to the master bus. Source Pin Column Displays a list of all inputs or outputs of the object being edited.
Master Bus Configuration The master bus configuration saved with a session file. Editing the Master Bus Configuration To display Configure Master Bus dialog from the Setup toolbar, select Configure Master Bus. The following settings are available: Presets Displays a drop down list of predefined speaker arrangements. Channel List The channel list displays information about the currently configured audio channels. Display Name Column The display name for the channel.
Standard Speaker Arrangements Cantabile included pre-defined presets for severl standard speaker arrangements. To use a standard speaker arrangement: 1. Click the Presets drop down at the top right of the channel list. 2. Select the speaker arrangement you want to use. Custom Speaker Arrangements In addition to standard speaker arrangements, you can define your own speaker arrangements: 1.
CHAPTER 9 9 Working with MIDI Keyboard Splits and Transposition Cantabile Performer and Solo Only This section describes several ways of creating keyboard splits and transposing notes. A keyboard split is where one section of the keyboard plays one instrument, while another section plays a different instrument. In Cantabile there are various ways of doing this. Rack Split and Transpose The Rack Split and Transpose settings are the quickest and easiest ways of creating keyboard splits.
Rack Split/Transpose Dropdown The following commands are available from the Split/Transpose dropdown: Upper Split Creates a keyboard split so that this rack only accepts notes from the upper part of the keyboard. After selecting this command you will be prompted to play the first (lowest) note of the keyboard range. Lower Split Creates a keyboard split so that this rack only accepts notes from the lower part of the keyboard.
2. Give each rack a different MIDI channel number. Eg: Rack 1 = Channel 1, Rack 2 = Channel 2 3. Open MIDI Filters 4. In the combo box at the top of the window, choose the point in the MIDI processing path where you’d like the split to be made. Typically you would choose Session Input to have the split apply to just the current session. 5. Click the Add drop down button and select the Keyboard Split MIDI filter item. 6. For the Split Point setting, enter the first note of the upper range. 7.
MIDI Filters MIDI filters are simple translations that can be applied to incoming or outgoing MIDI events. MIDI Filters MIDI filters can be applied at various points in Cantabile’s MIDI processing: MIDI input ports MIDI output ports Global Input Session Input Input to a rack Input to a plugin On a MIDI routing entry Filters for MIDI input and output ports and the Global Input filters are saved in the registry and therefore apply to all sessions.
Cantabile processes MIDI filters items in the order they are displayed in the MIDI filter editor. Filter items are available to perform the following translations: Channel Map Assigns all MIDI events from one or more MIDI channels to one or more other channels. Channel Select Selects MIDI events from one or more channels and suppresses all other events. Controller Map Assigns all MIDI events for one MIDI controller to another.
The bottom half of the dialog shows the settings for the currently selected filter item. When you've finished editing the filter, press Close to dismiss the dialog. Other tips for editing filters: You can use the clipboard functions (cut/copy/paste) to move or duplicate items. The up/down arrows on the tool bar can be used to quickly re-order items. You can select multiple items at once for clipboard, delete and re-order operations.
Apply to Channels The MIDI channels this filter should be applied to. Source Controller The controller to be reassigned. Target Controller The new controller. Controller Latch Transforms an incoming MIDI controller button or pedal press to a sequencer of controller values. Apply to Channels The MIDI channels this filter should be applied to. Source Controller The controller number of the source button/pedal. Target Controller The controller number of events generated by this filter.
Notes outside the specified key range are not transposed, nor is their channel changed. The ability to change channel is useful for creating keyboard splits, although this is now better covered by the new Keyboard Split filter item. Velocity Curve The Velocity Curve filter item manipulates the velocity values of note on, off and aftertouch events. It supports the following settings: Apply to Channels The MIDI channels this filter should be applied to.
Keyboard Range The keyboard range filter is similar to the keyboard split filter except instead of creating a single split above/below one point on the keyboard it allows an arbitrary range on the keyboard to be selected. The keyboard range filter can be used to either remap a range of the keyboard to a new MIDI channel, or to simply suppress notes outside the specified range. Apply to Channels The MIDI channels this filter should be applied to. Key Range Specifies the first and last note in the range.
