How to - 15 Use Multiple SoftSynths on a Track

Submitted by G3N-es on
Forums
Qtractor

I've added this mini "How to" that solves a recurring problem.

https://sourceforge.net/p/qtractor/wiki/How%20To%20-%2015%20Use%20Multi…

Submitted by G3N-es on Fri, 20 Jun 2025 - 11:06

Permalink

Maybe you already do it this way.

It's easy to handle the audio of multiple drum instruments separately.
The trick is to send auxiliary sends to MIDI buses instead of auxiliary audio.

Each instrument bus starts with a MIDI filter that only lets the instrument's note pass through.

This allows you to create a stable flow regardless of the plugin you use. It doesn't require multi-channel plugins, but it will work with them too.

It's also possible to use different plugins for each instrument.

Therefore, it's not only simpler than multi-channel audio, but also more versatile.

Submitted by windowsrefund on Sun, 22 Jun 2025 - 05:36

Permalink

Interesting. I'll have to give that a read. I'm pretty happy when my existing strategy of sending my drums (generated from a multi-out plugin) to a multi-in audio bus which is then split (by channel) to individual bus' (and then back into a single stereo). It takes a bit longer to setup but it's an obvious pattern (which means I'll understand it if I don't look at the material for months) and more importantly, I have access to several key areas. If I want to get into the snare drum, there's a place for it. If I want to get at the whole kit, there's a place for it... etc, etc...

I tend to think managing things at the MIDI note level (the mappings needed for the filter) wouldn't scale well for 2 reasons:

  1. Not all drum environments (plugins) adhere to standards like GM or even GS meaning you'll likely end up "fishing around" quite a bit to understand what needs to be mapped.
  2. Once the maps are established, they'll likely need to be "chased after" during the creative process if, like me, you find yourself rewriting/tweaking your drum parts.

That said, I can see the MIDI filtering approach being MORE efficient for certain scenarios where drum performances are more simplistic and subject to less ongoing interaction during the writing phase.

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
About text formats

Markdown

  • Parses markdown and converts it to HTML.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type='1 A I'> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id='jump-*'> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id> <img src alt height width> <strike> <pre> <p> <br>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

Filtered HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <b> <i> <pre> <img src alt height width> <strike>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
File attachments
Unlimited number of files can be uploaded to this field.
2 MB limit.
Allowed types: jpg jpeg gif png txt doc docx xls xlsx pdf ppt pps odt ods odp zip gz bz2 xz patch diff wav ogg flac ogv mp4 qtz.