Is Automap a myth?

[3ohm]

Hi guys.

I see there are a few threads on this topic but none of them offer any advice beyond "running pro Tools as Admin" or "uninstalling and re-installing."

I specifically went for a Novation Impulse keyboard because Automap looked soooo impressive and easy to use in pro Tools. Unfortunately it doesn't work in pro tools apart from the keyboard to play instruments.

It works in most plugins although the faders on the keyboard are always set to midi and cannot be changed to mixer mode, EVER! When I start PT, automap comes up and says there are no mixers to control, "use software setup". The pots can be used and changed in most plugins but do nothing when just in Pt9.

The software setup ALWAYS ends with "automap could not connect to pro tools" and nobody can explain to me why. I've contacted novation support and they just forward it to a guy who is the sole supplier of Novation in my country. His best advice is to run PT as admin. Didn't make a difference.

I'm using an Asus P5K board with 2.6 Quad, 4Gigs ram, ati 512 ddr2 graphic,Texas Instruments firewire card with Mbox3 Pro attached, Win7 Enterprise 64bit. Pro tools worked fine until I installed Automap and then I start getting errors like "error loading controller" and "unable to communicate with HUI" (although not that often)and "PT did not close properly".

I've tried PT9, 9.03, 9.05, 9.06.
I've tried Automap 4, 4.1 and 4.2.
I've tried Win7 Ultimate 32 & 64bit, Win7 Enterprise 64bit.
I've formatted my drives, re-installed windows, PT9 and Automap4 on different drives.
I've searched the net and checked on forums, contacted Novation 'support'.
I even installed it on my Dell XPS i5 laptop with the same results.

What am I doing wrong??? I'm so depressed about this whole thing. I was so excited for months waiting for the Impulse to come out, I was really looking forward to just making music on my new setup but all I do is spend time trying to get everything to work. Instead of actually working.

I'm getting so desperate that I'm considering selling my pc and buying the cheapest imac. I hate macs but if it means I can just boot up and work, then its the only real solution I've found so far. But then again, is there any guarantee that it will solve all my problems?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks from Franks.

[converted]

Hi,. i understand where your coming from.

1 I dont think its a PC issue , its Automap not working correctly with Protools.
(see my post here Novation SLMK 2 with Protools issues)

To be fair on my system using PT10 auto map works fine in regards to controlling transport controlls and automating the mixer.

The problem for me is that although it automatically mapps all my plug ins / instruments and I can move parameters within these plugs / instruments via the SL MK2 but protools wont record any of it.

I have double checked my midi input settings and controoler setting etc but nothing.

If i connect a standard midi controll i can use protools plug in lean , move a parameter on the controller and it records.

SO FAR NOVATION SUPPORT HAVEN'T EVEN BOTHERED TO RESPOND.

I feel like i have wasted my money buying this, will have to sell it and loose money....

[3ohm]

Hi Converted.

Novation 'support' is also a myth.

Do you think it could be firmware related? When I installed the original Automap 4.0 disk, it automatically updated the firmware. Maybe that's the problem on both our systems?

Otherwise there's the whole settings and optimization procedures on Avid site specifically for PT10 and what ever operating system you are using. Might be worth a try? Maybe it's a Pro tools issue you are having?

Sorry, I'm not qualified to sort your problem out but maybe some different ideas on possible solutions is the best were gonna get?

It's pathetic that we are 'lured' into spending our hard earned cash on certain products (Novation & Avid) and then are left hanging when the product doesn't work as advertised.

[converted]

Yes i updated the OS / Templates to the latest version.

NOVATION DONT EVEN BOTHER TO GET BACK TO YOU.
WHEN I GET A FREE MIN I WILL CALL THEM AT THE UK OFFICES BUT PROBABLY WONT GET ANYWHERE

[3ohm]

Good luck with that.

[famousbass]

Automap never worked for me in Cubase with 61SL on Mac.
Their support then was arrogant and deflective.
I sold it and my worries were over.

[converted]

I think that you get an idea when there is a lack of response
or there is nothing in their documentation or answer base.

Bu the ability to be able to record CC messages to your sequencer is very
basic that most cheap contollers provide.

Its a shame for mer because everything else is working but I didnt buy this keyboard so i could just draw all my plug in / instrument CC information in with penicil in PT

[beyond]

works very well for me in Logic 9, use it all day long.

