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Enttec emu with logic pro

I was looking for a way to use enttec emu with logic pro for lighting automation. Are there any solutions to make these two programs speak to eachother? Right now when we try to send any midi to emu directly it crashes and we can't get the two programs to speak to eachother.

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Please download recent beta 22.11.2.4, AUv2 was added - give it a try

How do I set up the midi from logic to communicate with Emu?

Logic Pro + EMU  ...using midi triggers.  Anyone doing this? 

 IT makes sense to port to midi triggers instead of automation envelopes then you can switch apps like studio one to bandlab cakewalk to abelton to logic just by importing a midi track.  Automation envelopes are not so easy handed off from one app to another. 


Is this a sustainable model?   I already find I can't update EMU without blowing up my existing show (which is...non plus).    Is anyone using EMU saved shows...triggered from midi on an apple device constantly successful.  Pros cant be messing with ("issues"). 


Many people are not "DAW" worldy, They only know how  to use bandlab and logic pro cuz thats what daddy bought them.   So it makes sense to go mac just to please the lowest common denominator. 

Emu is VERY unstable when connecting to a DAW both on Mac and PC. Unlike DMXIS which runs as a VST instrument and consequently is very stable, Emu does not..instead it relies on external software such as IPMIDI and as a result of this Emu is very unstable and constantly crashes...I am unable to program a light show as these crashes also loses and previous work. Entice have really screwed up on replacing the rock-solid DMXIS with a amateur unstable piece of rubbish...is there any hope for Emu..at the moment I can't see it.

Hard disagree, Andy. 


I've got it working great on a Macbook Pro through Logic Pro X, even with other midi devices triggering at the same time. While I agree to a small extent, yes the VST should work, there are easy workarounds for the current state of the software. 


If EMU is crashing, you need to mute the track(s) it's in. 

From what I have read earlier on this forum it crashes because it will feedback loop and send too much information all at once. While it is muted it will still send DMX data through the box. 


There is absolutely hope for this software. If I can get this running, you can too. 

Hi admeezy…it was a little bit more stable on a MacBook (it only froze some of the time), 

You say I need to mute the tracks? Not sure what you mean…I connected Emu to Cubase and put one track to chan 15 to select the ‘song’ and one chan to 16 to select the presets… If I mute those tracks then Emu would not receive any info….


I don’t know if toy have ever used DMXIS the software Emu is supposed to replace but Emu doesn’t even come close as far as stability goes and using with a DAW.


I really wanted Emu to work as I really liked the interface and some of the features were really good…but it’s just nowhere near ready…and the license issues if you use more than one computer is a joke. Bloody shame… if they get the problems sorted then people may give it a go…first thing is it needs to be VST, the user should not be left to find 3rd party software to make it work with their DAW…massive oversight by ENTTEC.

Hi Andy, 


I'll try to explain it as best as I can. 

So with Logic Pro I have actually muted the tracks audio output, and even disabled the EMU AU plugin. The output for external midi is still enabled so it sends to the DMX USB Pro, however it does not create any feedback loops (crashes) within Logic or Emu. Still triggers program changes in a live setting and in the vis. 


I will admit that sometimes Emu will struggle to close without me having to force quit, but so far that's the biggest issue I've come across. This may be down to my Macbook's performance tho, but I still feel this isn't a deal breaker. 


I have used DMXis in the past, albeit for a band on their laptop (PC) they use for live backing tracks etc. Worked great for it's purpose but I definitely found it pretty limiting and very temperamental (laggy, didn't always trigger program changes on time etc), though that could have been due to the initial set up. 


Can't argue with you at all regarding the licensing, that must be incredibly frustrating! 


I can confirm I have gotten it to work very smoothly without the need for third party software. Maybe they could be part of the issue you're running into? 


I really hope this helps somewhat and hopefully you can get it working!

Thanks for the reply…

I program my lights to run in time with the multitrack recording - then remove the instruments we will be playing live (basically everything is removed other than the keyboards). I need to hear the tracks when programming so I couldn’t possibly mute them whilst programming the lights. This is where for me DMXIS was amazing being a VST instrument. I really don’t understand why this was not done with Emu… 3rd party software for PC is unstable and also caused issues with my MacBook. im a bit gutted as I actually liked the layout and workflow of Emu but I feel it’s far from ready. I use DMXIS live and it works well, I tried to test Emu live (before the show started) and it crashed the PC and also would not allow me to activate it…

Nooooo, only mute the audio from the tracks that have Emu loaded on them. 


Treat it like Emu is making a sound, mute that sound.  


Hopefully the screenshot helps - 

So as you can see channel 1 (midi ch15 for banks) and channel 2 (ch16 for programs) are both muted as if they were making sound. 

Over on the left hand side I have EMU AU loaded as a plugin but it is disabled. This still sends midi data to the USB Pro and triggers lights. 


This won't affect your ability to program lights to songs at all. 



I think I understand...but in Cubase mute means the info will not be sent so Emu wouldnt receive a signal.. What MIDI outs are you using? I have IAC driver which seems to cause a lot of issues.

It means the same thing in Logic, thats what is so strange about it. 
Give it a crack in Cubase and let us know hey?


I'm using IAC driver bus 1 with zero issues. 


Honestly, from everything you've said it sounds like you're running into feedback loop issues. Hopefully this fixes it! 

Completely dead when muted no info can be sent out...I do'nt have the premium version however as my moth is up. not sure if the free version has MIDI capabilities...


month and don't (I was in a hurry)

Andy, there is no MIDI support in free version as far as I see


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