DAWs
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This page discusses the relative merits of various **Digital Audio Workstations** (**DAW**s) from a microtonal perspective. Since many keyboards and a few softsynths are retunable via sysex, and most keyboards and softsynths are only retunable via multiple-midi-channels-with-pitch-bends, special focus is given to how each DAW handles channels and sysexes. <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;">__**DAWs covered:**__ </span> [[toc|flat]] ---- =<span style="text-align: left;">__**ProTools**__</span>= <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> - Midi tracks in ProTools can't contain multiple channels of midi data. </span> =__**Reaper**__= - Extremely flexible midi and audio routing. No built-in softsynths except ReaSynth. The piano roll on the midi editor can be completely customized, e.g. more than 12 notes per octave. =__**Logic Pro**__= - Logic's built-in instruments are of very high quality. There's a global setting for tuning them, and you can also import a .scl file. But they accept only 12-note-octave-repeating scales with max. +/-100 cent deviations from 12tet pitches. Logic only understands .scl files with this limitation. Logic is also incapable of changing the tuning via midi or automation, and you can only have one tuning per song. =__**GarageBand**__= - won't let you export its midi to any other DAW except Logic Pro. In other words it is a "midi trap". GarageBand won't load VST effects, only AU effects. =<span style="text-align: left;">__**Ableton Live**__</span>= <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> - merges all midi channels in track sends, effect outputs and max4Live outputs into channel 1, and filters out all sysex messages and all polyphonic aftertouch messages. Midi effects, except for built-in midi effects and max4live midi effects, must be put in the audio effects section of the track. Receiving midi output from an effect requires creating an additional track and setting its input to that effect. </span> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span> =<span style="text-align: left;">__**FL Studio (Fruity Loops)**__</span>= <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> - filters out sysex messages. </span> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;">Preliminary study indicates that all softsynths require only a single instance to be retunable via the pitch bend method! </span> [[http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=824112]] (official FL Studio forum, must register to view the full thread) Excerpted from a July 2013 conversation with "Reflex", a site admin: user: "The Voyager PlugSE (VST plugin) from Moog... doesn't work [in FL studio]." Reflex: "VST plugins can send sysex out of FL, but can't receive it." user: "Yes I guess it also receives Sysex, and so a bidirectional communication can't be established." Reflex: "Then I don't know of any way to make it work in FL." user: "Is it planned to add support for VST plugin to send Sysex?" Reflex: "They already can. But they can't receive them. And that's not planned." <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> </span> =**__Cubase__**= - has a midi insert plug-in for tuning. But it only accepts 12-note-octave-repeating scales with max. +/-100 cent deviations from 12tet pitches. However you can change the tuning in the course of a song, and have multiple tunings simultaneously (on several midi channels). However, the plug-in only works with two or three older VSTi's and not with the new, better instruments that come with Cubase 7, so in effect, it has been discontinued. Cubase has a pitch key tracking setting for all the synths, and if that's set to .50 you get 24 keys per octave, etc., so various EDOs are possible or can be approximated. =__**Studio One**__= - doesn't allow recording or playback of sysexes. Apparently Studio One also doesn't allow multi-channel midi files (see link). [[@http://forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page|forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page]]
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<html><head><title>DAWs</title></head><body>This page discusses the relative merits of various <strong>Digital Audio Workstations</strong> (<strong>DAW</strong>s) from a microtonal perspective. Since many keyboards and a few softsynths are retunable via sysex, and most keyboards and softsynths are only retunable via multiple-midi-channels-with-pitch-bends, special focus is given to how each DAW handles channels and sysexes.<br /> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><u><strong>DAWs covered:</strong></u><br /> </span><br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:16:<img id="wikitext@@toc@@flat" class="WikiMedia WikiMediaTocFlat" title="Table of Contents" src="/site/embedthumbnail/toc/flat?w=100&h=16"/> --><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:16 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:17: --><a href="#ProTools">ProTools</a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:17 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:18: --> | <a href="#Reaper">Reaper</a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:18 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:19: --> | <a href="#Logic Pro">Logic Pro</a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:19 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:20: --> | <a href="#GarageBand">GarageBand</a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:20 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:21: --> | <a href="#Ableton Live">Ableton Live</a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:21 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:22: --> | <a href="#FL Studio (Fruity Loops)">FL Studio (Fruity Loops)</a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:22 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:23: --> | <a href="#Cubase">Cubase</a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:23 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:24: --> | <a href="#Studio One">Studio One</a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:24 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:25: --> <!