Yamaha Midi Controller Piano Sound Coming Through Superior Drummer Track

[Cayce]

I'm using a Yamaha CP40 as my Midi controller for a drum instrument track using the Superior Drummer plugin. I've got the Yamaha keyboard triggering the kit instruments, working effectively in that regard as it should, but am also getting the piano note of the key triggering the kit component. If middle C on my keyboard triggers the hi-hat, I get the hi-hat sound plus the middle C note from the piano. Here are some critical diagnostic points:

• The track is a stereo Instrument track (not a Midi track).
• The instrument track in Pro Tools is soloed, so the piano note is coming through with the midi signal to that track.
• There is a single plugin on that track: Superior Drummer.
• The drum instrument track has no input assigned (as I'm assuming it should be set).
• I get the same results with both the USB Midi out on the keyboard to Mac, or with a Midi in/out to USB interface (M-Audio UM-1).
• None of the piano controls—volume, voicing, etc—effect the piano sounds accompanying the drum sounds.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Cayce

[cwsand]

Hi, You need to have each MIDI instrument using its own MIDI channel. Typically for drums you use channel 10, and keyboard would be channel 1, but configure it for whatever works for you. Set each MIDI device to transmit on its channel, then under Instrument options on the Mix window, set the same channel for the MIDI/Instrument track to receive on that same channel. Hope that helps!


Edit: Read your post again and the MIDI channel assignment may not fix your problem entirely. Figure out where the piano sound is coming from (is it audio from your keyboard or a plugin in Pro Tools?) Could be that the MIDI data is being sent back into your keyboard, in which case check your routing and MIDI channel assignments.

[musicman691]

Go to the input field of the instrument track and set it to none.
Alternately zero out the level coming from the Yamaha. It sounds like you also have the audio outs from the Yamaha coming into your computer and hence onto PT.

[Cayce]

Thanks, cwsand & MusicMan;

The problem turned out to be a volume out on the CP40, controlling the internal piano sound. There are two: a Master (knob) and a Main (slider). I had tried the Master to no effect, but once I lowered the Main, it worked as it should.

Your suggestions, though, weren't wasted. I had no idea there was a hidden MIDI Instrument control section of the Mix channel until your suggestions encouraged me to explore & learn more about how Pro Tools manages VSTs. After going into the View menu and selecting "Instrument", I was able to be sure I had everything there set up properly on the channel, according to your advice.

Thanks again for helping me along through this part of the endless DAW maze.

Cayce

[cwsand]

Originally Posted by Cayce

I had no idea there was a hidden MIDI Instrument control section of the Mix channel

Yeah it's kind of hidden up there. I remember stumbling upon it a while back...