DigiDesign Digidesign Pro Tools 8.0, Reference Manual

Page: 409 / 1112

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 391
MIDI Thru
To monitor MIDI tracks while recording, enable
MIDI Thru. When enabled, Pro Tools routes
MIDI from your controllers to the device and
channels assigned to the currently record-en-
abled MIDI track.
To enable MIDI Thru:
„
Select
Options > MIDI Thru
.
The Default Thru Instrument
In addition to any MIDI tracks that are record-
enabled, you can also route MIDI to the Default
Thru Instrument. This saves the extra steps of
creating a MIDI track and record enabling it to
hear a particular MIDI device and channel.
Unlike MIDI tracks, which only receive MIDI
from the device and channel assigned to its
MIDI Input selector, all incoming MIDI data is
routed to the Default Thru Instrument.
If the Default Thru Instrument is assigned to a
record-enabled MIDI track, Pro Tools only
routes incoming MIDI to the record-enabled
track.
To configure a default Thru instrument:
1
Choose
Setup > Preferences
.
2
Click the MIDI tab.
3
Do one of the following:
• Select a specific device from the Default Thru
Instrument pop-up menu to play MIDI
through on that device by default.
• Select Follows First Selected MIDI Track to
have MIDI preview assignment follow
MIDI track selection. When multiple MIDI
tracks are selected, previewing uses the top-
most MIDI track in the Edit window or the
leftmost MIDI track in the Mix window.
• To disable the
Default Thru Instrument
, select
None
.
MIDI Input Filter
Use the MIDI Input Filter to prevent certain
types of MIDI messages from being recorded.
The MIDI Input Filter can be set to record
All
messages,
Only
the specified messages, or
All Ex-
cept
the specified messages.
For example, to filter out program changes:
1
Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Filter .
2
In the MIDI Input Filter dialog, select the
All
Except
option.
The MIDI preference for Global MIDI Play-
back Offset and individual MIDI track off-
sets do not affect MIDI routed with MIDI
Thru.
When MIDI Thru is enabled, System Exclu-
sive (Sysex) events are echoed to the MIDI
device assigned to the record-enabled
track—but only if the Sysex events are
smaller than 256 bytes.
When using MIDI Thru, you should disable
Local Control, if present, on your MIDI
devices. Otherwise, your MIDI device may
receive double MIDI notes, which can lead
to stuck notes. If you are unsure how to dis-
able Local Control for your instrument, refer
to the manufacturer’s documentation.
The Default Thru Follows First Selected
MIDI Track Selection option also lets you
play an instrument without having to create
and record-enable a MIDI or Instrument
track.