|
Using Hardware Keyboards and Sound Modules with Pro Tools
As incredible as virtual instruments have become in the last few years, there is no denying that hardware based synths and samplers still play a big role in many of today’s DAW based production studios. Whether it’s the convenience of an all in one workstation, the fat sound of a vintage analog piece, or the classic factory patches from our industry favorites, hardware keyboards and sound modules are here to stay. This week I will show you how easy it is to integrate hardware MIDI gear into your Pro Tools studio, plus offer up a few tips to keep the whole setup running smoothly.
Getting outside the box:
Before we start messing around inside of Pro Tools, we first need to make sure the keyboard or sound module in question is cabled correctly. While many of you might be used to the ease of USB, most hardware synths and sound modules (especially older ones) will connect with standard audio and MIDI cables, thus adding a few extra steps to the process. Unless the unit features USB MIDI integration, most keyboards will require a total of 4 cables to connect: 2 MIDI cables (5-pin DIN) and 2 audio cables (generally ¼” instrument). Because the MIDI protocol is one-way, one cable is required for sending MIDI information into Pro Tools and another is needed for Pro Tools to send MIDI data back to the device. The audio cables are used to patch the line-level audio output of the keyboard/module back into the Pro Tools interface for monitoring or recording. Because most units will output a stereo (L/R) signal, 2 audio cables are needed for the return, one for the left output and one for the right.
Many Pro Tools interfaces feature built in MIDI I/O, including the Mbox2, Mbox2 Pro, and 003 series. If you are only connecting a signal hardware unit, the built in MIDI ports will work fine, however if you are looking to connect multiple units it is worth purchasing a stand alone USB MIDI interface with multiple ports, like M-Audio’s MIDIsport 4x4 (http://www.audiomidi.com/MIDISport-4x4-USB-MIDI-Interface-P969.aspx) or MOTU’s Midi express (http://www.audiomidi.com/Midi-Express-128--USB--P3840.aspx). While it is possible to “daisy-chain” your MIDI gear using MIDI-thru, believe me, it is way easier to have a dedicated port for each hardware device. When connection your keyboard/module, be sure to remember which port on the MIDI interface you are connecting to. If you have multiple keyboards/modules that you are integrating, you may want to pencil out a simple chart on a piece of paper with the name of the unit, midi i/o port, and audio input it is connected to.
Because MIDI data is not audio, just note and control data being exchanged between the Pro Tools and the keyboard, we must also connect the audio output of the keyboard/module back into Pro Tools to monitor and record the unit’s sound output. Again this is usually done in a L/R stereo pair with two ¼” instrument cables. Remember, keyboard and sound module outputs are rarely balanced XLR or TRS connections, so depending on your specific interface and the inputs being used, make sure to match your reference levels correctly. Some keyboards feature coaxial or optical S/PDIF outputs, which would provide another option for audio connection.
Tip: If you are using a smaller 2-in/2-out interface like the Mbox with more than one hardware keyboard, you may want to invest in a small mixer to “sub-mix” your sound modules before entering Pro Tools.
Here is a little diagram to recap:
MIDI studio setup
Once we have everything cabled correctly, we can now define our hardware instrument in MIDI Studio Setup so that we can easily recognize the unit by name inside Pro Tools. In OSX (Mac) this is done in a global utility called A.M.S. (Audio MIDI Setup), in Windows this is done directly inside Pro Tools using MMS (Midi Studio Setup), the steps for adding new instrument definitions are pretty much identical on both platforms, although the Mac version looks a little more slick.
To open AMS/MSS choose Setup>MIDI>MIDI Studio. Here you will find a list of connected MIDI interfaces and devices. Any device connected via USB should already show up here (assuming that it was correctly installed), so if you have a multi-port MIDI interface installed you should already see it. Since USB devices are automatically added to this list, it is unnecessary to create definitions for them here. The goal with AMS/MSS is to create new definitions for the hardware MIDI instruments connected via standard midi cables to a MIDI interface, this way we can refer to the devices by name inside of Pro Tools (eg: “Triton” or “MPC4000”) and not by their port number, which can get confusing as the number of instruments increases.
Creating a new device:
To create a new device click “add device.”
Using the chart you made earlier, connect the new device’s in/out ports to the correct interface ports by clicking on a port and dragging out a new connection. In this example my keyboard was connected to my MIDI IO port 5.
Once the device has been created and connected, double-click the device to enter the configuration page.
