2 keyboards/2 manuals in B4?

In ProTools you want to set up 2 Midi input channels, one for each manual (for the sake of clarity we'll call them channels A & B). Set the input of channel A to your upper keyboard controller, channel B to your lower keyboard. The channel outputs are then set to B4 Midi channels 1 (upper) or 2 (lower). Put both in record. Voila.

If you add a pedal controller, do the same thing, just set B4 channel 3 as your output.

Your B4D would be yet another Midi channel, assigned to B4 channel 1 in the default setup.

My second controller doesn't have a mod wheel (cheap Kawaii), but the mod wheel on channel A (upper manual) will control the leslie speed. Works like a charm.

I hope that made sense. You basically need one Midi track per manual. I'm assuming you have a Midi interface with multiple inputs, with each keyboard on a different input.

 

B3K,

Thanks for getting back to me so fast. I'm not sitting in front of of studio so I can't say this for sure but... I did try that the other day and I got it to work. By "work" I mean recieving midi data from one keyboard on MIDI Track A and the other keyboard on MIDI Track B which was just what I wanted. My only problem is this, and maybe I'm just stupid and the answer is very simple. How do I get audio out of the MIDI tracks so I can hear what I'm playing. There is no sound, which is obvious cause its MIDI but I can't run stand alone B4II and pro tools at the same time cause they would be using the same audio outs on my soundcard and pro tools won't let that happen. If I don't run stand alone then the B4II software has no choices for audio outs (cause their being handeled by pro tools. I also can't set up a bus for a midi track, for some reason, and just bus it into an audio track.

Bottom line, I'm new with MIDI so maybe there is a conventional way to get audio from a MIDI track... but I don't know how. I also tried your idea but instead of using MIDI tracks I used INSTRUMENT tracks. The only difference between MIDI and INSTRUMENT (at least that I can see) is that INSTRUMENT tracks have audio ins & outs instead of MIDI ins & outs (and you add the B4II as a plug in instead of setting it in the output. But they both record midi data. I just can't seem to configure the INSTRUMENT tracks to seperate the data from each keyboard. And I can't get the MIDI tracks to play back what I'm doing on the keyboard.

Am I just being stupid and overlooking something. Thanks again for all of your help.

-Nick

 

Depending on which version of ProTools you are running, you should be able to load B4 II as a plugin, it will be RTAS and in the Instruments folder in the plugin menu.

You would first create a stereo audio track and instantiate B4 on that, along with 2 Midi tracks (so you can set different outputs). Once this audio track is created, it will be an output option from your Midi in tracks. Just set up the channels for the manuals and away you go. You don't use the standalone.

You can also use a keyboard for the pedals if you like, just assign its Midi out to channel 3 of the B4.

With any Midi device, you need both a Midi track for input from the controller, and an audio channel or aux input from an external (hardware) sound module. The Instrument tracks probably only work with one incoming Midi channel, hence the problem with mltiple controllers.

Doing the multiple controller setup is far from simple - it isn't hard once you grasp the concept, but it isn't necessarily obvious.

 

B3K,

All i gotta say is your the man. The only thing that wasn't right was instead of making a Stereo Audio Track, I had to use an Instrument Track and then add the B4II as a plug-in to that. You can add the B4II as a plug-in for a Audio track also but I couldn't find a way to make it play the audio. The instrument track solves that problem.

As a side question... once I got the two keyboards on seperate midi tracks I had a hard time getting all the tracks to arm and record at the same time. I was only letting me arm 1 MIDI track at a time instead of both. This only allowed my to play one board with sounds. I fixed this by holding the shift key as I clicked the arm button. I'm sure its not a big deal but do you know if they set Pro Tools up like that for a reason. Maybe to prevent some kind of problem from occouring. Just wondering.

Bottom line is YOU got my setup working just the way I wanted 100% and for that you are the man!!! I'm so stoked right now I don't have words for it. I owe you major for this one. Not to sure how I could repay the favor but if I can let me know and thanks again.

-Nick

 

Glad everything's working.

You should try playing pedals with one of the keyboards some time...

The track arming is deliberate, as you discovered, you just use shift to arm more tracks. A good reason for this is that you won't accidentally record over another track that was armed previously.

Now that I have my system working as well (I set it up to test this whole thing) I need to reconfigure my stands so the second keyboard is under the first so I can play/hack properly. Jon Lord here I come!

 

I've been messing around with Organ sounds on keyboards for years but for about the last six months I haven't played my guitars or drums or anything. Just B3 sounds on my Casio. So I guess you could say I'm getting pretty into this organ thing. I decided to get the B4II which I couldn't love more and I just ordered 2 Evolution MK461C's which are set up to control all the functions in the B4II software perfectly. Aside from that I don't know jack about drawbar organs except what I could find in technical specs. I am just starting to learn to use the drawbars themselves and I'm loving it.

So I have to ask. Whats the deal with the foot pedals. Whats the advantage to having them set up on the lower keyboard. I was also looking into spliting my lower keyboard to handle the pedals and half the upper manuel. Let me know what kind of setups you use so I can get an idea of how to make mine work to the fullest. I'm sure if you mess around with this thing lots then you now some kewl ways to set midi functions on certain kinds of controlers on the keyboard (pitch bends and such). Also any info on how to utilize the drawbars more effectivly in my play would be very welcomed. I mostly find myself playing blues. Lots of low rolling bass lines and trill work up high... just so you can get an idea of my style. Like Double Trouble kind of stuff.

Thanks agian for all of your help.

-Nick