I have been going crazy trying to find this solution--THANK YOU! FYI, those using Logic Pro X, make sure you activate 'Logic Pro X -> Preferences -> Advanced Tools' and then head over to 'View -> Open Midi Environment (or CMD+0)' and you're there!
I've been interested in writing microtonal music and have struggled with getting my two keyboards to play on different instruments. Your method is the most straight-forward and thorough of all the videos I've watched, and it works! Thank you for this video and for knowing what you're talking about!
Thanks a lot. After ten minutes working through the Logic 9 manual and getting nowhere I now have both my keyboards working independently after watching your video.
Thanks so much! Was facing same sit w/Logic Pro X and your super-clear demo saved me hours! "New Physical Input" was the key! Now both my keys are working independently - as I want them to. Much appreciate your helping hand!
YAY!!! Thank you so much! That did it. Now I'm playing Pianoteq's new Rucker's Harpsichord model using two manuals and a pedalboard with different registers on each one. Bach would be proud. Couldn't have done it without you!
I really admire musicians who can be bothered to make music as complicated as this. I just have no mental stamina for this kind of concentration. Of course, I'm a hard working software engineer so my brain is pretty tired at the end of the day when I get devote some time to music. Still...top marks to you, man.
Have you ever used a Roland GK -3 pick up for guitar (audio to midi)? I ask because I want to be able to get a smoother pitchbend response and thought this and other control functions could be achieved in the environment.
Joe La Placa Not that experienced with guitar to MIDI kits, but you could certainly use a transformer in environment to convert any CC input to pitch bend CC...
I have literally been looking for a video that shows how to split midi for like two days. Everyone has a video that shows how to combine them in the environment window. This video was a great help! Thank you so much!!!
Amazing! Thank you very much. One of the clearest, most well presented and explained video I've ever watched on RU-vid in gods knows how many years. Thank you. xXx
YOU ARE SO UNDERRATED. Dude, you are amazing, and not only because of this tutorial but also for your music. I checked your song Yamadera and it's so good! Do you play everything live? You are amazing. Do you have Soundcloud and Instagram? Are you on Spotify?
Thank you! I am on Spotify and the rest. I do play as much as I can live - in Yamadera it’s all live. Other videos might be using programmed beats or looping to create the full piece. Thank you for your comments.
Hence the tutorial - I really like Logic, but the 'Garageband-isation' of it when Apple released Logic X has hidden many of the really powerful tools that differentiate it from other DAWs like Cubase.
I was struggling to work out how to do this in Logic having used Ableton for years...went unto the logic forums all going on about how Logic sums the midi...then you head into the midi environment and there it is...
Beautiful! Still very valid info. You can also simplify the process by splitting midi devices through midi channels, but it's not as versatile as this. Thanks for explaining.
You fucking star! I knew as soon as I started watching your video that you would elucidate this little grey area I had forgotten how to use. Nice one! Much appreciated.
Hey this is is Chris D from below. I just subscribed. I hope you find a solution to recording the two MIDI instruments soon! I was recording last night and really could have used the two instrument capability!
Thank you. Your video has helped me to setup my 4 external controllers: one keyboard controller plays Logic software instruments, one keyboard controller (keyrig 49) plays an alesis S4 sound module, one ext. midi instrument is set-up to play an electronic drum set with its own ddrum3 module, and the 4th controller is a roland handsonic. All is well for playing live but I am still having a problem getting each of them to record simultaneously with their designated sounds. It seems as though they all default to the logic software instrument being played. Would you be able to offer me a solution to my problem?
Thanks so much for the video. Really hard to find this kind of info. Now for the other piece of the puzzle I've been trying to find out-how to connect to MIDI controllers to one computer e.g. electric drum kit and keyboard. Could you explain how you did this? Thanks.
Thanks for the help! I'm a lot closer to getting my rig up to where I need it. I have a problem though, when I follow the steps you've given me, I am unable to record. Logic turns red on top like it normally does, even the click track runs. I play and the sound comes back, but the midi notes aren't recorded. Have you encountered this issue? (Before I split the devices onto two channels the midi notes are recording)
Yes, I believe that you can't record in this manner. The environment splits the MIDI inputs to mixer channels (which host the virtual instruments), not to sequencer tracks which is why you can't record. I think there may be a way to send the MIDI inputs to individual sequencer objects but I haven't had time to look into it yet. Make sure to subscribe so you're notified when I post a solution.
First of all thanks for the tutorial. I was literally spending hours with the Live documentation trying to sort this out to no avail. Nice job. I'm confused about something though. At the end of the video you talk about using this method to record a two manual organ piece, but in the comments here it appears you can't record. What am I missing? I haven't tried recording yet myself. Has anyone had success with the sequencer tip mentioned? As an aside, I'm kind of new to making music on a Mac. I was able to configure my system in Ableton Live to do this kind of thing in about 5 minutes in the main interface, without needing documentation. For all the hype about Apple, I find many of their interfaces HORRIBLE (look at those tiny little arrows in the 'physical input' in the environment). The documentation is worse. I've also been trying to use MainStage 3 and it is super kluge-y to configure. I don't see that the big deal is. It does sound good though, which is ultimately why I am trying to set Logic up instead of Live. Rant concluded. :)
MainStage is really powerful, but you should probably work through the tutorial first to fully understand it. If you want, you can basically do the kind of crazy stuff you can do with a full workstation like the Korg Kronos but with a single controller keyboard. The environment in Logic is really, really detailed and allows you to do insane things with note and device manipulation, but again you need to spend a lot of time with it to understand it. As someone has mentioned below, you would need to map each controller to a sequencer object - this is not the point of the above tutorial video obviously.
