Lack of midi channel select - A childs disease?

Taking my statement from the technical issues department to the feature requests. My request is the ability to set the midi channel Guitar Rig is to "listen" to. This would really, really solve a major problem for me when setting up my new multi midi device rig.

"I´m still quite SHOCKED to find that NI has "slept in midi class" and overlooked such a basic feature as setting a midi channel, not leaving it stuck on omni, in Guitar Rig. Beats me, and I choose to look at it as a childs disease, and something that will be delt with by NI programmers ASAP, now that they will be made aware of it..."

(http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/showthread.php?p=395710#post395710)

 

OK, time to turn this into a more normal feature request... It´s just that my planned rig won´t function properly (meaning without what should be unnecessary workarounds) without the ability to set the midi channel in Guitar Rig. Therefore, the outburst, after discovering it...

But anyway, NI tech people who frequently read this part of the forum: Would it demand a lot of programming to have GR listen to only a selected midi channel, not omni?

I think that is a must for using Guitar Rig in a guitar rig (!). At least it is for me, and it would surprise me if I´m alone in having this problem.

So, please: Midi channel select in Guitar Rig 3.2!

 

Just to emphasize my point, and how the poor midi capabilities is hurting NI... Over at the forum for the Gordius Little Giant midi controller, we´re discussing how it still might be possible to use Guitar Rig as part of a true midi controlled "real" guitar rig, which is made somewhat more difficult by GR´s lack of a midi channel select.

Says software developer Mike:

"I've learned enough about Guitar Rig here and at the FCB1010 forums to conclude I can't use it.

This is so surprising; being that GR is all software and thus COMPLETELY configurable (post-purchase), what can't its developers pull their heads out into the daylight and provide a more typical MIDI implementation?"

 

I've said it many times - it's amazing that NI ignores more sophisticated issues in integrating GR with other MIDI products when NI themselves are vendors of so many other MIDI products. It's as though their guitar products division is operating in a vacuum apart from the rest of the company.

 

For anyone thinking that I complain to much... I do this for NIs own good. I love their products, for the most. But with A LITTLE bit more of listening to costumer needs, they would be just perfect!

Darc, are you in on counting how many of the feature requests in the forum which have actually been listened to? :-D

 

I wasn't aware of the omni restriction until I read this but now that I am,I still find it hard to believe in such an oversight.
would that still apply within a VST host?

 

No, I believe that a VST host will do as a workaround. Either that, or a midi filter software or hardware. But, still a workaround. I hate workarounds! :-D

 

This is not good. I use other midi equipment in my setup. I had hoped to integrate GR seamlessly into the system. Now it appears that I will have to bring along ANOTHER controller just for GR.

Yes GR software gurus, PLEASE allow midi channel select! Perhaps as part of a service pack?

 

I too hope and pray that the NI programmers will come to their senses for the next upgrade!

In the meantime, I will probably be using the split midi out feature planned in the next upgrade for my Gordius Little Giant midi controller (http://www.gordius.be), after Xavier, the maker, started to work on this when my problems (yep, just because of ONE request!) problems with Guitar Rig and the lack of midi channel select arose.

Other workarounds include the MidiPipe software (http://web.mac.com/nicowald/SubtleSoft/MidiPipe.html), if you´re on a Mac like I am, for filtering midi messages.

If you like hardware stuff better, you may want to go for the Midi Solutions Router (http://www.midisolutions.com/prodrte.htm).

And then have the 149 dollar bill sent directly to" Native Instruments GmbH, Schlesische Strasse 28, 10997 Berlin".... ;-)

 

AlexV, thanks for the link to the midi router. It just might save GR3's bacon in my system.

I wrote a review in Harmony Central this week mostly praising GR3. Unfortunately in order to give it an honest review, I had to give a 'not recommend' in the overall impressions. The reason was because of the midi issue. This is very frustrating indeed because I like so many things about the software.

I would like nothing more than to edit my review and praise NI for the midi channel select feature that they included in the last (hopefully coming soon in the near future) update.

NI are you listening?

 

Actually, I had feared some moderator "buy something for what it can do now, and not for what you think it might be able to do in the future "-stuff when bringing this issue up...

To take it further: When you buy a car, you may be concerned whether it has nice additional gear like sun roof, air condition and so on. However, upon buying, you´ll probably won´t bother checking if it has a stearing mechanism. That´s how I look at the lack of midi channel select; It will work fine if you´re alone on a road that heads straight ahead for as long as the eye can see. But for driving on a normal road, with other cars, stearing is a necessity, as is midi channel select when "driving" with other gear. And as with stearing, this is something that would never fall into my mind to check before buying.

On a 1 to 10 scale of irritating flaws and shortcomings, this is a 9. I would define the unability to set BPM for each preset in GR2 as a shortcoming in category 7... And THAT was dealt with in the upgrade to GR3. So I see the light at the end of the tunnel for the midi channel issue. But I would hate to wait until GR4, statistically out late autumn 2009...

 

Coming home today from a round trip with car in central Europe, we were on the verge of dropping by at NIs headquarters in Berlin to take a serious chat on midi... Because I still hope that this isnt´t a lost cause. :-D

 

The option to set the listenng MIDI Channel of Guitar Rig will be included with a future update.

best regards,
André

 

I´m so happy that I´m speechless! And I apologize for having to use such strong words towards you to make my point... I´ll go tell the guys in other forums who were just as puzzled as I was with this issue.

Thanks, André!

 

Where is it, André?

I have made sure that I have the latest update of GR3 installed, but I'm still not able to find the midi channel select function. André, could you please tell me where to find it...?

 

I found it! :-D

 

I just wanted to check that the new Vs of GR3 now has a midi receive channel instead of Omni. Is this correct?
I'm still on 3.1.1.010. Can I go straight to 3.2.1 or do I have to download the Vs before that?