Time has passed since the setups bundled with EigenD was created. I get the impression most of us now host our plugins outside of EigenD, some use t3d osc, few use the resources content, etc… To help newcomers get up and running, would it make sense for us to create a new set of setups and include them in a future community release? We should still keep the existing ones, obviously…
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This is something so, so personal and setups can become so, so intricate… difficult to explain; beyond this or that specific use case (ex my Pico to Continuum Control).
I don’t know…
Yes, true… I was thinking we could perhaps see if we could identify some common “recommended” starting point for newcomers. Simple, lean setups that are usable as is and good bases for further customization.
…or perhaps, if we have very different ideas, perhaps a collection of “communtiy setups” like “Antonio Pico to Continuum Control” and “Kai Tau rasperryPI midi only” etc.?
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we could do this, I could just include them in the community release, thats not an issue
but…
I think many of our setups are quite different from the factory setups…and possibly contain elements that are not freely available
(e.g. if you use a plugin thats not free… eigenlabs only included references to free plugins in their resources)
also the setup would need some kind of documentation, as newcomers won’t be able to figure it out with workbench.
so definitely a good idea, Im just not sure which would be generic enough to use?!
if the setups are a bit more specific, but useful for sharing…
you could share on dropbox or whatever, then we could create a wiki topic here, and link to them?!
(I think hosting elsewhere and link here is better, just to keep disk usage down here a bit )
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Yep, I’d be inclined to keep those bundled in the community release to the factory setups and one or two other minimal setups, for example a two MIDI setup, or a an OSC setup for use with Aalto.
Hosting and linking here for other setups, with good docs please, also makes sense.
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I guess what triggered this thought was what @ritchie said. “All I want is an expressive instrument that can send midi properly” or something to that effect + the other conversation where someone was a bit confused with 32bit vs 64bit plugins. I think the initial learning curve is rather steep, particularly for “non-techies”. But yeah, still not sure new setups would help. I haven’t even had a proper look at what is already there, yet. I have never actually used any of the bundled setups myself.
If there is interest, I can create a simple Tau setup intended for plugins hosted outside of EigenD. With documentation and a matching Belcanto script. For instance:
- A single MIDI output device
- Same output mirrored as T3D OSC
- Percussion keys, breath and strip on midi channel 1, rest of the playing surface as MPE on 2-16.
- The same key layout as in the defaults
- A “config” page for transpose, scales and tonic.
I almost always use a split, but perhaps that adds unnecessary complexity in the beginning? I never use scales, transpose or tonic personally, and prefer to do that in the plugin host end. The reason is simply that I then don’t have remember to change something on the Eigenharp between songs. Easier to just select the next song in MainStage and everything is good to go. But I suspect others might want this… I’m just guessing, really…
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totally agree with this sentiment…
is 'Experimental/Tau/Midi Basic - close to what you’re suggesting?
but for sure, a simplified midi setup would be cool…
what I have on my alpha is similar to what you propose, but perhaps a bit more elaborate, it has:
- multiple midi targets - e.g. one for ‘normal midi’, one for mpe midi, and also multiple outputs, this allows me to target different tracks in a daw, or to other hardware.
- 2 t3d targets , in case i had aalto and kaivo on separate daw tracks
- percussion keys to a single midi channel/output
- chromatic layout, so no need for scales etc …I only have octave up/down.
- a couple of different layouts (different intervals) , though I pretty much always use the same one
but yeah, perhaps a more ‘extensive’ midi setup would be good to have in the default factory setup.
(I also like simple midi setups because they load so much faster, that the factory setups)
some random thoughts…
-
32bit vs 64bit, yeah unfortunately this is an ‘industry’ issue, really we need to be at 64bit now, but many users are going to have old 32bits plugins.
(to host both in EigenD, would essentially require us to write a bridge - which while not that hard is a biggish undertaking for # users really) -
EigenD beyond midi, “its goals”
“expressive instrument that can send midi properly”
yeah, but I do like to remember that midi (even MPE) is a compromise, and always will be.
eurorack is now becoming popular, and as I showed in my latest videos, its great that the likes of the Soundplane/Eigenharp can be made to go directly to CV, rather than have to go via MIDI.
but of course, most users will be interfacing with stuff via midi.
unfortunately the hopes Eigenlabs had of developers creating specific ‘eigend plugins’ (and so bypassing midi) didn’t really materialise, mainly i suspect to low user base count… but I still agree with their premise. -
MEC… so all the above withstanding, this really is my idea behind MEC (though still not full realised
), the idea, that often all you want is raw connectivity, and the Eigenharp outputting midi/osc.
and also that eigend’s flexibility is awesome (due to not just being midi, see above) but with flexibility, we inevitably get complexity… and EigenD can be daunting for beginners. -
I like T3D OSC a lot, but it’s pretty much limited to Madrona Lab synths, so that might confuse beginners?
Hi Kai and Mark (and all).
I totally agree with your earlier post, and have just one little thought about your second. Drums to midi ch. 10…
I know it’s a legacy of dated GM and XG synths, but it helps keep everything reasonably standard IMO. And ch. 10 can always be moved to the first sequencer track to minimise note-on latency.
As far as my Tau goes (or more realistically, doesn’t) I’ve spent two full days trying to get it to work, and then I loaded Stage and Eigenbrowser etc…
Once I started poking about in Stage, I managed to start the click trak and now have a bongo on the 1st beat of the bar and the clicker on the other beats. (the metronome of clicker would not work or start before I activated it first in Stage drummer.)
(But at least I know it’s sending something out to my soundcard which I can monitor. )
Otherwise, sweet bugger all.
It isn’t loading VST’s, and although I point it to all the relevant folders, I still can hear nothing 
I am long past pulling my hair out, as I have very little left anyway.
It isn’t loading soundfonts either, and neither is it outputting any kind of midi to my sound-card midi in.
So no audi or midi out, only clicker and a bongo.
Kai suggested that configuring the Tau was a bit of a sharp learning curve for newbie non-techies… For me. it’s like a huge wall of incomprehension, and it seems more and more insurmountable, the more days and days I spend trying to get it to work at all.
I shall maybe start at the beginning again, (after a spell with a decent psychiatrist) with a clean win7 laptop and then if no joy, a clean win 10 laptop.
From my perspective, it’s very very difficult for newbies, and yet it looks so easy on the demo’s.
“You just plug the flash stick into your Mac, and hey presto, half an hour later , you have a piano mapped properly on the keys…”
Unfortunately, not for me and this whole experience (or endless lack of it) really deters me. This must surely deter other buyers…
With a Zztar, 2 midi leads, one plugged into to the controller, the other end of it to the PSU and one from the PSU straight to midi. End of… Then you play to your heart’s content…
I sincerelywish it was ever thus with the Tau …
regards
ritchie
bg