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How do I hear my MIDI gear thru my MOTU audio interface?
MIDI and audio are very different. A MIDI track just tells your keyboard what notes and sound to play, while an audio track actually contains a sound waveform. In other words, that MIDI cable going from your MIDI interface to your keyboard doesn't carry audio, just MIDI.
To make your keyboard audible, you have a couple choices. One is to take the audio outputs of your keyboard and plug them into a mixer, along with the output of your computer or audio interface. This works fine, but sometimes it's nice to bring the output of your keyboard into the computer, for recording or monitoring purposes, or to add effects (without the steps mentioned below, you can't add Everb or other effect to your MIDI tracks!).
These are the steps for bringing the audio from your keyboards or othter MIDI modules in Digital Performer. Don't alter your MIDI track: That will remain the same.
- Plug the audio outputs from your keyboard into some inputs on your MOTU audio interface.
- Make a Aux track. In DP 3, you do this by choosing "Add Audio Track > Stereo Aux" from the Mini-Menu, in the upper left hand corner of the Tracks Overview window. In DP 4, create an Aux Track by choosing "Project menu > Add Track > Aux Track".
- Set the input of this Aux track to the inputs on your MOTU audio interface that you plugged your keyboard into. Set the Output of the Aux track to "Analog 1-2" or "Main Out 1-2".
This Aux Track lets you hear/mix/effect the output of your keyboard!
Another option would be to make an audio track and record the output of your keyboard onto it, just like you would with any other audio. This step would be useful if the keyboard was leaving your studio for awhile, or if you needed to make a CD of your song (when you bounce to disk, only Audio Tracks are bounced, not Aux or MIDI tracks).
The steps for making an Audio Track to record the output of your keyboard into are the same as above, except you'll create an Audio track instead of an Aux track. In DP 3, you do this by choosing "Add Audio Track > Stereo Voice"; in DP 4, you choose "Add Track > Stereo Audio Track" or "Add Track > Mono Audio Track" from the Project menu.
Click here to read about panning MIDI devices when using an 828mk2, 896HD, or PCI-424 system