Hello, i want send cv over midi or mpe to vst aalto synth in reaper. here in the forum i read that midi resolution is only 7-bit. an alternative could be sending lsb and msb via cc0 and cc32. this would give a better resolution. but how could i split the cv in lsb and msb? is there any module or a possibilty in vcvrack?
does mpe gives a higher resolution?
any ideas?
merry christmas karl
This will depend on exactly what MIDI Aalto accepts. If it doesnât recognize 14-bit MIDI then youâre SOL.
if you canât find a way with one of Reaperâs MIDI plugins like
you can always use the MIDI âpitch wheelâ information as it has deeper resolution (+/-8192)
Whatâs your setup? Do you use Aalto as VST plugin inside the rack via the host module? Or do you run both Aalto and VCV Rack as VST plugins inside a DAW?
Which parameters of Aalto do you want to control from VCV? Which control rate/frequency do you need? Inside VCV everything runs on audio rate (e.g. 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz), but usually MIDI messages are transmitted at a much lower rate, so for example FM over MIDI usually wonât work.
Do you really need 14-bit MIDI CC? Do you hear audible artifacts you want to avoid when using 7-bit MIDI CC?
Do you really need Aalto? I think similar sounds could also be created using VCV modules, or you could sample sounds from Aalto and use this samples inside the rack.
MPE has no direct relation to 7-bit versus 14-bit CC resoultion. In MPE, each note has its dedicated MIDI channel, so each note can have its own set of Pitchbend and CC values.
I made a module that converts incoming MIDI MPE data to CV. This module is especially made for my LinnStrument controller, and the LinnStrument can send some 14-bit MIDI CC data. So my module can detect these data and convert them to CV values.
But Iâm not aware of a module that can send 14-bit MIDI data, and sorry, I am not interested in coding such a module.
hello, for better clarification i will describe what i want to do. i us rack free on linux ubuntu studio and reaper with aalto vst. some time ago i decide to bring in most of the ciani patches in one, described by @pyer . i read much about it and decide to try the different features of the buchla marf. so the patch is growing bigger and bigger. my audio has gone in crisp and distortion. i tested to move the audio part inside reaper and that works wonderful. clear sound with 44100 hz. pitch and gates were send to reaper via midi. but now i want send some modulation cv out of vcv to reaper via midi. and i read here, that the resolution is poor. so i ask the professionals for better solutionsđ
What exactly do you modulate?
What max frequency do you use for modulation, e.g. LFO up to 10 Hz, up to 100 Hz or even higher?
Do you hear audio artifacts you want to avoid by using a higher resoultion of the bit-depth?
Maybe make a short video to show us your problem ⌠and if thereâs no problem, then you donât need to fix it.
hello, actually i do not have a problem, because i think about the best solution to transmit over midi. modulation will be not more then an lfo, but my thought is, that e.g. a sine wave will be stepped after transfer with midi in 7bit resolution. or am i wrong?
@karlderletzte did you try the method I suggested here above?
yes and no. as far as i understand, if i use the pitchwheel for that, i can not use the pitchwheel for pitchwheel, or am i wrong?
your list of modules in reaper i do not understand, because my thoughts are about sending cv from vcv in possible higher resolution. how can i do that? if this is possible, then i can use the midi tools in reaper, i think, or not?
no, it was just a suggestion to take a look at, but there is a easy way:
put your modulation signal (LFO, RANDOM and so on) into a VCV Rack âCV->MIDIâ module (pitch wheel socket = PW) and set the module to (for example) âchannel 1â
if you use JACK on linux (I always use JACK instead of PIPEWIRE but I guess if you can use PIPEWIRE properly you can do the same)
open REAPER and set it to receive MIDI from JACK and/or connect cables in JACK
you should get a modulation source on âchannel 1â on the pitch wheel information in REAPER, just connect it to your VST
This is not necessarily true:
So the question is: Does Aalto smooth out incoming MIDI CC data? Afaik the Aalto manual says nothing about this, and also the manual says nothing about Aaltoâs ability to receive 14-bit MIDI CC data. Maybe ask Madrona Labs for clarification.
Otherwise, if you donât encounter a problem with 7-bit data, thereâs no need to eventually go down a rabbit hole and waste a lot of time.
Btw. I downloaded the demo of Aalto and played around with some LFOs over MIDI CC: From my perspective, going up and down the whole pitch range does sound a bit stepped, but on the volume, it sounds smoothed out, but it preserves transients. Try a sawtooth down LFO on level in contrast to a sawtooth up LFO and you will hear the difference ⌠the sawtooth down LFO gives a snappy sound, the swatooth up does not. When I take a closer look at the audio output, I get the following picture (I put in some red lines where the envelope of the audio differs from the LFO, and I would say, this looks like a slew):
At the end, from my perspective Madrona Labs did a good job to handle 7-bit MIDI data.
off-topic: If you really want to dive into all the nuts and bolts of MIDI CC, read this first: MPE+ â Haken Audio
thank you for this deep answer.
i will read the chapter and try to understand 
but i am not shure if i understand your answer regarding the resolution. do you mean, that i can send a cv through any midi-cc? if so, i only need the vcv midi-cc module and connect the cv to a cc port. is this correct?
happy evening
oh yes 
