Hey dennis how can i properly record the fx from the spark into cubase? Also can i use spark as a midi controller on an instrument track with another plug in and record the efx.
Hi ASR Blue,
Thanks for asking the question on the Forum!
When talking about fx...do you mean fx pad? The technique will be different depenting if you are on filter position or slicer position.
In filter position it's pretty easy. You fingers movements will be recorded as an automation in your Cubase automation track (next to your midi instrument track). You just need to make sure your VST is in "write" position:
With the slicer it's a little bit more complicated as you need the Spark sequencer to be running in order to write the automation. The problem now is that you will hear both the Spark sequencer and the cubase midi sequence.
The trick is:
- have your midi sequence written in Cubase and played from Cubase
- Have the "host" button in Spark lightened up
- Select a Spark pattern (exemple D6) that is completely blank
- Record the slicer automation while Spark internal sequencer is playing a blank pattern
This video is in French and might be translated soon...Anyway you can see Franco recording a Bit Crusher automation on Cubase (5mn20s to 7mn):
Beside I think you can use the fx pad to control another instrument. You'll just need to parameters that from the Spark Midi Control Center.
I you can't make it work, then let me know and I'll ask one of the engineers working on the Spark project. The will know better than me as I personally never used this function.
Spark user here - like it v much overall. Bit disappointed at the velocity sensing and even-ness on the pads which is a bit all over the place...
Anyway, anyone had any luck recording fx data when spark is midi controller? it keeps triggering a chord for me at the same time...
more detail here: Has anyone got FX pad working when Spark is midi controller?
Woow! I saw your message on the Arturia forum...Kevin! help me!
Well, just to update this as objectively as possible. Turns out the spark, at present, can't really be used as universal midi controller in Logic. Disabling the private midi ports may stop the spark triggering a plugins notes, but the private messages are still heard when Logic is midi-learning any parameters, and as such one can't seem to control, for instance, cutoff on one knob and wave mix on another (ES M plugin for instance). Logic just gets confused. I'm really disappointed by this. If anyone did get this working please message me, but despite working hard to get to the bottom of the problem, Kevin (Arturia Spark support) was also unable to either at this time. I think i'm going to return the product given that this "universal midi controller" functionality was really important.
OK well i am almost certainly shooting myself in the foot a bit here, but if you get the controller set up how you like in the spark midi controller setup program, then disconnect the usb cable...
...and reconnect with old school midi...it seems to work.
I really hope Arturia manage to get this working properly with logic as disconnecting and reconnecting the usb isn't exactly the smoothest solution, and of course you now need a 9vDC adaptor to power it.
But it does save me from the evils of NI...
I'm going to put a feature request on the Arturia forum, but i think it would be incredibly useful if...
At present toggling the mute solo and select buttons allows the pads to get 3 different levels of functionality. (once the select midi off trigger bug is fixed anyway...)
It would be FANTASTIC if this could also apply to the 24 rotary encoders.
Anyway, I hope this helps out anyone else trying to get Spark working in logic or any other daw as a controller.
OK well i am almost certainly shooting myself in the foot a bit here, but if you get the controller set up how you like in the spark midi controller setup program, then disconnect the usb cable...
...and reconnect with old school midi...it seems to work.
I was looking around at the other options again, and nothing out there has the brilliant layout of spark, the transport controls, the number of encoders, velocity sensitive pads, display.
As a controller this thing is great, and could be *awesome* (goof) with a few bug fixes and improved functions. (for instance, ability to change label sent to display... it tells you the midi CC correctly, but if you could alter the name to say "cut off" or whatever...)
Please bear with me as I'm not just new to the Spark but music production as a whole.
I don't think so but you might tell me I'm wrong, I want to create a pattern that will be the basis for a whole song and then either add or remove notes for the intro or drops, breakdowns etc. I can do this in Live after I've exported the pattern but it seems quite fiddly keeping track of what each note is, or in the Spark I can Save the project, export, edit and repeat but both seem more complicated than they need to be. surely this should be possible in the Spark sequencer?
Please bear with me as I'm not just new to the Spark but music production as a whole.
I don't think so but you might tell me I'm wrong, I want to create a pattern that will be the basis for a whole song and then either add or remove notes for the intro or drops, breakdowns etc. I can do this in Live after I've exported the pattern but it seems quite fiddly keeping track of what each note is, or in the Spark I can Save the project, export, edit and repeat but both seem more complicated than they need to be. surely this should be possible in the Spark sequencer?
Huuuummm....here is my answer: I think I don't exactly understand your question...!
I think to need to find the workflow that will best fit your way of making music. Here are some possible workflows:
- Do everything inside of Spark
- Do everything inside of Spark and use the song mode
- Use the drag and drop midi files
- Use thedrag and drop wav files
- Do everything inside of Spark and have each instrument output on a different channel
- Play with Spark and have the pads recorded in Live
- Play with Spark and have the sequencer recorded in Live
Hope it helped anyway...I personally use Spark in standalone mode with a friend playing guitar! I start on A1, then copy it to A2 (change it) then copy it to A3 and so on...Well can the other beat makers here let us know theire workflow?
I start on A1, then copy it to A2 (change it) then copy it to A3 and so on..
