Troubleshooting IAA parameter automation — Help requested... update: SOLVED with a minor hitch
I posted this in General before realizing Support is the better Discussion category (I can't delete the General post unfortunately).
I'm currently running into a problem that I hope someone can help with. I am using an iRig BlueBoard to control Amplitube on an Audio Track (electric guitar). This works great, except I cannot figure out how to save the BlueBoard automation including expression pedal. I'm reasonably experienced in MIDI and audio configuration, so I've tried many things. I've switched the BlueBoard into the generic MIDI mode and assigned these CCs to Amplitube; this works but I can't save CC messages [NOTE new comment below, I was able to save CC messages with some difficulty]. (I am aware that if I was using an AU3 unit I could use BM3's Macro controls to control parameters, allowing me to save my controller changes as I play. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with Amplitube and IAA.) I see that Amplitube, as a track effect or a plugin on a separate Bank, exposes general parameters but these don't seem to have any effect or exposure in Amplitube. I've read all relevant user guides and searched online, but I can't seem to find a solution to my problem. Any help or insight is greatly appreciated!
Update: I've made some progress. One major problem I had is that iRig's BlueBoard controller app and iRig's Amplitube do not like to run at the same time (as Amplitube seems to take over the BlueBoard when in use). I decided to run BlueBoard (which allows Midi configuration of the bluetooth MIDI foot board) on my iPhone, then send that using Bluetooth-over-MIDI to BM3. This seems to work much better (previously Amplitube was really sluggish and confused when set to be controlled by the BlueBoard as a generic MIDI controller when they were both active on the iPad).
So now I can record the MIDI control inputs from iPhone and save this onto a new Bank with Amplitube loaded as a plugin (Pad 1). This is great — I can see my expression pedals saved in a MIDI clip in BM3! However, I still have a few major problems. I'm not sure why but Amplitube, when loaded as a Bank Instrument (and not an effect), is defaulted to my hardware input 1 — but I see no place to change this. Luckily, my guitar is in input 1, but this is still problematic. So without being able to route saved audio back through Amplitube (as it plays the MIDI clips with controller changes), I still haven't solved the problem. Does anyone have any ideas how to do this? When Amplitube is a plugin in a Bank, I can play the saved MIDI clips and see the effects change, but it doesn't allow me to route the saved (clean) guitar track through it. I'm want to believe there's some solution to my problem; again, any advice is very greatly appreciated!
See my comment below for the solution I finally achieved...
Comments
Hopefully somebody who uses some of that stuff will pipe up, sorry im an AUv3 only person and cant help on this one
@ronji @tk32 any ideas?
I'd love to help, but anything involving iRig / IAA / Amplitube is not my area of experience (sorry). Like 5pin, I also I tend to avoid IAA in favour of AUv3, for all of the advantages of state saving and simpler signal chaining etc.
Its also not perfectly clear from your description what your main objective is here. My impression is that you want to record midi from the Blueboard pedals into BM3, and then feed that midi data back into Amplitube (loaded as IAA) alongside a pre-recorded guitar audio track? If correct, and assuming this is not intended for live performance, would it not be easier to bypass the Blueboard entirely, load Amplitube as an insert effect on the guitar track, and just record the automation via touch using the Amplitube UI?
If not, you might find that using Audiobus or AUM provides better IAA patching options for routing midi and audio the way you want it?
In order to automate 'IAA Parameters'(== Midi CC) the app in question needs to have some kind of 'Midi learn'.
Drawing midi automation is quite easy though.
Thanks much for the feedback!
@tk32: yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to do. I don't think one can save or playback CC changes to a insert effect (as far as I can see, a Bank and MIDI track is required), so this doesn't seem viable. I have considered using Audiobus within BM3, but I suspect that road won't be fruitful; I am deep into BM3, I have many tracks and templates, so switching to another sequencer/app controller isn't really an option. Also, using the foot pedal is essential as I'm playing the guitar with my hands, so can't automate in the Amplitube UI (unless I use my feet !)
, nor can I add the effect changes (e.g. wah pedal) after the guitar track is recorded (I can't reproduce the feel, I've tried).
I found a solution, though.
I save the generic MIDI CC changes from the BlueBoard — coming in over Bluetooth from my iPhone; one can't run the BlueBoard MIDI controller app and Amplitube on the iPad simultaneously — into a Bank with an empty sample (just to populate the Pad, otherwise the track won't record). Amplitube is set to respond to those messages, so I'm able to play guitar with the BlueBoard as pedal controller. Now I have two guitar tracks -- one pre-effects and one post, the latter having Amplitube as an effect. I route the clean preFX track to a (unplayed) audio output so I only hear the guitar with FX. I can now play guitar and use the BlueBoard to control the effects while saving a clean copy of the guitar, and all the controller changes as MIDI, thus allowing post-recording fixes or changes to the effects; I simply output the CC-rich empty MIDI clip from the dummy Bank to Amplitube.
The only hitch I have found, that I suspect BM3 experts will have a solution for, is that I can't just drag the saved audio clip from the clean audio track to the effected audio track. Instead I have to tediously delete the Amplitube IAA effect from the post-effect track, then insert Amplitube onto the clean audio track. Much better to just drag up, but apparently that doesn't work? The sample is saved as a pattern in the original track, and doesn't seem available to the effected track. I can't seen to find the easy way to move (or cut and paste or drag) the sample from the clean track into the effected track. Any ideas?
I am very thankful for the feedback and support!!
Thanks much for the feedback!
@tk32: yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to do. I don't think one can save or playback CC changes to a insert effect (as far as I can see, a Bank and MIDI track is required), so this doesn't seem viable. I have considered using Audiobus within BM3, but I suspect that road won't be fruitful; I am deep into BM3, I have many tracks and templates, so switching to another sequencer/app controller isn't really an option. Also, using the foot pedal is essential as I'm playing the guitar with my hands, so can't automate in the Amplitube UI (unless I use my feet !)
, nor can I add the effect changes (e.g. wah pedal) after the guitar track is recorded (I can't reproduce the feel, I've tried).
I found a solution, though.
I save the generic MIDI CC changes from the BlueBoard — coming in over Bluetooth from my iPhone; one can't run the BlueBoard MIDI controller app and Amplitube on the iPad simultaneously — into a Bank with an empty sample (just to populate the Pad, otherwise the track won't record). Amplitube is set to respond to those messages, so I'm able to play guitar with the BlueBoard as pedal controller. Now I have two guitar tracks -- one pre-effects and one post, the latter having Amplitube as an effect. I route the clean preFX track to a (unplayed) audio output so I only hear the guitar with FX. I can now play guitar and use the BlueBoard to control the effects while saving a clean copy of the guitar, and all the controller changes as MIDI, thus allowing post-recording fixes or changes to the effects. I simply output the CC-rich MIDI from the empty Bank to Amplitube.
There's only one hitch. I can't seem to figure out an easy way to drag or cut or paste or move the clean audio clip from one audio track to another! In order to play the clean guitar track with the MIDI-clip output to Amplitube, I have to delete the IAA effect from the effects track, and then insert the IAA on the clean track. The clip appears to be saved as a pattern/sample only within the original track, and isn't available to another audio track? I'm sure there's an easier way than tediously deleting and reinserting the effect, but at least I achieved my goal of non-destructive, editable guitar effects with clean source tracks...
Thanks again for all your help and feedback!