Lower Channel The new channel for notes below the split point. Upper Channel The new channel for notes above the split point. Lower Transpose The interval to transpose notes in the lower range by. Upper Transpose The interval to transpose notes in the upper range by. Pitch Based Velocity Ramp The Pitch Based Velocity Ramp adjusts the velocity of notes according to their pitch. This filter is useful for adjusting instruments that get too loud or too quite at different parts of the keyboard.
Channel The channel to send controller events on (or Same to use the same channel as the source note events). Min Value (when emulating a variable controller) The minimum value of the emulated controller - mapped to the lowest note in the key range Max Value (when emulating a variable controller) The maximum value of the emulated controller - mapped to the highest note in the key range. Released (when emulating button controllers) The value of the controller when the note is released typically 0.
Bank B Controllers The range of button controllers for bank B Bank B Base Base value for bank B Bank B Multiplier Multiplier for bank B Send Event The event to send. Choose from Bank Select + Program Change, Program Change Bank Select Controller Registered Parameter (Coarse) Registered Parameter (Fine) Non-registered Parameter (Coarse) Non-registered Parameter (Find) Controller Specifies the controller or RPN/NRPN parameter number to send.
MIDI Controller Assignments Session vs Global Assignments Controller assignments fall into one of two categories: Global assignments are saved globally and apply to all sessions. Session assignments are saved in a session file and apply only to that session. Some assignable items only make sense as session assignments (eg: assignments to a plugin), where as other assignments can be created either globally or at the session level (eg: master gain level).
Rack and Plugin Controls When assigning to a rack or plugin control a combo box will appear letting you select which rack or plugin to control - either a specific one or the active one. Editing Controller Assignments Creating an Assignment To assign an external MIDI controller: 1. Select the item to be controlled from the Assign To drop down. Alternatively if learn mode is enabled, move the Cantabile or plugin control to be assigned to select it.
MIDI Routine Table Panel MIDI routings are edited using the MIDI routing table panel which is one of the expandable panels on Cantabile’s main window. To use this panel, make sure it is visible and expanded (see Main Panels) MIDI Routing Table Each entry in the MIDI routing table has the following settings: Enabled Checkmark Controls whether this routing is enabled or not. Name A descriptive name for the routing. This setting is optional but should be used to describe what the routing does.
Range Split Creates a keyboard split covering an arbitrary range of the keyboard. After selecting this command you will be prompted to play the note at each end of the desired range. Clear Split Clears an existing keyboard split, resetting to accept the entire keyboard. Learn Transpose Sets the transpose setting by learning from played notes. After selecting this command you will be prompted to play two notes and the interval will be calculated and set.
Enabling sub-session support for a MIDI routing entry. Triggers Cantabile Performer Only Triggers are a mechanism that can be used to perform actions in response to certain events. Primarily they’re intended to be used as a way of sending MIDI configuration events to external devices when a session or sub-session is loaded, but they can also be used for other purposes. Triggers Panel Triggers are edited using the Triggers panel which is one of the expandable panels on Cantabile’s main window.
Target Device/Channel For actions that generate MIDI events, these settings control the destination for those events. Event Types Triggers can be configured to execute on the following events: Session Load Executes whenever this session is loaded Session Unload Executes whenever this session is unloaded Sub-session Load Executes when a sub-session with this trigger enabled is loaded. Also executes when the containing session is loaded.
To prevent an entry from being affected by sub-sessions, right click on the entry’s name and use the Sub-session Behaviour sub-menu to disable it. Enabling sub-session support for a trigger. MIDI Loop-back MIDI loop-back provides the ability to treat the output of a trigger, MIDI routing entry, media file or rack as MIDI input. This is most often used to route the output of a MIDI plugin to a MIDI controller assignment, or the output of a media player through the MIDI routing table.
Please note that when using MIDI loop-back, care must be taken to avoid infinite feedback loops - where the output of an item fed through a loopback device arrives back to the same original item causing additional MIDI events to be generated. To help prevent this, loop-back devices automatically suppress events if they detect such a situation – however there are cases where this cannot be determined.
