[LAU] LV2 synths for Ardour 3?

[Leigh Dyer]

On 06/27/2011 06:33 PM, allcoms wrote:
> Hi Leigh!
>
>> 4) Select Plugins/Calf Monosynth/Cutoff. An automation lane should appear
>> below your track
>
> Ah yes, quite embarrassed am I! Thats how it should work in theory yes
> but I've not had any luck just yet. I've tried automating monosynth
> cutoff as you have under both with A3 alpha5 under natty with the calf
> plugins from the repos and using A3 alpha8 with the calf plugins that
> come with AV Linux 5 (which should be very recent git versions I'd
> imagine although I'm not able to check right now) and in both cases
> the sound altered slightly as soon as the first bit of MIDI CC data
> was encountered but then- nothing ie no dynamic adjustment of cutoff
> via auto curves occured.

Be careful with the terminology here -- MIDI CCs aren't being used at 
all with this kind of plugin automation. Ardour is sending values to the 
LV2 control ports on the synth plugin, without using MIDI at all. That's 
why the same technique works for automating parameters on effects 
plugins that have no MIDI ports (in both Ardour 3 and Ardour 2).

Ardour 3 will support MIDI CC automation, too, and that will be very 
handy for external synths, but for plugins, I think plugin automation is 
the way to go.

That said, I'm not sure why you're having trouble with this -- it 
definitely should work. I know Paul Davis mentioned some issues with 
automation in the alpha 8 release notes, so that may be related. 
Hopefully you'll have more luck with the next alpha.

If you want to make sure your automation value are actually being 
applied, you can check visually by leaving the plugin UI open while you 
play your track. You should see the parameter value change as the track 
plays; in this case, you'd see the Cutoff knob turning itself.

Thanks
Leigh