Issue with automations

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Hi I have been using Lmms for two weeks or less, and i am happy a program like this exist. I am not ready to invest any money on music creation software since i never was a musician or concerned with music theories and notions of any kind. I simply create some songs whenever i feel like i want to. recently i was trying to add automations to my track, and even if the automations were recorded they don't make sound the thing any different, and it feel so static. can you help me? i will explain my problem better down here.

1. I created two mixer channels, one for a drumkit soundfont, one for a bass soundfont.
2. two tracks were created, both use sf2 player
3. I added a vst effect on the master channel of the mixer, called Istalooper
4. i linked two switches and one knob from the vst effect to my external midi device, that is a UMX-25 by behringer.
5. I created three automation tracks, one for each control i previously linked to my device
6. once activated the recording, saw automations were getting signals
7. when ended the recording, tried to play the track but even if automations were there, they weren't sounding as i heard when recording them, in fact they didn't sound at all.

I send you thanks in advance for any answer you'll give me.
ps. I am from Italy, i am also afraid i can't speak well english, i hope what i wrote is understandable.
HEX3N wrote:
Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:30 pm
Hi I have been using Lmms for two weeks or less
Hi, Welcome to the forum HEX3N! Here are all our important links:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4740
-And a few rules for Avatars, signatures, posting and using the right sub-forum :)

In case you like to introduce yourself to the rest of the community, this is the right place
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4480

So now your problem.
Actually i think you and this guy
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=25977
should talk.
This thing with connecting external hw devices it is not my 'area' -I dont own any :p
I can point you to an article in our wiki, where getting a pitch-wheel connected to lmms is explained:
https://lmms.io/wiki/index.php?title=Us ... oard-wheel
This is as close as i can get to the issue.
I hope a midi/hw owner chimes in, but it is vacation time, soo...
Will call in our hub too.

You write one thing that i maybe has an input on as well.
when 'recording' notes, it is important to use the highest Q, because if a Q of 1/16 (default) is used, then the notes you play, will not be inserted in the places you expect. They will be moved to fit the 1/16 Q setting! -And that will sound 'wrong', so use a Q of 1/192, when you record midi-events.
7. when ended the recording, tried to play the track but even if automations were there, they weren't sounding as i heard when recording them, in fact they didn't sound at all.
There's piano-roll recording and there's automation recording and you have to have them both going. I assume you did, your description makes it sound like they were both recording events.

To record automation, you have to right click a pattern and click "Set/Clear Record" and also attach the item you're automating (usually CTRL+DRAG). Not all things can be recorded. This is bad UI for a few reasons. 1. It's hard to find. 2. It's a toggle with a terrible name. 3. If you accidentally play before clearing the record, it wipes out your automation events.

Anyway, the best way to get feedback on a feature is to ask, which you have. We have people on Discord https://discordapp.com/invite/3sc5su7 in our #support channel and there's also a bug tracker that all the devs read here: https://github.com/LMMS/lmms/issues. If you can offer steps to reproduce, it's a bug. If it's just a bad UI, then it's a bug too, but a bit more minor. :) If you're not using it right, there's someone on Discord to tell you how they use it. :)
HEX3N wrote:
Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:30 pm

7. when ended the recording, tried to play the track but even if automations were there, they weren't sounding as i heard when recording them, in fact they didn't sound at all.
Ok, so this seems to be an actual bug with the precedence of controller instructions in LMMS, seems like a controller connection will override automation. I'll file up an issue over on github, but for now to go over this issue, just disconnect all controllers from the actual control you recorded, so your recorded automation can take effect.
I think i found the root of my problem. I addressed the effect to the master channel and i was getting nothing out of it.
Suddenly i put the effect on the channel 1 and saw only the bass did respond to the automations, so i put both drums and bass on 1st channel and then it worked.
Problem is that i like to have that effect on the master so it will change the whole sound and not only one track at a time.
(more problems) at the end the effect crash or stop working and i can't hear the sound i am working on.
umcaruje wrote:
Thu Jul 27, 2017 8:35 pm
HEX3N wrote:
Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:30 pm

7. when ended the recording, tried to play the track but even if automations were there, they weren't sounding as i heard when recording them, in fact they didn't sound at all.
Ok, so this seems to be an actual bug with the precedence of controller instructions in LMMS, seems like a controller connection will override automation. I'll file up an issue over on github, but for now to go over this issue, just disconnect all controllers from the actual control you recorded, so your recorded automation can take effect.
excuse me, i pressed the wrong button and instead of replying with quuote i reported your answer motivating the act with the answer to your suggestion..

I believe i did disconnected the controllers from the automations before posting the thread. I tried that but once they are disconnected automations are no more functional, since they are not addressed to anything. I also tried this: i eliminated the effect from the mixer channel, spawned another one of the same kind, then readdressed the controllers to the existing automations but it didn't work.
tresf wrote:
Thu Jul 27, 2017 8:12 pm
7. when ended the recording, tried to play the track but even if automations were there, they weren't sounding as i heard when recording them, in fact they didn't sound at all.
There's piano-roll recording and there's automation recording and you have to have them both going. I assume you did, your description makes it sound like they were both recording events.

