Multi channel plugins and their benefits

[mrfracas]

I don't think anyone has touched on the subject of multi channel plugin instruments yet. I'm guessing a lot of regular users of the forum are familiar with them; but some people might be unaware of their purpose, though they may have them lying in wait. So I thought I'd get this ball a-boucin'!

Multi channel functionality is a cracking addition to any sampler, percussion instrument, and anything which hosts a varied and dynamic palette of sounds; because of two main benefits.

Firstly, it allows the separation of single sounds - or groups - that can be routed to their very own auxiliary channel, and tweaked without effecting other audio from the same instrument. For a sampler emulation of a drums and percussion setup, this would give one the same control over each separate sound as one would find in a live drum recording setting, because every part of the kit is routed to its own channel, and not through the instrument's main channel strip, mono/stereo out.

Secondly, using multi channel instruments makes each project much more efficient. Rather than using several instances of the same plugin to provide several individual channels of different samples, one might be able to use a single instance of that plugin, featuring the complete selection of samples, routed through auxiliaries to the same effect. Thus speeding up the working process and hopefully reducing the load on your host CPU.

I really think multi channel instruments enable you to give your mixes more clarity, as well as open doors to so many adventurous possibilities. When I discovered it, I think my second childhood came into effect!

I've tried finding some links to tutorials for various DAWs, but really could only locate Logic and Live; sorry to all those who use DAWs I haven't mentioned; but I'm pretty sure you'll find something in your owner's manual.

Logic Pro 8 This specifies Ultrabeat as the chosen instrument, but the principles are the same; it only varies by how you set the outputs on your chosen plugin. Emagic Logic for the PC works in the same way, but all you need to do is use/create an aux channel in the environment window.

Ableton Live Again the principles are the same, but the tutorial is specific to Live's Impulse instrument.

Here are some 3rd party plugins that are multi channel capable:

XLN Audio Addictive Drums (stunning drum sampler)
Kontakt 2/3 (all powerful sampling engine)
Absynth 4 (a powerhouse of organic capabilities)
Reaktor 5 (almost anything's possible)
SonicCharge MicroTonic (awesome little electronic percussion machine)
Waldorf Attack (another good drum synth)

All the best!

Edit: The term 'multi channel' can be used to describe various different areas of audio technology; if you want to understand things a little better you'll find a Sound On Sound article here

[JAYDMF]

Yeah i use this with Reaktor and battery all the time (battery especially) its a great idea thats come from workstations etc and not enough people seem to be catching on although i can kinda understand why in someways as the reason that workstations had multi outs was because they were workstations and different sounds require different processing. This applies to samplers and drum machines a lot more i guess which is why battery gives you such a wide range of outs to asign as default (although this is a pain in the ass on first boot).

Synths however i dont feel really need it any more as its just as easy to run several instances and probably better (the only benefit would be surround sound pads or effects but not many people can listen in true 5.1 or have the equipment/setup to make it, plus it would require 2 mixes). A good example of where a synth which in hardware had multi outs but in software really doesnt work is the wavestation.
The problem with it is making a synth that responds on every channel to loads of controllers. It can be a b*tch with reaktor sometimes as upon loading somethings just default back to all being on channel 1 for example and then you just get a horrible mess and have to spend 10 mins reconfiguring. But i can see where itd be good.

If things start moving into the V-rack type systems and more DSP based platforms then i can see it coming back but at the mo for synths anyways multi instances are probably better as polyphony can be set easier and generally making the damn things takes a lot less time as theres a lot less to mess about with. This is especially true if your into things like Reaktor. Trying to make multi timbral synths can be a nightmare if your trying to keep CPU load down to a minimum whilst providing enough voices for every part.

[EdRyan]

They are really useful.

Logic has other M/O devices. You can use the EXS sampler in the same way, and the ES2 and Sculpture can also do multiple discreet outputs, but as 5.1 devices. That is different, but still allows you to do some interesting stuff with a bit of planning.

M/O Ultrabeat is fantastic. Absolutely love using it. I've noticed it's helped me with mixing drums, because you can route everything apart, process it individually in terms of level, eq, effects and compression, and then route them back together (if you wish) and place a compressor and eq to help gel them back into one coherent sound

I just wish they gave you more then 8 mono and 8 stereo outs. If I'm using a lot of one particular kit, it can get a bit hectic !

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by EdRyan

They are really useful.

