Quote:
Originally Posted by Luddite
So I ask again...any ideas anyone?
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First, this is weird because I seem to be having pseudo deja vu here or something. I would have sworn I posted a possible solution to a thread like this once before a few weeks back, yet I went to look for my post and it doesn't seem to exist! Maybe I was in the process of responding to your question (or someone else's which was similar) and got sidetracked? Who knows, but I'll try again:
There are probably multiple ways to skin a cat and I don't own a Virus at the moment so I'm shooting blind here, but I can tell you the approach I would take based on what I know. If my assumptions are correct (#1 you are using a DAW in the live setup but #2 you just don't want to open VC to change patches). In that case I would assign the patches to different MIDI channels like 1-3, then in the DAW assign a new midi out instrument track or whatever your DAW calls it assigned to that channel. Your DAW no doubt has an easy keystroke to move prev/next through your active instruments, or your MIDI controller probably has a way you can assign a couple of spare buttons to do this easily (if not get a MIDI controller that does, or just get one of those small wireless keyboards to stick on the MIDI controller). Then your patch changes are just a press of a button (and from your keyboard, no need to touch the Virus). In Cubase I have a special controller that has track up/down buttons that do this that if I played live (I don't) would probably be what I would use, just due to the size and convenience.
Good thing about this approach is it works with any multi-timbral hardware as long as there's no problem mapping patches to separate MIDI channels, and saves you from reaching for each individual module or rack unit. Bad thing about it is that it requires a little setup/planning testing to be sure you don't get let down by it in the middle of a gig.