Topic by hjksh34

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Topic: how to setup with protools

I am a newbie at this but i just cant for the life of me get pianoteq to work with protools.  I have:

* audiobox USB
* Yamaha Keyboard 115 (WITHOUT midi out, only usb to midi out)
* pianotec 4
* protools 12

I have keyboard plugged into usb on computer, audio interface plugged into usb.  Mic works fine from interface. 

I've tried just about everything in protools 'setup' menu.  I cant even get the virtual pianoteq keyboard to work.  I am using the audiobox ASIO driver, and i've tried all sorts of track types and settings. 

I would hope pianoteq has SOME setup guide somewhere or that there is some manual/webpage or anything that talks about such a setup but i can't find a thing.  The only help from the pianoteq website is, "yes we support protools after 7.3". 

Can anyone offer a quick guide to even getting the virtual keyboard to work with protools?  My guess is the keyboard would work if I can get that part of my connection working.

Reply by jcfelice88keys

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Re: how to setup with protools

If you are a registered owner of Pianoteq, then I would suggest you contact Modartt directly.

Seeing that this is your first post to the forum, ... and you are a newbie with Pianoteq 4 (not 5) ... raises some flags.  When I Googled "how to set up Pianoteq with Protools," I found the same message that you did, regarding "yes we support protools after 7.3."

Youtube does have a setup video for Protools and its use with virtual instruments. Are you able to run your version of Pianoteq as a standalone?  If so, are you able to use your Yamaha P115 keyboard with any success? The answer to the latter question will help you decide where to go from there. I will not embarrass you by asking if you have a legitimate copy of Pianoteq.

Reply by hjksh34

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Re: how to setup with protools

to which flags 'red flags' do you refer? 

It never occurred to me to contact Modartt for support since:
1) most support for almost any software these days is a) paid or b) abysmal
2) I'd rather not be on hold forever if i can avoid it
3) the addition of such instructions to the help forum seems valuable for others given that the internet seems to have no guides for such a setup
4) Do I still have free support available after 2 years? (Can't even remember when I bought it.)
5) Im usually very computer literate (happy to provide a cv ) and can solve almost any problem using the internet alone.  I can't remember the last time I've called support
Whether or not these reasons make any sense I'm not sure, but those are my reasons I didn't call.

(Assuming the suggestion is that i might be pirating the software, I'm happy to provide a screenshot of my valid registration with the s/n blurred from my user page, or if that's not sufficient i can take a quick video of me showing my ID, logging in, and showing said page (and showing today's newspaper ) and PM the link to you if it would help remove the skepticism.)

To answer your other questions:
* I did have pianoteq working in linux with ardour and jack and an internal soundcard (audiophile 2496), and everything was working great but I did an upgrade with an audio interface (the audiobox usb), formatted the computer for dualboot of windows and linux.  The linux side seems to be working fine, and I have the mic working fine in windows with protools. 

* I watched a few virtual instruments videos on youtube, but due to the number of options to change, the difference with my particular setup, and my newbie status with DAWs and Protools (I actually just set this stuff up for my wife) I couldn't get it to work.

* I am able to run pianoteq as a standalone, select windows directaudio, and play pianoteq through my Yamaha.  There is mention of AAX all over the place but not a single guide.  Is there some pianoteq, protools plugin somewhere where I DON'T have to tun it as a standalone?  In linux I would just run pianoteq standalone, run jack, and then route the audio to ardour.  Does windows not need panioteq runing as standalone?

tl; dr: I can play my Yamaha to pianoteq through usb fine, when I go to my audiobox asio driver and use protools, I can't.  If I play the pianoteq virtual keyboard through the standalone pianoteq instance I can never seem to get any output recorded to protools.  The problem is probably me not correctly setting up the proper options in protools with my audiobox asio driver.

Thanks for the help.

Reply by sandalholme

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Re: how to setup with protools

Re support.  I agree that most s/w companies give abysmal support.  Modartt is different.  I haven't needed a great deal from them, but they respond quickly and helpfully.  Look at a few threads and you will see what I mean. I shall be surprised if you are disappointed with support for Pianoteq.

I am not associated with Modarrt.

Reply by hjksh34

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Re: how to setup with protools

Got it working. For future reference if anyone wants to know (should work with other audio interfaces):

* Install your keyboards MIDI driver
* Install your audiobox usb drivers
* Install pianoteq
* connect: keyboard usb to computer, audiobox usb to computer, headphones, mic etc
* (re)start protools
* ensure setup->midi->studio setup has your keyboard as the input port and audiobox usb midi out (emulated) as the output
* create an aux track with no input and your interface's output if you're going to headphones
* select pianoteq as the insert
* create a MIDI track with your piano as the input and pianotex (from aux track) as output

basically if you don't see pianoteq, your keyboard, or your audio interface, reinstall things and restart things, you need this before you get things working.

