Changing sounds in a Multi issue?

[williemyers]

hello, all. here's the deal....
in this tune that I'll be performing live, I need to open with an E.Piano sound and a synth Strings sound, both playing in unison. I'm accomplishing this by loading both an E.Piano patch and a synth String patch in to an empty Multi, both assigned to Midi Ch. 1.
Later in the song, I need to change sounds to an Acous. Piano, a synth Bell and a synth Pad, again all playing in unison. I'm accomplishing this by loading all 3 of these patches in to the same Multi, but assigning them all to Midi Ch. 2. I save the multi.

My plan was that I would simply (a.) load this multi, (b.) begin the song with my controller outputting on Midi Ch.1, then - at the appropriate moment - (c.) have my controller change it's output from Midi Ch. 1 to Midi Ch. 2 to finish the song. Problem is, the midi controller I've been supplied for the gig cannot to a Midi Channel Change (!), without going through it's own editor software to accomplish it. The only things that the controller can do "live" - without using it's software - are send Midi CC#'s or Program Change #'s.

So my question for all of you would be, would there be any way from within Kontakt for me to be able to accomplish the setup & changes that I've outlined in the first para?

many thanks for your assistance

Click to read more...

 

[EvilDragon]

Use instrument banks for each MIDI channel you need - then you can use Program Change messages to switch between different sounds as you see fit.

 

[williemyers]

Use instrument banks for each MIDI channel you need - then you can use Program Change messages to switch between different sounds as you see fit.

thanks for that reply!
but a question...If I understand Kontakt Instrument Banks correctly, as manual says, "Only one of the Instruments in a Bank can be active at any time", so how would I get, say, the E.Piano and the synth Strings (in the same Bank) to play in unison (simultaneously)?

 

[EvilDragon]

You can have more than one instrument bank loaded, set each one to a different MIDI channel. Then all you need to do is match up the program change numbers - when you want to have two things going on at once, they should be in the same instrument bank slot in both instrument banks. When you want to play only one patch, then the same numbered slot in the other bank should be empty, etc.

 

[williemyers]

You can have more than one instrument bank loaded, set each one to a different MIDI channel. Then all you need to do is match up the program change numbers - when you want to have two things going on at once, they should be in the same instrument bank slot in both instrument banks. When you want to play only one patch, then the same numbered slot in the other bank should be empty, etc.

ah now, that's tricky! (and brilliant!) let me give that a try!

 

[williemyers]

works perfectly! can't thank you enough!
((btw, was there any mention in the manual that you could open multiple Banks in a single multi?))

 

[EvilDragon]

There was no specific mention that I recall, but instrument banks are pretty much like extended single instruments - if you can have multiple instruments loaded, why wouldn't you be able to have multiple banks loaded, too? They were incorporated into Kontakt as a leftover from NI Bandstand.

 

[williemyers]

There was no specific mention that I recall, but instrument banks are pretty much like extended single instruments - if you can have multiple instruments loaded, why wouldn't you be able to have multiple banks loaded, too?

I think it was a comment that I had read much earlier today, "and unless you anticipate loading multiple Instrument Banks in a single Kontakt instance, which I do not recommend",
https://ask.audio/articles/kontakts-instrument-banks-feature
that had put me off on considering that possibility. I should be more "advernturesome" when trying out K5's features! My bad.
Again, I can't thank you enough - you've saved the day! (again!)

 

[szcz]

I once wrote a multiscript to route midi channels (my midi keyboard is quite minimalistic, just keys and modwheel), the idea was to be able to select instruments in multi, using a midi key as a switch (or with cc controller). Maybe it can be useful to you.
http://waveforms.fairlyconfusing.net/2014/10/automatable-midi-channel-router-script.html