This topic will help you set up a MIDI keyboard for recording in ACID.

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1. Before starting ACID, connect your MIDI device.

• If you’re using a USB keyboard, connect it to an available USB port on your computer and install drivers if necessary.

• If you’re using an external MIDI interface (such as a USB-to-MIDI converter or an external sound card with MIDI ports), connect the MIDI In port on your MIDI interface to the MIDI Out port on your keyboard, and connect the MIDI Out port on your MIDI interface to the MIDI In port on your keyboard.

• If you’re using a MIDI cable connected to the joystick port on your sound card, connect the connect the MIDI In plug on the cable to the MIDI Out port on your keyboard, and connect the MIDI In plug to the MIDI Out port on your keyboard.

2. Start ACID.

3. Enable the port where your MIDI keyboard is connected:

1. From the Options menu, choose Preferences.

2. In the Make these devices available for MIDI input box, select the check box for the port where your MIDI device is connected.

If you want to type a name to identify the device that is connected to the port, double-click the Device box and type a new name to identify the MIDI device connected to each MIDI input or output port. For MIDI tracks that use these input and output ports, these device names will be used on the MIDI Input and MIDI Output buttons on the track header.

3. Select the Auto MIDI input routing check box. When this check box is selected, the focus track will accept input from any MIDI input device when you record MIDI.
   When multiple tracks are selected, the focus track displays a blinking indicator in its track number: .

4. Add a software synthesizer (soft synth) to your project. The soft synth will give a voice to the notes you play on your keyboard:

1. From the Insert menu, choose Soft Synth to add a soft synth bus control to the Mixing Console window (you can also click the Insert Soft Synth button in the Mixing Console window). The Soft Synth Chooser dialog is displayed.

2. On the Soft Synths tab, select the synthesizer you want to use, and then click OK. If you want to change your choice later, you can edit the soft synth.

5. Select the MIDI track you want to record into, or press Ctrl+Alt+Q to add a new, blank MIDI track to your project.

6. Choose a MIDI input and output port for your track:

1. Click the MIDI Input button on the track header and choose an input port from the menu. For this example, we can choose either Auto Input or the port you selected in step 3b above.

   

2. Click the MIDI Input button on the track header and ensure Send MIDI Input Thru to MIDI Output is selected so you can hear the notes you play while recording.

3. Click the MIDI Output button on the track header and choose the soft synth or MIDI device and channel you want to use to play MIDI data on the track.

   

7. Select the Arm for Record button on the track where you want to record. Arming a track enables it for recording.

8. Click the Record button on the transport bar to start recording.

9. MIDI messages from your controller are recorded as you play them.

10. Notes are added to an event in the timeline.

11. MIDI controller adjustments (such as pitch wheel and modulation wheel movements) are recorded as track envelopes. MIDI controllers are recorded in latch mode: envelope points are created when you change a control setting, and recording continues until you stop playback. When you stop adjusting the control, the control’s current setting overwrites the existing envelope points.

9. To stop recording, click the Record button again or click the Stop button on the transport bar.

   For more information about recording from a MIDI device, please see Recording MIDI.

 

How to Set Up a MIDI Keyboard