One Synth and multiple midi tracks

I need to create 1 MIDI instrument track (Zyn-addsubfx) and connect to it different midi tracks with different effect on each channel of the synth. For example: I need channel 1 a bass, channel 2 a pad and channel 3 and arpeggiator. In cubase is very easy but I haven´t found how to do it in ardour.

Step one, create three tracks.
2) In the mixer window, at the top of each “channel strip” there’s a a drop down menu for Input routing. Set all three of them to the same MIDI controller. You can also do this in the Audio connections menu (Alt+P).
3) At the bottom of each channel strip, there is a drop down menu for for the output of those tracks. You can set these to Master, unless you have some other bus you want them feed too. They also feed to different or multiple directions. Like Step 2, you can also do this in the Audio Connections Window.
4) In the area of the channel strip where you add plugins and VSTs, you can right click and add the Zyn-addsubfx to each channel. If you plan on using the same settings for this VST on each channel, you can first add it to one track, set the settings then copy and paste the VST to the other 2 tracks.

Finally, you can add whatever different effects to each strip. If your question wasn’t for tracking (as in, you already have the MIDI data/piano roll, then its the same thing except you can ignore setting the inputs (Step 2). Just copy the region in the timeline and paste it to the other two tracks.

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I think he wants a single instance of Zyn for multiple tracks. If so, create multiple MIDI tracks (with no synth) and a MIDI bus. Add Zyn to the bus. Now choose a different channel for playback to each track.

In Zyn, you can use a “part” for each track. In “part configuration”, choose the corresponding channel to each part. Then, Zyn will play all the parts, each with its own settings.

The “problem” with this is that you cannot print the individual tracks as easily, as all the parts go to a single stereo output.

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My bad, it was late and I misunderstood the question. I also have zero specific experience with zynaddsubfx, hah.

Thanks… that what a I was looking for… I´m gonna try it and tell you What I have found…

only has a stereo sum output. It does not have individual audio outputs that correspond to MIDI channels.

Do you know any synth that has multiple audio outputs?

The avldrums come with a multi-out option, but that’s drum specific. I believe linux-sampler can offer 16 stereo pairs, one pair for per MIDI channel.

It’s not a common thing to do. These days most DAWs actually hide the fact that there are different MIDI channels.

I’d just use a MIDI-busses in Ardour and dedicated plugins for each instrument.

PS. If you’re not limited to free/libre plugins on GNU/Linux. NI’s Kontakt has a multi-out variant. on Apple the default AUSampler… and countless proprietary/commcercial plugins offer this.

Those are just patches (not effects). Maybe we’re talking cross purpose.

When you said

I assumed you want actual effect-plugins that only apply to each virtual instrument corresponding to a given MIDI channel.

e.g a compressor applies to the bass that was synthesized from MIDI channel 1, an IR reverb only applied to the pad synth of channel 2 and the arp is fed to some audio distortion…

If so, I 'm curious how you can do that with cubase. What synth plugin do you use there?

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Maybe i made mistakes on describing what I am trying to do, but you caught what i´m thinking.
About effects I think i´m doing what you say.
I have used Halion in cubase

I cannot check right now, but I am pretty sure that yoshimi (a fork of zyn) has a plugin (“yoshimi-multi”, maybe?) that can output 16 stereo tracks, one for each part. Both yoshimi and zyn have built-in effects, but with yoshimi-multi you can set the parts to output to different audio tracks and add effects there.

Having a single instance of zyn/yoshimi does save CPU and memory, but with my own computer (Intel i7-4771, 32GB of RAM) I never really bother and load a single instance per track. On the other hand, after I dial it in, I usually just print the track, so the synth does not need to run anymore.

I hope this helps.

thanks for the help. i´m gonna check