Old 01-11-2017, 05:54 PM   #1
bldaggerhart
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 4
Default Need help with Half-Sustain on piano

Hello,
I am currently using the trial version of Reaper. I decided to test it out after multiple people telling me of its quality.

In setting up midi, I'm having an issue. While recording midi into Reaper (using the Iowa Piano VST), I am not getting any half-pedaling sustain in the recordings. Basically, my sustain/damper pedal is just acting like a basic on/off switch, which it shouldn't. My signal chain is:

Korg SP250 > (Midi) > Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 > (USB) > Reaper 5.29 (OS X El Capitan).

My track setup is:

1.Insert > Virtual Instrument on New Track
2.Select Piano (Iowa Piano)
3.Build Routing “NO”
4.Change Primary Midi track to: Input Midi > Focusrite > All Channels
5.Arm, Record

It should be noted that, as far as the piano hardware goes, the SP250 (and its pedal) do half-pedaling just fine using its internal audio & speakers. It's just in the midi process.

Am I missing something or setting something up incorrectly? Will this not work with Iowa Piano or Reaper (or both)?

Thanks!

Last edited by bldaggerhart; 01-11-2017 at 05:56 PM. Reason: Reaper & OS details
bldaggerhart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2017, 07:42 PM   #2
pcartwright
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,030
Default

First thought: Are you certain Iowa Piano supports half pedaling?

Second: Have you used this hardware setup with another DAW app (like ProTools or Cubase)? If so, did they have the same issue?

Third: Try inserting ReaControlMidi before your piano vst. Click the button that says show log. Try using the sustain pedal by itself. You should see something like "CC 0 64 ###" where the ### ranges from 0 - 127. When trying the half pedal, do you see a number in the middle (in the 60s or so)? This will tell you if the keyboard is transmitting those half pedal values.
pcartwright is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2017, 08:21 PM   #3
bldaggerhart
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 4
Default

Thanks for the reply!

1 - No, I'm not certain, and there's not a lot of information about the plugin - I was hoping someone else had enough experience with it that they would know, but in hindsight, I see why that may be faulty logic.

2 - I've only ever used friends' setups for recording before, so I don't really have a "Previous" setup to go by.

3 - I've shut down my mac for the night, but I will try all your suggestions tomorrow, thanks so much!
bldaggerhart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2017, 08:22 PM   #4
pcartwright
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,030
Default

My guess is that Iowa Piano is not compatible with half pedaling. I can only think of one VSTi library that supports half pedaling (PianoTeq) though there are probably others. It's not a very common feature.
pcartwright is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2017, 01:19 AM   #5
ivansc
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Near Cambridge UK and Near Questembert, France
Posts: 22,754
Default

And of course are you sure the Korg actually sends half pedal MIDI information from its external port?
It may well do half pedal with the internal sound engine but not support a MIDI out version. I had this problem with my Emu Xboard & never did resolve whether or not I could "get" half pedal output. Even bought on sale or return a damper pedal that supposedly would allow it if the keyboard supported it.
__________________
Ici on parles Franglais
ivansc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2017, 06:19 AM   #6
LugNut
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: So Florida
Posts: 1,428
Default

Hi,
The midi spec sheet of the korg will tell all. No, I'm not gonna look it up:-)
LugNut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2017, 12:22 PM   #7
bldaggerhart
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 4
Default

Thanks for the response. Still haven't gotten back into my studio to do the testing pcartwright recommended but in the meantime, to answer other questions:

ivansc & LugNut, from what I can tell, I believe it does support the half pedal MIDI info. Attached is the last page in the manual re: MIDI, which I'm assuming is the Spec Sheet mentioned (I am somewhat new to MIDI, hopefully this is what you were looking for). You can see at the bottom of the image that the following information is mentioned:

"*3: Half-pedal input/output value (0, 38, 74, 127)"

Does that mean what it seems to mean to my not-very-well-knowledgable-in-MIDI self?

Thanks again for the responses & help!
Attached Images
File Type: gif KorgSP250.gif (55.6 KB, 153 views)
bldaggerhart is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:27 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.