Connecting multiple synths to acid pro 10

christopher-pengelly wrote on 12/5/2023, 10:21 AM

Hi everyone

So i have been using acid for a very long time, i took the plunge to connecting all my synths up via a midi interface, and have tried to set up the programme to read each synth, the only one i can get working is the midi controller, i have tried loads of different things (i sue abelton and it worked pretty easily with that but i love using acid as its what i learnt on but i cant for the life of me figure out how to get it to play the synths using the midi functions.
I have a

roland system1

Behringer deepmind6

Korg mikro Korg

Roland MX1

Roland TB3

Roland TR8

Alesis VI49 midi controller (this is the only one that seems to work as its just contolling the soft synths)

Arturia microbrute 2

I also want to add my MPC one into the mix if possible!!

so far i have the deepmind , the Alesis and the mx1 connected to the midi interface via midi cables (i can connect the mx1 via usb if needed) and the midi interface connected to the computer via usb cable. I obviously want to be able to program the keys and feed them to the synths so the DAW plays the synths when needed. I also would love to know if i can set it that the midi controller controls each of the synths so i dont have to use the keys but i may be over reaching lol

 

any help would be greatly appreciated. i am learning ableton as i go but i have loved acid for years and dont want to just dump it but if i get nowhere i think i will have to bite the bullet and use it if i cant figure it out !!

Comments

emmrecs wrote on 12/5/2023, 11:15 AM

@christopher-pengelly

I'll say from the start that I don't have or use ACID but the principles involved in running multiple external keyboards/synths are universal. So:

  • Please tell us exactly which MIDI interface you have and how many input/output MIDI sockets it contains. Ideally it would include one input and one output per keyboard/synth you wish to use, especially if you wish to use each of them to individually input MIDI data. i.e., you are not using a single "master" keyboard to control the output of each of the external synths/modules.
  • On my setup I use a Midisport 4x4 USB Midi Interface. I use ONE master keyboard (in my case a Nord Stage 3) connected to one of the four available MIDI inputs, on DIN sockets. The four MIDI outputs, again on DIN sockets, are connected to four external modules/synths. Like you, the connection to my PC is via USB.
  • Thus I have 16 MIDI channels available for Input (labeled on the interface as A 1 - 16) and a total of 64 Output channels, labelled as A 1 - 16, B 1 - 16, C 1 - 16 and D 1 - 16.
  • That latter fact is critical to understanding how to use MIDI. The output to the specific synth/keyboards/module MUST be allocated its own totally separate MIDI channel.
  • So, to use my master keyboard to control one of my external synths I set the MIDI Input to whichever Channel Number on A I wish to use but the designated MIDI Output  channel must be set to the specific MIDI channel required. e.g., I wish to have the sound created by Synth 1 which is connected to MIDI Output channel B on the interface. Thus I must direct the input from my master keyboard (coming in on e.g., channel A1 of the interface) to channel B output. (For you, this would be a setting in ACID. Sorry I can't be more precise in telling you exactly how to do this!) I must then choose the channel number for that output (1 - 16) and the synth I wish to use to actually produce the sound MUST be set to the same channel number. So, for a sound to be heard from a synth receiving on interface output B I must allocate the desired sound, e.g., a flute to respond to data received on MIDI channel 2, I must set the flute to "receive" on channel 2.

Sorry for all the words(!) but MIDI setup is actually pretty straightforward once you have understood its complexity!

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

Win 10 Pro 64 bit, Intel i7 Quad Core 6700K @ 4GHz, 32 GB RAM, NVidia GTX 1660TI and Intel HD530 Graphics, MOTU 8-Pre f/w audio interface, VPX, MEP, Music Maker, PhotoStory Deluxe, Photo Manager Deluxe, Xara 3D Maker 7, Samplitude Pro X7 Suite, Reaper, Adobe Audition 3, CS6 and CC, 2 x Canon HG10 cameras, 1 x Canon EOS 600D, Akaso EK7000 Pro Action Cam

christopher-pengelly wrote on 12/5/2023, 5:01 PM

@christopher-pengelly

I'll say from the start that I don't have or use ACID but the principles involved in running multiple external keyboards/synths are universal. So:

  • Please tell us exactly which MIDI interface you have and how many input/output MIDI sockets it contains. Ideally it would include one input and one output per keyboard/synth you wish to use, especially if you wish to use each of them to individually input MIDI data. i.e., you are not using a single "master" keyboard to control the output of each of the external synths/modules.

so i have a Tie Midi 4i4o interface

i have it set up as follows

Tie Interface connected to computer via usb cable
Tie midi in to deepmind midi out

Deepmind midi in to tie midi out

Tie midi in to Alesis Vi49 midi out

Tie midi in to roland MX 1 midi out

Roland MX1 midi in to Tie midi out

Roland MX1 connected to Roland TR8 , TB3 and System1 via usb (aria link)

Tie Midi in to Akai Mpc one midi out

Akai mpc one midi out to Tie Midi out

i am considering running the microbrute and the mikrokorgs via the thru from the deepmind to the microkorg and then running another midi cable from the thru on the microkorg to the microbrute (but not sure if this will work ??)

on acid i have struggled to see where to configure this i have looked on the midi settings and i can get the Alesis to run the plug in synths but i ant get anything else to connect in or out of it , its weird as i have seen on ableton thethe deepmind running some of the soft synths and the alesis , but on abelton i cant seem to get the midi clock to kick over to my synths or the mx1 even though i have set the mx1 to get midi clock from the pc via the sync button and moving the dial to midi (but there is a Pc one which i have also tried to no avail lol)

after reading your set up i think i might of gone completely overkill on the midi cables going in and out but i would love to hear your opinion lol

 

