Specifications

Chapter 23: MIDI Editing 371
Default Controller Values and Chasing
Though new MIDI tracks appear to have default
values for continuous controller playlists, this is
actually not the case. For example, when view-
ing a MIDI track’s Mod Wheel playlist, you’ll see
that the breakpoint line is set to a default of
zero. However, since the modulation wheel on
your synth may purposely be set to a different
value, the default value in the track is not trans-
mitted when playing.
This can cause some confusion, however, if you
insert a fade (for example, from 0–90) in the
Mod Wheel playlist towards the end of the
track. If you then play from the beginning of the
track, or from anywhere before the fade, the
Mod Wheel value on your synth will be at 90
until the beginning of the fade data is reached—
which is likely not what you want.
To ensure that the default controller value for a
playlist is sent (and chased), click the initial
breakpoint at the beginning of the track, move
it slightly, and set it back to the default value.
Offsetting MIDI Tracks
Pro Tools can offset MIDI tracks globally or indi-
vidually.
Global MIDI Playback Offset
Pro Tools offers a MIDI offset preference that al-
lows MIDI tracks to play back earlier or later
(than audio tracks) by a specified number of
samples. The offset affects playback only and
does not alter in any way how MIDI data is dis-
played in the Edit window.
This capability is provided in large part to com-
pensate for the audio monitoring latency in
Pro Tools LE. If you are monitoring the output
of your MIDI devices with an external mixer or
sound system (or headphones), there is no la-
tency. If, however, you are monitoring the out-
put of your MIDI devices through a Digi 002,
Digi 002 Rack, Digi 001, or Mbox, your MIDI
tracks will appear to play slightly later than your
audio tracks. The larger the setting for the H/W
Buffer Size (128, 256, 512, or 1024 samples), the
larger the latency.
By configuring the Global MIDI Playback Offset,
you can get your MIDI tracks to play back
slightly earlier (by a specified number of sam-
ples), thereby compensating for the latency in
monitoring audio within Pro Tools LE.
To configure the Global MIDI Playback Offset:
1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click MIDI.
2 For the “Global MIDI Playback Offset” option,
enter the number of samples (–10,000 to
10,000) for the offset. A negative value causes
the MIDI tracks to play back earlier than the au-
dio tracks; a positive value causes the MIDI
tracks to play back later.
To allow for monitoring latency in Pro Tools LE,
set the offset to a value that is roughly equiva-
lent to the H/W Buffer Size.
3 Click Done.
Individual MIDI Track Offsets
You can offset individual MIDI track offsets in
Pro Tools to compensate for delays in MIDI de-
vices (the time it takes to trigger events on a
sampler or synth).
For example, if you have some kick drums that
are being played by an audio track in Pro Tools
and want them to be perfectly “in sync” with
kick drums that are being played by a MIDI de-
The Global MIDI Playback Offset can also
be set from the MIDI Track Offsets window.