# Help with VST MIDI Processor



## Hans Adamson (Oct 3, 2019)

Hey Guys,

I am trying to create a VST MIDI Processor. To troubleshoot, I have explored the world of existing VST plugin MIDI processors, and the ones I have tried seem to load only as VSTi plugins (ie not loadable on a MIDI track). I don't understand this. The plugin I want to create would sit on a MIDI track in the DAW to change the MIDI sequence in real-time. I also tried the old MIDI-ox, but couldn't make it work properly with my MIDI sound card. Any thoughts or suggestions for comparable MIDI VST plugins I could check out?

Thanks,
/Hans


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## EvilDragon (Oct 3, 2019)

Hans Adamson said:


> (ie not loadable on a MIDI track)



Very much depends on your DAW. i.e. in Reaper this is absolutely not a problem.


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## Hans Adamson (Oct 4, 2019)

I was mistaken. Because my DAW is set to open an audio track when creating a MIDI track, there was already a VSTi (Kontakt) loaded onto the audio track. Only one VSTi is allowed for such a configuration. That is why I couldn't load a VSTi to the MIDI track.

I am running into other possible problems and I am trying to figure out if VST3 allows MIDI processing and generating/adding MIDI CC to the MIDI stream in a plugin? No audio, just MIDI. 

There seem to have been issues with this in JUCE previously, and I am unsure if it has to do with the VST3 specification, since it evidently was possible in the VST2 plugins.

Any thoughts would be highly appreciated.

Thanks,
/Hans


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## KarlHeinz (Oct 5, 2019)

> Very much depends on your DAW


This of course, lot of different ways to handle midi VST. For example I prefer the "rack" ones I would call it where you dont have to route your signal at all, throw all on one track and it is all sorted by the daw no matter if it is a midi effect, Instrument or an audio effect. Examples: Mulab, Waveform. Then the ones where you have to route it on two tracks like Cubase and some kind of "mixed/other way" like Studio One and Mixcraft (which I now mostly use). And of course the ones that does NOT support midi vst at all like all the Magix stuff for example apart from Samplitude Pro I think.

Examples for Midi VST: lots of, exploding market in the last few years:
- Captain plugins ("chords, melody, bass, "play in right scale what you record")
- Reason 11 has a whole bunch of called "players" which does exactly this for different purposes but so far does not put out midi in the vst rack version
- uncountable M4L plugins for Live (I sadly dont own live, sigh....)
- I2C8 Chordprogressions
- a lot of different stuff plugin/standalone from feelyoursound
- melody sauce, riffer....

This is far from being complete, I think I maybe have forgotten half of the ones I already tested (by the way if you are needing someone for beta testing but it sounds like you are faaaar from that  ) and there might be some out there I dont know (but that wont be much cause I am really interested in that kind of stuff)


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## Hans Adamson (Oct 5, 2019)

KarlHeinz said:


> This of course, lot of different ways to handle midi VST. For example I prefer the "rack" ones I would call it where you dont have to route your signal at all, throw all on one track and it is all sorted by the daw no matter if it is a midi effect, Instrument or an audio effect. Examples: Mulab, Waveform. Then the ones where you have to route it on two tracks like Cubase and some kind of "mixed/other way" like Studio One and Mixcraft (which I now mostly use). And of course the ones that does NOT support midi vst at all like all the Magix stuff for example apart from Samplitude Pro I think.
> 
> Examples for Midi VST: lots of, exploding market in the last few years:
> - Captain plugins ("chords, melody, bass, "play in right scale what you record")
> ...


Thanks for all the info. I will look into everything you mentioned and get back with more questions.


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## Hans Adamson (Oct 5, 2019)

KarlHeinz said:


> This of course, lot of different ways to handle midi VST. For example I prefer the "rack" ones I would call it where you dont have to route your signal at all, throw all on one track and it is all sorted by the daw no matter if it is a midi effect, Instrument or an audio effect. Examples: Mulab, Waveform. Then the ones where you have to route it on two tracks like Cubase and some kind of "mixed/other way" like Studio One and Mixcraft (which I now mostly use). And of course the ones that does NOT support midi vst at all like all the Magix stuff for example apart from Samplitude Pro I think.
> 
> Examples for Midi VST: lots of, exploding market in the last few years:
> - Captain plugins ("chords, melody, bass, "play in right scale what you record")
> ...


Are any of the MIDI plugins you mention in VST3 format and capable of generating and transmitting MIDI CC?


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## EvilDragon (Oct 5, 2019)

Probably not. MIDI is a complicated topic in VST3 world.


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## KarlHeinz (Oct 5, 2019)

No, I dont think so, I had a quick look but all seem to be VST2 64 bit.

Reason Rack Version with the players in IS only VST 3 but cant output midi so far, so you can use them only inside the rack together with a reason synth and then put the processed midi out as audio threw the synth.

With the MIDI CC I have no quick answer cause I only use the generated notes from these midi processors/generators. I am afraid for this you will have to take a look into the documentations.

One I forgot about: Midi Madness (vst 2 too).

And of course there are midi processors inside different daw, for example in Waveform you can generate chordprogressions and add patterns on these chords.


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## rrichard63 (Oct 5, 2019)

One that generates MIDI CC is Blue Cat Audio's Remote Control. (It would be even more useful if it also generated program change messages.) It is not available in VST3 format, although that might because it is an older product that has not been updated recently.

The developer has a very good support forum over at KVR and is usually very quick and thorough about answering questions.


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## KarlHeinz (Oct 5, 2019)

Some more I forgot first is a very interesting and new one, you even get a free version where you can try out most of the functions, very nice develloper open for questions and suggestions:






Harvest – VST MIDI Generator







harvestplugin.com





Setup on different daw which might help to get this a little clearer for you:






Support – Harvest







harvestplugin.com





Next one is interesting too cause totally different (euclidean) approach and you can choose different midi channels, hatefish from Hornet:









HATEFISh RhyGenerator, euclidean rhythm generator plugin


RhyGenerator creates euclidean rhythm patterns in a matter of few seconds, up to 16 different sequencers are available that can work in 5 different modes



www.hornetplugins.com





None of them VST3 by the way


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