None of the MIDI drag and drop export options work correctly. Regardless if you are exporting individual track lanes one at a time, or exporting All Tracks at once, every MIDI event gets exported to C3 in Logic Pro. As you know, the actual note triggers are routed chromatically to C1 to G1. Therefore, playback of the exported MIDI in the DAW just triggers C3 for every MIDI event, which corresponds to one of the Remix key switches, not the sample.
Also, pan automation (programmed into the PB4 sequence) is not being exported with the MIDI export either.
Unless youâve set the fixed note outputs to C3 in the settings tab, you should see something like this, depending on the loaded preset. Could you check that no sequencer is locked to a specific note output?
No, I do not have any fixed note outputs set to C3 in the Settings tab. Also, these setting are factory-set. I did not ever adjust them. See attached photos:
Same for me in Logic and in FL Studio. Iâm using Playbeat 4.0.5 and the exported midi makes no sense. I can live without the export and use a different workflow, but whatâs the point of this functionality if it doesnât work?
@oobesan , @sourcreembeat & @paulbaarn , We havenât been able to replicate this on any of our tested systems. Could you let us know which specific presets are causing this issue so we can investigate further?
Could you show us you do it on Logic Pro 11.1.2? If you are OK with it I will accept that I have a problem on my Mac not on playbeat 4. When you do it please show us how do you setup your tracks in Logic Pro and playbeat 4.
If you have a specific preset that outputs all notes on C3, please let me know which one so we can check whether itâs caused by the preset itself or another MIDI setting.
Youâre correct, this preset has all its notes set to C3 in the pitch tab, which is why thatâs whatâs being exported. You can adjust to any custom setting through the fixed notes output, then re-export it.
What I am talking is, as you posted a photo with Logic Pro, it should play according to the exported midi notes with Sync turned off. Right? But it doesnât. That is the point I want to know. How would I utilize exported midi notes if it does not play on Logic Pro?
So, you have C1-G1 dedicated as key switches for the sounds assigned to Tracks 1-8. But, if you want to export the MIDI sequences from a preset to your DAW, the way you have designed PB4 is⌠to export the notes to ones that wonât actually play the sequences back?
C1-G1 triggers the sounds at their default pitch, without the ability to modify the pitch, this is where the pitch engine comes in. Each sequencer spans the full musical range from C-2 to G8, meaning this MIDI setup cannot be used to trigger Playbeat, as all eight sequencers operate across the same range simultaneously.
Most people who use generative plugins, like this one, do so in order to stumble upon something musical and interesting. But, once they have found something special, they want to preserve it by exporting the MIDI sequence into their DAW. But, of course, they also want the flexibility to add or take away small details on subsequent loops of that MIDI sequence in the DAW in order to make it more natural and organic and interesting.
What you are saying is, we all have the wrong idea about MIDI export for Playbeat 4, because it is specifically designed NOT to do this?
Okay, so please help me understand, then, how MIDI export could possibly be a feature with any purpose?
You still have the ability to adjust your preset and save multiple variations within the app. You do not need to save it via midi.
Regardless of our opinions, it is technically impossible for Playbeatâs MIDI output to be fed back into its input. This might work with other traditional drum machines where each note is always fixed, but thatâs not how Playbeat functions. For example, you wouldnât expect a single held note that triggers an arpeggiator to behave the same way if you feed its MIDI output back into itself. Playbeat functions similarly, just like any sequence-based virtual instrument.
A sequence spanning from C-2 to G8 as an input could correctly trigger a single sequencer, Playbeat has eight that share the same range and operate independently.
Therefore, we believe the triggering options are the best implementation, and based on the feedback weâre receiving, most of our users seem to agree.
About the midi, many of our users utilize Playbeat as a MIDI generator plugin, where the MIDI output becomes useful. It allows real-time feeding of other modules or the option to drag the MIDI to another track. Hope this helps.
This is very counterintuitive. I can almost guarantee that anyone who is trying to export a MIDI sequence from any drum sequencer isnât thinking âgosh, I really want the pitch mappings for every drum hitâ, theyâre thinking âI hope I get the rhythm I want mapped to the drum hits.â Playbeat is cool and kinda different, yes, but itâs not THAT much of an outlier in terms of workflow.
I mean, whatâs the point of having an âexport all sequences to MIDIâ button if theyâre not mapped back to their original instrument triggers? If every note is sitting on C3, then itâs entirely useless because you canât even extract the original patterns.
As it stands I have to workaround everything by exporting each pattern individually and then transposing it to map to the sound triggers. That works fine. Itâs dumb and time consuming, but it works. Or I could individually transpose every note in the pitch page but thatâs even MORE time consuming.
I have numerous other drum sequencers that have pitch, time, probabilty, gate etc variation pages - they donât seem to have a problem with this. I just accept that I will lose some functionality from the internal sequencer when I export to MIDI and work in my DAW. My kick lands on C1, snare and d#1, etc. I donât get my pitch variations or any of the probability stuff or whatnot, but I live with that. I get the pattern, mapped back to the note triggers and velocities, and thatâsâŚall I really want.
What exactly do you mean by âoriginal instrument triggersâ? All eight sequencers share the same range. An original instrument trigger could be a C3 on a track, a G5, or any combination of notes. The same applies to all eight sequencers.
Would you expect an instrument with eight arpeggiators to take its own MIDI output, feed it back in, and produce the same result? The same applies to Playbeat.
Again, itâs not about personal opinions, this is simply how it functions, just like any sequencer-based instrument. We understand that this is a bit different from other drum apps, it functions similarly to our other plugins, and we still believe it offers maximum flexibility with fewer clicks.
This is basic music tech 101. I believe this approach is the most effective, triggering keys was the best thing in this new version after the styles tab.
No, itâs not âbasic music tech 101â. In fact, this is the opposite how every other generative plugin manages something as innocuous sounding as âMIDI exportâ. Please keep your condescension to yourself.