CHAPTER 10 10 Onscreen Keyboard While not particularly useful for playing music, the on-screen keyboard is convenient for testing the sound of the loaded plugins. The on-screen keyboard is one of the expandable panels on Cantabile’s main window. To use this panel, make sure it is visible and expanded (see Main Panels). Onscreen Keyboard Panel Playing the Keyboard with the Mouse When played with the mouse, the keyboard is velocity sensitive.
X-Y Controller The X-Y controller is a simple 2 dimensional on-screen device that can act as two MIDI controllers. By default the X-Y controller is configured to act as a pitch bend and modulation wheel though this can be edited. Tips for using the X-Y controller: Clicking anywhere within the main area of the X-Y controller moves both controllers by tracking the horizontal and vertical movement of the mouse.
Other Keys The keyboard also responds to the following computer keyboard keys: Function keys Change the selected octave. Shift Activates the sustain (damper) pedal controller. Control When held while playing a note, holds the note, or if the note is already held, releases it. A Releases all held notes. Channel Selector Above the on-screen keyboard are two drop down menus, the first of which is the channel selector.
Session Controllers Saved with the session file. Each set of controllers consists of four push buttons and four sliders. To show the custom controllers, click the appropriate checkbox on the keyboard's toolbar. When checked, an extra toolbar will appear showing the additional controllers. To configure a controller, right click on it and select Customize. A dialog will appear where the MIDI Controller number and various other settings can be specified.
CHAPTER 11 11 Other Features Large Status Display Cantabile Performer Only In a live performance situation it can be desirable to display certain information in a large, clearly readable format. To support this Cantabile has a Large Status Panel. Show the Large Status Panel by selecting it from the Show/Hide Panels drop-down. Cantabile’s Large Status Display To configure the display: Right click on the display to select the pieces of information that are displayed.
When using plugins that can work in higher quality but more CPU intensive modes, those modes can be used to renderer high quality sounds without the problem of audio drop outs. Note that the offline renderer is not compatible with most hardware based plugins and other plugins that don’t handle faster than real-time processing. Using the Offline Renderer To use the offline renderer: 1. Load the MIDI or Audio media file that you want to render. 2.
Post Process Command A command to be executed once the render process has completed. (Typically used to compress the rendered wave file to mp3 or similar format.) Delete Rendered File When selected, the rendered output file will be deleted once the post process command completes. (Use this if the post process command produces a final output file and the intermediate wave file is no longer needed).
Home Tab Tools configured with this option appear in the Tools drop down on the main window Home tab. MIDI Files Specifies a command that applies to MIDI files. Tools configured in this way appear in the right click context menu of MIDI media files and MIDI files in the recordings list. Audio Files Specifies a command that applies to audio files. Tools configured in this way appear in the right click context menu of MIDI media files and MIDI files in the recordings list.
cantabile20.exe /config:"Test Environment" If no configuration is specified, the default unnamed configuration is used. When Cantabile is installed, it automatically creates two short cuts to launch Cantabile - one for the default configuration and one for an alternate configuration. Although using multiple configurations allows multiple instances of Cantabile to be run simultaneously, for this to work successfully you would normally need to configure each to use different audio drivers and MIDI devices.
Multiple Processor Support On multi-core and multi-processor machines Cantabile supports processing racks in parallel making best use of the extra processing power of these machines. Cantabile's multi-processor support works by processing each rack in parallel when possible. Since not all plugins are completely compatible with this feature, Cantabile can be configured to run in one of three modes (see Audio Engine Options). Disabled Turns off all support for multi-core processors for best compatibility.
CHAPTER 12 12 Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Understanding Cantabile’s Load Meter The load meter in Cantabile is often misunderstood. This section attempts to explain its meaning. The most important thing to remember about the load meter is that it is not a measure of CPU load – although occasional they can be related. Rather, the load meter displays the amount of time taken to process each audio cycle as a ratio of the total available time.
