Need some help with new setup... something doesn't seem right...

[rbaulbin]

Hello -

Wondered if someone can help with the following:

Just installed Pro Tools 9 on a new Mac. I've got an M-Audio Oxygen 88 MIDI keyboard plugged in, and figured I'd give it a test drive on Xpand2. Everything installed great, and everything is "playable."

(As an aside, I'm totally new to virtual synths. I've used a Yamaha P-80 and an Alesis QS-8 keyboard for years. I know and like what both feel like sound-wise).

I've tried a bunch of different patches, and I'm noticing something about every single one of them. They all seem to have a low dynamic range "velocity-wise." I.e., the softest notes are just not "soft" enough, and the loud notes don't seem to be quite loud enough. It's as if I'm not getting the whole 127-note "juice" out of it. The sounds do not feel like they do from a the hardware keyboards mentioned above. I'm getting *some* range out of it, but it seems like about 70% of the hardware synth's range mentioned above.

I've tried messing with the attack/release, and there are some changes, but not really happening. I just can't get the expression I want from it.

I really don't know what to do. It's getting me a little worried, as I just spent a load on this setup, and was expecting at least the same type of feedback from this new setup that I've experienced with hardware synths. I've encountered this kind of feeling before on cheap synthesizers with cheap patches.

Can anyone tell me, is this to be expected with this setup? Is it the MIDI controller? Is it some configuration issue? Is there any way to fix this? :)

Any help would be appreciated.

RB

[rbaulbin]

Correction: that should be "...the whole 127-level "juice" out of it"

[rbaulbin]

Doing a little more reading, I'm thinking this might have to do with this keyboard not having aftertouch. I didn't realize this keyboard didn't have this. It's the feel of the keys that isn't right. Anyone concur? :)

[flommer]

Aftertouch is really just a way to control additional parameters besides velocity, so a lack of that will affect the potential control over a given patch, but would not necessarily cause the symptom you are describing.

Record your self playing a patch that has the problem and then look at the velocity values on MIDI note list view. If the velocities are not getting all the way to 127 or are not registering just above 0 then my suspicion is that the controller's velocity curves are restricting the MIDI note velocity output.

[Top Jimmy]

As far as aftertouch goes, for some reason, Pro Tools is defaulted to filtering aftertouch MIDI data at the input. Check Setup>MIDI>Input Filter.

Of course, the VI you play must support aftertouch.

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by Top Jimmy

As far as aftertouch goes, for some reason, Pro Tools is defaulted to filtering aftertouch MIDI data at the input. Check Setup>MIDI>Input Filter.

.

So I disable the Input filter and I should get the data for aftertouch...???

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by flommer

then my suspicion is that the controller's velocity curves are restricting the MIDI note velocity output.

+1