Do others want MIDI control in the GR7 plug-in? (Currently not available.)

ssickels · 2024-02-15T16:29:31+00:00

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I'd love to be able to control parameters within GR7 via my MIDI expression pedal. But unfortunately, MIDI control is available only in the stand-alone app. I contacted NI support (opened a ticket) to ask if there's any planned timeframe to add it, and got this response:

MIDI control in Guitar Rig 7 plug-in is something that may be available in a future update but I do not know the timeframe for implementation. I will be sure to forward this to the development team so they know the demand!

Best regards, Jonathan

If others would like to have MIDI capability w/in the plug-in, please let NI know! If enough folks ask for it, perhaps it'll move up in the feature priority queue...

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nightjar

I predict since NI has invested in a new tech stack for on-device hardware control of NI apps, we might see a new Guitar Rig Kontrol hardware device later this year.

Would have on-device audio interface and DSP too of course.

Same on-device CPU, screen and 8 knobs like S-Mk3....

Plus more controllers (pedals) designed for guitar players

Maciej Repetowski

Yes, I would kindly want to have midi mapping with everything from NI, in a DAW.

Eddie_NI

Hi @ssickels

what exactly are you missing with regards to MIDI control in the plugin case? Guitar Rig 7 is capable of processing MIDI information when it is run as a plugin. But it very much depends on the DAW and plugin format that you are using. I personally control the Guitar Rig7 VST3 plugin in Reaper via MIDI with CC and Program Change messages just fine.

Cheers,

Eddie

ssickels

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/133587#Comment_133587

Hi @Eddie_NI

Thanks! I've been able to get my expression pedal to control a parameter in, e.g., Logic Pro's Retro Synth (using Logic Pro's "Learn Mode"). Works fine.

When I try the same process with the GR7 plug-in, it seems to work (in that it fills out the same fields in the "Learn Mode" dialog). In particular, I tried to get it to control the "Control 9" Macros parameter (so I could then hook it to whatever parameter I want within the signal chain components). But when I move the expression pedal, nothing happens. (Unlike with Retro Synth, where the selected parameter responds to the expression pedal.)

Here's a screenshot for controlling Retro Synth's Low-Pass "Cutoff" parameter (which works):

And here's one for GRP (which doesn't work: the Control 9 Macro parameter doesn't respond to my expression pedal):

And BTW, I've got my expression pedal plugged into my Morningstar MC6 Pro Port 1 (which you see in the Input fields in the screenshots above). Here's a screenshot of the configuration I'm using within MC6 Pro:

Any suggestions?

Also, I note that the GR7 Pro manual (https://www.native-instruments.com/fileadmin/ni_media/downloads/manuals/gr7/Guitar_Rig_7_Manual_English_07_09_23.pdf) seems to say that MIDI works only for the stand-alone app (which I was able to successfully connect to my expression pedal). From p. 79:

Eddie_NI

You are misunderstanding the manual there. Sorry, that it's not explained in a clearer way.

It's about the connection to your hardware MIDI inputs, which are only available in the standalone version of Guitar Rig. If Guitar Rig is used as a plugin all MIDI communication is does with the DAW. That's why you can still select the MIDI channel in the Guitar Rig preferences when it's a plugin.

The same goes for audio inputs/outputs. Guitar Rig as a plugin does not directly interface with your hardware audio inputs/outputs but only with your DAW.

Logic is a bit of a problematic case. In recent versions they decided to not allow the so called MFX (i.e. midi controlled fx) versions of effects plugin to be used anymore as insert effects. MFX are now only allowed as synths. So it depends on your Logic versions if you can insert Guitar Rig as FX or MFX.

ssickels

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/134199#Comment_134199

Thanks, @Eddie_NI! Sounds like I'm probably out of luck doing what I want with Logic. In my version of Logic, the "MIDI FX" box that sits above the input and "Audio FX" in the mixer panel doesn't have any sort of drop-down. (Whereas it does with synth plugins, like you said. So for synths I could use something like the "Modifier" MIDI FX, for example -- which I suppose would be a different way of achieving what I was able to do with Retro Synth and my expression pedal.) Annoying! But good to know where the issue lies.

ssickels

Yay! I figure it out, thanks to a super-helpful YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOArF7WWf_g) and to @Eddie_NI for helping me to understand what's going on. This approach is super-convoluted, BTW!!

Steps:

1) Add a guitar audio track (don't add GR7 to this track)

2) Set its output to a Bus (for me, I used Bus 1)

3) Create a new software instrument track, with input being the Quick Sampler.

4) In the Quick Sampler interface, set RECORDER to On, Monitor to On, and the input to whatever bus you picked. Then close the Quick Sampler, which you're done with. (Its only purpose is to get your guitar signal into a non-audio track.) Set its output to Stereo Out.

5) Add GR7 to this new Quick Sampler track and configure it however you want

6) I wanted to control GR7 parameters with my expression pedal. So I added the Modifier to the Quick Sampler's MIDI FX slot.

7) In the Modifier I set the "Input Event" to 11 Expression, and "Re-Assign To" to "Learn plug-in parameter." Then in GR7 I enabled the Macros and rotated the macro knob that I wanted to learn. And then dragged the knob's little drag icon to the parameter I wanted to control within the signal chain.

It worked!! Here's a screenshot of my channel strip. Audio 1 is my guitar input.

The Quick Sampler:

And the Modifier (with the scale set to 100%):

Other than being a complicated hassle to set up, the only other downside I see with this is needing to open up Quick Sampler whenever you reload your project, to set RECORDER and Monitor to "On."

Thanks again @Eddie_NI, your quick response to my post was a big help!

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