The Nord Stage has a function called “Send on Load” which means when he loads a certain Preset at the same time a Preset Change can be send to another MIDI Device.
Is there a similar function to be found in Analog Lab? Either Program Change or Control Change would be good.
Hi @zappafrank ,
I don’t know of any software instrumens that send programChange messages.
I don’t think i can see a usage purpose for this in software instruments.
My use case would be that when for example Arturia Piano X is loaded inside Analog Lab the Universal Audio Plugin Y gets loaded inside the Console Software. If you have a hybrid setup (software and hardware) or even in a pure software or hardware environment there are many use cases for this. I would say it is equally useful for software and hardware instruments. Sometimes it is enough to have one central brain which manages everything. The central brain could be for example your DAW, but sometimes it can also be handy to have a kind of decentralized automation solution.
Hi again @zappafrank ,
Today in a DAW/ host i would use multiinstruments presets and track presets and such depending on what the DAW/ host offer of possibilities. (I’m not sure how this work with external hardware as part of the presets though.)
Today in a DAW less setup i would simply have a master controller to send ProgramChange messages. (Your NORD probably just is set to do something like this - but it’s hardware and that’s a difference. Still the recieving parts also have to be set to be able to recieve.)
Both is allready possible.
You simply forget what your suggestion require.
A track with a plugin in a DAW will need to be set to recieve midi from the plugin you will have to send messages to it. This is a major reason why your suggestion is’nt useful. Your solution will only work, if things are setup in advance, as things work today. And it sound like you will even have Analog Lab to load other plugins, when you select a preset.
A preset will need to be copied, if you want different things to happen anyway.
Excisting methods are easier and better, even if they are not perfect. A new solution shall add something more.
We are some who would like a Analog Lab and other Arturia instruments to be able to use Arturias own effects and save them as presets of this. For Analog Lab that could be a Multi preset with external effects included.
But to include other vendors applications even in such a solution will require more. That would require something like a extended NI NKS solution that can use multiple instruments both software and hardware, and then you will really only get what the existing multiinstrument preset and track preset options in a DAW allready offer, except it would be a solution working the same in any DAW or standalone situation, which would be better and very good. But i would not like to be tied to a certain vendors controllers, like you have to with NKS today to get the full functionality. A useful universal solution for all vendors could be developed.
But a solution like this will not require to send programChange messages and such from one instrument to another like you suggest. So no your suggestion is not useful as i see it.
Even when midi 2.0 is implemented in the future and using programChange with software instruments perhaps will get much better and easier to use in generel, there will still be the barriers i’ve mentioned.
Also solutions need to take CPU tech into consideration to not overload the CPU.
It will take a very long time, if something like your message sending suggest ever shall be developed for things like this. And i still can’t see it’s more useful than the other possibilities i’ve mentioned.
If some kind of very intelligent advanced software in the future is developed - then perhaps. That depend.
That’s how i see it.
But feel free to create a feature request.
Thank you for your answer, but I got the impression that we have a misunderstanding here. I don’t use a DAW. I use Gig Performer. I am able to send with Gig Peformer as my “central brain” any Program Change and Controll Change I like to any UAD Plugin I like.
But this implicates that in every song I use I have to set up that Program Change or Control Change again. It is not a lot of work, but I have to do it. Now imagine that you have a certain E-Piano Preset in Analog Lab and everytime you want to play that Preset you want to have this preset automatically combined with a certain preset of lets say the UAD bx saturator plugin. With the Nord Stage you can use the send on load function to accomplish this and I think this is pretty useful. Maybe you understand me now better. I don’t want to convince you. I just think that it is useful at least for me 
That’s all.
I don’t think i have misunderstood.
You mentioned DAW, software and hardware. I wrote DAW/ host. Gig Performer is a host, so i included that.
You for example clearly wan’t a Analog Lab preset to be able to not only send a ProgramChange message to another device but also to set up the connection to and even load the target instrument. You say you wan’t to avoid to set it up again in another project.
I think the way you wan’t to make something like this happen is’nt usefull.
How excactly should your suggestion set this up for you? And do it in all hosts?
I faced that and other barriers in what i wrote.
We have a misunderstanding here. The only thing that I want is sending a Program Change. This is enough. I dont want Analog Lab to set up a connection. I have no idea how this could be realized. So I guess know you understand what I mean. Just a Program or Control Change that’s all.
Here is the description of the function that I mean in the Nord Stage 4 manual:
SEND ON LOAD
Often, it will be desirable to send certain MIDI data instantly when a
program is loaded on the Nord Stage 4. This allows for an external unit
to switch program, or reset a CC value in sync with program changes
on the Nord Stage 4.
I’m just saying, that there allready is other options to use.
I think Gig Performer have a quite advanced ProgramChange system to send the messages.
I’m sure vendors like Arturia will implement your suggestion, if they find it’s possible, practical and useful.
I have stated what i think about this at the time being.