What should I use - Noatikl Standalone or Noatikl Plug-in?
Noatikl standalone version
Use this where:
- you have a sequencer which does not support per-channel routing of MIDI data output by a Noatikl Plug-in variant.
- there is no Noatikl plugin variant for your sequencer (e.g. ProTools.)
Noatikl plugin
Use this where:
- you have a sequencer (such as Sonar 6 or Cubase) which supports per-channel routing of MIDI data output by a Noatikl Plug-in variant.
- you can set up your sequencer to use a Noatikl VSTi to control multiple synths, all from one instance of Noatikl (depending on how your sequencer works note timing accuracy might be dependent of the setting for the Noatikl timer resolutions). See Cubase VSTi tutorial or Sonar VSTi tutorial for examples.
Standalone
The standalone version of Noatikl runs as a tool on its own, but you can use it to interact with other tools in various ways. To use this version of Noatikl, simply run it up, attach it to a MIDI output device, and get started!
You can use it in this manner with any Windows (e.g. Sonar, Reaper, Cubase etc.) or Mac (Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools etc.) MIDI sequencer (also referred to as a DAW or Digital Audio Workstation) or standalone software synth or sampler.
We have created tutorials and template projects to "get you started", for the following popular sequencers:
- Logic 8 - template project zip
- Sonar 6 - template project zip
- Cubase SE 3 - template project zip
To use these files, simply download the file, extract the contents to the appropriate place on your computer, and follow the appropriate tutorial to see how the template project works!
Plug-ins
Challenge number one: Noatikl emits data for more than one MIDI channel
The most fundamental challenge with the Plug-in variants of Noatikl, is that Noatikl is quite unique in the music world; in that it generates MIDI data across more than one MIDI channel. Why does this make things difficult? Well, most MIDI Effect Plug-ins are designed to apply simple effects to single channels of MIDI data, such as echo or delay effects; or even to generate simple sequences that target a single MIDI channel (such as standalone bass lines or drum riffs).
However, if you were to assign a Noatikl Plug-in variant to a MIDI track in your sequencer, you would find that you could attach that MIDI track to render through only one softh synth (such as a VSTi synth). This is not good ... as what you really want to do is render each channel of data generated by Noatikl through a different synth! Some sequencers are not able to split output from MIDI Plug-ins attached to a MIDI track, on a per-MIDI channel basis, to target different synthesizers with data from different MIDI channels generated by noatikl!
That said, many sequencers do work well with the Noatikl VSTi, Sonar and Cubase being examples!
Challenge number two: the wide variety of plug-in formats
There is a huge range of plug-in formats, each of which behaves differently on different platforms. Noatikl is a MIDI-based generative music engine, and therefore needs to emit (and respond to) MIDI events. However, each sequencer requires a slightly different variant of plug-in!
If you wish to use Noatikl as a plug-in, then which plug-in variant to use, depends on what tool you are using, and which platform you are running on (e.g. Mac OS X or Windows).
- Cubase SE - Noatikl can be deployed in Cubase (Mac/Windows) either as the Noatikl VSTi, or as a MIDI Effect written using the VST Module Architecture SDK (Windows only). The VSTi is the probably the best approach, click here for details! The output from this is fed-in to your favourite VSTi to render the MIDI events using the sounds you want. There might be some circumstances when you might instead consider using the MIDI Effect (Windows only).
- Cakewalk Sonar/Home Studio - Noatikl can be deployed in Sonar and Cakewalk either as the Noatikl VSTi, or the Noatikl DXi/MFX MIDI Effect. The VSTi is the best approach for Sonar 6 or later, click here for details! For earlier versions of Sonar or Cakewalk, you might consider using the MIDI Effect. In both cases, the output from the Noatikl plug-in this is fed-in to your favourite synthesizer to render the MIDI events generated by Noatikl using the exact sounds you want. Note that there can be some timing problems inherent in using the Noatikl VSTi with Sonar; see here for more details about how to work-around these issues.
- Ableton Live - Noatikl is deployed as a VST plug-in, click here for details!.
- Reaper - Noatikl is deployed as a VST plug-in, as Reaper does not support MIDI effects, but can instead route MIDI events generated from a VST plug-in into other VSTi synthesizers.
- Logic (for Mac) - Logic (which uses the Audio Unit Format, but which does not support VST plug-ins), simply doesn’t support MIDI event generation by any Audio Unit plug-in... but we have documented a way to work-around this this. So you have two options to consider, depending on how you like to work: either use the Noatikl standalone version or the Noatikl AU version; follow the appropriate link to view the corresponding tutorial.
Challenge number three: not all hosts are equal!
Just to add to the challenge, not all hosts handle VSTi plug-ins correctly, and they all have their own ideosyncratic behaviours. So you'll probably need to experiment to find the Noatikl variant that works best with your favourite host. If in doubt, the standalone Noatikl version can usually be configured to work well with your sequencer; though the flexibility of the plug-in approach makes it well worth the effort in giving a plug-in variant of Noatikl a try too!