  • On my setup I use a Midisport 4x4 USB Midi Interface. I use ONE master keyboard (in my case a Nord Stage 3) connected to one of the four available MIDI inputs, on DIN sockets. The four MIDI outputs, again on DIN sockets, are connected to four external modules/synths. Like you, the connection to my PC is via USB.
  • Thus I have 16 MIDI channels available for Input (labeled on the interface as A 1 - 16) and a total of 64 Output channels, labelled as A 1 - 16, B 1 - 16, C 1 - 16 and D 1 - 16.
  • That latter fact is critical to understanding how to use MIDI. The output to the specific synth/keyboards/module MUST be allocated its own totally separate MIDI channel.
  • So, to use my master keyboard to control one of my external synths I set the MIDI Input to whichever Channel Number on A I wish to use but the designated MIDI Output  channel must be set to the specific MIDI channel required. e.g., I wish to have the sound created by Synth 1 which is connected to MIDI Output channel B on the interface. Thus I must direct the input from my master keyboard (coming in on e.g., channel A1 of the interface) to channel B output. (For you, this would be a setting in ACID. Sorry I can't be more precise in telling you exactly how to do this!) I must then choose the channel number for that output (1 - 16) and the synth I wish to use to actually produce the sound MUST be set to the same channel number. So, for a sound to be heard from a synth receiving on interface output B I must allocate the desired sound, e.g., a flute to respond to data received on MIDI channel 2, I must set the flute to "receive" on channel 2.

Sorry for all the words(!) but MIDI setup is actually pretty straightforward once you have understood its complexity!

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

 

christopher-pengelly wrote on 12/5/2023, 5:03 PM

ohh and thanks for the response aswell , it was really clear and if i cant get it to work i will try your way and see if that works

emmrecs wrote on 12/6/2023, 3:26 AM

@christopher-pengelly

I'm going to return to your reply later today and try and fully envisage your set-up!

But one thing strikes me immediately: if you want to connect multiple modules/keyboards/synths to the same output from your interface you must use Midi Thru. So:Interface MIDI out>1st unit MIDI in (assuming this is to enable playback), 1st unit MIDI Thru>2nd unit MIDI In>2nd Unit MIDI Thru>3rd unit MIDI In, etc..

One potentially BIG disadvantage of this is that you must share the 16 MIDI channels available on the single output from your interface between all those units. So, if you have 4 units connected in this way and you want each unit to be "treated equally and independently" you will have to be careful to NOT allocate the same numbered MIDI channel to more than one unit.

I hope that makes sense!

One other thing; I notice you wrote this:

Akai mpc one midi out to Tie Midi out

That won't work, unless I'm misunderstanding something! The connection route is always MIDI out (or Thru if it is not the first in the chain) to MIDI In.

Jeff

Last changed by emmrecs on 12/6/2023, 3:27 AM, changed a total of 1 times.

Win 10 Pro 64 bit, Intel i7 Quad Core 6700K @ 4GHz, 32 GB RAM, NVidia GTX 1660TI and Intel HD530 Graphics, MOTU 8-Pre f/w audio interface, VPX, MEP, Music Maker, PhotoStory Deluxe, Photo Manager Deluxe, Xara 3D Maker 7, Samplitude Pro X7 Suite, Reaper, Adobe Audition 3, CS6 and CC, 2 x Canon HG10 cameras, 1 x Canon EOS 600D, Akaso EK7000 Pro Action Cam

christopher-pengelly wrote on 12/6/2023, 6:45 AM

@christopher-pengelly

I'm going to return to your reply later today and try and fully envisage your set-up!

But one thing strikes me immediately: if you want to connect multiple modules/keyboards/synths to the same output from your interface you must use Midi Thru. So:Interface MIDI out>1st unit MIDI in (assuming this is to enable playback), 1st unit MIDI Thru>2nd unit MIDI In>2nd Unit MIDI Thru>3rd unit MIDI In, etc..

One potentially BIG disadvantage of this is that you must share the 16 MIDI channels available on the single output from your interface between all those units. So, if you have 4 units connected in this way and you want each unit to be "treated equally and independently" you will have to be careful to NOT allocate the same numbered MIDI channel to more than one unit.

I hope that makes sense!

One other thing; I notice you wrote this:

Akai mpc one midi out to Tie Midi out

That won't work, unless I'm misunderstanding something! The connection route is always MIDI out (or Thru if it is not the first in the chain) to MIDI In.

Jeff

i may have typed it in incorrectly in regards to the mpc one. i havent tried to use that yet with everything

i will have re evaluate that. Every time i have tried previously i can get all the synths to work using the mx1 as the midi clock but i cant get the mx1 to be the midi clock for the Daw.

 

christopher-pengelly wrote on 12/14/2023, 6:31 AM

@christopher-pengelly

I'm going to return to your reply later today and try and fully envisage your set-up!

But one thing strikes me immediately: if you want to connect multiple modules/keyboards/synths to the same output from your interface you must use Midi Thru. So:Interface MIDI out>1st unit MIDI in (assuming this is to enable playback), 1st unit MIDI Thru>2nd unit MIDI In>2nd Unit MIDI Thru>3rd unit MIDI In, etc..

One potentially BIG disadvantage of this is that you must share the 16 MIDI channels available on the single output from your interface between all those units. So, if you have 4 units connected in this way and you want each unit to be "treated equally and independently" you will have to be careful to NOT allocate the same numbered MIDI channel to more than one unit.

I hope that makes sense!

One other thing; I notice you wrote this:

Akai mpc one midi out to Tie Midi out

That won't work, unless I'm misunderstanding something! The connection route is always MIDI out (or Thru if it is not the first in the chain) to MIDI In.

Jeff

thanks for all your help on this , my friend took pity on me and came over and now a,ll working , and it was pretty uch what you had suggested