Converting midi to audio - Volume

[shameusf]

Hi there,

I'm getting a pretty major headache converting all my midi instrument tracks to audio on protools. I record each midi track onto a new stereo audio track. I then copy across the automation so the volume setting are the same in the mix. The problem is that for some, totally mysterious reason, all the audio tracks are about half the volume of the midi tracks.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't that negate the whole advantage of being able to convert to audio and copy across automation if it then sounds completely different and not identical? What is Protools doing here....?

[YYR123]

What's ur master midi vol set at?

Is ur bus fader pre or post?

Velocity issue on main track ? Is it just that ur listening to the midi track with a pressor on there ?

[shameusf]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the response. I'm no hardcore techy I'm afraid, and if I'm honest, I don't know the answer to any of those questions! I obviously inaccurately just assumed that recording the midi tracks onto new audio tracks and then copying the automation would replicate 100% the audio level of the midi track.

I thought wrong.....

[shameusf]

So I guess the question then is.....how do you copy midi instruments to audio and create identical volume levels and automation...?

[Greg Malcangi]

When you say MIDI Track do you actually mean Instrument Track?

If you do mean instrument track then you don't need to copy the fader automation because it's already been recorded to your audio track.

Your post is a little confusing because "Volume" is not the same thing as output levels, particularly when MIDI is involved. You say you're not a techie but recording and producing music involves a lot of techie knowledge, especially with a program as powerful as ProTools. My advice is to spend some time learning about MIDI and audio and reading the PT manual.

G

[shameusf]

Yes,

Sorry. Instrument tracks. Absynth, Kontakt, Xpand. I'm obviously misunderstanding something here. The automation or volume from these tracks definitely does NOT copy across when I create an audio track and record the instrument track to it. It's flat. So I copy the automation from the relevant instrument track and paste it onto the new audio track. It follows the peaks and troughs but it's half the volume.

Perhaps I'm an idiot but I don't get it. I would have assumed Protools would have record it at the same volume as the instrument track....

[Greg Malcangi]

Originally Posted by shameusf

The automation or volume from these tracks definitely does NOT copy across when I create an audio track and record the instrument track to it. It's flat.

The automation data itself is obviously not copied from the instrument track to the audio track when you record the instrument track to the audio track. The fader automation on your instrument track changes the output level of your instrument track and these level changes are recorded in the audio of your audio track, so you don't need to copy the automation.

G

[YYR123]

Yeah what Greg is saying is if you start off at zero DB on your instrument track and you have automation it takes it down to -20 DB three seconds and then back up to zero DB for the rest of the song that the fade will be recorded on the audio track that you bounced it to

And to be honest if you're only trying to save CPU cycles or CPU processing power by bouncing down to a printed audio file from a MIDI instrument

You really ought to save all of your editing Till after the fact

and you definitely want to make sure that all of your levels are at zero DB on your midi instrument track - So that insures that you're pushing that track out with 100% of the signal and then you're recording printed audio track is a zero DB also so you're not shorting any of your input gain as well on that audio file

[YYR123]

Just a quick question here you are bouncing down inside the box right ?

inside the box means you're using an internal bus inside a pro tools in your routing that to a Nother stereo audio track inside of ProTools correct

That is the way you supposed to be doing it because you don't want to bring it outside pro tools cause than you would have to use a DA converter
Then another a D converter to put it back it

[shameusf]

So to cut a long story short, what I SHOULD be doing is recording the instrument tracks to audio without any automation, and only editing the automation once I've finished transferring everything to audio.....?