Trouble getting MIDI data to show up with keyboard(s)

austinm08

austinm08

the pigeon knows the way.
I can only find one MIDI cable.. so I'm just going OUT to Pro Tools, wanting to trigger Xpand!.... but I can't get either of two keyboards to work.

I've got the MIDI options correct on the keyboards.. cable going from OUT on keyboard to IN on the Mbox 2.. but can't get anything to come through! I've got Pro Tools looking at ALL the channels coming in.. no luck. What the heck am I doing wrong?
 
austinm08 said:
I can only find one MIDI cable.. so I'm just going OUT to Pro Tools, wanting to trigger Xpand!.... but I can't get either of two keyboards to work.

I've got the MIDI options correct on the keyboards.. cable going from OUT on keyboard to IN on the Mbox 2.. but can't get anything to come through! I've got Pro Tools looking at ALL the channels coming in.. no luck. What the heck am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...

In a Pro Tools session under the "setup" pull down menu there is a "midi" configure select. Have you gone there and created a Windows midi setup?? It's a simple setup but I'd definitely "export" a copy of your midi setup to a safe easily accessed place.

Secondarily..I don't know what keyboard you are referring to but virtually all major sequencers relay on internal routing. It's most commonly called "Local Control" and it essentially routes midi exclusively to the internal board itself.

Find Local Control and turn it off.

Finally depending on the version of Pro Tools you're using you need to make sure a) there is a designated input on either the Instrument Track or Midi Track (depending on what you use) and b) the track is armed for record.
 
Joseph Hanna said:
In a Pro Tools session under the "setup" pull down menu there is a "midi" configure select. Have you gone there and created a Windows midi setup?? It's a simple setup but I'd definitely "export" a copy of your midi setup to a safe easily accessed place.

Secondarily..I don't know what keyboard you are referring to but virtually all major sequencers relay on internal routing. It's most commonly called "Local Control" and it essentially routes midi exclusively to the internal board itself.

Find Local Control and turn it off.

Finally depending on the version of Pro Tools you're using you need to make sure a) there is a designated input on either the Instrument Track or Midi Track (depending on what you use) and b) the track is armed for record.
Click to expand...

First off, it's Pro Tools 7.3.1.

I've created a MIDI setup.. (Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio Setup, right?). I'm only going out of the keyboard, not back in. Does the "emulated" option need to be selected for the output port? Or what does that mean?

I've tried turning Local Control off already, on both keyboards (one is M-Audio ProKeys 88sx, the other a very old Casio CTK-530).

I'm having trouble with this one: "a) there is a designated input on either the Instrument Track or Midi Track (depending on what you use)"

I've tried both types of tracks. With the Instrument track the options I get under where it says "no input" are "Interface" and "Bus".
For MIDI track, it's on "all" but still nothing comes through.
 
austinm08 said:
First off, it's Pro Tools 7.3.1.

I've created a MIDI setup.. (Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio Setup, right?). I'm only going out of the keyboard, not back in. Does the "emulated" option need to be selected for the output port? Or what does that mean?
Click to expand...

Configure your midi as if you had both an in and an out (Even if you don't currently have a return midi cable.)

To save confusion "name" your midi setup. For me it's named "Roland Fantom" The reason for NAMING your setup is so you can be sure your choosing the correct midi i/o when you configure your Pro Tools midi/Instrument track.

The default "ALL" for midi in is NOT what you want to select. If you have configured your midi page correctly you should have a secondary choice, in my case "Roland Fantom" Check this closely. Remember the midi/instrument track must be record enabled.


austinm08 said:
I'm having trouble with this one: "a) there is a designated input on either the Instrument Track or Midi Track (depending on what you use)"

I've tried both types of tracks. With the Instrument track the options I get under where it says "no input" are "Interface" and "Bus".
For MIDI track, it's on "all" but still nothing comes through.
Click to expand...

Yes select something under the "Interface" choice. For now it doesn't matter what..just as long as you select something
 
I don't see the Instrument Track I/O section. Under your Pro Tools view menu you need to select ..View pull down...Mix View and select Instrument Track. That will reveal you I/O structure of that now STEREO Instrument Track

Another thing I notice is you probably want to select send and receive on all 16 channels in your midi setup.

Your Instrument track should be stereo (this won't effect the problem at hand) but a keyboard will sound better in stereo.

Last thing I notice is the Instrument track does not appear to be armed for record??
 
By the way...now that I look again at your session you've got another thing tangles we should fix.

There are two ways to run midi/softsynths in Pro Tools. One is with an singular Instrument track. An Instrument track is both an Aux track AND a midi track combined. For a singular tambral device like Expand the Instrument Track is ALL you'll need....no need for a midi track and I suspect when you view the Instrument track in Pro Tools it'll make sense.

The other route would be to run a midi track which would then feed an AUX return track.

The idea there would be for multitambral instruments you could have 16 midi tracks feeding 1 Aux return track and a single synth. That single synth of course theoretically would be capable of 16 independent sounds.
 
I now have it set to send/receive on all 16 channels in the MIDI Studio Setup dialog box.
(I thought that you also needed an Aux track with a MIDI.. but couldn't remember for sure. I'm just forgetting about the MIDI track now and focusing on the Instrument track, though)

I have it record-armed.

I have enabled "Instruments" under the View drop-down for the Mix Window.

http://njbfiles.googlepages.com/recordarm.jpg

Still no luck.. agh. Why'd you say "that now STEREO Instrument Track".. when enabling it under "View" will not change it from Mono to Stereo? That kind of confused me. Maybe you meant something else. heh

Thanks for helping, once again!
 
it IS record-armed.. it was flashing.. just took the screenshot when it happened to be "off"..
 
Ok no worries. Let's try this.

When you arm your midi/Instrument track for record and pluck at the keyboard do you see midi information climbing the midi/Instrument track?? The LED latter will be up near the top of the track next to the tiny midi icon.

Another thought. Midi routing (especially for Window is fickle) have you shut down your computer and re-booted??
 
That's what I was watching the whole time.. the meter.

But, the problem has been solved! I didn't have "MIDI Thru" checked. I didn't realize it had to be. I talked to my instructor about my problem today and he gave me the answer. Probably the dumbest mistake imaginable... oh well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top