No sound with MIDI

[Ihatepez]

Hi everyone!
This is my first time posting here so I hope you guys can help me!

I have Pro Tools 12 and a Yamaha P-90 MIDI compatible keyboard. I have a cable that connects my keys to my computer and Pro Tools recognizes that I have a MIDI controller hooked up.

Whenever I create a new track and select, for example, the Xpand!2 plug-in, no sound comes through. I get absolutely no input levels in the mix window. Also, my keyboard doesn't show up in the I/O settings which I'm not sure if it would or not.

I've looked it up other places and I can't seem to find anything that helps so I came here! Any suggestions would be amazing!

Thanks in advance!

[VRW]

First of all make sure you create an (Stereo) Instrument Track in Pro Tools,
no AUX, no AUDIO and, for the start because its easier to check out, no MIDI track.
Just an Instrument Track!

Then you may set up Xpand!2 on this Instrument Track.

Next, you may be aware of that you always have to enable Record on the Instrument
Track to get any signal and sound from your virtual instrument.
There will be no input and no sound without enabling Record on the dedicated track.

You always have to have Record enabled on the track you want to play on but of course you
need not record anything on this track to just hear it. Only keep the record button enabled.

Btw it´s the same with other tracks as well. If you want to record on an Audio track you
always need to enable Record on this track to see and hear anything from your source.
Same on Midi tracks if you want to use it one day.
However for the average use of virtual instruments Instrument Tracks are the best choice
in Pro Tools.

The best of success to you, VRW

[jeffro]

Welcome to the community.

Originally Posted by VRW

...you always have to enable Record on the Instrument Track to get any signal and sound from your virtual instrument.

Btw it´s the same with other tracks as well...

In Pro Tools, go to Setup > Preferences > MIDI and set Default MIDI Instrument to First Selected MIDI Track so you can just click on the track name to play/hear your instrument. If it's not playing you can show Instruments in View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) to confirm it's routed correctly.

Pro Tools 12.1 also includes Track Input Monitoring so you can hear the track's source without recording.

[Ihatepez]

Thanks for the quick responses!
My reply goes to both of you.. I have done exactly what both of you said to do and I still get absolutely no sound. I can hear my piano playing through the speakers on the keyboard itself but nothing is being picked up by Pro Tools. I'm not even getting any sort of level reading.

[Ihatepez]

Hey guys! I figured it out! I had to take the in port and plug it into the out port and take the out port and plug it into the in port. It's strange but it's working now so I'm not going to question it lol!

[p9699Joe]

None of the above worked for me, but I did find the solution to my problem and am posting it just in case someone else had my situation.

I had 2 instruments on a single instrument track. I deleted one from the track and got sound.

[p9699Joe]

OK, here is another circumvention that worked. First the problem: I had an existing session with MIDI drums recorded from my Roland V-Sessions drum kit. I added an instrument track with the Steven Slate Drums plugin. I pointed the output of the V-Session MIDI tracks to the SSD instrument, channel 1.

No sound! But the meter was bouncing. I appeared like I had a mute button activated.

After reading all the other reasons why people couldn't hear sound in similar situations, and trying all of their solutions, I still could not get any sound.

Then I deleted the SSD plugin and instantiated a Native Instruments Abbey Road Drums plugin, and got sound. Then I deleted the Abbey Road plugin, reinstantiated the SSD plugin and got sound!

Hope this helps anyone in a similar situation.

[Biomethanergy]

I have an Arturia KeyLab 61 essential keyboard/controller which I bought from Sweetwater.
I get no sound when recording or playing the keyboard to an instrument track. The midi notes are recorded on the track itself - after recording them, they will playback - just not play when recording.
Using Analog Lab V, standalone with the keyboard, that works properly.
Twice I have had the techs from Sweetwater log in to control my PC. They looked at everything and changed settings, but they cant figure it out.
There is now a trial for the new CuBase - I downed that to test the keyboard and it worked just fine.
I am using an HP Pavilion desktop that is a few years old. It has Realtek sound drivers that are current. Sweetwater was supposed to reach out to both AVID & Artutia and get back to me, but they still have no solution. It is driving me nuts. Thanks.

[mkosacek]

I know it's an old thread but I had some similar experiences. Finally went to options and "MIDI Thru" and selected that and now I can hear the hear the keys in real-time (before that I could record but could not hear the virtual instrument until I played it back, which was useless). Anyway, maybe this will help someone else along the way...

btw, I was using an (old) M-Audio Uno in Windows 10 with Pro Tools 2022.7. works great now.

[BassGuyGG]

Hi All!

Thanks for all the previous workarounds, but they didn't help me.

I have an Arturia Keylab Essential 49 keyboard hooked up to Win10 box with Protools 12.5. I use a Steinberg UR44 interface.

When I enable EZDrummer I see levels in the Edit window but there is no sound and no levels in the Mix window.

Under Instrument my first setting is "All" and the second setting is for the Arturia keyboard.

Under Inserts I have EZDrummer selected.

Under Input I have Interface > UR44 Input 1-2. (Stereo)

Under Output I have Out 1-2 Stereo -> UR44 Mix 1 L/R.