I wanted to document the process I went through (including both things that worked and things that didn’t!) for others who may want to do the same thing. I also wanted a record for myself in case I ever need to do this again since the process is far more complicated than it needs to be. If anyone knows an easier way to do this, please let me know.
- Open FL Studio. Go to Import midi file. Select MIDI file. Leave the default options alone. The MIDI gets imported into Pattern one. FLEX is loaded and routed to track 1.
- Think I’m done with importing. That was easy!
- Wait, I don’t like the piano sound in Flex, so I replace Flex with another synth with a better piano sound like Kontakt.
- Crap. What happened to my pedal CC’s? They just disappeared from the pattern. Repeat step 1 and 2 multiple times with small variations, getting the same end result each time, resulting in the first F bombs.
- After much Googling and manual reading I learn that loading MIDI CC’s is an entirely separate step from loading notes. Why?
- Go to the current project in the browser, select Kontakt under generators. Scroll past endless channels to get to #064. No Wait! Don’t stop at #064. Keep scrolling past HUNDREDS of channels until you get to MIDI CC #64 (sustain).
- Right click on MIDI CC#64 (sustain) and edit events.
- Click on the drop down menu in the edit events window. Go to edit. Oh, hey, another import MIDI file menu selection is here. Who would have expected that? Select import midi file, choose the midi file you already previously imported, and click accept on the Import MIDI data dialog that pops up.
- Yay! Pedal events are now back in the pattern.
- IMPORT COMPLETED!
- Play my MIDI and edit the necessary velocities and pedal positions. Save my project.
- Now time to export MIDI that incorporates my changes. Hey look, under the File->Export menu there is an option to export MIDI file. Select that, give the output file a name, think I’m done. That was easy!
- No wait. The exported midi file was empty and has no notes, resulting in a few F bombs.
- More Googling. Learn that under the Tools->Macros menu, there is a macro to “Prepare for MIDI export.” I just want to save a few notes and CC 64’s. Why does it need to be “prepared”? Whatever.
- Select “Prepare for MIDI export”. Scary dialog pops up about turning my channels into MIDI Out channels. Select OK anyway. Learn that this macro nukes all my synths and turns them into Midi Out plugins. How is this considered an acceptable thing!!???!!! Whatever.
- Go back to File->Export menu and export the MIDI. Yay, that was a little bit of a pain, but at least I’m done now. Nope. I hadn’t noticed that when I “Prepared for MIDI export” my CC 64’s got nuked. Again. More F bombs.
- Reload my project that was saved earlier
- Add an instance of the MIDI Out plugin to my project.
- Put another instance of the pattern with my piano notes into the Playlist, and make this second pattern unique. Ok, yes, I could do this all within a single pattern, but I usually prefer to have one synth/pattern. I find it cleaner and more transparent that way.
- Go into the piano roll for this new pattern. Copy all the notes. Select MIDI Out for the target channel in the Piano roll, and paste the notes into the MIDI Out channel.
- Delete the notes from the Kontakt 7 channel of the same pattern.
- Done? Nope. The notes are now in the MIDI Out channel, but CC 64’s are still associated with the Kontakt 7 channel and didn’t get copied. Wouldn’t it make sense to have an option to copy all notes and CC events associated with a channel AT THE SAME TIME? I would think so, but if such an option exists, I have not found it.
- Go back to the Browser. Select Kontakt under Generators for the Current Project. Scroll past Hundreds of channels (No, don’t stop at #064, make sure to go all the way to MIDI CC#64!).
- Right click on MIDI CC#64 and select Edit Events.
- Under the drop down menu in the Events window for Kontakt 7 that pops up got to Edit and select Copy.
- Go back to the Browser. Select Midi Out under Generators for the Current Project.
- Right click on Unnamed parameter 1 and select Edit Events. No, don’t use parameter 64 here!
- Under the drop down menu in the Events window for Midi Out that pops up got to Edit and select Paste.
- Delete the pedal CC’s in the Kontakt channel of the second pattern for good measure.
- Open the Midi Out plugin.
- Right click on the top left knob and select Configure.
- In the Control settings dialog that pops up, set the full name to Sustain pedal, short name to CC64 and Controller value to 64.
- If you play your project now, that top left knob in the MIDI Out plugin should move with the pedal changes.
- Go to File->Export, and export the MIDI file.
- Check the MIDI File. Results in a “Holy S^%& it finally F&%*$(# WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!”
- Drink a beer.
In the other DAW that I have experience with, Cakewalk, this is a three step process: Import, Edit, Export. FL Studio Mobile gets it right. Why can’t FL Studio? Please please please fix this.
Jeff