Cubase (Windows/Mac) and the Noatikl VSTi
Cubase works well with the Noatikl VSTi! The steps for using it with Cubase SE 3 are as follows (see also the tutorial!). These steps might also work (in slightly different form) with other Steinberg authoring tools; let us know if you find out!
Configuring the Noatikl VSTi the first time, for use with Cubase SE 3
When you've first copied the Noatikl VSTi to your computer, be sure to scan for the VSTi!
Using the Noatikl VSTI within your Cubase SE project
- Step 1: Add the Noatikl VSTi to your project
- To add the Noatikl VSTi to your project, launch the VST Instruments window by selecting Devices -> VST Instruments from the menu
- Insert the Noatikl VSTi by clicking the top area in the first VST instrument slot; select the Noatikl VSTi plug-in (noatikl_VSTi_win or noatikl_VSTi_mac).
- Load-up a Noatikl file (or create a new one) within noatikl. That will give you something to hear in a moment. Make sure you set the MIDI Channel parameter for each voice, so you can be sure which software synth you want to direct it to.
- Step 2: Add some Software Synths!
- Return to the VST Instruments window.
- Add as many software synths as you want to your Project; one for every distinct sound you want rendered by your Noatikl piece. In the above screen shot, you'll see three soft synths that have been set-up in the VST Instruments window, listed after the Noatikl VSTi plug-in.
- Step 3. Prepare your MIDI tracks.
- Create one MIDI track per Noatikl MIDI channel that you're interested in. For every such track:
- Select the MIDI Input ("in") as the appropriate Noatikl MIDI output (for example, noatikl_VSTi_win or noatikl_VSTi_mac ).
- To ensure that your MIDI track listens-out to only one of the MIDI channels output by Noatikl, select the Input Transformer button, and select the Local entry in the pop-up list that appears. In the presets drop box, select Channel Filtering followed by the specific channel that you want to listen to. Finally, set the Active Module 1 checkbox, and close the window. In case you find these instructions confusing, you should find that they are made clear in the video tutorial!
- Set the MIDI Output ("out") to be the appropriate software synth that you added earlier.
- You must make sure that Record Enable is turned-on (the red cicular buttons in the above screen shot)!
- Save your project before you forget!
- Create one MIDI track per Noatikl MIDI channel that you're interested in. For every such track:
- Step 4: play and enjoy!
- Start playback - enjoy what you hear! Note that of course if you have too many software synths in your project, or are running on a slow computer, you might hear some audio break-up.
Sonar and the Noatikl VSTi
Good news: Sonar 6 (and we expect Sonar 7) works well with the Noatikl VSTi (albeit with some keyboard issues due to a bug in Sonar...!)! There can also be some timing problems inherent in using the Noatikl VSTi with Sonar; see here for more details about how to work-around these issues.
The steps for using Noatikl VSTi under Sonar Home Studio (which is similar to Sonar Studio/Producer) are as follows (see also the tutorial!). These steps might also work (in slightly different form) with earlier versions of Sonar; let us know if you find out!
Configuring the Noatikl VSTi the first time, for use with Sonar
When you've first copied the Noatikl VSTi to your computer, be sure to scan for the VSTi. On my machine, this involves the following steps:
- Select Tools -> Cakewalk Plug-in Manager from the Menu
- In the VST Configuration section, click on the Options button. Add to the list of scan paths, the folder to which you copied the noatikl_VSTi_win.dll file (on my machine, this is C:\Program Files\Steinberg\Cubase SE 3\Vstplugins, but could also be something like C:\Program Files\Vstplugins) .
- Press the Scan VST Plug-ins button.
- Noatikl VSTi_win should now appear in the VST Instruments (VSTi) Plug-in Category.
Using the Noatikl VSTI within your Sonar Project
- Step 1: Add the Noatikl VSTi to your project
- To add the Noatikl VSTi to your project, do not start by using the synth rack; it will crash Sonar!
- Insert the Noatikl VSTi by right-clicking the FX bin of an audio track; select the Noatikl VSTi plug-in.
- Load-up a Noatikl file (or create a new one) within noatikl. That will give you something to hear in a moment. Make sure you set the MIDI Channel parameter for each voice, so you can be sure which software synth you want to direct it to.
- Next, open-up the Synth Rack (Views -> Synth Rack)
- Right-click on the far-right pane of the Noatikl VSTi, and click on "Enable MIDI Output". This lets Sonar use the MIDI output data emitted from the VSTi by noatikl. If you forget this step, Noatikl will remain silent!
- Close the Synth Rack.
- Step 2: Add some Software Synths!
- Add as many software synths as you want to your Sonar Project; one for every distinct sound you want rendered by your Noatikl piece. Each software synth is on a separate audio track, of course.
- Step 3. Prepare your MIDI tracks.
