MIDI Masterclass - HOW to Route MIDI and AUDIO in your DAW Explained !!

[@AdamLADN]

It has taken me years to understand midi routing in my setup and even then I’m not 100% but your tutorial’s explain everything so well. I think I finally get it and can concentrate on just making music instead of spending half the session figuring out the technical stuff.

[@rickd8302]

First off, hats off to you! This video has taught me more about midi routing and connectivity than any other video I have been searching for in the last 4 years. Although I have a much simpler setup that utilizes a PC, DAW, a 4-input interface (same UMC as yours btw), 3-synths, a midi controller, a guitar processor and a bunch of VST's, it has been an ongoing challenge for me to get all of my hardware and software connected and routed correctly so that I can get them all to play harmoniously together with the DAW and without the DAW like you have demonstrated. Still, I have some questions that I will refrain from asking at this time but hopefully one day you can help answer them. Until then, thank you sincerely!

[@hurricane6014]

Very nicely played 🤓 it’s great to watch someone who knows how to wire all of this and demonstrate the results. Thank you so much and Happy Thanksgiving 🦃

[@Andrew-rz7qt]

Midi has to be one of the best invention for electronic instruments there has ever been.

[@frontline2010]

I love how your setup is both DAW and DAWLESS.

[@splootyvision]

@@frontline2010 Best of both worlds 🙂

[@CookinBeatloaf]

You have the the best explanations and I'm narrowing in on mine fixed, ill have to use both mixer and interface options Because of what I already have it will be between where you are - 4 of umc404hd fed by 8ch switch into stereo1 and a stereo switcher into the other stereo2, while using my faderport io24 for mics

[@mickeymarquez]

Hi! Years ago there was a way to tell the daw what synth you had and change the patches of a specific synth in the daw, that seems to be an imposible mission these days, do you have any idea on how to do that? Thanks a lot!!! Great videos by the way 😊

[@splootyvision]

You must be a mind reader as you've stumbled across the idea for one of my upcoming videos 😃 It is indeed possible. For example, on a MIDI track for a hardware synth in Cubase, the 2 little boxes in the Routing section that I mentioned that both say 'Off' are the 'Bank Selector' and 'Program Selector' boxes. By entering values in these boxes Cubase will send a program change to the synth and automatically load the desired preset. For example on my Deepmind 12 there are 8 banks (labelled A-H) and each bank has 128 preset. In Cubase Bank A=0, Bank B=1, Bank C=2 etc etc. Therefore, If I wanted preset 15 in bank C; I would enter 2 in the bank selector box and 15 in the program selector box and the hardware synth automatically changes to the new preset. This is great as it means those patch settings are saved with the project, so next time you open the project all the correct patches should be loaded on the relevant hardware synths ! You can also automate program changes, so that when you play a midi track back the patches on the hardware synth will automatically change at given points. More details in the video in the next few weeks 🙂

[@gretareinarsson7461]

How would I then connet dektop/rack synths? Midi to controller and then via controller into daw and sound into mixer or via interface?

[@splootyvision]

I’ve got a couple of desktop synths here (Neutron and Pro-1). Their audio goes direct into the 16 input Audio Interface along with all the other synths (they used to go to a mixer first as I show in the second example and then into a 4 input audio interface). I then have midi controllers connected to them via midi and some Merge and Thru boxes so I can actually play them using either my Keystep Pro, Keystep37 or Keylab 61. This allows me to play the desktop synths without need for a computer. But I also have the midi controllers and the deskstop synths (along with the other synths) connected to the PC via USB so I can see and route everything in my DAW/Record the midi and audio. In essence it’s a ‘Hybrid’ set up where I can operate everything DAWless without the PC, but when I want - I can fire up Cubase and everything is configured in there. Cheers 🙂

[@gretareinarsson7461]

@ So I could route desktops via midi hub into a workstation (like the Fantom) and from the Fantom into DAW and audio via interface

[@splootyvision]

@ Not sure that would work. It would be midi out of Fantom to midi in on desktop synths (using a thru box for multiple desktop synths). And then audio from each synth to audio interface (or via a mixer to audio interface). Audio interface and all synths then connected to PC via USB. If you’re always using a DAW you could forego the midi connections/thru box and just connect everything individually to PC via USB and audio via audio interface and just route everything in the DAW so you can use the Fantom to play the desktop synths.

[@2manyguitarz]

ok so.... i need to know if the 5pin midi in/out on uphoria should be before the midi merger then go to instruments thzt dont have usb midi like the. qy70 .as of know i just use it as tone bank. this set up im asking about is only when im using pc. thanks😊

[@splootyvision]

Hi - if you want to get multiple old 5 pin gear into the Uphoria and into the PC then you would connect MIDI Outs of the gear to the merger and then the out of the merger to the MIDI in on the Uphoria. To get the midi signal from the PC back out to the gear you would go from the MIDI Out of the Uphoria either to a thru box and then out of that to the midi ins on the old 5 pin gear OR if the gear has midi thru's you could daisy chain them if only a few (say 3-4). Hope that helps, Cheers.

[@jmd76family]

What 16 ch audio interface you use?

[@splootyvision]

@@jmd76family It’s an Audient EVO16 paired with an Audient SP8 (ADAT expander). Each has 8 inputs. You can actually add up to 2 SP8s to give a total of 24 inputs 🙂

[@fuzemedia7940]

Graham your videos are an absolute life saver, and they are so competently and wonderfully presented. I noticed in your other videos that you use Keysetep Pro. As a new KP user myself who currently only uses software synths, I just have a quick question. How many synths can I theoretically control with the KP in my DAW? Thanks

[@splootyvision]

Hi and thanks. The KS Pro has 4 tracks and so you can sequence/play 4 synths simultaneously, software or hardware. In your DAW you’d set the KS Pro as the input for each of the 4 VSTs and then set them all to different midi channels and on the KS pro set the equivalent midi channels for each track. You could of course set up as many VSTs as you wanted and trigger any one of them using the KS Pro, but as above you could only trigger 4 simultaneously. Hope that helps. Cheers.

[@fuzemedia7940]

@@splootyvision That is what I thought, but it is good to know from someone who knows best. Thanks so much