What Brainspawn Forte Users Should Know About Gig Performer

What Brainspawn Forte Users Should Know About Gig Performer

Guest blog written by Greg Nelson

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Shortly after the turn of the current century, I started to experiment with Virtual Studio Technology, and was very impressed with various software emulations of organs and synthesizers, and sampled pianos. I started to explore the possibility of replacing my hardware keyboard rig, with 2 controllers and a CPU built to run VST instruments. This idea took me on a journey through hardware computer builds, and VST hosts, to being a long time Brainspawn Forte user.  I’ve been using Forte as a VST host application to perform with VSTIs, live on stage, since Forte Version 4 was released.  Before discovering Forte, I was using Propellerhead Reason with some success.

The creator of Forte has recently announced that he is stopping all development and support of his products. In the wake of this announcement, I decided to explore the newest VST host software applications available, and landed on the latest version of Gig Performer, and audio plugin host for live performance.  I was instantly impressed, and saw many advantages I could gain from transitioning my keyboard rig over to Gig Performer.

Forte vs Gig Performer Overview

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When launched, Gig Performer opens up to the Panels View screen of a new, or recalled, Gig (.gig) file.  This screen is very similar to Forte’s Scene View screen.  A column on the left side of the Panels View screen lists the Rackspaces in the current Gig file.  Each Rackspace basically serves the same function as a Scene does in Forte.  The main difference in Gig Performer’s Rackspaces vs Forte’s Scenes is that each Gig Performer Rackspace can have a completely different set of plugins.

A Gig Performer feature called Predictive Loading can be turned on if necessary to reduce RAM usage.  Predictive loading will cause GP to load only the next few Rackspaces, in the background, ahead of the current Rackspace in use. This means that you can use memory intensive plugins, like Kontakt, in many of your Rackspaces, and not worry about using up your system’s memory.

Both Forte and Gig Performer have very similar Global MIDI controls. Forte’s rack file “adaptation” to different hardware controllers and audio, is done via Gig Performer’s Rig Manager.

Some Workflow Differences

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In Forte, as the Rack is developed, and plugins are added, the file can become very large, and have many instrument modules on the Rack View screen, where each plugins’ routing and configuration takes place.  Having all the plugins on one screen can get confusing, and cause a lot of paging up and down. Gig Performer’s Wiring View screen gives a graphical layout of the plugins, and the signal flow of MIDI and audio, for each Rackspace. This screen is where plugins and MIDI In and MIDI Out blocks are added, MIDI filtered and routed, and audio outputs routed. Double clicking a plugin’s block will open its editor window.

Forte’s MIDI Controller Mapping functions are achieved in Gig Performer via Widgets and MIDI Filters. A layout designer mode is accessed from the Panels View screen. This is where Gig Performer Widgets (buttons, sliders, foot pedals etc.) are added and mapped to plugin parameters for performance control. Forte’s multiple key zones for an instrument are achieved in Gig Performer by adding multiple MIDI Input blocks for the same MIDI device and configuring each one as desired. Key range and transpose settings are also edited in Gig Performer’s MIDI Input blocks.

Forte’s Rack Editor page, where song sets are created using the Scene Pool and Song Pool, doesn’t exist in Gig Performer. Setlists are created in Gig Performer by simply reordering the list of Rackspaces shown in the left hand column, on the Panel View screen of a Gig file. Each Gig file can easily become a set list for a show, by Importing individual Rackspaces from disk. Forte users who use the same scene twice in the same song will want to explore Gig Performer’s Rackspace Variations feature.

Workflow Comparison in Pictures

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Gig Performer, Keyboard Range Editing, Brainspawn Forte

Gig Performer, MIDI Filtering, Brainspawn Forte

Gig Performer, Plugin Editing, Brainspawn Forte

Gig Performer, Effects Editing, Brainspawn Forte

Some Installation considerations

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When setting up folders that will contain your VST (*.dll) files on your computer, you may want to keep the tree structure as simple as possible. Gig Performer’s Gig files contain plugin path information, as well as the plugin file names, within the Rackspace code.  Therefore, when configuring a “hot backup” computer, in order to transparently share and use Gig files from your main computer, each system’s VST plugin folder names and paths need to be identical.

