4.0

36
VST Instruments
• The MIDI volume and pan are not visible. Instead, the
VST Instrument volume and pan are displayed.
• The output device of an Instrument track always has to
be a VST Instrument.
VST Instrument channels activated from the VST
Instruments rack
• This method provides full control over multitimbral in-
struments.
You can have several MIDI tracks routed to the VST Instrument, each
playing a different part.
• Similarly, you can route channels/parts to any available
output provided by the VST Instrument.
Summing up
• If you wish to quickly browse for a particular sound, but don’t
know which VST Instrument to use, select an Instrument track.
• Do likewise if the above listed limitations do not matter.
• If you need to use multitimbral parts and/or multiple outputs,
select an Instrument channel.
Setting up VST Instrument channels
1. On the Devices menu, select VST Instruments.
The VST Instruments rack appears with 2 slots.
2. Pull down the pop-up menu for an empty slot in the
panel and select the desired instrument.
3. You will be asked if you want to automatically create
an associated MIDI track connected to the VST Instru-
ment. Do so.
The instrument is loaded and activated, and its control panel is automat-
ically opened. If you pull down the output pop-up menu for the MIDI track
in the Track list or in the Inspector you can find an additional item, with
the name of the activated VST Instrument. It has automatically been se-
lected as the output destination.
Ö In the Preferences dialog (VST–Plug-ins page) you
will find the “Create MIDI track when loading VSTi” pop-
up menu where you can specify what should happen
when you select a VST Instrument.
• If you look in the Project window track list, you will find
that a special “folder” for the selected instrument has
been added, within a “VST Instruments” folder (where all
your VST Instrument channels will appear).
The separate folder for the added VST Instrument contains two or more
automation tracks: one for automating the plug-in parameters and one
for each mixer channel used by the VST Instrument. For example, if you
add a VST Instrument with four separate outputs (four separate mixer
channels), the folder will contain five automation tracks. To keep the
screen less cluttered, you may want to close the folder for the VST In-
strument until you need to view or edit any of the automation tracks.
For more about automation, see the chapter “Automation” in the Opera-
tion Manual.
• A new tab also appears in the Inspector with the name
of the VST Instrument when the MIDI track connected to
the VST Instrument is selected in the Track list.
When opened, the VST Instrument’s audio channel settings (inserts,
EQs, Sends and fader settings) are shown. If closed, the tab has two
buttons for opening the Channel Settings window (for the VST Instru-
ment channel) and the Edit Instrument button which opens the control
panel for the VST Instrument.
4. Depending on the selected VST Instrument, you may
also need to select a MIDI channel for the track.
For example, a multitimbral VST Instrument can play back different
sounds on different MIDI channels – check the VST Instrument’s docu-
mentation for MIDI implementation details.
5. Make sure the option “MIDI Thru Active” is activated in
the Preferences dialog (MIDI page).
6. Click the Monitor button for the MIDI track (in the
Track list, Inspector or mixer).
When this is activated (or when the track is record enabled), incoming
MIDI is passed on to the selected MIDI output (in this case the VST In-
strument), see the chapter “Recording” in the Operation Manual.
7. Open the mixer.
You will find one or more additional channel strips for the VST Instru-
ment’s audio outputs. VST Instrument channel strips have the same fea-
tures and functionality as group channel strips, with the addition of an
Edit button at the bottom of the strip for opening the VST Instrument
control panel.