I am assisting a friend who is an avid Cantabile user but not so techie.
I am setting him up with his DAW, Cubase on laptop 1, and Cantabile on laptop 2 where it will be returned to Cubase as an ‘instrument’ which can can frozen, as if it were a hosted VST plugin.
I’m working over TeamViewer to get this going.
The laptops are good old Lenovo Thinkpads; a T420 with an i5 and 16 gigs and T430, with an i7 and 16 gigs. Both running Win 10 64.
When Remote Desktop is running, the Windows MIDI ports disappear from both Cubase on the T430 and Cantabile on the T420.
It is the weirdest thing. Exit Remote Desktop and the ports are available again. Cubase retains its Direct Music MIDI ports.
Anyone experienced anything like this? Web searches have brought up something which looks like a cure but has been ineffective; namely, disabling or enabling (can’t remember at this point) the remote computer having its audio enabled to play over the host computer.
Agree with Sekim. If you do this it works fine (for me). I often access my GIG PC from my DAW PC in this manner as it is easier to manage in the studio compared to the touch monitor I use when playing live.
Hey Derek, I had seen this one solution offered previously, but it has not been effective in this situation, as I mentioned in my first post. As soon as RDP is on, the MIDI ports show as disconnected regardless of the status of ‘Do Not Play’.
There is one other factor which I’ll check - It’s possible TeamViewer is creating the same issue. I’ll check the audio settings and see if that cures. Such a frustrating hurdle.
@sekim@Derek
Well, I think I have sussed it, but not sure how to get around it.
Cubase keeps DIRECTMIDI ports active during RDP connection. I can run MIDI between two Cubase programs, even with RTP MIDI, and it works perfectly.
Cantabile is not revealing the DIRECTMIDI ports and shows the ‘regular’ MIDI ports as disconnected.
Cubase places a folder in its app directory which contains two files, enableemulated and ignoreportfilter.
I think this handles how DIRECTMIDI is revealed or hidden, otherwise there are duplicate ports.
I’m not sure if Cantabile has any such mechanism. @brad?
I’ve given up on RDP - just too messy for my taste (locking me out of direct operation on my gig PC while RDP is active from my studio PC).
I’ve used TeamViewer successfully for a time - no issues with audio or MIDI ports disconnecting. But TeamViewer does get a bit nasty regarding licensing, suspecting “commercial use”. And their licensing is a bit too restrictive and costly for my taste.
I’ve tried all the VNC variants, but lately, my favorite remote control solution is RustDesk - works nicely and is free! Even though they recommend hosting your own connection server, I’ve managed to get by nicely using the default configuration with their public server.
Note that any remote desktop connection will create additional load on the system; the impact varies, but is definitely noticeable in time load. So while I do have my remote control active during rehearsals or when building my setups (just a lot easier to do on my large screen instead of a 10-inch touch panel), I would’t use it in a live situation. Don’t want unnecessary additional CPU load when playing live…
Thanks for that feedback.
I have found Remote Desktop to be an effective solution for handling my VEP machines from one location. Once a setup is up and running I can close the connections if I detect any load which could compromise operation.
And yes, beyond remote tech support for my friend, TeamViewer is out of the setup.
At this point, Cubase illustrates the possibilities on the remote, courtesy of DIRECTMIDI.
In this particular use, it’s studio only. Cubase can employ PDC and freeze functions. Quite a useful way to enhance an older system.
Well, after all that, it was exactly the solution which everyone (including myself) had sourced but was failing.
Unlike Cubase, Cantabile requires a complete engine restart to kick things into action. When Remote Desktop is terminated, Cantabile insists on another engine restart. Logging in or out, one can left wondering what went wrong if this little hurdle is not jumped.
Phew!
Thanks for the input, guys.
Moral to the story, always try a restart! LOL, I literally had to restart the computer in my car the other day to fix poor gas mileage. It actually worked. Went from a dismal 17 to its usual 20.5…
