Midi Troubles, cannot hear MIDI track
 

Hello Everyone,

I am new to Pro Tools and I so far have managed to surpass quite a few hurdles by just watching multiple videos and doing Google searches. Now that my first song project in this program is almost complete, I turn my program on and for the life of me, I cannot get the midi information to play. 

Here is what I’m working with:

• iMac, 27” desktop computer (2019) macOS Catalina
• Pro Tools Version 2020.5
• Kontakt Player 6 / Native Instruments
• Yamaha PSR-EW300 Keyboard

Here are the things that I’ve already checked and didn’t work:

• The track with the midi is NOT muted
• The track with the midi is not a part of a group of instrument(s) that is muted
• The track volume is not turned down
• The instrument that I am trying to play through Kontakt 6 is a grand piano. When I click onto the keys shown at the bottom of the program, I can hear the piano notes.
• There in only one instrument using at it is set to: Output st. 1, Midi Ch: (A) 1. (Which seemed to work just fine when I initially played it onto the track.
• The mix channel in the Pro Tools, Mixer window displays my Instrument track as “Kontakt, MIDI in Channel 1. (Output is 1-2).
• The track voice selector is “dyn”

I’ve watched 4 videos now for people who have had trouble getting midi to play through Pro Tools and none of them have helped. Someone please tell me what I’m missing.

Re: Midi Troubles, cannot hear MIDI track
 

Try this:
1. Check that your keyboard shows up in the menu item "MIDI input devices"
2. Create a INSTRUMENT track, not a midi track.
Insert a Pro tools plugin "Mini Grand" (to eliminate any possible Kontakt problem) on it.
3. Rec enable it, and press a key.
Oh, and also make shure the instrument track is selected, that its name is highlighted in the mixer and edit windows.

Re: Midi Troubles, cannot hear MIDI track
 

And in the MIDI tab of PT preferences make sure that 'use first selected track' is selected for 'default thru instrument'. That way you don't have to record enable a track.


As a general thing when checking MIDI issues I like a free utility program snoize (for Macs) or MIDI-OX (for Windows) as a diagnostic tool. Run it outside of PT and it will tell you what messages are coming through from your external MIDI gear.

Re: Midi Troubles, cannot hear MIDI track
 

Hey Ben,
Thank you for taking the time to try to help me with this crazy situation. I'm trying not to get frustrated with this but I'm trying everything you folks are throwing at me and nothing is working. Would you be willing to do a Zoom meeting with me and I could share my screen and you can see for yourself what is going on here? Also, I purchased the Mini Grand plugin, only to find out that the new Catalina macOS will not allow it to be installed. I only get a message saying that it is incompatible with this new OS. :(

Re: Midi Troubles, cannot hear MIDI track
 

I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that. ;)