My struggles with ProTools MIDI...

[stoogee]

I used to use Cubase all the time, and I moved to PT for its "stability" (cough PT6 - fat chance), and I loved the MIDI on cubase, but was doing more Audio stuff, and for that its great.

Now i havent done much MIDI since I got rid of Cubase, now Im getting back into it. I have softsynths and multi-timbral MIDI gear I want to trigger with Protools. For one the bank changing is a fiddle, and really you have to make patch names for your gear otherwise you cant change the programs very easily.

But the thing I find most annoying is that when recording the MIDI parts, it doesnt group the part together. I used to record a bass line with the keyboard, and then I'd just double click on the segment which is say a bar long, and I could then edit it. With PT you have to select all the notes together and you cant just easily copy and paste parts. Its a fiddle, why cant it be like the Audio segments or regions, that automatically get put in a box after recording. Yes I know that you can select the regions in the bottom right hand corner, but what good is that? I would have to click through all of them until the part Im looking at on the edit window gets highlighted.

Its messy. Are people doin much MIDI stuff? Also there is no delay compensation, so you the MIDI always seems out of time with the rest of it all. There should be a delay input box in the MIDI track.

Sigh.

Stoo

PS please help me with my other thread on mac crashing as its very annoying.

PPS Why cant you ever get a system that just works without messing around.

PPPS No, I hate Logic, and Im not ever going to get it.

[Simon666]

On your MIDI track, change "notes" to "regions", and then it will be just how you want it.

[Eddie K. wannabe]

In your prefernces you can adjust "Global midi offset" which can correct for any midi timing issuses. You will need to calcualte the inherent latency of your system to adjust the global midi offset function. In the edit window look at you first midi note, record that midi notes audio to a track below the midi track, zoom in on the audio and you will see how far off your audio is to your midi. Enter that #of ms into the offset fucntion and problem solved. I use midi and PT all the time. You can do all the same stuff in PT as you did on Cubase. PT as a midi sequencer is awesome you just have to get used to it. Play with it some more, read up on the midi section in the manual. Pt's in regard to midi might not be as intutuitive or simple to use as other apps, but it still is just as good. In fact i feel it's a pretty straightforward midi, editor,recorder, and sequencer.
Hope that helps.

[stoogee]

Guys, thankyou so much, both tips have been really helpful!

Thanks again, looking forward to using PT as MIDI seq!

SG

[DIGIDUDE26]

also for future reference you can change the names of audio and midi regions so that you DO know what one is the one you want! Organization is a key.