Posted
The last couple of days I've been struggling to use the controller (midi cc) parameters in Synfire to automate synth knobs in Ableton Live whilst the synths are hosted in Drones. I've also been attempting to use Live's automation lanes, once the data has been exported to Live, to control synth knobs when the synths are hosted in Drones.
I think I've got it worked out and have produced a video to demonstrate both the above. The video has been exported with a demo version of screenflow, I will update it when funds allow ;)
If a plugin does not support midi learn, then you have to use the correct cc value for the synth parameter you are trying to automate. You have to get this from the synth's documentation.
One of the synths I was having trouble with is an Access Virus TI. This is a hardware synth with an optional plugin to allow full integration with a DAW (it appears as if its a soft synth). This synth has a number of generic knobs that can be applied to different parameters depending on the needs of the patch. It turned out these can not be automated via Synfire as generic items. You have to use the cc value for the parameter the knob controls. The plugin does not support midi learn either, which makes it more complicated to setup, but you only need to do it once per sound if you save them in a template or device. Other synths may suffer similar restrictions.