Logic has other M/O devices. You can use the EXS sampler in the same way, and the ES2 and Sculpture can also do multiple discreet outputs, but as 5.1 devices. That is different, but still allows you to do some interesting stuff with a bit of planning.

M/O Ultrabeat is fantastic. Absolutely love using it. I've noticed it's helped me with mixing drums, because you can route everything apart, process it individually in terms of level, eq, effects and compression, and then route them back together (if you wish) and place a compressor and eq to help gel them back into one coherent sound

I just wish they gave you more then 8 mono and 8 stereo outs. If I'm using a lot of one particular kit, it can get a bit hectic !

I would say give battery a try then as you can have upto (this is the last time i looked anyways) 16 stereos and 16 monos

[EdRyan]

Originally Posted by JAYDMF

Synths however i dont feel really need it any more as its just as easy to run several instances and probably better (the only benefit would be surround sound pads or effects but not many people can listen in true 5.1 or have the equipment/setup to make it, plus it would require 2 mixes).

Ahh, this is a tricky one..

You don't 'have' to do seperate mixes of projects for 5.1 and stereo versions.

I use Logic, and one of it's neatest tricks is a plug-in that allows you to down convert from 5.1 to stereo. It even allows you to adjust the volume of the rear inputs, centre and sub into the stereo mix. It can get a bit leary on busy material, but if you've done a good job of mixing it in the first place then it's not really that big a problem.

It's the same when going from Stereo to 5.1. The amount of re-issues in 5.1 that are lazy, stereo delayed nonsense is quite frankly ridiculous. We covered surround sound in a module and we heard so many files that were doing this. They weren't actually making use of the extra space, they were simply filling it.

If you want to hear, I'll stick up all the bounces. The 5.1, the %.1 to stereo and then stereo mix..

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by EdRyan

Ahh, this is a tricky one..

You don't 'have' to do seperate mixes of projects for 5.1 and stereo versions.

I use Logic, and one of it's neatest tricks is a plug-in that allows you to down convert from 5.1 to stereo. It even allows you to adjust the volume of the rear inputs, centre and sub into the stereo mix. It can get a bit leary on busy material, but if you've done a good job of mixing it in the first place then it's not really that big a problem.

It's the same when going from Stereo to 5.1. The amount of re-issues in 5.1 that are lazy, stereo delayed nonsense is quite frankly ridiculous. We covered surround sound in a module and we heard so many files that were doing this. They weren't actually making use of the extra space, they were simply filling it.

If you want to hear, I'll stick up all the bounces. The 5.1, the %.1 to stereo and then stereo mix..

Yeah i have heard this done, and i agree on the whole lazy stereo to 5.1 one thing. I know you dont have to make a different mix but IMO from hearing stuff bounced from 5.1 to stereo (maybe bounced is the wrong word but its the best one i can think of right now ) its not quite the same id much prefer to make stuff for stereo in stereo and stuff for 5.1 in 5.1 although i appretiate there are work arounds.

[mrfracas]

Originally Posted by JAYDMF

Synths however i dont feel really need it any more as its just as easy to run several instances and probably better (the only benefit would be surround sound pads or effects but not many people can listen in true 5.1 or have the equipment/setup to make it, plus it would require 2 mixes). A good example of where a synth which in hardware had multi outs but in software really doesnt work is the wavestation.

The problem with it is making a synth that responds on every channel to loads of controllers. It can be a b*tch with reaktor sometimes as upon loading somethings just default back to all being on channel 1 for example and then you just get a horrible mess and have to spend 10 mins reconfiguring. But i can see where itd be good.

Thanks for your response, JayDMF.

You have a perfectly good point there; there is little point in multi channeling a synth unless it's multi-timbral.

You mentioned Battery being multi channel, but I can't seem to setup the outputs on my version (3). I can select the output for each cell, but I have no Battery outputs to select on my aux channels. Any advice?

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by mrfracas

Thanks for your response, JayDMF.

You have a perfectly good point there; there is little point in multi channeling a synth unless it's multi-timbral.

You mentioned Battery being multi channel, but I can't seem to setup the outputs on my version (3). I can select the output for each cell, but I have no Battery outputs to select on my aux channels. Any advice?