Audio latency is the amount of time between a note being played (or audio input arriving) and sound being produced. There are many factors that can affect latency including hardware latency (delays introduced by midi hardware or the sound card itself) and software latency due to the way digital audio is processed. Audio dropouts are clicks, pops and other undesirable artefacts due to the software not being able to supply audio data quickly enough for the sound card.
CHAPTER 13 13 Options This section explains all of Cantabile’s options. The options window can be opened by clicking the button labelled Cantabile Options at the bottom of the application menu. Alternatively, press Alt+FI General Options The general options page contains options affecting general usage of Cantabile: Color Theme Select a color theme for Cantabile’s main window. Show Tray Icon Displays an icon in the Windows system tray that can be used to control a limited set of actions.
Display Progress while loading session files Darkens the main area of Cantabile’s main window and displays a message indicating the progress of loading session files. Turn this option of if you use fast loading sessions to avoid the flickering to black between each session. Prompt for filename on first incremental program save When enabled, a file save dialog will be displayed the first time the incremental save command is used on a plugin.
AutoRun when Windows Starts When selected, causes Cantabile to be automatically started when Windows starts and is logged on. AutoRun Minimized Causes Cantabile to be shown minimized when the AutoRun option is selected. Reload Last Set List * Reloads the last loaded set list when Cantabile loads. And Load First Entry * Loads the first entry in the set list when Cantabile loads. Prompt before Exiting When selected causes Cantabile to prompt for confirmation before exiting.
Constant Latency Realtime MIDI When selected Cantabile introduces small delays to real-time MIDI events to ensure a constant latency between the each event being received and the sound for that being generated by a plugin. When cleared, MIDI events are forwarded as quickly as possible giving an overall lower latency at the expense of timing accuracy. See Constant Latency MIDI for more information. Enable Output Limiter Select this option to enable Cantabile's output limiter.
Plugin Options The Plugin Options page contains settings relating VST plugins: VST Plugin Folders Enter the path of one or more folders containing VST plugin modules. Separate multiple paths with a semicolon ( ; ) character. The plugins found in these folders will be displayed in the Plugin Selector. Cantabile also uses the plugins in these folders when locating the plugin associated with a particular preset or bank (fxp/fxb) file.
Single Column Program Selector Switches the program selector in the main window plugin slots between single column and multiple column modes. Use Wet/Dry Controls When selected the mixer control in each plugin slot act as separate wet and dry gain sliders. When cleared, the first slider controls the wet/dry balance and the second controls the overall gain of the plugin slot.
MIDI Recorder Options The MIDI recorder options page contains settings that affect the MIDI recorder. Save Recordings To Specifies the folder where MIDI recordings will be saved. Browse Button Displays a browse for folder dialog that can be used to set the Save Recordings To folder. Filename Format Specifies the filename format for recording files. The filename format can contain placeholder variables to allow recorded files to be date and time stamped, or incremented by a counter.
Filename Format Specifies the filename format for recording files. The filename format can contain placeholder variables to allow recorded files to be date and time stamped, or incremented by a counter. Click the right pointing arrow to display a menu of available variables. Note that if you use backslash characters in the filename format, Cantabile will automatically create sub-folders and group your recordings accordingly.
Wrap from First to Last When selected, attempting to move to the previous session at the start of the list causes the last entry to be loaded. Use Delayed Session Loading When selected, delays the loading of sessions with the next, previous or first commands. This option only affects the commands within Cantabile itself. For MIDI assignments, there are separate assignments for delayed vs instant loads. See Delayed Session Loading.
X-Y Controller Placement Select whether the on-screen X-Y controller should be displayed to the left or right of the on-screen keyboard, or hidden. Let F12 Capture Keyboard from Other Applications When selected, pressing F12 will capture the PC keyboard to the on-screen keyboard even when Cantabile is not the active application. Only works when Capture Mode is set to system wide.
Menus – Audio Files Specifies that this tool be included in the right-click context menu for audio media files and recordings. Prompt for Confirmation before Executing Displays a confirmation dialog before executing the command. Useful for destructive commands or to view the resolved variables in a command line for diagnostic purposes. Automatically Run on Startup Provides a convenient way to launch other applications when Cantabile starts.
