MIDI Control - cannot assign or learn controls in Solina V

[MarkEdmonds]

I've just bought the V Collection 4. Next day, I find that you cannot assign MIDI to the controls in the Solina and as automation doesn't work properly as well, I am seriously stuck mid way through a project.

Windows 7 64bit
Cubase 7.5.40 64bit
Solina v1.1.0.76

Here is a repro. You can use VST2.4, VST3 or Standalone - none of them work with this function.

Load the plugin and open the GUI.
Click on the MIDI button so the controls glow purple.
Now select any control by clicking on it. Nothing happens. Where is the control assign dialog that is shown in the manual?

I cannot get the midi learn and assign dialog to appear. It appears in some other Arturia synths but not the Solina (and not the Vox Continental either )

This is a fairly major bug as you can't control the synth. I've tried automation but that doesn't work properly either. With automation on the sliders, you can see the controls moving but there is no change. Try automation on the volume sliders for example.

So no automation on the parameters I want to automate and dead MIDI control. Help!!

Can anyone help please? The Solina sounds seriously great but this bug is killing my project.

Thanks folks.

[LBH]

I've just bought the V Collection 4. Next day, I find that you cannot assign MIDI to the controls in the Solina and as automation doesn't work properly as well, I am seriously stuck mid way through a project.

Windows 7 64bit
Cubase 7.5.40 64bit
Solina v1.1.0.76

Here is a repro. You can use VST2.4, VST3 or Standalone - none of them work with this function.

Load the plugin and open the GUI.
Click on the MIDI button so the controls glow purple.
Now select any control by clicking on it. Nothing happens. Where is the control assign dialog that is shown in the manual?

I cannot get the midi learn and assign dialog to appear. It appears in some other Arturia synths but not the Solina (and not the Vox Continental either )

This is a fairly major bug as you can't control the synth. I've tried automation but that doesn't work properly either. With automation on the sliders, you can see the controls moving but there is no change. Try automation on the volume sliders for example.

So no automation on the parameters I want to automate and dead MIDI control. Help!!

Can anyone help please? The Solina sounds seriously great but this bug is killing my project.

Thanks folks.

I use Windows 10 and Presonus Studio One 3 DAW and the newest updates from Arturia.

I can confirm the MIDI learn  Dialog Box is missing in both Solina V and VOX V.

I can assign controls even if i can't see the dialog box. But i can't use the parameters in the dialog box as shown in the manual, and i can't unassign a control using this method. That's bad.

I can assign and unassign controls using Studio One control link and using Novation automap.
But in my Automap i can add that both Solina V and VOX V show as fx mode and not in the normal Instrument mode. This is'nt good,

Arturia need to correct this.
To be sure please contact Arturia technical support.

In the meantime.
I can automate parameters in my DAW. I hav'nt automated all of them yet.
Can you give an example of a parameter you can't automate in your DAW?

From what you tell, i assume you have checked the MIDI device settings in the Arturia instruments Setup menus. Else try that. Perhaps a setting is needed.

[MarkEdmonds]

Thanks for your reply LBH and confirming the bugs.

Examples of the parameters I have been trying to automate but cannot are the volume sliders for main volume, bass and upper section. The buttons can be automated OK.

With the sliders, you can see them moving but there is no difference in sound at the time they move. What happens is that at some point after the automation is read, the control them jumps to the final setting with no gradual movement in between.

So imagine I fade out the main volume and draw ina simple curve to do this. The project plays OK and I can see the slider moving but the volume remains the same ... until... at the end of the automation section, the sound suddenly jumps to the new volume level. Hence, it is totally impossible for me to control anything like this as the midi control is also broken.

On the MIDI settings, I did try deleting the current config first but that didn't make any difference. In the Solina, it seemed as if almost all controllers were linked to the Poly button and it wasn't possible to assign any other controls.

There is another bug in the Solina that I haven't got a repro for yet but where the sound level suddenly jumps even though there are no controllers or notes at that time. Consequently, in my project, it starts playing at the level I set it to but half way through, that level shoots up and sounds like all tones are on full. If I can trace this one, I'll report it.

