With the addition of Instrument Tracks, MIDI functionality has been greatly improved in Pro Tools 7 . This is a quick reminder on setting up and using Instrument tracks in Pro Tools.
- You will need one Instrument track; to record the instrument’s audio to hard disk, you will also need an Audio track. Go to Track > New to add them. You will need to be in the Mix Window (Window > Mix) to do this.
- The Instrument track: Make sure that the fader is up on the track. Click on an insert tab to show your available plug-ins. Virtual instruments and soft synths will be in the “Instrument” submenu. Select one you would like to use.
- Now go to View > Mix Window and make sure that Instrument is checked. The uppermost section of the Instrument track will contain the MIDI routing information. Set the input of the MIDI section to whatever keyboard or controller you are using (or set to “ALL” if you are unsure). Record-enable the track to make sure you are getting signal. Set the output to the Instrument/synth you have selected on your track. You should now be able to play your keyboard and hear your instrument. Levels will be green in both sections.
NOTE: At this point, when you record, you will only be recording MIDI data. After making any MIDI edits you deem necessary, you will need to follow the next step to record an audio file.
- Create an Audio track. Set the output of your Instrument track to a stereo bus (i.e., Bus 1-2 (Stereo)). Set the input of your Audio track to this same bus. Record-enable your Audio track. When you play your Instrument track, audio should be patched through the instrument directly into the Audio track; in other words, levels should appear on your Audio track. From here, you can record audio as normal.