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:25 --><hr /> <br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:0:<h1> --><h1 id="toc0"><a name="ProTools"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:0 --><span style="text-align: left;"><u><strong>ProTools</strong></u></span></h1> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> - Midi tracks in ProTools can't contain multiple channels of midi data.<br /> </span><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:2:<h1> --><h1 id="toc1"><a name="Reaper"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:2 --><u><strong>Reaper</strong></u></h1> - Extremely flexible midi and audio routing. No built-in softsynths except ReaSynth. The piano roll on the midi editor can be completely customized, e.g. more than 12 notes per octave.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:4:<h1> --><h1 id="toc2"><a name="Logic Pro"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:4 --><u><strong>Logic Pro</strong></u></h1> - Logic's built-in instruments are of very high quality. There's a global setting for tuning them, and you can also import a .scl file. But they accept only 12-note-octave-repeating scales with max. +/-100 cent deviations from 12tet pitches. Logic only understands .scl files with this limitation. Logic is also incapable of changing the tuning via midi or automation, and you can only have one tuning per song.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:6:<h1> --><h1 id="toc3"><a name="GarageBand"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:6 --><u><strong>GarageBand</strong></u></h1> - won't let you export its midi to any other DAW except Logic Pro. In other words it is a "midi trap". GarageBand won't load VST effects, only AU effects.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:8:<h1> --><h1 id="toc4"><a name="Ableton Live"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:8 --><span style="text-align: left;"><u><strong>Ableton Live</strong></u></span></h1> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> - merges all midi channels in track sends, effect outputs and max4Live outputs into channel 1, and filters out all sysex messages and all polyphonic aftertouch messages. Midi effects, except for built-in midi effects and max4live midi effects, must be put in the audio effects section of the track. Receiving midi output from an effect requires creating an additional track and setting its input to that effect.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:10:<h1> --><h1 id="toc5"><a name="FL Studio (Fruity Loops)"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:10 --><span style="text-align: left;"><u><strong>FL Studio (Fruity Loops)</strong></u></span></h1> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"> - filters out sysex messages.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;">Preliminary study indicates that all softsynths require only a single instance to be retunable via the pitch bend method!<br /> </span><br /> <a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=824112" rel="nofollow">http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=824112</a><br /> (official FL Studio forum, must register to view the full thread)<br /> Excerpted from a July 2013 conversation with "Reflex", a site admin:<br /> user: "The Voyager PlugSE (VST plugin) from Moog... doesn't work [in FL studio]."<br /> Reflex: "VST plugins can send sysex out of FL, but can't receive it."<br /> user: "Yes I guess it also receives Sysex, and so a bidirectional communication can't be established."<br /> Reflex: "Then I don't know of any way to make it work in FL."<br /> user: "Is it planned to add support for VST plugin to send Sysex?"<br /> Reflex: "They already can. But they can't receive them. And that's not planned."<br /> <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br /> </span><br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:12:<h1> --><h1 id="toc6"><a name="Cubase"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:12 --><strong><u>Cubase</u></strong></h1> - has a midi insert plug-in for tuning. But it only accepts 12-note-octave-repeating scales with max. +/-100 cent deviations from 12tet pitches. However you can change the tuning in the course of a song, and have multiple tunings simultaneously (on several midi channels). However, the plug-in only works with two or three older VSTi's and not with the new, better instruments that come with Cubase 7, so in effect, it has been discontinued.<br /> <br /> Cubase has a pitch key tracking setting for all the synths, and if that's set to .50 you get 24 keys per octave, etc., so various EDOs are possible or can be approximated.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:14:<h1> --><h1 id="toc7"><a name="Studio One"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:14 --><u><strong>Studio One</strong></u></h1> - doesn't allow recording or playback of sysexes. Apparently Studio One also doesn't allow multi-channel midi files (see link). <a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page</a></body></html>