VE Pro [FEATURE REQUEST] - Make channel INACTIVE option

[jeremyroberts]

VE Pro [FEATURE REQUEST] - Make channel INACTIVE option

Background: In many hosts, there is a "freeze track", or "render track" command -- which essentially writes the VI to audio. In ProTools, we accomplish this by bussing the output of the VI to a disk track and then making the source track with the VI "inactive" (control-command-click, or use the contextual menu command) -- thus freeing system resources for other things.

When using VE Pro as a slave, once we are happy with a performance, it is a good thing to print the output of VE Pro to tracks (most major labels demand fully printed VI tracks as audio as part of delivery specs) - BUT ------ once a track is printed or frozen, the VE Pro slave is still using 100% of the resources of the slave machine to keep the patch loaded. Granted, there is a very powerful "optimize" function, which is great, but it still keeps some of the samples and system resources loaded, and it is only good for VSL VI.

FEATURE REQUEST: We need the ability to "DEACTIVATE" or "DISABLE" or "Make Track Inactive" in-place, with a simple click or command. (and then re-activate the track on command as well if needed). This will work on any track in VE Pro. ProTools has this command and it is very useful.

The current workaround is to create/save a Channel Set, then delete the channel set, then save-as the viframe and take good notes and file naming all the way. Not really efficient.

Another workaround is to have limitless resources on slave machines -- but that's not really practical, or economically viable for all. 

If VE Pro had the "Make Track Inactive" function (and freeing up all resources used by the inactive tracks), we can "print" or "freeze" at any time, restore resources, keep working. Yes, there are workarounds, but it would be much faster and more intuitive to NOT have to delete tracks from VE Pro instances. Inactive tracks would be "dimmed" or other visual indication that they are not "active", but they still would "be there", but not in use.

Anyone else feel this is an important workflow function?  Please let VSL know this is important to you. Else, tell me how you deal with this as your sessions grow and resources get used.

[philco]

This is one of those tried and true features that we know will be a positive addition.

Having said that I've decided to refrain from suggesting even the most obvious improvements (how about being able to label outputs?) to VEPro.

It's a little selfish but I don't want this great program to get bloated and buggy by adding all our feature requests.

The App is working so well that I just want to leave it the way it is. I keep thinking that these are "the good old days" in the life of this Application.

My new work routine involves...............just that..........work. My system just works everday and I make music and compose more music.

I no longer have to write frustrated posts to the Digi User Conference and I no longer plan to update my ProTools Rig to an Intel Machine or Chassis.

I no longer care, or will be effected by what happens to Avid.

All is good.............maybe they should just leave VEPro alone and only tamper when absolutely neccesary!!

[ericgoetz]

Does anyone know if this feature was added in VEPro 5?  I'm astounded that it's missing from VEPro 4.  It's an absolutely essential use case (the monster template with everything you might need loaded, but only the stuff you need active) that VSL should support.

[studioj]

++++1

I have a dream where both my DAW and my VI host have perfectly working track presets and channel set presets, where my template can be configured and customized on the fly at the blink of an eye.  Being able to deactivate tracks and channel sets in VEP would bereally great.

[Dietz]

Your dream might have become reality already. ;-)

Within VE Pro 5, you can make Instrument tracks active or inactive (no processing happening at all) on behalf of the "On" button in the Channels List.

Channel Presets (for saving / loading the settings of a single channel) and Channel Sets (for saving / loading complete templates or selected parts of it) are available in the context menu (right-click) of the Channels List or the Main Mixer.

All these features are mentioned in VE Pro's manual as well as in MIR Pro's preliminary manual.

HTH,

[Dietz]

PS: In addition to VE Pro's option to switch channels on and off, Vienna Instrument Pro 2 allows for having a Matrix loaded without its actual sample content - which allwos for easy handling of even the most voluminous templates. ;-)

[ericgoetz]

Thanks, Dietz.  Indeed, that's better than I hoped for!

