MIDI off the sound card in Pro Tools?

[Beyond The Pale]

Hi. Newbie here.


I've got an Mbox and Pro Tools LE 6.7
Is there any way to use a MIDI instrument from off my sound card in Pro Tools?

I mean using Pro Tools to map the MIDI track (Enter in the notes), and have the audio for this MIDI come out THROUGH PRO TOOLS, NOT from my computer? And turn it into a usable track?

Sorry if I haven't explained myself very well, I'm still struggling to understand this stuff.

Thanks!

[crazytracy]

Hi there..

I'm a newbie too with a mbox and protools 6.7LE.
I don't quite understand your question.. do you just wanna record midi into protools?

[jonah day]

Hi
First thing to realise is that MIDI is a data stream, not an audio stream. In other words you need to send the midi data to a synth or other midi sound source to get audio.

Yes you can do it all in PT. If you have a keyboard synth, connect midi out on synth to midi in on the MBox and midi out of the MBox to midi in of the synth. In PT, create a new midi track and have its input set to ALL. Set the track output to whatever midi channel you want to transmit on, say 1. Hit record enable and play the keyboard - you'll see the midi data coming in on the channel meter, but you won't hear audio yet.

Create a new mono or stereo aux or audio track. Connect your synth out/s to the ins on the MBox. On the aux / audio channel select the same inputs and route the outs to the master fader or monitor outs.

You can now record midi and have the audio played back or recorded.

[Skyflash]

If I believe I understand the question, you want to use the internal synthesizer(found in many of the consumer grade audio cards like the soundlaster/audigy ones)triggered by a midi track and/or a live midi input,and record the audio of the onboard synth into Pro Tools?

In order for you to record the audio,you will have to physically connect the output of your PC sound card into your PT interface. It's output will not connect internally via the software. As for triggering the midi that could be tricky. If your other sound card has midi drivers installed, it should show up as an option on the midi tracks I/O settings. There might be an option to output to a "Windows GM synth" or similar option listed....not sure. Otherwise you would have to use another
midi interface,and phyically route that midi output into the soundcards midi in connection.
This way you are treating the other soundcard pretty much like an external hardware synth even though
it's in the same PC. Might I also mention that you can run into grounding issues routing oridnary cables back and forth this way. Even if you get this to work,could have some hum/noise to deal with.

I know a little about midi routing,enough to be dangerous with my own setup. Unfortunately I've never done this before. I've heard some of the onboard synths on the higher grade cards that sounded pretty decent(some of them used an Ensoniq synth engine)and this sounds like an interesting and resourcefull option for getting some sounds without the CPU strain of using software synths.

hmm I might try this myself.

[jonah day]

Looks like we've got different interpretations of what you mean here. Are you asking how to record midi and have the recorded midi play an external synth, or play the sounds included on your soundcard?

[Beyond The Pale]

Basically, I own a computer, an Mbox, a guitar and an amp. NO keyboard or external MIDI devices. Just my PC's soundcard.

I want to use the instruments on my soundcard, and preferably using PT to plot the individual notes, rather than using other software, or spending any more money.

[Beyond The Pale]

So I need to buy a cable that runs from the back of my PC to one of the inputs on my Mbox???

And this MIGHT work? Is this right?

Thanks!

[myfm]

Does you soundcard show up in PTLE as a midi output? If so, then all you need is a cable to patch it from the soundcard's audio output to the Mbox's audio input. The rest of the midi connections you can do from PTLE and you won't need a cable for that.

[Beyond The Pale]

I just hooked up the back of my PC (where the speakers normally plug in) to one of my mbox's inputs and it works perfectly

Thanks for your help guys!