In this page you can define the device name, manufacturer and model, as well as the number of channels the device can transmit and receive on. If you are not sure of your device’s specific capabilities (regarding send/receive channels, etc) simply fill in the name, manufacturer and model fields and hit apply. The “name” field will become the identifier inside of Pro Tools; this can be anything you’d like (e.g. “Bob’sMotif” or “TritonRack”). While not absolutely necessary, correctly filling in the manufacturer and model fields will ensure proper patch list (midnam) call-up in Pro Tools.
Hint: hitting “apply” does not close out of the configuration page, you must manually close the window by clicking the “X” in the corner.
Again, the reason we must manually define these instruments this way is because unlike USB, the MIDI spec doesn’t include any plug-in play handshaking between devices when connected. If you are only using a single hardware keyboard/module connected directly to your Pro Tools interface’s MIDI port, you may not need to waste time in AMS/MMS since it is unlikely you are going to forget you plugged your unit into the only port available. Remember you can always access a keyboard/module directly by calling up the correct port number on the MIDI interface under “predefined” in Pro Tools, AMS/MMS is just making our lives easier by allowing us to identify connected devices by name.
Setting up the instrument track:
Now that we have everything cabled and defined in AMS/MMS we can finally get down to business. Aren’t you wishing you had just stuck with virtual instruments? I’m kidding.
In the edit window, create a new stereo instrument track by choosing Track > New.
Make sure you can see your instruments and I/O view in the edit window by checking them under View > Edit Window > Instruments or I/O
Set the instrument track’s audio input to the input you had patched your keyboard/modules output into. In my case, I have my karma plugged into analog inputs 7-8. This will allow you to monitor (not record) the audio in real time from external sound module.
In the instrument section of the track, set the MIDI input to the device you want to play/perform from or leave this set to all (remember this doesn’t have to be the same device that is generating the sounds, as is the case with a rack mount sound module).
Again, in the instrument section of the track, set the MIDI output to the device you want to trigger (generate sounds from). In this case I want to play the patches from my Korg Karma, so I choose “Karma – channel 1.”
Tip: Generally you should stick with channel 1 if you aren’t using a sound module’s multi-timbral capabilities.
So to recap the signal chain: on the instrument track we have MIDI note data coming in from the Karma’s keys into the Pro Tools Sequencer via the instrument tracks MIDI input. Once it hits the sequencer, Pro Tools then records, passes it back out into the Karma via the instrument track’s MIDI out. The Karma receives this MIDI data and exchanges it for sound out of its analog output, which in then fed back into Pro Tools via inputs 7-8 where I can monitor the sound in real time directly from my instrument track.
Now record-enable the track and go to town. Record and edit midi just like you would with any virtual instrument in Pro Tools. Why go through all of this trouble when I could just play or sequence directly from the instrument? Because I hate editing MIDI off 256 character orange LCD screens that’s why! In this example we are ignoring Pro Tools patch change management, which we will save for another article. So for now you will need to call up the desired patch manually from your keyboard. Remember, you are just monitoring the sound through the instrument track, if you want to record the output of your module as an audio track follow the handy instructions on printing instruments in this previous PT Corner article: http://www.audiomidi.com/classroom/protools_corner/ptcorner_18.cfm
Other tips for using external synths/samplers
- Disable “local control” on your keyboard, this will prevent double triggering and “wrong sound” symptoms when sequencing in Pro Tools. Every keyboard is different so refer to the user’s manual for specific instructions.
- If you want to tempo sync Pro Tools with your external keyboard’s sequencer or arpeggiators, be sure to set sync or beat clock to “external” inside your unit’s preferences. Also be sure to enable beat clock for that device inside of Pro Tools via Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock.
- Even using patch change data in Pro Tools, patch management can be a bit sketchy. Be sure to write down the patch name in the comments section of your instrument track so you can always manually recall it
- Be careful not to clip your converter’s inputs, just like connecting any other analog device (e.g. guitar, vocal, etc) if you don’t watch your levels, you can easily clip the interface on input.
Pro Tools tidbits:
- Sonnox’ Oxford SuprEsser is now shipping
- Antares released AVOX 2
Pro Tools Corner on MacMusic:
The fine folks over at MacMusic/440 Network have made me a VIP Moderator of their PC and Mac Pro Tools forums. Come on over and join the community!
PC Pro Tools Forum
Mac Pro Tools Forum
If you have a Pro Tools related question that you would like me to take a shot at answering or have any feedback, please send it to brian@audioMIDI.com. I will do my best to select the questions that seem to stump the most people.
As always, stay tuned to the audioMIDI.com eNews for the latest reviews and new product info.
| 