[goddfodder]

what about Automap with Cubase 6 using Windows 7?? Anyone successfully or unsuccessfully using this combination? Just im thinking of getting myself the Novation Impulse.

[valis]

Automap 4 works fine here on:

OSX - Logic 9, Ableton Live 8, Bidule, Serato SL (Scratch Live), Traktor, Resolume, VDMX & wrapped plugins
Win7 - Cubase 5, Ableton Live 8, Bidule, Resolume & wrapped plugins

No PT experience though sorry. But for Logic, Ableton & Cubase the onscreen help was rediculously simple, and the support seems to be native as far as usage is concerned. There's a few issues with HUI mode in Reaper 4 atm so I've avoided using it there (but I don't use Reaper a ton anyway). Bidule, Resolume, Traktor, Serato and a few other smaller apps I'm just using the midi i/o functionality...

I've seen a few Cubase 6 issues but the threads I've seen usually get fixed one way or another so you may want to check the steinberg forums. A quick search over there revealed a lot of links like this: 'Novation Automap' isn't showing in Device Setup after upgrading to Cubase 6! .: Novation Answerbase

Automap doesn't feel like using a Mackie Control or other large control surface, but it does work well enough for the relative cost imo. And I've gotten enough support from Novation over the years to have had beta access through 3 & 4. Automap 3 had teething issues early on and some of the functionality was locked away behind a paywall, but v4 has it all for free. The problem with email support with most of the companies we may deal with is that they tend to have a large userbase with a low barrier to entry so their email support queue can be quite large. I pursued past issues enough to not only interact with Novation directly via email but have beta access for quite some time now. In fact in response to a licensing issue I had with Automap 3 Pro (wouldn't license on my Mac Pro but worked fine on Win7 & my Macbook Pro) they gave me a free copy of one of the Focusrite plugin bundles to help test it as well.

[goddfodder]

Nice one Valis. Great response and reassuring. I guess all i expect off of automap 4 is that it does what it says on the box. They really sell this as some kinda seamless solution and id just love it to work, do what it says it does and ill be very happy. In theory this thing sounds great. But peoples bad experiences like that of the OP, really make you stop n think. I couldnt be doing with being the next one to tell a sorry tale about it. Makes the Akai MPK seem a safer bet.

[3ohm]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I've checked in different forums and this problem seems to be mainly with Pro Tools on pc and NO-ONE really knows how to sort it out. Which means they're selling it to people when they know it's not gonna work properly in that environment.

But people who use it on pc with other DAWs seem to be happy. So why not recommend that if you want to use it with Pro Tools; it will be more stable on a mac? At least then you can't say you weren't warned.

Everyone who uses Automap with PT9 on a mac seems very happy and can't believe how painless it was to setup.

I've always preferred pc to mac (even though I use them at work) but maybe now it's time to move on. Time to join the 'big boys' and make some music.

[converted]

Ok i've got it fixed!!!

Ok with help of support

What i did is install automap 4, (i had actually tried automap 4 previously)
now once installed update the OS / templates from the automap server.
(make sure the option to protect write in the global settings on the MKII are off)

Now when in protools the plug in's automap and the learn features work but in order to record the automation unlike
a standard midi controller you have to tell the plug in which parameters you want to record.
you do this under the auto tab in each plug in

Once you have done this you can record the automation / parameter changes by dropping the track into write, touch or
the other usual methods you use to write automation.
It wont record if you try just enabling record on the track like you do with a standard midi controller.

Soz to Novation support...who were a slow in getting back to me but did test it based on my questions.

[3ohm]

Thanks Converted.

I'll try that aswell.

[converted]

well regarding your issue i'm not sure about the mixer setting because mine was fine in that area but updating the OS / templates from Automap 4 will be a good start.

[realtrance]

I've had some issues with latest Automap on a PC system but they've mostly - after some troubleshooting with patient help from Novation - been due to difficulties with having multiple USB MIDI devices, and multiple sound cards, I'd been trying to configure as accessible in the software.

Every system is different but I've usually had better luck with these "total integration" softwares/hardwares if I set them up as the unique device on the system, sometimes having to physically remove or disconnect contending devices, on same.

Not always optimal but a good way to troubleshoot and isolate the problems.

[rack gear]

with current drivers and software it's worked well for me on Sonar (6-X1) with a remote zero xl.