AA 2.0, VST, & MIDI

I need a virtual drummer.  Will Audition 2.0 import/play a Groove Agent MIDI as part of a multi-track session?

I need a virtual drummer.  Will Audition 2.0 import/play a Groove Agent MIDI as part of a multi-track session?

Audition does not support midi, so the best you can do is render the midi to wav (using something like synthfont), or play the file through groove agent and record it in realtime in Audition.

If you have Cubase or Sonar I beleive you can render from Groove Agent direct to wav and then open the wav in Audition

Audition does not support midi ...

Mark, are you aware that you can import a Midi file into a track in Multi-Track View and do some basic editing to that Midi file (although I believe you cannot save the edited Midi file as a Midi file from AA)?

Randy, as stated, you can import a Midi file into MT view in AA and send that Midi data out to whatever Midi program, sound module, software drum program that you desire.  The Midi file in MT view will play along with any wav files you may have loaded.  But while AA plays the audio contained in your loaded wav files, the drum audio will come from whatever target you have assigned your Midi Out to in the AA setup menu.  For all of this to work properly, you may need to use virtual Midi cables and virtual Audio cables, depending on the functions that your Audio Card does or does not support.

What I am not sure of is whether AA will import a Midi file as part of a multi-track session.  One could presumeably test this by importing a Midi file into Track 1, and one or more wav files into Tracks 2 - n.  Then save the lot as a session, close everything down, reload that session and see if the Midi file shows up in Track 1.

We can provide more detail about this process when/if you indicate that you want to pursue this discussion.

Audition does not support midi ...

Mark, are you aware that you can import a Midi file into a track in Multi-Track View and do some basic editing to that Midi file (although I believe you cannot save the edited Midi file as a Midi file from AA)?

Yes, but as Randy stipulated "import/play" - I don't think the minimal editing you can do in AA can be called support! Especially as you then can't save the file! What actually is the point of doing this at all? When you come down to it it seems pretty silly to want to load midi into an MT session and then play it out through a synth while the wav files play in AA - what does that get you?. Surely it makes far more sense to render the midi to wav then import it to AA as normal?

Yes, my goal was to import a drum midi file into a multi-track session and mix it all down.  Does anyone know if Groove Agent can export a wav file?  I guess that would be the easiest way to solve the problem.

What actually is the point of doing this at all? When you come down to it it seems pretty silly to want to load midi into an MT session and then play it out through a synth while the wav files play in AA - what does that get you?.

If your Midi file is exactly how you want it, and matches the length and tempo of the wav files exactly, then yes, simply render it straight to a wav file and then import it into AA.  But, by importing the Midi file and synching to the wav files in AA, you can see whether you maybe want to make some changes to the "playing" delivered by your Midi file.  If the changes are simple enough, you may be able to make them right there in AA.  Otherwise, it's back to the sequencer for the changes, then re-import into AA and test drive again.  Of course, the better thing would be to have the ability to synch the sequencer with AA so that the sequencer rather than AA plays the Midi file in synch with the wav files playing in AA.  But, as other posts have pointed out, at least in AA 2.0 this doesn't work well if at all.

Randy, if Groove Agent doesn't export wav files on it's own, you can probably link the audio output from Groove Agent to the audio input of AA by using Virtual Audio Cables (VAC):

http://spider.nrcde.ru/music/software/eng/vac.html
http://spider.nrcde.ru/music/software/eng/

They used to give one free set of cables in the demo - that is, you could transmit and record for free one stereo pair of audio signals.  I don't know if the more recent demo still allows you to do that or if there is some restriction.

If you don't want to bother with VAC, you can use SynthEdit (free).  Groove Agent is a VSTi I think, so you can load it into SynthEdit, pull SynthEdit's virtual audio cables to SynthEdit's direct-to-disk recorder, and record away.  If you want to do this and need some help, let us know.  Several of us have a good bit of experience with SynthEdit.

What actually is the point of doing this at all? When you come down to it it seems pretty silly to want to load midi into an MT session and then play it out through a synth while the wav files play in AA - what does that get you?.

If your Midi file is exactly how you want it, and matches the length and tempo of the wav files exactly, then yes, simply render it straight to a wav file and then import it into AA.  But, by importing the Midi file and synching to the wav files in AA, you can see whether you maybe want to make some changes to the "playing" delivered by your Midi file.  If the changes are simple enough, you may be able to make them right there in AA.  Otherwise, it's back to the sequencer for the changes, then re-import into AA and test drive again.  Of course, the better thing would be to have the ability to synch the sequencer with AA so that the sequencer rather than AA plays the Midi file in synch with the wav files playing in AA.  But, as other posts have pointed out, at least in AA 2.0 this doesn't work well if at all.

OK, I guess that makes some sense - I have never worked that way so I didn't see it.

Yes, my goal was to import a drum midi file into a multi-track session and mix it all down.  Does anyone know if Groove Agent can export a wav file?  I guess that would be the easiest way to solve the problem.

I think the way people achieve what you what to do is record and export a wave in something like Fruity Loops and then import the waves into AA. That's how I do it anyway.