Eric

[studioj]

excellent!  But on another note I am having problems with channel presets and Kontakt 5 in this latest build of VEP.  So my dream is not quite realized yet ☺  I know it has been said that there is some funny stuff going on with Kontakt on how it handles loading, but everything was working great before the latest VEP5 build.  Any thoughts here?

Thanks

[Paul]

Hi studioj, 

Would you like to elaborate what exactly "having problems" means, so that we can investigate/reproduce?

Best, 

Paul

[studioj]

Sure, I have some details in this thread:

http://community.vsl.co.at/forums/t/31123.aspx

Basically since installing the latest VEP5 build, when I attempt to load a VEP preset that contains Kontakt 5, Kontakt opens a window and says "Creating Cache File... Please Wait".   and does not respond.  Again, I did not see this behavior with the previous build.  I hadn't touched the version of Kontakt since these last two VEP builds.  Just recently I did update Kontakt 5 hoping it would be resolved, but the behavior remained.   Someone said that possbily throwing the DAW into play would unhang kontakt, but that doesn't seem to work for me.  Thanks for looking into it!

[wgturner]

@Dietz said:

Within VE Pro 5, you can make Instrument tracks active or inactive (no processing happening at all) on behalf of the "On" button in the Channels List.

I tried this the other day, since I had never used them before, and turned all the tracks in 1 instance OFF.  Indeed the usage went to 0.  But, my master, Protools v8 (G5 PPC), crashed -- well, froze - nothing would work.  When I tried force quitting the computer crashed outright.  When I turned the channels back on, the useage meters just had '--' and didn't seem to be working...   Don't think I'll try that again!  

Anyway, my question is:  Should turning off all the channels in an active instance cause a crash?

Best,

Greg

[Dietz]

@wgturner said:

Anyway, my question is:  Should turning off all the channels in an active instance cause a crash?

No, of course not. Sorry to hear that - I've never seen this happening before. Please send a short description of this issue (including your system specs and all involved applications) to .

Thanks in advance,

[Dietz]

Hi Greg,

you should have received the confirmation by now that this issue is looked at already. Thanks for reporting.

Kind regards,

[cefnfaes]

"Within VE Pro 5, you can make Instrument tracks active or inactive (no processing happening at all) on behalf of the "On" button in the Channels List".

Would Dietz very kindly describe where I can find the "On" button mentioned above, or indeed, where I would find the "channels list". I've searched everywhere, and read the manual from front to back, looking for a clue, but without success !

Sorry to be asking what I'm sure must be obvious to everyone else..........  It does sound a useful feature.

Kind regards,

[Cyril Blanc]

it is on the left corner of the horizontal faders

[Dietz]

@cefnfaes said:

"Within VE Pro 5, you can make Instrument tracks active or inactive (no processing happening at all) on behalf of the "On" button in the Channels List".

Would Dietz very kindly describe where I can find the "On" button mentioned above, or indeed, where I would find the "channels list". I've searched everywhere, and read the manual from front to back, looking for a clue, but without success !

Sorry to be asking what I'm sure must be obvious to everyone else..........  It does sound a useful feature.

Kind regards,

Hi,

VE Pro's and MIR Pro's basic GUI elements are explained in MIR Pro's preliminary manual. The detailed discussion of the Channels List window and its functions starts on p. 28.

(... its predecessor was called "Instrument List" in legacy Vienna MIR - just in case someone gets confused by the different nomenclature.)

HTH,

[wgturner]

@Dietz said:

Hi Greg,

you should have received the confirmation by now that this issue is looked at already. Thanks for reporting.

Yes, Thanks!

Best,

Greg

[Hakan Glante]

@Dietz said:

Within VE Pro 5, you can make Instrument tracks active or inactive (no processing happening at all) on behalf of the "On" button in the Channels List.

This doesn't seem to unload the samples? The ability to disable cells in VIP is great, but it would be even better if one could unload the sample content of other channels (Kontakt/Play etc)

[cefnfaes]

Thank you, Cyril.

Now I'm wondering how on Earth I didn't see it !!

[Cyril Blanc]

what would be great is an option where if the track is OFF the track does not display in the vertical mixer