ProTools, Midi and Structure.

[dahjem]

Hey all...
I've been working w/ PT LE 7.4 for a few months. Just audio recording and some editing/mixing. Although successful to this point, I would like to get into adding some drum loops and synth. My question is... Do you NEED to use a midi controller/keyboard to get virtual instruments into your tracks or can the operation be done within the programs...similarly to Reason's Redrum. I can get free downloads of Structure and Xpand! or possibly purchase Strike or similar, but would like to know what I was getting into without a keyboard. Any help is greatly appreciated as midi is still somewhat of a mystery. Thanks!!!!!!!!

[albee1952]

Those softsynths need a midi keyboard or midi tracks to be imported as they won't know what to "play". For drums, you can use ezdrummer as you simply drag midi loops from the program onto an instrument track with the ezdrummer plugin inserted.

[Petie]

You can just draw little dots on the Instrument track with the pencil icon. You don't NEED a Midi controller keyboard, but without one you can't enter notes in real time, you have to draw them one by one.

[albee1952]

Good point on drawing the notes. I just never figured anyone would want to write keyboard tracks that way. Drum tracks are easy to do that way.

[dahjem]

ezdrummer?

[Petie]

I've also had a bit of fun recently with Melodyne Cre8, which allows you to convert audio to MIDI. It only works with single notes but I think the company has a polyphonic version too which works with chords.

In my little experiments, I've recorded someone singing a few notes, then I pitch corrected them, created harmonies, then exported it as MIDI and played it back as a piano. I haven't used it to double lead guitar tracks with a synth sound yet but I plan to do some of that too. I have one song that's screaming out to be doubled with marimba, Zappa-style.