No worries, figured as the grabbed parameter’s gui tweaking is also picked up by the horizontal slider in the bottom of the tools gui, it wouldn’t be that hard to record at the same time?
It`s partly a case of parameter selection and who/what is controlling it. The tool currently chooses the parameter/gets the renoise chosen parameter. It can then watch / adjust that single parameter.
In the case of allowing the VST to choose the selected parameter it gets a bit more tricky as you have to watch for a parameter movement. When the song is playing and the vst is automated a lot of different parameters can start to move. You can tell if the user starts adjusting an already unautomated parameter fairly easily but if they then change to a parameter that is already automated; you would be needing to be watching all the automations for changes and change the selected parameter in time to start recording properly.
Thinking further on it, even if we had mouse-click flags in the API, unless a VST passes a message about which parameter was left-clicked (and not moved) then we would have the same situation as above, still watching for movements.
The solution I was thinking of with the current API would be to grab a parameter like the [G] button does (song needs to be stopped) and then allow the user to record that parameter. The parmeter could easily be released again on changing it in the tool or renoise, but then you would have to stop the song again to grab a new parameter.
If you didn`t have the parameter grabbing and just linked the selected parameter all the time then you could inadvertantly be creating automations with the VST gui when not wanted.
v0.74 --bug gone where timer wouldn`t be released if top right was used to exit the tool
quick update to squish relatively important bug, that meant the tool would still be running in the background if closing the GUI with the standard button in the top right:
A tool that auto-setups the automation device, by noticing gui controls movements. if the moved control isn’t in list a new point will be added to automation device. If no automation device is in device list, an automation device will be added. Just a shortcut “activate/deactivate auto setup automation” or something.
but as far as I can see, it should be possible to loop and tell which parameters are available and replace the first unautomated assignment with the moved parameter in the VSTi/ plugin.
I haven’t proved concept yet, but will have a go. It won’t be as easy as standard devices, as you have to mess around with presets and their xml strings for this one.
Shortcuts now prefixed with AUS so will need updating if already set
AUS Automation Single Slider", AUS Add Inst. Auto Device To Track" (NEW) --adds an instrument automation device to the current track
Now the [G] (grab) button works on Plugin (VSTi etc.) instruments:
Simply add your Instr. automation device to your track and with it selected and **THE CORRECT TARGET INSTRUMENT SELECTED IN THE INSTRUMENT LIST, press the [g] button. It will turn red, open the selected instrument gui. Move the parameter you want to grab and it will be selected in the automation list and shown as selected in the tool. The Instr. automation device only has about 35 parameters that can be active, so if the newly selected parameter is not already included, then the first unautomated parameter popup will be changed to accomodate it.
**As the API/ script can’t see which is the target instrument in the Instr. automation device you will need to make sure that the selected instrument in the renoise list is the correct one. If for some reason this goes wrong a warning will fire with some explaination to try again.
I`ll leave the previous download for now below until this version has been tested a bit.
VSTi/ plugin Instrument parameter grabbing now available:
Great. Automatization is now much more fun. Thank you
Yes, having the selection and ‘wiring’ of parameters more automated, has made me delve in a lot more to the automation editor. The renoise automation list on its own can cause a lot of stop-and-think.
Experimenting and learning a ton of stuff now, though you have to watch the cpu a bit when you get a lot of vst parameters dancing along!
If I captured one parameter and automated it, I want to capture the next. How can I then capture the next? I wasn’t able to setup it up, so capturing next parameter works.
Would be very handy, if it could setup the instrument automation device automatically for selected vsti, only if there is no one existing for the vsti in the track…
Can I borrow parts of your code for my shortcut collection? I would like to do that auto-setup automation device and auto-capture parameter only using a shortcut on/off. Maybe your tool could also benefit from some improvements that may arise?
I guess you want to capture an instruments automation to populate the automation device one by one here.
The only way to do this in one go with this tool is to automate the parameter after you have captured it and then move on to the next capture. Otherwise the tool will overwrite that parameter you just captured with the next capture. The function checks if parameter is_automated in the automation device. A non automated parameter is considered a free slot to put the newly captured parameter in.
Would be very handy, if it could setup the instrument automation device automatically for selected vsti, only if there is no one existing for the vsti in the track…
I added the add automation device shortcut for this. The other options I guess would be to check what VSTis have notes in the current track (could be a bit slow for real time use). Add a button to GUI – clutter/ more scanning for visual feedback.
Or just automatically adding for each selected instrument could result in a lot of unwanted mess-- renoise`s general, use any instrument anywhere principle causing its usual problems
edit: AFAIR a further problem with automation devices is that the API can`t see which instrument it is pointing to which makes checks impossible.
Can I borrow parts of your code for my shortcut collection?
Is it possible to automate a plug like Kontakt (which uses MIDI for all it’s various knobs/sliders and controls) with this Tool?
I guess you would have to add the MIDI control device, but set the sliders up yourself. The rotary will work as normal on the selected device/ property though, just not the [G] grab button.
Ideally I’d like to just be able to use the wheel to dial a number into whatever the current line is in the pattern editor…
The automation writing wheel only seems to write to the automation envelope, not to the pattern effect numbers. I could have sworn I had this working before … Can you think of anything I might have set up wrong?
I can use your automation tool to ‘bring to light’ the control on the VST GUI from the sea of possible controls, then use the standard Renoise controls to add that param to the pattern data. Thats a workaround.
I wonder if it’s possible to transcribe automation window ‘points’ into the pattern data.
It’s just that generally I prefer to hammer numbers in rather than work with the curves or points in the auto editor … but your method here of picking up a VST control and then manipulating it is awesome.
The perfect solution, for me, would be to write into the pattern data directly from the VST control
I would love to see an option to write modulation even if i dont move by the knob (so you can easily overdub previously recorded modulations) with some resolution setting(like write point for every 4 lines). Just idea )
I can use your automation tool to ‘bring to light’ the control on the VST GUI from the sea of possible controls, then use the standard Renoise controls to add that param to the pattern data. Thats a workaround.
I wonder if it’s possible to transcribe automation window ‘points’ into the pattern data.
It’s just that generally I prefer to hammer numbers in rather than work with the curves or points in the auto editor … but your method here of picking up a VST control and then manipulating it is awesome.
The perfect solution, for me, would be to write into the pattern data directly from the VST control
Thanks!
The transcribing to pattern could be done, it could be a bit tricky on implementation due to the fx lanes allowing any command anywhere i.e. not having dedecated fx lanes for each command. I `m sure some compromise would be possible though.
With writing from the VST control, afaik this couldn’t be done neatly with the current API. Here`s the post from earlier in the thread after Djeroek was asking the same:
I would love to see an option to write modulation even if i dont move by the knob (so you can easily overdub previously recorded modulations) with some resolution setting(like write point for every 4 lines). Just idea )
Certainly further improvements to consider. Needs the will/ time from me for a good burst of scripting though…
