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#11
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Re: What can a Midi track do that an Instrument track can't?
If you use Xpand!2, that comes with Pro Tools, you can use the Xpand!2 instrument track and 3 midi tracks to play 4 different instruments by assigning different midi channels to each instruments. The instruments can play different parts. I learned that watching Russ Hughes build song with Xpand!2 on the Pro Tools Expert website. I use this technique al the time!
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#12
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Re: What can a Midi track do that an Instrument track can't?
With complex sample libraries (Spitfire, Orchestral Tools, etc) there are often multiple articulations for each sound (let's say, mutes, flutter tongue, etc). They're typically accessible by keyswitches, but keeping all of those straight is a royal pain. Those libraries will often let you load single articulations into a multitimbral wrapper (usually Kontakt). You can set a MIDI track for each channel and choose the articulation based on the MIDI track. You can then just drag the notes between tracks until you get what you want (there's a little more fiddling than that, but I'm keeping it simple to make the point). No more worrying about keyswitching.
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#13
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Re: What can a Midi track do that an Instrument track can't?
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I'm not the best expert on this but......let's say you have a super orchestral library and you call up a violin sample and you play a nice violin passage on the keyboard. When you play it back.....it sounds nice but also very staid or plain. In other words.....almost fake sounding and even the high quality of the sample doesn't cover the fact it is a basic MIDI recording and not real. This is because a real violin player will be using all sorts of approaches.... attack, how he bows, when he changes from an up bow to down bow, slurs and sustained or staccato notes etc etc.....and all the other little artifacts a real player does or gets like the little sounds when he changes bow direction...... which you were not doing when you input the notes-other than perhaps aftertouch or velocity. With CC messages.....and if the VI supports it....you can add those after the fact in the MIDI edit window and make the performance more believable. For example you can hold a note on a keyboard forever........the string player can't.....he has to reverse his bow......a horn/wind player has to breathe etc etc/ People who know how to use CC on these orchestral libraries can do amazing things. Guys like Hans Zimmer etc. As far as VEP....Vienna Ensemble Pro.......you can have your VI on a separate computer and connect it to your Pro Tools computer via ethernet cable (I think that is still how it is done) and you call up the VI in Pro Tools. VEP has it's own GUI...a mixer window thingy.....but it, as well as the VI itself is being hosted by the other computer which takes the CPU hit off your PT computer. Make sense? It's pretty cool although I only tested it a few times.......like I said I am no expert at this by any means. I truly hope I have not just dispensed wrong info. |
#14
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Re: What can a Midi track do that an Instrument track can't?
They do, but it's a waste of instrument tracks if the VI in question does not have multiple outputs. You can send different MIDI channels to it, but the different sounds will all come out of one stereo output, leaving all (but one) of the aux sections of the instrument tracks unused.
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MSI Pro Z790 Edge | i913900k @ 5.7GHz | 64GB DDR5 5600| 8TB NVMe | 3TB SATA SSD |10TB WD Black | Audient iD14 | PT 2022.12| Win 11 Pro | Tons of VIs and plugins |
#15
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Re: What can a Midi track do that an Instrument track can't?
You are correct here. An instrument track is a MIDI track plus an auxiliary track. But as in many of the replies here (especially the ones that relate to different articulations of one instrument, or sending different channels to a multi-timbral VI with only one output) it's overkill to use several instrument tracks. So MIDI tracks do have their use. Even if it's only to help you save instrument tracks.
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MSI Pro Z790 Edge | i913900k @ 5.7GHz | 64GB DDR5 5600| 8TB NVMe | 3TB SATA SSD |10TB WD Black | Audient iD14 | PT 2022.12| Win 11 Pro | Tons of VIs and plugins |
#16
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Re: What can a Midi track do that an Instrument track can't?
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VI's that have multiple instruments (Hybrid, SampleTank, Kontakt, etc) are capable of hosting multiple instruments, each with their own volume and pan info even if you don't have the ability to have multiple aux outputs. Still very useful. Otherwise, you're suggesting to create a new instrument with multiple copies of the same VI? Why?
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Regards, Ned Monkey Boy Studios 2019 16" MBP, 32GB, 1TB SSD; OSX 10.15.7; 4TB USB-C G-Tech External Summit Audio 2BA-221, TLA-50 -->Focusrite 18i20 3rd Gen, Eleven Rack, Pro Tools 2021.3 Plugins, Virtual Instruments, and real ones |
#17
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Re: What can a Midi track do that an Instrument track can't?
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1. I can? 2. I have a wider spectrum for processing individual instruments in their own tracks using plugins of my choice... Some VI's have lots of options for internal processing, so I go along with that sometimes. No hard and fast rules, I just do what needs to be done to get the sound I want. In any case I have a very wide range of VI's and it's not all the time that I choose multiple sounds from one VI.
__________________
MSI Pro Z790 Edge | i913900k @ 5.7GHz | 64GB DDR5 5600| 8TB NVMe | 3TB SATA SSD |10TB WD Black | Audient iD14 | PT 2022.12| Win 11 Pro | Tons of VIs and plugins |
#18
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Re: What can a Midi track do that an Instrument track can't?
Not necessarily multiple copies, just taking advantage of the fact that each instance can have a separate output for each instrument. So if I want two instruments from one VI, I can have just one instance of the VI with its main output and have it route audio through another output into a second instrument track. The second instrument track will of course contain the midi data for the second instrument, without the need for a second instance.
__________________
MSI Pro Z790 Edge | i913900k @ 5.7GHz | 64GB DDR5 5600| 8TB NVMe | 3TB SATA SSD |10TB WD Black | Audient iD14 | PT 2022.12| Win 11 Pro | Tons of VIs and plugins |
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