Different Midi Intsruments

Example: Track 1 - Type: MIDI Pgm: No. 1 Midi: 1A

This is going to an instrument track in my DAW, works great, sounds that I am expecting to play do.

Now, I want to add a second instrument track, recording the new midi events on my MPC. The problem is I can't play more than one, and it is really frustrating. I change the channel to 2A nothing, 1B, still the same and so on. I can't get my DAW to play more than one instrument track off the notes in my MPC.

Yeah fair enough. Using Pro Tools MP9.

My MIDI is set up like this:

MPC MIDI IN 1 -> Midi Out on my interface (Set up for master for syncing in tracks)
MPC MIDI IN 2 -> Keyboard
MPC MIDI OUT A -> Midi In on my interface

Track 1 is set to channel 1A (out a, channel 1). Note data is recorded there.
Track 2 I have set to channel 2A... no data there, just playing the keyboard to arrange some things. However when I play the MPC the notes played to to the second instrument track instead of the first.

I tried to set up different midi tracks in PT so the input would be my interface channel 1 and 2, but it still reverts to playing whatever intrument track I have highlighted. I can't get it to separate the two.

Also, even though my mpc is set up in Pro Tools the only selectable input option is my interface for some reason.

Perfect 5th wrote:I tried to set up different midi tracks in PT so the input would be my interface channel 1 and 2, but it still reverts to playing whatever intrument track I have highlighted. I can't get it to separate the two.

Also, even though my mpc is set up in Pro Tools the only selectable input option is my interface for some reason.

For a Pro Tools instrument track, you need to enable the Instrument view, so that you can select a particular/separate MIDI input device/channel for each instrument track.

From the View menu, choose either Mix Window Views or Edit Window Views (depending on which window you want to be able to make the selection in), and choose Instruments to select/turn on the Instruments view.

This will give you the MIDI input/output selection boxes on each instrument track.

Change the MIDI input from ALL to the appropriate MIDI input device/channel for each instrument track.

Then record enable the first instrument track, and shift-click the record enable button on the additional instrument tracks, to record enable them all at once.

Then you should be working the way you want, I think.


Additionally, if you have a multitimbral instrument plugin on an instrument track, you can set it to respond to one particular MIDI channel, then route other MIDI channels into the same instrument plugin by using additional MIDI tracks.

I am using an M-Audio Axiom 49. I am trying to find the user guide online, it didn't come with one on a disc when I purchased.

Thanks, I tried this. Still not working. Only thing showing up is my interface and keyboard. Dont' get why my MPC isn't showing up. If I record my first instrument track first I can then add more and record and all is fine. But as it stand I can only input one into my MPC as a midi track as once I play back from the MPC all the notes, from all midi tracks go to whatever the currently selected instrument track is in pro tools.

SimonInAustralia wrote:

Perfect 5th wrote:I tried to set up different midi tracks in PT so the input would be my interface channel 1 and 2, but it still reverts to playing whatever intrument track I have highlighted. I can't get it to separate the two.

Also, even though my mpc is set up in Pro Tools the only selectable input option is my interface for some reason.

For a Pro Tools instrument track, you need to enable the Instrument view, so that you can select a particular/separate MIDI input device/channel for each instrument track.

From the View menu, choose either Mix Window Views or Edit Window Views (depending on which window you want to be able to make the selection in), and choose Instruments to select/turn on the Instruments view.

This will give you the MIDI input/output selection boxes on each instrument track.

Change the MIDI input from ALL to the appropriate MIDI input device/channel for each instrument track.

Then record enable the first instrument track, and shift-click the record enable button on the additional instrument tracks, to record enable them all at once.

Then you should be working the way you want, I think.

Perfect 5th wrote:Thanks, I tried this. Still not working. Only thing showing up is my interface and keyboard. Dont' get why my MPC isn't showing up.

When you say that your interface is showing up, do you mean audio interface or MIDI interface?

Why is your keyboard showing up in Pro Tools, isn't it connected to the MPC?

It should let you select a particular input port and MIDI channel for your MIDI interface, on your Pro Tools instrument track.

It will not necessarily identify the MIDI input as the MPC inside Pro Tools, it will list the MIDI interface and port that the MPC is connected to, along with a list of the 16 MIDI channels to choose from.


If your MPC MIDI output A is plugged into your computer MIDI interface port 1, then you select MIDI interface port 1/channel 1 as the MIDI input for your first Pro Tools instrument track, then select MIDI interface port 1/channel 2 as the MIDI input for your second Pro Tools instrument track, and so on.

Then you hold down the shift key while you record enable each Pro Tools instrument track, to allow you to record enable more than one instrument track at a time.

Perfect 5th wrote:If I record my first instrument track first I can then add more and record and all is fine. But as it stand I can only input one into my MPC as a midi track as once I play back from the MPC all the notes, from all midi tracks go to whatever the currently selected instrument track is in pro tools.

