VE Pro Controller User Manual

Welcome to the VE Pro Controller for Logic Pro X plugin! This user manual will guide you through the features, setup process, and customization options of this plugin. With the VE Pro Controller, you can seamlessly integrate Vienna Ensemble Pro and Logic Pro X, unlocking a new level of control and efficiency in your music production workflow.

1. Introduction
2. Pay What Feels Right Pricing Model
3. Features
4. Getting Started
5. User Preferences
6. Using The Plugin
7. Troubleshooting
8. Contact Information

The VE Pro Controller plugin is designed to empower composers by giving more control to Vienna Ensemble Pro from Logic Pro X. This manual provides a detailed overview of how to maximize the potential of this integration, enhancing your experience in both platforms.

We believe in accessibility and community support. The VE Pro Controller plugin operates under a "Pay What Feels Right" pricing model. It's available for free download, and if you find value in its functionality, you can contribute any amount you're comfortable with to support ongoing development. Your generosity helps us continue crafting innovative plugins. To contribute, visit aretealaudio.com/donate. Thank you for your support!

The VE Pro Controller plugin offers a range of features designed to enhance your creative process:

• Direct Control: Seamlessly adjust VE Pro Mixer and Equalizer Pro plugin from within Logic Pro X.
• Effortless Project Management: Save your VE Pro mixer and EQ settings within your Logic Pro project for easy recall.
• Decoupled Mode Support: Maintain control while utilizing VE Pro's decoupled mode for faster saving and loading times and smaller file sizes.
• Automation and MIDI Integration: Assign automation and MIDI controller within Logic Pro to further enhance your control.
• Layering Mode: Introduce an Articulation switcher for channel switching or layering all channels together. When disapbled, enables the use of multi-timbral / multi-output instruments.
• Ample Channel Support: Control up to 16 MIDI channels per VE Pro instance, providing flexibility in your projects.
• Preconfigured Template: Enjoy a premapped VE Pro Instance Template to streamline your setup process.

Follow these steps to kickstart your experience with the VE Pro Controller plugin. You may also watch the quick start video on Youtube.

1. Open the included 'VE Pro Controller Template' instance in Vienna Ensemble Pro and add your instruments. Don’t remove channels or delete midi assignments. You may reroute the channels and add any insert effects you like, just don’t remove or move the Equalizer Pro plugin. You must redo this step for every instance you want to create.
2. Launch a new or existing Logic Pro project.
3. Insert the Scripter MIDI plugin into a track with a Vienna Ensemble Pro instrument plugin. Connect your Vienna Ensemble Pro to the instance with VE Pro Controller Template.
4. Click 'Open Script in Editor' in Scripter, then copy and paste the VE Pro Controller.js script into the Logic Pro Scripter MIDI FX plugin. Click 'Run the Script'. You can open the VE Pro Controller.js file for example in Text Edit.
5. Click 'Run the Script'. The plugin is now operational. For your convenience, save the Scripter patch to easily recall it in the future.

Customize your plugin experience by adjusting user preferences. Access these options by clicking 'Open Script in Editor'. The script's comments provide instructions for modifying these preferences. Here's a summary of the available tweaks:

• Enable the Articulation switcher for seamless channel switching or layering them all together.
• Disable the Layering Mode to use multi-output/multi-timbral instruments in Logic Pro.
• If you want to use layering mode to only layer the notes, but not control change messages, then you can enable the SEPARATE_CCs. This enables you to send different CCs to each channel while still use the articulation switcher to choose channels for the notes. This is especially useful, if you want to layer instruments that react differenently to the cc data.
• TIP: You can adjust the individual channel delays with Art Align Scripter plugin. Just put the plugin after VE Pro Scripter. More info: https://gitlab.com/dewdman42/artalign/-/wikis/home

• Set the number of MIDI channels using MIDI_CHANNELS.
• Customize channel headers with the CHANNEL_HEADERS array.

• If you want to be able to save channels disabled / enabled state in order to save RAM for sample libraries that don’t support purging samples, then set Disable Enabling to false.
  • This will make channel disabled / enabled checkboxes to disable / enable the channels in VE Pro as well (and also introduces disable/enable checkboxes for the eq. Otherwise disable/enable channels buttons just don’t allow sending midi to certain channel.
• This will make the project slower to load (if you have many channels disabled / enabled) and you may need to increase the ’time to enable’ in order for giving VE Pro time to enable the channels before sending midi data to reset their saved positions.

