Korg Kross 2 as midi controller

[intillect]

I am new to world of recording and trying to produce music, but I am beyond excited for the challenge. I hope this is a stupid question but I haven't been able to find a definitive answer in my searches.

I am using Pro Tools First as my DAW and I have a scarlett focusrite 4i4 that will be here at the end of the week. I have an electric guitar and a korg kross 2 88 key workstation that I have been using to make music with. The keyboard is amazing in its stand alone form allowing me to loop and layer synthesized midi and piano sounds for a backing track to solo guitar over all without the use of a computer.

Based on all my research it is my understanding that if I plug the keyboard into the scarlett with the audio out on the keyboard it will record whatever sound the piano is emitting(whether that be a synth or classic piano sound), but if I plug the piano into the scarlett using the midi connections it will act as a midi controller for pro tools or any other DAW. Am I correct in my thinking? Will I get real time audio from the DAW with whatever midi sound I have assigned to the keyboard when it is used as a midi controller?

Also if I record in Pro Tools using the audio out will the DAW pick up my keystrokes or will it purely be sound (I think its the ladder but wanted clarification).

The goal for me is be able to use my keyboard as a midi controller for Pro Tools and I think it will do this without issue, but I wanted to verify before purchasing any cables.

Thanks in advance for any help, and again I apologize if these are stupid questions. There is so much to think about and learn with all this and I just want to be thorough in my understanding of it all from the beginning.

[albee1952]

Welcome aboard. I'm not sure if PT First is different in its midi capabilities(I have been on HD/Ultimate for too many years, but...Most any keyboard with a midi output SHOULD be capable of working as a midi controller, as long as its configured correctly. First thing to do is check the manual for the Korg and determine how it sends midi(USB? Standard midi port? Both?).

Whichever connection you use, you need to configure it so open(in PTF) Setup>Midi>Midi Studio. In this window, create a new instrument and name it(I would just name it Korg for now). There are dropdown menus where you can choose the brand and model, but those are not required. The dropdown for Input port is the crucial setting. If the keyboard is using a standard midi cable going into your interface, then look for Focusrite Midi Input[Emulated] (or similar, from the list. If the keyboard is going into the computer via USB, the the input port would probably be Korg Kross USB[Emulated] or something like that. For now, leave all 16 midi channels selected(in blue). Once this is set, open a session, create a new STEREO INSTRUMENT track, insert a Virtual Instrument plugin(aka "VI"), hit the record button on this track and play the keyboard. If you got the settings correct, playing the keyboard should trigger the VI and make some sound.

All the above is for midi only and that's all you need for "playing" virtual instruments(MiniGrand is what I use for testing midi). If you also want to use sounds from the keyboard, that would require connecting the audio outputs of the Korg to inputs on the Focusrite(but I would not worry about that until midi is working)