Amazing, i can't thank you enough for this, but cheekily i wonder if you know if this scenario is possible, could you allow one midi controller to control all external midi synth modules (which is the default), but then choose which specific ones the second midi controller can control as well? rather than having to assign either/or both to each track in Logic 9? Many thanks
It appears that by default the install of ProX 'hides' the 'Advanced' options. You can turn them back on the in Logic>Preferences window. Check out this tutorial I found - www.askaudiomag.com/articles/logic-pro-9-to-logic-pro-x-oh-no-is-it-gone
Hey man, great video. I just have a question. Is it possible to assign and control software instruments like native instruments or other soft synths with this keyboard or any midi keyboard in fact? Or is it more just for controlling, track pan, volume etc? I'd like to be able to write automation in logic Pro. Things like cutoff, attack, resonance Thanks!
Quick question, what audio interface do you use that allows you to plug in two seperate midi instruments into your laptop at once? I am attempting to send MIDI information from 3 different controllers, a midi keyboard, an Akai APC40 controller, as well as my Moog Sub 37. Do you happen to have any suggestions as to which audio interface will allow me to do this? Thank you so much for your help!
I'm using the direct USB out of one keyboard and the direct USB out of another keyboard - there is no audio interface involved. If you are using the MIDI in ports on a device like a soundcard or on a a multi-port MIDI interface like a Unitor or MOTU box or something, the process in the Environment shouldn't change. Basically, as long as you've set up your devices properly in Audio MIDI Setup utility in OSX, you should have no problem.
In case anyone else has the same issue: I'm fine with getting this technique to work for live performances (I have audio produced each controller). However, I can't get logic pro 9 to recognize my midi controllers durring recording sessions. Is there a further step/ transformer needed to make this task practical for recording two separate midi controllers (on two different channel strips) at once?
I am having problems, everything you showed works but when i press record nothing happens, it doesnt let me record more than one midi at a time... any suggestions??
Hi, I need an advice. For avoid latency is better to connect my master keyboard to PC and through the PC controlling the external synth sounds while I play masterkeyboard, or should I connect the masterkeyboard directly into the external synth via midi? Does the latency change in this case??
i want my dtx400k connect to ezdrum, my keystatio88n to addictivekey, and my launchpad to EXS24. I successfully routing my instrument to the place(ezdrum, addkey, exs24) that i want. But 'why' i cant record it together in one time?pls answer. Sorry for my bad english
Very good video! I cant believe there is not more about this online. It seems to me that wanting a different sound for multiple midi controllers would be a common thing. Its still confusing to me though. Can you change the instrument after you set this up? I found out that I can change the sound in esx24 but not the instrument. Also, not that I would want to do this, but how can you control a midi controller with another one? Also, do you have to do your automation live by turning knobs and faders or can you just play your keyboard and have the automation automatically change what you are doing?
Hey there this is amazing, thanks for sharing the info, I have a question if you don't mind..... I need to play 2 instruments each with its midi controller ( just as you showed us in the video) however I need to do this for each song which have their particular pair of sounds. How can I change sounds within the same session so that each song has 2 vst instruments routed to 2 midi keyboards , one for each? Thanks alot
***** HELLO! I saw this video about a week ago and well its a great tutorial BUT I've literally had a headache for the past week because it doesn't record the midi keys that I play. I connect the virtual cable to the track 1 with one controller and the other controller to track 2. They each keyboard plays to the assigned instruments but when i press record all it does is play the key sounds as I record but doesn't save when I stop recording! Any suggestions??? PS. Im using a Korg Sampler Grand, midi cable plugged directly into Komplete 6 audio interface which is plugged into my computer and I have a USB Alesis QX25 plugged directly into my mac mini.
I had a question. When I'm in the audio midi setup in utilities I noticed when u clicked on your keyboards down in the ports area to the right is a midi in midi out part but both of my midi outs say 1 and I noticed when you clicked on yours one of your midi outs said 0. The thing is it won't let me change it so when I route the sounds in environment it doesn't do any thing but just pick the same sound up on the different midi boards doesn't individually assign.im using a m audio 61 midi board and a korg micro x synth I don't know if that's messing me up the fact I'm running midi from the lexicon audio interface in the korg and just straight usb from the m audio but have a midi out going to korg x so I can control when i just want to use the sounds built into keyboard and not use vts or layer it. Thanks if you can help
Your issue with wanting to use the sounds in the Korg but also wanting to use it independently as a controller is an issue only solved by looking at your Korg manual - you'll want to turn LOCAL OFF so that the keys on the Micro X don't actually control the sounds in the Micro X. Then when you DO want to control those sounds, you'll have to select the Micro X as an external MIDI sound source.