• Change CC and channel numbers to avoid conflicts with sample libraries' internal CC assignments. Remember to change the midi controller assignments in the VE Pro instance as well.

First follow getting started in order to get the plugin to work.

The global controls (above, in both views)

• Raise: Raises the instance in VE Pro
• Articulation Switcher (only visible in Layering Mode): Switches between channels. Note On messages are sent to selected channel. All other messages will be sent to all channels. This makes playing more seamless and avoids hanging notes. Default is to layer all channels.
• Master Volume: change the volume in Master Bus (channel 17).
• View: change between Mixer and EQ -views

Mixer view:

• Shows all the channels with following controls
• Ch enabled: enables/disables the channel. If Disable Enabling mode is on, then only disables the sending of midi to the channel. Otherwise also disables the channel in VE Pro.
• Mute
• Solo
• Volume
• Pan

EQ view

• EQ view is laid out similarly as an SSL console EQ to make it more intuitive to use. So not all the controls are available in Equalizer Pro. 
• Channel Switcher: Select the channel you want to control. All other controls will affect the selected channel. If no channel is selected, then the other controls won’t do anything.
• Ch enabled, solo and volume are the same as in mixer view
• Filters: Adjust the lo and hi cut frequencies. Default slope is 12 db, but you may change that in the instance template if you wish. Just remember that the setting will be the same in all your projects.
• Low and High Frequency bands: You can adjust the band type between Bell and Shelf, gain and frequencies. The Q value is set to 0.67, but you can change that similarly to filter slopes.
• Lo Mid and Hi Mid Frequencies: You can adjust the gain and volume and the Q value as well to make sharp cuts or wide boost or anything in between.

Manual Sync (on the bottom)

• If for some reason the VE Pro and the Controller plugin are not in sync (for example if you made direct changes to VE Pro Instance), you can click manual sync to reset VE Pro to same values as the controller plugin

Here are solutions to possible problems you may encounter using the VE Pro Controller plugin:

VE Pro seems unresponsive to the plugin: when I move the control in the plugin, nothing happens in VE Pro instance

• First make sure you are looking at the same instance and channel in VE Pro as in VE Pro Controller plugin
• If in EQ view, make sure you have selected a channel in Channel Switcher
• Try playing some notes in your keyboard in the selected channel. Logic disables the plugin when it doesn’t need it in order to save computer resources and playing some midi will activate the plugin again.

The settings won’t update when I load a new Logic Pro X project

• For the same reason as above it might be that Logic hasn’t enabled the plugin. If you want the plugin to load all the settings when opening a project, then it’s recommended to put some midi data in the beginning of each track with VE Pro Controller. When you press play, Logic will automatically enable all the midi plugins with midi data and the controls will be reset in VE Pro. 
  • This is not necessary though. You can also let Logic activate the plugin only when needed. When you play a track with your midi keyboard or play some midi data in the track, the plugin will activate and send reset messages to VE Pro. Then the channels are reset show when needed.
• If you have set ’disable enabling’ to false in preferences and have some changes in the channels enabled / disabled state, then it’s possible that VE Pro hasn’t got enough time to enable the instruments before sending the midi messages to reset the controls. In that case, try increasing the ’TIME_TO_INIT’ parameter in preferences. This will also increase the time it takes for the VE Pro Controller to reset VE Pro when loading a project. You may also press manual sync to reset VE Pro manually.

Some midi control assignments have disappeared

• There is a random bug in VE Pro that loses the midi assignments of Equalizer Pro if the Instance, Channel or Equalizer Pro plugin is disabled when saving a project. If this bothers you, its recommended to use the plugin in ’disable enabling’ mode and not disable instance, channels or eq pro plugin in VE Pro when saving a project. Its always also recommended to keep working backup (that has all the instances, channels and eq pro plugins enabled) of your VE Pro Server Project

For inquiries, support, or feedback, don't hesitate to reach out to the plugin's author:

• Author: Topi Jokinen, Areteal Audio
• Email: aretealmusic@gmail.com

Thank you for choosing the VE Pro Controller plugin to elevate your music production experience. Enjoy the harmonious integration between Vienna Ensemble Pro and Logic Pro X!

Copyright © Areteal Audio