Environment can't do everything!

Question

Hi folks!
Has anyone else ever tried to build an environment that incorporates the items in the pedalboard? None of them respond to environment objects despite the fact that the monitors CLEARLY show successful passage of midi information through the channel strip FROM the environment system. Is there a good reason why the Pedalboard is the only plug-in that doesn't respond to the environment? I find that hard to believe since it is easily automated in the arrange window. Of course, sometimes building a useful environment system makes it MUCH easier than automating 3-4 parameters for a specific sound. (I say this to avoid responses that say, "Why don't you just automate it?")
Jamie

Answer 1

I am wondering how you actually "output" the HH velocities to the bus is the first place.
Remember, all a "track" is is an arrange track, coupled with an environment object. You can send data in MIDI regions on a track to any environment object, by assigning that environment object to that track.
Simple example - open an arrange window and an environment window. On a spare environment layer, create a new "Instrument" object, call it "Test" or something. Make sure it's 'Icon" is ticked.
In the arrange, select a track (or create a new one). Control-click on the track header, select "Reassign" and up will come a popup menu of all environment layers, and all visible objects in each of those layers. Select your "Test" instrument, and it gets assigned to your track.
Now, all MIDI data is being sent to that instrument object.
Look at the parameters of that object. Of course, you can cable this object to other objects, transformers etc, but instruments have a MIDI channel and MIDI port setting. In the "Test" instrument, set it's output port to "IAC Bus". Now, all MIDI data arriving at that instrument will be sent on that channel to the IAC bus.
So, anytime you need to send MIDI out of Logic, whether it's on a MIDI interface to physical MIDI hardware, or to the IAC Bus, just make sure your desired MIDI stream ends up at an instrument object set to the desired output port.
If I had a "DX7" keyboard on MIDI Port 3, channel 4, I'd do exactly the same thing - create an Instrument object, called "DX7", with the MIDI port set to Port 3, and the MIDI channel set to 4. Now, when I want to sequence my DX7, I simply create a track and assign the "DX7" instrument to it, and that data goes to the DX7 - and I no longer have to remember or care what port and channel it's on.
This is a fundamental design in Logic.