Inserts and Sends

MIDI effects are similar to MIDI modifiers in that hey
modify the MIDI in real time. 

One thing to remember is that
these effects are not affecting the audio output, but the MIDI information
itself. This ensures a cleaner, and less processor intensive, effect that helps to achieve the desired ouput.

MIDI effects can be used to change the level of the MIDI
notes or to add or delete notes. The effects can be used to create interesting
effects to your song.

There’s essentially two ways to add MIDI
effects to a MIDI track. Either insert them on the MIDI track or send the track to its output.

When you add an effect on the Insert of the MIDI track, the
MIDI data will first be sent to the effect processor and then will be send to
the track’s output. 

When you add an effect on the Send of a MIDI track, the output
from both the MIDI track and the effect present to the track’s output.

MIDI Inserts

The MIDI Insert section in the Inspector of the MIDI track
allows you to add up to four MIDI Insert effects.

This section has the following options that help you to
adjust the settings:

• Preset
  Management System: Use this menu to create presets that can be
  later used in various projects. You have the option to create, remove or to
  rename the presets that you’ve created. You can also select a preset from the
  Track Preset option available

• Bypass:
  This temporarily removes all the effect plugins that have been used on the
  track. By bypassing the effects, you’ll be able to easily understand the
  effect that the plugins have on the track. Click on the button again to bring
  the plugins back online

• Indicator:
  This indicator will be blue if there are active inserts on the MIDI track

• Effects
  pop-up: This list contains all the effects that are available for the
  selected track. Choose the one required and the settings of that effect
  will be displayed in a nearby window. You can adjust the settings
  in this window and it will be reflected in the track. Some
  effects might not have a separate window, for example Compressor, the settings
  of these effects are displayed in the Inspector itself

• Power
  button: This button lets you enable or disable an effect. Each plugin has
  its own power button so you can control them individually

• Plugin
  Settings (Edit): This button displays the settings that are available for
  the particular effect. If the plugin has got a separate window with the
  configurable options, it will be displayed in a separate window, else it will
  be displayed right below the effect’s name. Sometimes if you want the settings
  in another window rather than on the Inspector, you can Alt-Click this button and it will be displayed in another
  window. If you feel like you need to hide the effect settings, click on
  this button again and it will be hidden

MIDI Sends

MIDI Sends are similar to Audio Sends. You can add up to four Sends for a MIDI track. It has the following options:

• Bypass:
  This button temporarily disables the effect sends on the track. Use
  this button to listen to the differences between the wet and dry signal

• Indicator:
  This indicates if any sends are being activated on that specific track. The indicator will light up blue if it is active and back to its default color if
  it is not active

• Effect
  Selection Pop-up: Like the previous options that were available for the
  Inserts, you can choose between the various effects that are available in your
  system for the selected track. Once you select the required effect, the
  available settings will be displayed in another window. Some effects
  which do not display its settings in another window can be viewed in another
  separate window using the Alt-Click key combination

• Power
  button: This button turns the effect on and off. You can use this button to
  individually control an effect. If you feel like you need to
  temporarily remove one effect and keep the rest, use this button to
  disable that effect

• Pre/Post
  Button: If this button is enabled, the MIDI effects will be first sent to
  the send effects and then to the rest of the processors like MIDI modifiers and
  MIDI Inserts

• Edit
  Button: This brings up the available settings for each effect. Click on it again to hide the settings. Some effect controls will be available
  directly below the effect; if you want it to be on another window, Alt-Click on
  this button and it will be opened in another window

• Output
  Menu: This determines the output that the processed MIDI effects should be
  sent to

• Output
  Channel: This allows you to choose
  the MIDI channel that the output should be routed to

Managing Plugins

Manage the installed plugins in the machine by
clicking on the Plugin Information from the Devices menu. 

Click on the MIDI
Plugins tab to see all the plugins that are available. If you want to deactivate
any plugin, just uncheck the checkbox for the plugin and it will not appear in
the plugins list in the MIDI track. 

The second column shows the number of times
that the plugin is being used in the current project. The next two columns show
other details of the plugin that helps you in identifying the plugin.

How to Add an Effect

To add an effect on a MIDI track, click on the Inspector of
the MIDI track. Select the Inserts tab and click on an empty field and select
the required effect plugin. The settings window will appear. 

Adjust the
settings to your liking and play back the track to the see the changes. If you
want to compare the wet and dry signal, just click on the Bypass button or the
Power button to understand the difference between them.

Conclusion

MIDI effects are a great way to create interesting sounds
and to change the overall feel of your song. Next time when you’re working on
a MIDI track, try these various MIDI Inserts and Sends and feel the difference
in the track output.