No sound from Pro Tools

[Darryl Ramm]

Here is a good more detailed than most intro to VIs showing MiniGrand and other AIR VIs, it does a good job explaining stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apcs3lDU878

[marcel2]

Ok, no matter where I click I still can't select any instruments.
http://www.sk600.de/files/Protools2.jpg

[albee1952]

Try this(starting with the session you already have):
1-assuming you have imported midi showing on a midi track?
2-create a stereo Instrument track
3-On this Instrument track, go to the top slot(slot A) and insert MiniGrand
4-with MiniGrand open on your screen(give it a few seconds to load the samples), mouse-click on the plugin's "keyboard" and you should hear piano sounds. Close the plugin window.
5-swipe across the midi track to highlight all the midi info and hit Ctrl-C(to copy)
6-use the : key to move the cursor down to the Instrument track and hit Ctrl-V(to paste). Hit play and let us know what happens(you SHOULD hear the piano playing the midi file you imported).

You can also view what Darryl is showing in your MIX window if you go to the View menu>Mix Window and check the option to show Instrument. That will add a row of boxes across the top of the MIX window tracks where you can see(and change) assignment for midi and VI plugins(Audio and AUX tracks will just have a blank area). Youtube is a decent source for tutorials on getting started with midi in pro tools.

[Darryl Ramm]

Clicking on the insert boxes in the mix or edit window should give you the insert/plugin popdown menu with a list of at least some default core plugins, none of which will be virtual instrument unless you have installed them separately as I mentioned before. Does left mouse clicking on any of the insert boxes do anything? Look at a tutorial video to see how they should behave and to make sure you are clicking on the correct boxes/areas. Please do not try to keep doing this yourself, look at a tutorial.

If that is not working as shown in a tutorial...

Make sure you are using an Instrument (not MIDI) track, in case one got mixed up with instrument tracks.

If no options show up for plugins of any type in the Insert menu when you click on an insert box (but a menu appears but is empty) this is likely a known Windows installer bug, and I suspect you also have not run the AIR Instruments installer. Describe clearly what you have done and what you see. If it's the known bug it's easy to fix to get your default/core plugins installed.

Did you run the separate installer to install the optional AIR virtual instruments?

Are those .aaxplugin files in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins - Like C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\MiniGrand.aaxplugin?

If those files are there, but not appearing in the insert menu, try trashing prefs as described under "help us help you".

Post your system info here as asked for under "help us help you".

---

Beyond that, you need to follow a tutorial. Follow it exactly doing the steps the instructor does on your own system as they do them. DUC is not the place to get hand-holding on basic beginner stuff. If you have a specific thing that is not working, tell us what tutorial you are following and exactly what does not work as expected.

[K Roche]

Click one of the greyed out vertical stacked rectangle insert tabs. They represent the A-B-C-D-E inserts going down respectively



When you click that you will this
Then click Multi Channel Native plug -in > Instrument > then choose the instrument you want like Boom, DB-33, etc.

[Darryl Ramm]

^^^ And what exactly you see there will depend if you are inserting the VI plugin on a mono or stereo instrument track, but if you have installed the AIR VIs Mini Grand will show up as a mono plugin on a mono instrument track and as a stereo aka multi-channel/stereo plugin on a stereo instrument track. Make sure you look under all submenus there if some instrument plugins seem to be missing. And some VIs need a stereo instrument track and won't work on a mono instrument track (but Mini Grand does).

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

^^^ And what exactly you see there will depend if you are inserting the VI plugin on a mono or stereo instrument track, but if you have installed the AIR VIs Mini Grand will show up as a mono plugin on a mono instrument track and as a stereo aka multi-channel/stereo plugin on a stereo instrument track. Make sure you look under all submenus there if some instrument plugins seem to be missing. And some VIs need a stereo instrument track and won't work on a mono instrument track (but Mini Grand does).

Yes good point
Also I agree that it seems the OP might be wise and get some good benefit in spending some time going on YouTube and searching some basic pro tools set up and navigation videos . Like using inserts and navigating the edit and mix windows

Hint
Quick basic key command for the OP.
I think it's the same on PC ?
(Command on Mac ---Control on PC ) and = to toggle between edit and mixer windows views

And in the PT header the "View" window allows for set up of both edit window and mixer window

like this

[marcel2]

Hi,
I figured out what went wrong. When I activated the inserts column I could choose instruments but then got the message, the plugin was not available.
I then found that all the plugins haven't been installed in the first place, though I thought I had installed the whole package.
After installing First Air Instruments, I can now hear sounds but also get the message, that several audio samples are missing, so I guess the installation process went wrong in multiple ways. I'll have a look at that first.
Thanks a lot for your help.
regards
Marcel

[Darryl Ramm]

OK great you got that mostly working. Yes sounds like something weird is going on here, if you cannot sort this out and need more help give us the *exact* error messages, a screenshot if that is easier, in German or English is fine. And give us the info about your system including a Sisoft Sandra report and maybe a directory listing of your plugins folder.

If you are using Avid Link to install things I would stop using that it has too many issues, and I would uninstall Link. Find the separate installers in your Avid.com account My Products section and install them all or work out what ones you want to install. There is not a good explainer for Windows installers but the speadsheet I did for Mac installers should help you most of the way with what plugins are in what installers (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...Agi3ENOBs/edit). Only the core plugins are installed when you run the Pro Tools installer. And on Windows there is an occasional problem where that installer fails to install the core plugins.

And moving forward we are seriously trying to help you by suggesting you use tutorials, it is the fastest way to make learning progress, and there are some just time wasting issues you are likely to run into with things like working with external keyboards etc. that following tutorials will help avoid.

[marcel2]

Thanks, I'll have a look at that. It's a little bit frustrating right now as I look for a new DAW. I've used Sion Quickscore with external sound devices as a MIDI tool for almost 30 years but it lacks audio capability as well as virtuell instruments. I've tried Cubase, Samplitude, and Studio One but none of that conviced me. Now trying an industrie standard like Protools and running into such basic issues is not encouraging. My current PC is from 2012 and probably underpowered, but I wanted to decide what DAW to use before I get a dedicated new audio PC.
Maybe I uninstall everything and start again without Avid Link.