Im not a logic user but in cubase you have to go to the VSTi page (ie the panel that pops up with a list of slots for you to load the VSTis into) and theres a little option to make the extra outputs active depending on how youve configured them in Batterys options. I dont have my copy of cubase on this computer nor can i access it at the mo to show you what i mean but im sure there is something similar in logic (later versions anyways). Just be careful as the default is to load some rediculous amount of outs which in cubase fills more than a screen in length (and you have to restart the instance of battery once youve changed the settings in options - this i only in cubase 3 for anyone reading in 4 you can knock off the channels one by one)

[mrfracas]

Originally Posted by JAYDMF

Im not a logic user but in cubase you have to go to the VSTi page (ie the panel that pops up with a list of slots for you to load the VSTis into) and theres a little option to make the extra outputs active depending on how youve configured them in Batterys options. I dont have my copy of cubase on this computer nor can i access it at the mo to show you what i mean but im sure there is something similar in logic (later versions anyways). Just be careful as the default is to load some rediculous amount of outs which in cubase fills more than a screen in length (and you have to restart the instance of battery once youve changed the settings in options - this i only in cubase 3 for anyone reading in 4 you can knock off the channels one by one)

No worries!

I get all the channels I need from Kontakt anyway; I'm sure I'll find out how to get multi channel Battery operating at some point. I think I might be missing a .dll!

[sphelan]

I can see the point of this. But can't seem to get it to work in Sonar. I must be thick or something! Do I need to set something in Kontakt or Battery first?

[mrfracas]

Originally Posted by sphelan

I can see the point of this. But can't seem to get it to work in Sonar. I must be thick or something! Do I need to set something in Kontakt or Battery first?

As long as you're using multi channel versions of the plugins, everything should be fine. You just need to make sure you assign sounds to the outputs you would like. Once you've assigned them, they will remain routed through the main channel strip of that plugin, until you setup up an auxiliary channel, to which you input the desired output of the plugin. Once that is done, whatever is assigned to that output will be routed through that aux channel, and not the main channel strip.

If that hasn't helped, consult your manual. I tried finding something on the Sonar forum, but the search results come up pretty odd!

[sphelan]

Yeah, the Sonar forum is a minefield! And I couldn't find anything useful. I am also looking on the NI website for Kontatk and Battery related info. I think I have Battery pretty much sorted out now, but Kontakt and Kore are another matter!

Maybe this is a stupid question but Multiple Outputs has nothing to do with assigning Channels within Kontakt and then the same Channels in Sonar midi tracks, has it? If I set up several instruments in Kontakt and set each to a different channel number I can then set the track output of each track to that channel. Is this what we mean by multiple outputs?

[sphelan]

Well the good news is that I have been drudging through this technique at various times during the day...and finally I THINK I have it cracked.

I have used info adapted from NI Knowledge Base in reference to both Battery 3 and Kontakt 3. I couldn't find anything specifically on Sonar there nor on the Sonar forums. But through a combination of this and trial and error, I have both programs set with multi output settings.

It has been quite difficult to get it to work and I know I need to repeat it tomorrow to consolidate it. I saved what I got to work so at least it's there as a reference.

Thanks mrfracas for starting the thread and all who contributed. It has been a difficult lesson to learn but I think I have taken a big step up today in my music production. Something that might seem so simple to seasoned producers has proved to be the opposite for a novice like me...but boy has it been worth it!! I look forward to getting further into this technique.

[sphelan]

Actually, can some one just clear up a doubt I have?

If I set up a drum kit in Battery with 16 sounds, for example, is it necessary to send each of these to a different bus in Sonar or can I just route them all to the master? Or in Kontakt, if I have the same amount of instruments loaded in the rack, should each go to a separate bus in the DAW? Will it affect the overall control of each element if they don't?

[mrfracas]

Originally Posted by sphelan

Actually, can some one just clear up a doubt I have?

If I set up a drum kit in Battery with 16 sounds, for example, is it necessary to send each of these to a different bus in Sonar or can I just route them all to the master? Or in Kontakt, if I have the same amount of instruments loaded in the rack, should each go to a separate bus in the DAW? Will it affect the overall control of each element if they don't?

You can route any number of sounds to a single output; they each have different stages along the routing where parameters can be altered. Firstly, you have the properties for each sound; then their groups (as in Kontakt); and finally, the output/aux channel. Just like your main output, there is no limitation to the amount of sound sources you route to each instrument output and subesquent bus; the only limitation is the number of outputs through which you can route.

I hope that's cleared up your issue.