To record automation, you have to right click a pattern and click "Set/Clear Record" and also attach the item you're automating (usually CTRL+DRAG). Not all things can be recorded. This is bad UI for a few reasons. 1. It's hard to find. 2. It's a toggle with a terrible name. 3. If you accidentally play before clearing the record, it wipes out your automation events.

Anyway, the best way to get feedback on a feature is to ask, which you have. We have people on Discord https://discordapp.com/invite/3sc5su7 in our #support channel and there's also a bug tracker that all the devs read here: https://github.com/LMMS/lmms/issues. If you can offer steps to reproduce, it's a bug. If it's just a bad UI, then it's a bug too, but a bit more minor. :) If you're not using it right, there's someone on Discord to tell you how they use it. :)
problems i've experienced until now:
1. I cannot record automations by simply addressing knobs and switches to vst effect or instrument controls, but instead i have to create an automation track for any single control.
2. automations applied to effects loaded in the master channel won't work.
3. there are issues with external effects when saving or exporting, when multiple effects are used, or may be a kind of effect, at the end of the exporting process, i hear a buzz. when open the .wav it is a series of loud buzzes.
HEX3N wrote:
Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:30 pm
1. I created two mixer channels, one for a drumkit soundfont, one for a bass soundfont.
2. two tracks were created, both use sf2 player
3. I added a vst effect on the master channel of the mixer, called Istalooper
4. i linked two switches and one knob from the vst effect to my external midi device, that is a UMX-25 by behringer.
5. I created three automation tracks, one for each control i previously linked to my device
6. once activated the recording, saw automations were getting signals
7. when ended the recording, tried to play the track but even if automations were there, they weren't sounding as i heard when recording them, in fact they didn't sound at all
.. I read this over and over, and im confused still
I will now try to condense it:

1. mixer : 2 channels, one for a drum one for a bass
2. two tracks
3. added vst effect on the master channel
4. linked 3 vst controllers external midi device.
5. created three automation tracks, one for each linked control
6. activated the recording, automations are created (?)
7. play track, automations are there
But:
* they weren't sounding as recorded
* in fact no sound

The one that stands out for me is '6'
6. activated the recording, automations are created

No! Activating recording with either 2. or 3. buttons:
Image
will NOT start an automation recording. It will ONLY record note events!
If you used either of these buttons, there is no automation recorded
IF you on the other hand manually opened each automation-tracks context-menu, and selected set/clear record
Your automation-track will look like this:
Image
Did you make those steps?
musikbear wrote:
Fri Jul 28, 2017 1:00 pm
HEX3N wrote:
Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:30 pm
1. I created two mixer channels, one for a drumkit soundfont, one for a bass soundfont.
2. two tracks were created, both use sf2 player
3. I added a vst effect on the master channel of the mixer, called Istalooper
4. i linked two switches and one knob from the vst effect to my external midi device, that is a UMX-25 by behringer.
5. I created three automation tracks, one for each control i previously linked to my device
6. once activated the recording, saw automations were getting signals
7. when ended the recording, tried to play the track but even if automations were there, they weren't sounding as i heard when recording them, in fact they didn't sound at all
.. I read this over and over, and im confused still
I will now try to condense it:

1. mixer : 2 channels, one for a drum one for a bass
2. two tracks
3. added vst effect on the master channel
4. linked 3 vst controllers external midi device.
5. created three automation tracks, one for each linked control
6. activated the recording, automations are created (?)
7. play track, automations are there
But:
* they weren't sounding as recorded
* in fact no sound

The one that stands out for me is '6'
6. activated the recording, automations are created

No! Activating recording with either 2. or 3. buttons:
Image
will NOT start an automation recording. It will ONLY record note events!
If you used either of these buttons, there is no automation recorded
IF you on the other hand manually opened each automation-tracks context-menu, and selected set/clear record
Your automation-track will look like this:
Image
Did you make those steps?
yes, I created three automation track, and then i covered the full time of the song with a blank for each automation track, hen i did activate recording for any of the three tracks, once i pressed the play button the song started playing, automations recorded, but the curves the automation recorded do not communicate with the controls on the effect, sothe effect doesn't replicate what the automation show, it is static.
.
HEX3N wrote:
Sat Jul 29, 2017 2:52 am
yes
:
automations recorded, but the curves the automation recorded do not communicate with the controls on the effect
:
the automation show, it is static.
This is so strange that i need to see the project
upload the project, AS MMP! -and send me the link as PM (just right-click my name in byline and choose Contact musikBear), i will take a look at it

To Save as MMP:
* Open project
* File | save-as
* chose a name... 'xyzzxy.mmp'
press save
You can upload on any file-host like google drive
I will ofcause respect your rights