My live performance show consists of several patches. Grand, upright, B3, strings, plucky synths, mellotron etc... and sometimes the layers and splits are quite extensive so I use the multi-instrument. Very often the sounds are recycled to other songs. As of right now there's no way to have one VST instance exist across different songs, but with different split positions. For example, a piano in the left hand on song 1 could not be used in the right hand on song 2. Yes, you could duplicate the multi instrument and make new splits and save that as a preset, but that incurs a ton of unnecessary RAM on and off loading, and potentially high CPU loads during a song change - depending on how many splits and layers you are loading per song. It's the kind of thing that causes errors and crashes. Usually this isn't a problem, but if it occurs even once it's enough for me to question bringing this as my rig.
Now imagine you go to do a live show, and you make "One Multi-Instrument to rule them all" (and in the darkness bind them) You put every single vst that you will need in a single multi-instrument, and it's all loaded onto your RAM and sitting happily. Song changes now trigger the split and layer positions of each instrument. 0 CPU spikes, and 0 RAM loading = 0 crashes? (Not actually, but one can hope!) Song changes can also change the preset of eash vst loaded within your one multi-instrument, so you dont end up with needing 16 instances of the keyscape C7 across one show.
I feel like all the functionality is there within the multi-instrument already, all that's needed is a way to store the split and layer info, and have that info be triggered by song changes.
I filed a support request and they said it was impossible as it stands, but it seems like such an obvious thing to be able to do. I keep thinking there's a more experienced person out there with a simple and elegant solution! So if that's you I hope to hear from you.
Thanks,
Phil