This is what I want to do, but I copy A1 to A2 (change it) and any changes I make to A2 also happen to A1 or vice-versa and so on...I want the changes I am making to only affect A2 and not A1 as well.
Figured it out, sorry was me being stupid, was trying to select the pattern on the top part of the software but selecting it on the hardware jogwheel bit works fine.
can someone tell me how to trigger the Drum hits from Cubase's own Midi channel?
I've got each hit on seperate outputs but don't want to work on patterns in Spark, i want spark to play according to the patterns i create in Cubase, i cant figure out how to turn Sparks internal sequencer off and just use Cubase?
can someone tell me how to trigger the Drum hits from Cubase's own Midi channel?
I've got each hit on seperate outputs but don't want to work on patterns in Spark, i want spark to play according to the patterns i create in Cubase, i cant figure out how to turn Sparks internal sequencer off and just use Cubase?
Thnkx
W
Hi,
I suggest you go to the preferences and select: "send midi from sequencer" => no
If you definitely don't wan't to use the Spark Sequencer you can also work on an empty pattern.
If you still want to trigger the instruments using the Spark pads then in the preferences choose: "Send Midi from pads" => yes
These options are available in the V1.4.1 that you can download from Arturia web site.
I suggest you go to the preferences and select: "send midi from sequencer" => no
If you definitely don't wan't to use the Spark Sequencer you can also work on an empty pattern.
If you still want to trigger the instruments using the Spark pads then in the preferences choose: "Send Midi from pads" => yes
These options are available in the V1.4.1 that you can download from Arturia web site.
Cheers,
D
Thanks Denis, can i just ask about one more thing.
I now have Cubase triggering the pads and everything routed nicely to each individual out (having changed all the outs 1,2,3,4 etc in the Spark mixer)
But now when i want to preview the other drum presets it doesn't remember my output settings and instead defaults back to Master only. Is there not a way to tell the mixer to keep its output routing settings in-between presets?
how well does spark work as just a plug in instrument?
ie. without controller
considering upgrading to V3 collection
There is still an issue in Cubase where when playing the Spark pattern back, it loses timing every 3 or 4 loops through the step sequenced pattern. For this reason I have to export the beat and choose the 1 or 2 bars where the timing is correct-then copy that section in Cubase. Not exactly efficient. Arturia got back to me about 3 months later (not kidding) and I told the 'support guy' that they have the worst support (surpassing YellowTools) and he missed the boat by 3 months. Useless!
Yup. I understand the epic pain that Spark puts people through. I haven't had to deal with this kind of problem since Micrologic (Sysex-wiped all my synths in '94!)
NOTE: There IS a way to copy patterns and it's covered in the Arturia Tutorial Videos.
However, no one in our studio has been able to get it to work in our Logic setup and after wasting days going through the troubleshooting we ended up copying the Spark samples into the EXS24 to hit the deadline.
Spark is a beautifully made piece of kit, which is part of the reason I loved it but it's so far been too much of a pain to recommend at the moment. There's a great guy called, "Kevin" on the arturia site who is hugely helpful and i'll post back when he's probably solved the Logic problem but from what I hear, there are similar problems with other Arturia designs. Pity because they sound amazing.
Hold Select + Erase then
Pattern (x) -> Pattern (x)
Can someone please clarify, i'm doing the right thing?
---- That's what the video says but i've just ended up ERASING my orginal pattern because COPY uses the E R A S E button ( Seriously?! )
I'm doing it wrong or this is just Extremely BAD User Experience design, …not unlike having 'Quit' next to 'Close Window'
… or 'Coffee Dispense' next to 'Launch Missile'
… or 'dry laundry' next to 'punch baby'
Hells teeth!
I am starting to see why these get returned to the shop!
Tutorial Video That's what the video says but i've just ended up ERASING my orginal pattern because COPY uses the E R A S E button ( Seriously?! )
I'm doing it wrong or this is just Extremely BAD User Experience design, …not unlike having 'Quit' next to 'Close Window'
… or 'Coffee Dispense' next to 'Launch Missile'
… or 'dry laundry' next to 'punch baby'
hahahaha
glad i'm not the only one that has had this happen too!
it is definitely a poor design choice...i would have much preferred probably any other button pairing lol
i have been extremely careful though and I don't have much trouble copying anymore
I managed a workaround, I had the spark VDM send the audio to bus 7-8 and then creayed a new audio track that was a sample that had bus 7-8 as an input .
Ok gang - I'm really frustrated here. After spending an hour with the environment and doing all the stuff in the Arturia videos, I can record pads into logic BUT...only the live pads that I hit.
My goal is to start recording an logic and record ALL midi data so I can essentially record my live playing into logic. Using the videos etc, all that I can record is pads that I hit, not those already recorded.
In other words: If I wanted to lay a 4/4 kick and record that pattern, logic will record only the first 4 hits when I physically hit the pads. Even though Spark is playing a continuous beat, logic doesn't record the subsequent (looped) hits. Does anyone know how to fix this? I would rather not have to use regular midi and spark as an external controller - kind of defeats the purpose for me.
this guy seems to have an excellent series to watch, especially if you're new to the spark.
i found this one to be the most helpful so far:
oh and @atimchak, are you using the right spark driver? it works fine for me, i trigger sidechains only using midi from the spark. it has to be playing though, nothing will happen if it's not playing
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