I’m setting up an orchestra template, with one midi track per instrument/articulation. I’m routing all midi tracks to LinuxSampler, and have the tracks configured as follows:
Piccolo - Force all inbound channel to channel 1, Use single fixed channel for all playback, channel 1
Solo Flute - Force all inbound channel to channel 2, Use single fixed channel for all playback, channel 2
Flute Section - Force all inbound channel to channel 3, Use single fixed channel for all playback, channel 3
…and so on…
Incidentally, I’m using multiple instances of LinuxSampler, each loading up to 16 sfz files, but that’s only tangentially related.
I’ve observed the following:
Playing the vertical piano found on an expanded track’s piano roll view, plays on the expected channel.
Entering notes with the mouse created notes on the expected channel.
Routing midi input to a given track, arming the track, hitting record, and playing my digital piano results in notes recorded on the expected channel.
So far so good.
However, if I route midi input to a track and hit keys on the digital piano without recording, it plays through channel 1, and I just hear the piccolo for any tracks in my woodwind section. For what it’s worth, this happens whether the track is armed or not.
Are you aware that linuxsampler can be run as a plugin: http://libremusicproduction.com/tutorials/linuxsampler-and-ardour-using-them-together
I’m not sure I entirely understand your setup, but it sounds like your digital piano only sends midi channel 1. In my experience, when Ardour is not armed for recording, but the green “midi input enable button” is on, then incoming midi should be sent to the midi instrument no matter what the channel selector is set to. That is the channel selector only controls recording and playback. However, have you configured channels within linuxsampler? If only piccolo is configured for channel 1 then that is all that will play if your piano is only sending midi channel 1.
Yes, I’m using LinuxSampler as a plugin on a separate Ardour bus.
I think you answered my question - I think my midi controller only sends events out on channel 1, I was just hoping that my track setup would transform that into the corresponding channel even when record/playback is stopped, but it seems from what you say that the raw midi events just get forwarded on untouched when record/playback is stopped.
If this is the expected behavior, then I’ll stop fighting with it and use something like a midi channel mapper plugin to solve my problem.
The MIDI channel selector only operates on material read from disk (or written to disk), not from live input fed to the output stream. There are some plans to change this, but they are not implemented at this time.
x42 (Robin Gareus) has some MIDI channel mapping plugins that will do what you want.
same issue here. I have a novation launchkey mini with pads transmitting on channel 10. but can’t play them live without recording. I saw some comments from 2015 with the same issue.
Hi…i am a new user here. As per my observation your digital piano only sends midi channel 1. In my experience, when Ardour is not armed for recording, but the green midi input enable button is on, then incoming midi should be sent to the midi instrument no matter what the channel selector is set to.