Live switching Song Parts?

Cantabile
1

As a keyboarder in a band, I’m looking for the right tool for live performances. But I have a few questions:

  • Is it possible to switch States/Song Parts by keyboard-press (midi signal)? Because I would mainly create Verse + Chorus Parts, and would like to switch dynamically between them, without having to ever touch the computer. It should be simply possible by triggering a midi key (or pad) from an USB connected keyboard.

  • Can I tap-in the current tempo, so when I playback audio files, they will be automatically played in sync with the band?

  • Can Cantabile live-record the midi (or audio) I play, and loop it live?

Thanks

2

Hi,

Yes is the answer to your first question. I use a Roland FC300 MIDI foot controller for most control, but I also bind other Cantabile events/actions to keyboard keys or keyboard controllers if it s more convenient. Take a look at Cantabile bindings. They are very flexible.

Can’t really answer your tap tempo question, as it is something I don’t do, and we use Cantabile to play backing tracks that set the tempo that the band plays to

3

Hi membersound and Welcome,

@Derek covered question one so here is what I think I know about 2 and 3.

Question 2 needs more explanation because original audio file tempos once set can only be time stretched and there is currently no interpreter in Cantabile that calculates the clock tempo change to the audio stretch ratio as far as I know. It would require more discussion IMO.

Question 3 is a no but it has been requested by others and is on the Trello board I think. (you have to sign up and then you can vote there for features to get them moved up in the priority list). There are a few folks that have 3rd party vst’s doing it so use the site search and see what comes up.

Cheers,

Dave

4

  1. Imagine I’d have a wave file with basedrum on every quarter bar. I would want to play it as a snipped at a certain time, triggered live. I would have to ensure the wavefile playback matches the tempo that my band is currently playing at. So I’d have to “tap in” the current tempo a few bars before, so that when hitting “playback” the timing should fit.

  2. Could you give a hint to the 3rd party vsts being able to record the current output and loop it?
    Of course I searched the forum before asking, but could not find anything related.

5

Ok, thanks for that, as I said it is not available in a reliable calibrated way. You can link the tap tempo feature to the media player speed control function but it works on ratios that are not predictable at this time. @brad, the developer can possibly explain it better but that is my understanding of the current situation.

Mobius http://www.circularlabs.com/ is one that I remember hearing about

try entering “loop” into the search, I found stuff there …

Cheers,

Dave

6

I loop live, with Cantabile hosting either GLoop (my favourite looper and very simple) or Melda’s SuperLooper (more sophisticated, but requires more careful control). I see no reason for Cantabile itself to have its own looper when there are good enough plug-ins like these around. To implement such a feature, I feel, would detract from the development of other features we would all like to see.

7

Hey @membersound,

If you would consider a MIDI file rather than an audio playback, that would work without the need for stretch. If you need to play an audio file locked to a certain tempo, you could give your drummer a click track.

8

ditto

9

Unfortunately there’s nothing in Cantabile that will really help you out with this. Basically you’d want to adjust the wave file’s playback speed rather than it’s tempo because audio players don’t respond to tempo changes (because it’s complicated and I’ve never got around to implementing it)