If you want to still use your favorite 32-bit plugins, it’s still possible with the help of jBridge. While Forte could be set to automatically use jBridge during the plugin scan, Gig Performer does not have that option built-in. You will have to manually create bridged versions of your plugins with jBridge. It’s very easy, and step by step instructions are available on the jBridge website. Then just add the folder that contains your bridged plugins to the “folders to scan” list in the Plugin manager.

Some Advantages of Gig Performer over Forte

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  • The MIDI Filter in Gig Performer allows NON-CC# events to be filtered, such as Pitch Bend, Aftertouch, and Note On/Off.  There is no provision for this in native Forte.
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  • The ability to add a MIDI Monitor at any point in the MIDI signal path.
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  • The ability to export Rackspace (.rackspace) files, and import them into any Gig file in Gig Performer, makes it easy to have different versions of the same song to choose from.  It’s great to have the ability to develop new keyboard mapping for a song, or try different sounds and/or instruments, and save my alternate version of the song to it’s own, self contained Rackspace file, that can be used later.
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  • Rackspaces can also be imported on the fly, in case your band decides to play a song that’s not in the currently opened Gig file. Forte does has the ability to insert a Scene into a set on the fly, but the advantage goes to Gig Performer because a Rackspace doesn’t have to be part of the currently opened Gig file. Any saved Rackspace can be quickly loaded from disk via Gig Performer’s Rackspace Import function. Comparatively, to quickly call up a Scene in Forte, that Scene must already exist in the currently opened Rack file.
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  • Working with a smaller file on stage makes it quicker to recover from a host application crash. It takes less time to reload a smaller Gig file than it does to load a larger Forte rack file. I can use a smaller Gig file containing 15 to 30 Rackspaces (songs) for each set or show, and still have my repertoire readily available via Gig Performer’s import function. To have the bands entire repertoire accessible with Forte, all of the songs must already be configured as Scenes in the opened Rack file. This can be a pretty large file when containing Scenes for over 100 songs. Loading a single Scene from disk, into a Forte Rack file, on stage, is just not possible.
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  • The Patch Persist feature in Gig Performer allows me to advance to the next Rackspace, and launch into the next song, while sustaining the last chord from the previous song. This is only possible in Forte if the next Scene has the same plugin with the same MIDI filtering and transpose setting.
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  • Gig Performer’s widgets can provide a visual indicator to confirm that a foot pedal or other control’s function has been carried out. For example, in the excitement of a performance, I often wonder, “Did I remember to change my SL88 keyboard back to a piano, from an organ?” My only way of confirming that in Forte would be to play a note and listen for my piano sound. In Gig Performer, a quick glance at the LED Button Widget, that I mapped to the piano MIDI filter’s NoteOn-Allowed (pass-thru) parameter, tells me what I need to know.
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  • Gig Performer allows you to run multiple Gig files simultaneously. A multi tier keyboard rig can be configured for each keyboard to change Rackspaces, independently of each other, by using the Multiple Instance feature of Gig Performer. There is no way to do this in Forte.
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  • Gig Performer comes with a built-in Audio File Player, making it easy to add backing tracks to your Rackspaces.
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  • Gig Performer’s Rig Manager allows you to save (Export) multiple rig setups.
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  • Gig Performer’s GPScript programming language allows you to inject some logic into your Widgets!  The possibilities are endless.

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New and exciting features are sure to be developed for future releases of Gig Performer. Forte’s last, and final version was released February 9, 2018.

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Related topics:
–  Some research on latency, jitter and buffer size (Gig Performer vs Forte)
Gig Performer is the best companion for all your musical efforts and more
Modern audio plugin hosts comparison
Gig Performer is used by professional and well-known musicians all over the world

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Scaling Curves


Scaling curves allow you to control the shape of the output of a widget or convert an incoming note velocity to a new velocity. Various predefined curves are available and they can be tweaked as necessary. You can also just draw your own curve as well to achieve the effect you require.

