Specifications

Pro Tools Reference Guide414
Example: Playing Back MIDI
To play back MIDI (and monitor the audio):
1 Import, record, or enter MIDI into an Instru-
ment or MIDI track.
2 For an Instrument track, do the following:
• Set the Instrument track’s audio Output selector
to the main monitoring path.
• If you are using an Instrument Plug-In, insert the
plug-in on the track. The track’s MIDI Output
selector (in Instrument view) should be automat-
ically set to the plug-in.
• If you are using an external MIDI device (not an
Instrument plug-in), set the MIDI Output selec-
tor in Instrument view to the MIDI device (port)
and channel you want to play back.
• If you are using an external MIDI device (not an
Instrument plug-in), set the Instrument track’s
audio Input selector to the Input path to which
your MIDI device’s audio outputs are con-
nected.
3 For a MIDI track, do the following:
• If you are using an Instrument plug-in, create an
Auxiliary Input or Instrument track insert the In-
strument plug-in on the track.
• If you are using an external MIDI device (not an
Instrument plug-in), create an Auxiliary Input or
Instrument track to monitor the audio from an
external MIDI device or Instrument plug-in.
• If you are using an external MIDI device (not an
Instrument plug-in), set the Auxiliary Input or
Instrument track’s audio Input selector to the In-
put path to which your MIDI device’s audio out-
puts are connected.
• Set the Auxiliary Input or Instrument track’s au-
dio Output selector to the main monitoring path.
• Set the MIDI track’s output selector to the In-
strument plug-in, or MIDI device (port), and
channel you want to play back.
4 To have playback start from the beginning of
the session, click Return to Zero in the Trans-
port.
5 Start playback.
6 The MIDI plays the selected MIDI device, and
the audio from the MIDI device is monitored
through the selected Output Path on the Auxil-
iary Input or Instrument track. Adjust the MIDI,
Auxiliary Input, or Instrument track’s volume
and pan faders as necessary.
7 When you are finished, stop playback.
Playback Location
The playback location is the point in the Pro Tools
Timeline where you can begin playing back audio
or MIDI in your session.
The playback location is displayed in counters and
indicators in the Edit window, Transport window,
and Big Counter. The playback location (or Edit
selection) is also indicated by a playback or edit
cursor in the Timeline or playlist of the Edit win-
dow.
Pro Tools also provides a pre-roll control for set-
ting playback to begin before the playback loca-
tion. See “Basic Transport Controls and Counters”
on page 191.
For information about synchronizing exter-
nal MIDI devices with Pro Tools for play-
back and recording using MIDI Beat Clock,
see “MIDI Beat Clock” on page 429, and for
information about using MIDI Timecode, see
“Generating Timecode” on page 1152.