Pyramid newb looking for some help

Pyramid
1

Long question here from a Squarp newb… be gentle and thanks in advance for the help!

Hello! I have a couple workflow questions concerning my live setup and integrating the squarp pyramid into it. Hoping you all can help me better understand if my assumptions about pyramid functionality are realistic and match my intended usage. I realize my setup may not be the primary intent behind the Pyramid.

A couple important details first:

  • I perform songs of a fixed length which I have previously recorded in a studio with an actual band but I do not always have live support from the band for some or all of the instruments. I’m a singer when live so I can’t play it all! I don’t intend to deviate from the song structures much in a live capacity and merely desire midi playback.
  • my thought is that if I have to gig solo, that I can export all the various instruments midi data, CC, patch changes, automation, etc from my DAW as several stacked, linear midi tracks / songs and use pyramid to “player piano style” automate and play certain instruments if they happen to not be physically operated by a band member. As I could do in a DAW.
  • I do not initially intend to use pyramid for jamming or anything overly “on the fly” or for composition, but only midi playback of the various synths and other midi based instruments and effects.
  • I do not want a computer on stage or to go the ableton route.
  • if I do have live musician support, I would still like to use the squarp to control patch changes, some automation, or playback if excessive amounts of synths necessitate it, and to keep everything BPM locked via the midi data as generated from DAW.

Here is my intended setup / chain. (correct me if I’m wrong in my ideas)

  • Exported stack of midi tracks from DAW per song, loaded to Pyramid.
    -Assign all midi channels on relevant synths etc. to receive midi commands, tempo, and midi note info from pyramid.
  • midi ports of Pyramid out to MOTU midi interface
  • individual midi runs from MOTU to various synths and effect processors, daisy chained if and when necessary but I’m OCD and prefer solo runs when possible. :slightly_smiling_face:
  • every track / channel unmuted on Pyramid will play back at intended BPM as defined by settings exported from DAW and “play” the intended instruments in sync with one another such as if I were playing back a composed song within a DAW.

Does any of this sound correct?

Thanks for the clarification and help!

2

I believe this would work. I use mine for jamming and writing but have not used any midi files made on the computer.
It looks like it will work as you are wanting to. Check out the Import and export files at http://squarp.net/modesaveload

I use a midi solutions splitter. im not sure about the MOTUs and not having a computer, does it have a standalone mode?

Only thing i would suggest is if you have your program, cc and note tracks separated you can mute the note track and have someone sit in and it still gets the automation or the program changes.

1 Like
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Yeah I second that. What purpose does the motu serve. Can’t you just sack it off ?

4

Thanks for the feedback and questions! The MOTU is only in the setup for additional midi routing. Its an 8-in / 8-out rack unit. Planned on going midi out from Pyramid > midi in on Motu > using the additional outs on the Motu unit to feed midi cable to multiple units various locations on stage. Thoughts?

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DGood idea if you can easily designate midi in 1 > 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8 on the motu and save that as a boot state so it will run standalone as a midi thru box