Reply by Tarek

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Re: how to setup with protools

hjksh34 wrote:

Got it working. For future reference if anyone wants to know (should work with other audio interfaces):

* Install your keyboards MIDI driver
* Install your audiobox usb drivers
* Install pianoteq
* connect: keyboard usb to computer, audiobox usb to computer, headphones, mic etc
* (re)start protools
* ensure setup->midi->studio setup has your keyboard as the input port and audiobox usb midi out (emulated) as the output
* create an aux track with no input and your interface's output if you're going to headphones
* select pianoteq as the insert
* create a MIDI track with your piano as the input and pianotex (from aux track) as output

basically if you don't see pianoteq, your keyboard, or your audio interface, reinstall things and restart things, you need this before you get things working.

I did everything you pointed out here (super thanks for the step by step). Got sound from pianoteq inside protools if I click on the piano roll but not if I play my keyboard. I pressed few buttons and then I got sound from pianoteq while playing on my keyboard but if I press record nothing gets recorded.

I'm a newbie with protools, spent so much time figuring this out but can't make it work.
As detailed as your instructions are, may I ask you to be even more detailed in how to set it up?

Much appreciated.

Reply by hjksh34

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Re: how to setup with protools

Tarek wrote:
hjksh34 wrote:

Got it working. For future reference if anyone wants to know (should work with other audio interfaces):

* Install your keyboards MIDI driver
* Install your audiobox usb drivers
* Install pianoteq
* connect: keyboard usb to computer, audiobox usb to computer, headphones, mic etc
* (re)start protools
* ensure setup->midi->studio setup has your keyboard as the input port and audiobox usb midi out (emulated) as the output
* create an aux track with no input and your interface's output if you're going to headphones
* select pianoteq as the insert
* create a MIDI track with your piano as the input and pianotex (from aux track) as output

basically if you don't see pianoteq, your keyboard, or your audio interface, reinstall things and restart things, you need this before you get things working.

I did everything you pointed out here (super thanks for the step by step). Got sound from pianoteq inside protools if I click on the piano roll but not if I play my keyboard. I pressed few buttons and then I got sound from pianoteq while playing on my keyboard but if I press record nothing gets recorded.

I'm a newbie with protools, spent so much time figuring this out but can't make it work.
As detailed as your instructions are, may I ask you to be even more detailed in how to set it up?

Much appreciated.

Sorry, it's been long enough and I'm not much of an expert here to be of much help  It sounds like you have the entire pipline working from keyboard to protools it's just something specific with protools.  Basically, if you can see the meter go up and down on protools when you press your keyboard then it's something in protools.  You'll have to really check those protools settings, they are not obvious.  I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but go to youtube and check out the guides of setting up a midi device OR setting up tracks (that's what I did), and follow them to a T, it sounds just like it really is one setting or thing you need to do in protools.  If that doesn't work then dig deep into the help guides about how to set up a track (again assuing you really are receiveing input from pianoteq that you can visually see).  After that, someone mentioned that they have decent support so you might want to just call them up.  Good luck, sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Reply by Mossy

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Re: how to setup with protools

Yamaha needs a specific USB MIDI driver.  Everybody else (Roland/Kawai/Casio) uses the standard USB MIDI driver and needs no extra hardware.  I would look at that as my first target to debug and make sure the driver is working.

https://soundcloud.com/mossy456/

Reply by Tarek

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Re: how to setup with protools

hjksh34 wrote:
Tarek wrote:
hjksh34 wrote:

Got it working. For future reference if anyone wants to know (should work with other audio interfaces):

* Install your keyboards MIDI driver
* Install your audiobox usb drivers
* Install pianoteq
* connect: keyboard usb to computer, audiobox usb to computer, headphones, mic etc
* (re)start protools
* ensure setup->midi->studio setup has your keyboard as the input port and audiobox usb midi out (emulated) as the output
* create an aux track with no input and your interface's output if you're going to headphones
* select pianoteq as the insert
* create a MIDI track with your piano as the input and pianotex (from aux track) as output

basically if you don't see pianoteq, your keyboard, or your audio interface, reinstall things and restart things, you need this before you get things working.

I did everything you pointed out here (super thanks for the step by step). Got sound from pianoteq inside protools if I click on the piano roll but not if I play my keyboard. I pressed few buttons and then I got sound from pianoteq while playing on my keyboard but if I press record nothing gets recorded.

I'm a newbie with protools, spent so much time figuring this out but can't make it work.
As detailed as your instructions are, may I ask you to be even more detailed in how to set it up?

Much appreciated.

Sorry, it's been long enough and I'm not much of an expert here to be of much help  It sounds like you have the entire pipline working from keyboard to protools it's just something specific with protools.  Basically, if you can see the meter go up and down on protools when you press your keyboard then it's something in protools.  You'll have to really check those protools settings, they are not obvious.  I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but go to youtube and check out the guides of setting up a midi device OR setting up tracks (that's what I did), and follow them to a T, it sounds just like it really is one setting or thing you need to do in protools.  If that doesn't work then dig deep into the help guides about how to set up a track (again assuing you really are receiveing input from pianoteq that you can visually see).  After that, someone mentioned that they have decent support so you might want to just call them up.  Good luck, sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Actually your instructions are on point. The problem was that I wasn't seeing Pianoteq in the Out option of the Midi track and that's why the sound wasn't coming out when I play the keyboard. I just opened a random session I had from before and did the exact instructions, Pianoteq appeared as out from MIDI so it worked.

Thanks fellas.