How you connect your sequencer (Logic Pro) to HN

Ok,

I did some testing with HN and found it to be a very inspiring tool. However, what really got on my nerves very soon was the sound coming from the Quicktime GM Player. So my first piece of work was to improve the sound by connecting HN to my Audio application which is Apple’s Logic Pro, but this should basically be the same for comparable software. I do not use any outboard gear, so I can’t use any of the already existing GM presets for devices. I need to have an installation, that finally makes use of the built in Audio instruments of Logic. In order to i) tell other people with the same idea, how it can be done ii) get some feedback from others who did it already and can tell me what can be done more efficiently I will describe now what I did:

In order to achieve a inter application communication for midi you need to activate the IAC (which surprisingly stands for Inter Application Communication ...) in the Audio-Midi-Configuration, which is a utility software on your mac. (not to mix that up with the Audio & Midi Setup in HN, which also plays an important role). You do that by clicking on the IAC driver icon, than open the properties and check the box for „Gerät ist bereit“ (something like „device active“ ).

Once you did that, Logic will listen to midi data coming from that bus in addition to what you have as your standard midi interface. The physical data flow into Logic is through the physical input into the sequencer. The data is routed to the instrument, which is currently selected in the Logic in the arrange window, which is normally not what you want, as a pattern in HN usually sends more than one instrument at a time. Therefore in order to split the midi data up into the various instruments, you need a channel splitter to be the selected object in the arrange window.

This splitter needs to be wired to your audio instruments as required e.g. channel 1 to the EXS24 piano, channel 2 to the real guitar, channel 3 to ES 2 bass etc etc.. In case you are not familiar with the Logic-environment I can send you an .lso file which shows that wiring. Ok, the Logic side is prepared now. The next steps are in HN. You go to Harmony Navigator > Preferences > Instruments > Audio&Midi Setup. First thing you do here is, that you select the IAC bus under drivers to be the output. Depending on how many other midi connections you have on your system, you may see more output connections here. You have to decide, which ones you need in addition to he iac connection.

Ok, so now HN sends midi data through the iac bus and you should be able to get some of this data already in Logic. So your channel splitter will receive information and share it with the connected instruments. However, it most likely will not sound the way you wanted, because HN sends GM program changes which are meaningless if there is no GM device on the other side. We want to use the Logics internal instruments, which has nothing to do with GM.

So what’s next? We will now create a new device under „Devices, Sounds“. You create a new device and give it a meaningful name e.g. „Logic“. Then you need to add a soundbank to this new device. Now you can go though all the possible sounds in the „Instrument Categories“. Let’s say you have the following setup in Logic: Channel 1 is EXS Piano, Channel 2 is Real Guitar, Channel 3 is ES2 Bass, Channel 10 is Ultrabeat Drums. Then you want to go through the Instrument Categories and locate the Piano. Under Accoustic Piano you say „Add Sound“ and call it „Logic Piano“. As this is not a GM sound, you use the far right check box to assign a fixed channel to it, in this case „1“ for the Piano. You do the same thing for the other instruments and assign their respective channels. In addition you can also add the standard volume and default velocity. Wow, quite lengthy so far. Please let me know, if you find steps in here, which you think can be done better. Once you try closing these windows again, HN will prompt you to save the changes and then store them under library/application support/harmony navigator/config.

Ok, so we‘ve almost there. But here‘s something, that will keep you busy for some more time. The accompaniment patterns do not only define the phrases, which they use, but also the instruments. That means, that every time you load a pattern through the pull down menu in a palette, the respective GM instruments are selected along with it, which may not fit your Host connection. Therefore you have to edit these patterns - all the ones you want. It is pretty simple to do that now, as you have already prepared everything. What you need to do is:

you select a pattern though the pull-down in a palette
you select Edit > Current Accompaniment
in the main window you see the little MIDI icons and you click on one of them
this opens the instruments properties where you now select the Logic instruments you created before
in the middle column with the green icons you select a proper volume and pan setting for each sound
you do a File > Save as ... and pick a name which reminds you that this is a specific setting for Logic
you click ok and can use the pattern now with your configuration

Well, please tell me, if that worked for you and if there‘s a better way of doing it. I find HN a very interesting tool, which deserves a high quality sound. In the end even if the harmonics in theory are the same, a good sound is one of the most inspiring parameters for the creative musician.

BTW: happy new year 2008. I hope we‘ll get to see a lot more from Cognitone :-)

Regards,
breeze