- Create one MIDI track per Noatikl MIDI channel that you're interested in. For every such track:
- You must make sure that Input Echo is turned-on! Note: you can see weird behaviour with Sonar, where changing one MIDI track's Input Echo status can reset the Input Echo status of another track (!); watch-out for this! The way to avoid this is first to select the Options -> Global -> General menu item, and ensure that the "Always Echo Current MIDI Track" item is not checked (the default behaviour is that this is checked, which is not what you want!).
- Select the MIDI Input as the appropriate Noatikl MIDI output (for example, noatikl_VSTi_in 1-> MIDI Ch.1). Set a separate Noatikl MIDI output channel for each MIDI track.
- Set the output device as the appropriate software synth that you added earlier.
- We have found that if you should set-up at least some MIDI data in at least one track (such as dummy MIDI controller events), otherwise the Noatikl data will be ignored! You probably also want to set a loop start and end point (presumably, choosing a loop size equal to or greater than your Noatikl Piece Length).
- Save your project before you forget!
- Create one MIDI track per Noatikl MIDI channel that you're interested in. For every such track:
- Step 4: play and enjoy!
- Start playback - enjoy what you hear! Note that of course if you have too many software synths in your project, or are running on a slow computer, you might hear some audio break-up.
How to use the Noatikl DXi/MFX MIDI Effect Plug-in with Sonar/Cakewalk
Use the following steps to get the Noatikl DXI/MFX MIDI effect working in Sonar/Cakewalk:
- Start Sonar
- Set-up a MIDI track
- View in "Track" View
- Attach the Noatikl DXi/MFX MIDI Effect to the effect bin, by right clicking, and selecting MIDI Effects -> Noatikl MIDI Effect
- Click on the Noatikl MIDI Effect item you'll now see in the effect bin!
How to use the Noatikl AU (Audio Unit) Plug-in with Logic
To use Noatikl AU with Logic is very easy; simply download the template project zip and follow the tutorial!
How to use the Noatikl AU (Audio Unit) Plug-in with GarageBand / AU Lab
GarageBand
- Before starting GarageBand on your Mac, you must first start MIDI Pipe and "hijack" the IAC port that Noatikl will use. Check out the GarageBand tutorial to see exacly how to use Noatikl with GarageBand do this!
- You first need to show details in the track (the right pointing arrow below the instrument icon at the bottom of the right hand side track info panel).
- That expands and you can click on one of the "effects" comb boxes showing "None" to select "Noatikl AU " (this is at the bottom of list that pops-up).
- Click the "pencil" button to invoke the Noatikl user interface.
AU Lab (find this app using the spotlight search tool on your mac!)
- Click in the "Master Out" panel on Effects then "intermorphic" then "Noatikl AU".
- To play back a file from AU Lab:
- Choose Edit > Add Audio Unit Generator. You must then choose e.g. "AUAudioFilePlayer" as the generator.
- Add an audio file
- Press play and hear Noatikl do its thing (assuming you have specified the MIDI Output device targeted by Noatikl, and assuming that you are using e.g. Midi Pipe to render the audio!).
Ableton Live and the Noatikl VSTi
The steps for using Noatikl VSTi under Ableton Live are as follows; these steps apply to both the Windows and Mac versions of Ableton Live.
Configuring the Noatikl VSTi the first time, for use with Ableton Live
When you've first copied the Noatikl VSTi to your computer, be sure to scan for the VSTi from Ableton. Once done, you should see noatikl_VSTi_win (Windows) or noatikl_VSTi_mac (Mac) in Ableton's list of "Plug-In Devices".
Using the Noatikl VSTI within your Ableton Live Project
- Step 1: Add the Noatikl VSTi to your project
- Add the Noatikl VSTi by selecting the plug-ins view, and dragging noatikl_VSTi_win (Windows) or noatikl_VSTi_mac (Mac) from Ableton's list of "Plug-In Devices" on to a MIDI track.
- Show the input/output options for your tracks; set the track with Noatikl on it, such that input is set to "No Input".
- Show the Noatikl editor window, and set-up a file to play (e.g. create a couple of voices).
- Set the Noatikl MIDI Output to be a spare MIDI port; such as MIDI Yoke NT 1 (Windows) or IAC Port 1 (Mac); you can then hide Noatikl if you want to clear some screen space.
- Step 2: Add some Software Synths!
- Create another MIDI track.
- Drag a VSTi synth onto that track.
- Make that track's MIDI Input to be the MIDI Port to which Noatikl is sending its data; such as MIDI Yoke NT 1 (Windows) or IAC Port 1 (Mac) in this example.
- Step 3: play and enjoy!
- Start it all playing!
- If you can't hear anything, make sure that the green "on" button was set in the bottom panel in Ableton where Noatikl is shown. If this isn't enabled, you won't see Noatikl flash away when playing notes; so that is a clue to if you need to press this button or not!
