Pro Tools plays back both my MIDI devices, but can only hear one device play live

[thrice506]

Hi,

I have been searching all last night and this morning for hours, and desperately need your help!

I just got an electric drum kit yesterday. I already own a midi keyboard which I use. So I have 2 midi devices now, both linked to my mac tower via usb.

The keyboard plays the midi fine while live and recording, and playing back. - - But this new drum kit I can only hear the midi when it plays back. Not while live or recording. When I track a part I see the midi notes being created into the track, but it's silent.

I'm using the Xpand 2 drum plugin. On an instrument track, the instrument levels bounce for both keyboard and drums - but the main output meter levels only bounce for the keyboard.

The keyboard I have is the Axiom pro with hyper control. Maybe it is somehow overriding it? Also in setup>peripherals>midi controllers - I see 4 slots labeled "typed #1 - #4. The #1 spot is filled with the axiom and the other 3 are empty. Can this be where the solution can get fixed? I tried messing with settings here but didn't result in a solution.

Please help!!! thanks

[albee1952]

Welcome to the wonderful() world of midi. Here's how to get multiple devices working in PT. First, you need to setup both devices in Setup>Midi>Midi Studio. Each midi device(or "instrument" should be listed(you need to create each) and MUST have the Midi input port set(for each). If you don't need to use the sounds from the Edrum kit, you don't need to send midi back to the drum brain(so the Midi out port is not critical). As for midi channels, Drums(and percussion) are traditionally assigned to midi channel 10, so select the Edrums to use ONLY midi channel 10, and set the keyboard to use all EXCEPT channel 10.

Now, when you create an instrument track, by default, it will receive midi on ALL channels. To change that, select View>MIX windows shows> and check the box for "instruments". This adds a row of boxes across the top of the MIX window. On your instrument tracks, select which device(Edrums or keyboard) you want to "play" that track(VI plugin). To get more than 1 instrument track to enter record-ready, hold the Alt key and click either track's record button.

In Preferences, on the Midi tab, I would select NONE as the default midi instrument. To avoid having to constantly reset the incoming signal for instrument tracks, I would create/save track presets for drums and "other"(anything you want to play from the keyboard).

Under the Options menu(IIRC), you need to have Midi Thru checked.

[thrice506]

Hello, thank you very much for the reply, I appreciate it! I currently have default through instrument set to none. And I have attached here, the my midi studio set up. As you can see for the drum kit, it configured it differently, in which there are no ports to choose from like the keyboard. Also, for both devices, the connectors for the ports are greyed out:



Luckily, I somewhat got my kit to work! I think the issue is with Xpand and not my drums, which is good. Regardless of the channel chosen for midi, I made a new instrument track and put "Boom" on it this time, and it worked perfectly. I was even able to record a take with half keyboard doing the notes, and the 2nd half with the drums, which is what I wanted.

The downfall is I'm not a fan of elctro sounding drums at all, but it is good that the midi worked for that for some reason... The meter levels bounce and everything. Yet - for xpand 2, only the keyboard plays back live and during recording. The drums still record midi and you can hear the play back - but not the recording or just playing on standby.

I know Xpand2 seems to have a more complicated channel set up than Boom. Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Southsidemusic]

Sorry but we can't se the picture at all

[thrice506]

Oh, it was basically a screen snap how the midi studio channel ports were greyed out

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by thrice506

Oh, it was basically a screen snap how the midi studio channel ports were greyed out

Can you repost that and use the "attachment" symbol up top. Find the photo with the button and load. Close window and you will be redirected back to your post Let me know if you need any assistance.

Christopher

[thrice506]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94326627@N08/12419883893/

[Southsidemusic]

Well looking quickly at the pictures it seem like both midi units have the same midi channel assigned and they need to have different midi in and midi outs. When you put them on tracks at the same time do you have both units in the list and use say midi 1 for axiom and midi 2 for the other one for example? And how is midi thru set in pro tools, on or off?

I will try and look at this later if anyone else doesn't jump in as the time is 05:50 a.m here and i need to turn everything off and sleep a few hrs but please post the answers and we can go from there

Best Regards
Christopher

[albee1952]

Read my original reply again(the bold part) as you have the incoming "instrument" set to ALL on the screen shot. This may not be your only issue, but you do need to address things correctly

[thrice506]

Hey there,

Thank you both for the replies. I do have midi-thru checked on. I am aware that my instrument track has instrument set to "all", but I have also tried in the past setting it to just the drums, and then everything was silent. Also while set to on, I was able to record dual with the keyboard and drums in boom...such as in one recording take, I could do some drum hits on the keys and then switch to the kit, which was pretty cool.

I still don't understand why Xpand works fine with the keys but not the kit. I assume it's something with the channel set up cause it seems more complicated. As for the ports and channel settings, as you can see in my previous post's picture, the port and channels are "greyed out" and I have no idea why or how to fix that.

In another post I received a reply about trying the plugin "structure free" that came with protools. It had a drum sampler for it - and it worked! I was finally playing real drums! The drums for structure is extremely un customizable though and can't even tweak levels. (Even though Xpand's wasn't the best either.")

I ended up caving in and ordered Superior Drummer 2.0...which I'm really excited for. It's still a mind boggle why Xpand, won't work with the kit, but since Boom and Structure Free do - I'm confident Superior will work fine with it.

Thanks