 

MIDI File Player Plugin


You can load up to 128 MIDI song files in a single plugin instance. Switch from one song to another, mute tracks and/or change their channel numbers. Tempo can be controlled by individual songs or you can use the global tempo and tap tempo to control the BPM interactively.

 

Favorites and Presets


Create a sound by placing and interconnecting your desired plugins, such as a synth, some effects and perhaps a mixer. Select them all and then save the selection as a named favorite. The favorite will subsequently show up in all plugin insert menus, making it easy for you to recreate that configuration whenever you need it again. This feature is also very powerful for creating your needed sounds on your studio computer and then transferring them to your touring laptop.

 

Probabilistic Sound Designer


Parameters you select in an open plugin are captured into the Probabilistic Sound Designer dialog window. When you click Randomize, you're only adjusting those selected parameters. Each entry in the PSD dialog has a curve but unlike widgets where the curve controls scaling, in the PSD the curves are used to define the probability of particular values being selected. Make sure the filter cutoff never gets too slow so as to block all sound. Perhaps adjust the max range of the VCA attack parameter so that the sound doesn't have too much delay. Constrain the octave ranges of the oscillators, perhaps ensuring that 1/3rd of the time we select 8' and 2/3rds of the time we select 4'. The possibilities are endless.

 

More Widgets


Numerous new widgets are included in Gig Performer - a new sustain pedal, plastic knobs, drum pads and more colored sliders. Shapes can be colored with different borders and fill colors and morphed from rectangular to circular. Your creativity is now the limit to creating fabulous front panels in Gig Performer.

 

MIDI Message Helper


Select MIDI devices by name. Choose the MIDI message type and adjust the appropriate parameters for the specific type

 

  

Layout management


Gig Performer supports arbitrary resizing. Layout your widgets the way you want - resize the main window and the widgets will grow or shrink as necessary to maintain the same interrelationships. No matter what size screen you have, your front panels will still be neat and usable.

 

Undo Support


If you move your widgets around and/or resize them, or even delete them by mistake, the Undo facility will correct your mistake. Minor moves to a widget by mistake will no longer spoil your design

 

Plugin Channel Count


Some plugins support a large number of outputs and they depend on the traditional channel strip to control how many ports should be available.   When you only need a stereo pair, it is convenient not to have a large horizontal block. In Gig Performer, the number of available ports  is controlled by the channel count override, which can be applied to individual plugins and will be remembered when the gigfile is reloaded or if the plugin is saved as a favorite.

 

Input muting and output fading


Rather than a single audio length tail, Gig Performer 4 gives you the ability to control input muting and output fading separately. Input muting controls how much time it takes for audio input to be silenced when you leave the rackspace. Output fading controls how much time will be taken for audio to fade out when you leave the rackspace.

 

Faster Plugin Finder


Instead of searching through menus of perhaps hundreds of plugins (you know who you are!), the Quick Plugin Finder makes it easy to find the plugin you need by simply typing partial strings. For example, as shown here, to find the Modartt Pianoteq 7 plugins, it's enough to type pia mod 7 (in any order, by the way)  to restrict the list of available plugins to those matching your query. The Quick Plugin Finder also knows about manufacturers, presets and favorites.

 

  

Touch Friendly Input


Any entry field can be changed by either dragging your mouse (or finger) up or down, or by using the large popup touchpad where you can just tap on the squares to enter a value. The large popup keypad also does validation so you can't enter an invalid value. You can also just tap the BPM field to pop up a larger view where you can quickly change tempo, tranpose, trigger Tap Tempo and enable Ableton Link, the last allowing you to synchronize Gig Performer with any other application that also supports Ableton Link.

 

New Tuner Display


The tuner view makes it easy for guitarists to quickly check and adjust their tuning. You can toggle into the tuner view from any other view and toggle right back as soon as you're done. All output will be silenced automatically while you're in tuning mode. You can adjust the concert reference pitch from its default of 440 Hz to suit your own needs. The tuner view fills the entire screen so you can easily see it from a distance.