I have to say I am really disappointed in these bugs. The Solina and Vox sounds great and has real character but as per my previous experience of Arturia products from a few years ago, there are too many serious bugs that kill workflow and enjoyment. I was actually thinking of getting a Minibrute and Beatstep but that is out of the question now until we start getting some bug fixes here.

I have reported the midi control issue via Arturia technical support.

[ben arturia]

Hi all,

I've been testing your problem of midi learn.
The dialog box is missing and this is a bug sorry for that.
Remember that if you want to delete a midi assignement a right click will remove the midi learn on the dedicated parameter.
Midi learn does work correctly here for me. I've been testing in Cubase 8 and standalone on windows 8.
I've automated successfully the main volume. I can play back the track and my automation is ok.

I'd be glad to help you Mark, could you make a little video of your problem.

[MarkEdmonds]

Thank you Ben.

I'll see what I can do to show this automation problem - it will be next week for this.

I can automate the voice buttons OK so the trumpet switches in and out for example but the sliders don't seem to work properly. They animate but they don't automate until the last automation point is passed and then the automation jumps to that level. This is in Cubase 7.5.40.

Interesting thing to add:

I've just done a simple project with a single Solina in it and used the right mouse click method you mentioned and it worked for MIDI learn.

Also, automation worked fully.

However, in a more complex project I have which has 2 Solina and multiple midi tracks and lots of automation, I couldn't get midi learn or automation on slider controls to work. I removed the VST3 version and installed the VST2.4 version and the same thing happened but the project sounded completely different as if the instruments were initialising from a different starting point. This would imply there might be a parameter change in the patch settings between VST2.4 and 3 but that's another matter and not important now.

I'll get back to my main project and find a good example of the automation not working and get a screen cap video done for it. Back with more later.....

[LBH]

@MarkEdmonds

FWIW.

I can automate Master, Upper and Bass volume. It's not running as smooth as it could and should when controlling in real time. It's steppy between gradual values. But it's not jumping from off to on like yours. And when the automation is recorded, then it's not steppy anymore. I've had some small volume jumps but can't tell if it's me that's responsible using the control. Could be. I test on dry sounds.
I have no problem when drawing the automation. Could this be a DAW issue?
If this happens for you using your controller, then i was thinking if your control maybe was configured like a button to produce a on/ off behavior. But if so, then you would have the same behavior using the control on other things.

I can tell that the graphical modwheel on Solina never return fully to 0 when i use it. It stops at a random place above 0. Only on Solina the modwheel don't return to 0 for me.
And i have had another issue than yours with the "Poly" function that i solved by reinstalling Solina V.

A video for Ben Arturia could be a good idea if possible.


@Ben Arturia

Thanks for the info and the confirming.


Happy New Year all.

[MarkEdmonds]

Evening All,

I've been trying to get something together to show the problem I had but the problem I've got now is it is all working OK! I started off trying all kinds of test conditions but they worked so eventually, I went back to the original project, played it through and it played correctly.

Very strange. This wasn't my imagination. I've got hard proof with exports that clearly let you hear how the automation wasn't working properly.

So what could have been going wrong?

The original project was my first use of Solina, it featured 2 instances with multiple midi tracks feeding the upper and bass sections, overlapping midi regions and transposition on the bass section (I was basically using it to re-create a bizarre sounding church organ which it does very well!). The automation was mainly on voice selection plus bass/upper volume so I could emulate swell boxes and softer voiced pipes.

Now given the problem I first had with MIDI learn not working, perhaps I managed to get the plugin into an "alien" state which then prevented automation being read. After I used the right click which Ben mentioned, maybe that solved the plugin state and got every thing back to normal?

Who knows, I'm guessing here but the current situation is that after a lot testing with new and old projects, different conditions and automation on different features, the automation has been fine.

I did encounter one problem though which again, only happened on the first instance and then went away. This was with the Upper Resonator section which after making some settings, was simply doing nothing until I moved the Mode slider around a few times and then it jumped into life.

Conclusion then: automation problem gone. The Upper Resonator section failing to work at first still indicates to me that there are some intermittent bugs in the plugin but that is a separate issue and one I'll report if it happens again.

So thank you all for your help. I suggest this one is closed for now unless it happens again. Ghosts in the machine.

All the best folks