If your MPC tracks are set to different MIDI output channels, and your Pro Tools instrument tracks are set to different MIDI input channels, and all the Pro Tools instrument tracks are record enabled, then it should work.

Are you sure that you are choosing the MIDI input port and channel in the INSTRUMENT section of the Pro Tools instrument track, not in the I/O section of the instrument track?


This screen capture shows the INSTRUMENT section at the top of a Pro Tools instrument track, and you need to change the MIDI input from All as shown here, to the separate MIDI input device/port/channel that you require for each Pro Tools instrument track...

^ thanks for the screen shots. Yes that is how I have it set up in PT. I was selecting my interface, channel 1 for track 1 (1A on MPC). Then channel 2 for track 2 (2A on MPC). But when I press play the midi data on 1A plays on the instrument track set up to channel 2.... ugh.

And yes my keyboard is into my MPC. However, it is also plugged into the USB on the computer for power, perhaps that is why it is also showing up.

Just thinking that perhaps what the problem is, is that it is actually reading my keyboard directly because of the USB. I am going to try and see if I can 'disconnect' the keyboard through MIDI studio when I go home to see if that helps. Then the only thing it would be seeing is the interface (MPC)

Perfect 5th wrote:^ thanks for the screen shots. Yes that is how I have it set up in PT. I was selecting my interface, channel 1 for track 1 (1A on MPC). Then channel 2 for track 2 (2A on MPC). But when I press play the midi data on 1A plays on the instrument track set up to channel 2.... ugh.

And yes my keyboard is into my MPC. However, it is also plugged into the USB on the computer for power, perhaps that is why it is also showing up.

Just thinking that perhaps what the problem is, is that it is actually reading my keyboard directly because of the USB. I am going to try and see if I can 'disconnect' the keyboard through MIDI studio when I go home to see if that helps. Then the only thing it would be seeing is the interface (MPC)

It would be reading the keyboard directly, through the inbuilt USB-MIDI interface inside the keyboard, as well as sending MIDI into the MPC, and then from the MPC to whatever MIDI output on the track that you have selected in the MPC, and into the computer MIDI interface.

But, if your instrument tracks are set to get their inputs from particular/chosen ports on the MIDI interface, rather than All, they shouldn't receive any input from the keyboard USB-MIDI interface.

So, not sure, it sounds like you might have it setup correctly, don't know what the problem would be then.

Perfect 5th wrote: I am going to try and see if I can 'disconnect' the keyboard through MIDI studio when I go home to see if that helps. Then the only thing it would be seeing is the interface (MPC)

I would try disconnecting the keyboard for the moment completely, and see if you can use the MPC pads by themselves to play separate instrument tracks in Pro Tools from separate sequencer tracks in the MPC.

OK, just tested it here.

I think that you might not be record enabling all the instrument tracks.

If you do not record enable the Pro Tools instrument tracks, that are set to specific MIDI devices/ports/channels, then all the incoming MIDI is routed to the currently selected Pro Tools instrument track, or to the leftmost instrument track if no instrument or MIDI tracks are selected.

If you record enable a Pro Tools instrument track that has a specific MIDI input device/port/channel set, then the incoming MIDI data from that particular MIDI input device/port/channel is routed into that Pro Tools instrument track, and is removed from being routed to the currently selected Pro Tools instrument track.

So, if you have 3 different incoming MIDI channels, for example, then you should set 3 different Pro Tools instrument tracks to those incoming MIDI channels, and you should record enable those 3 different Pro Tools instrument tracks.

Having your keyboard connected through an MPC track, and chosen MPC track MIDI channel, into the computer via MIDI from the MPC, as well as being connected into the computer directly through the USB-MIDI interface inside the keyboard, might confuse this (and you) a little, as the direct USB-MIDI data from the keyboard would not be on the same MIDI device/port/channel as the keyboard MIDI data coming from the MPC, and might be routed to the currently selected Pro Tools instrument track, as well as the particular Pro Tools instrument track/midi channel that is being sent through the MPC.

Yup, I was just going to write an update on this. This was driving me so crazy I went home from work to test this out, I thought of the same thing, the record enable.

I started fresh, new MPC session, x2 midi tracks, one on 1a, and another on 2a.

Created x2 instrument tracks, 1 set to channel 1, the other to channel 2.

Recorded some random notes on each of the midi tracks and was messing around with the record enable. If it is off, the notes come through to which ever inst track you are on. If the record enable is on, it singles out to the specified channel.

What a nightmare, something so 'simple' caused me hours of frustration. I think I got it figured, and also tested it with the keyboard connected, worked just the same as far as I could tell. The board defaults to USB off, so it always routes through the MPC I found out looking at the manual.

Thanks for the help, will update if I find any more snags, but seems good now.