Convert midi track to instrument track

[Barth]

Hi!

I'm opening a midi song that I had made in another DAW, and Cakewalk opens all the tracks, with their name, perfect, but it have opened MIDI tracks , and I need to assign instruments. Is there a way to convert these MIDI tracks to instrument tracks without having to do it manually?

[msmcleod]

Not really.

I've had to do this in the past when I moved from hardware synths to VSTi's.

What I did was:

1.  Add the instrument tracks with the synths I wanted in the same order as the existing MIDI tracks
2.  Selected all the original MIDI tracks
3.  While holding down SHIFT,  drag the first clip on the first original MIDI track to the first instrument track.
4.  Deleted the MIDI tracks.

Another way of doing it is to insert your synths without creating corresponding MIDI tracks, then just set the output of your MIDI tracks to those synths.  You could then select each MIDI / Audio track pair, and make them into instrument tracks one by one, but this step isn't strictly necessary.

[scook]

For GM MIDI files, if there are no MIDI output devices selected in preferences, while opening the file, CbB automatically adds TTS-1 to the project with the appropriate instrument assignments. 

 

[Barth]

Thank you very much for the answers I see that have to do it manually: create instrument tracks, move the content of the midi tracks to the instrument tracks, delete MIDI tracks as  msmcleod said ?, and also write the name of the tracks one by one

It's a pity because Cakewalk opens the midifile and assigns the tracks perfectly, including the track name, it's great, but it's not useful because have to assign instruments.

Yes, but there are not GM MIDIfiles 

Greetings

[scook]

There is not enough data in a MIDI file to completely build a project using an arbitrary collection of plug-ins. Track labels are part of the MIDI spec, plug-in references are not.

There is no requirement to move or delete anything when adding plug-in and audio track information to a CbB project created from a MIDI file.

An Instrument track is a presentation layer above an audio+MIDI track pair.

After opening the file, add the synths using any method other than the Add Track menu such as Insert > Soft Synth from the main menu or dragging a synth into the project from the plug-in browser.  These methods open the Insert Soft Synth Options dialog.

Select the "First Synth Audio Output" from the Insert Soft Synth Options dialog and point the appropriate MIDI track's output to the synth.

That is all that is necessary to complete the track routing for a synth.

Creating an instrument track from the audio+MIDI track pair is optional. To convert an audio+MIDI track pair to an instrument track, select the tracks then choose "Make Instrument Track" from one of the track header context menus.

[Jeremy Oakes]

6 hours ago, Barth said:

Thank you very much for the answers I see that have to do it manually: create instrument tracks, move the content of the midi tracks to the instrument tracks, delete MIDI tracks as  msmcleod said ?, and also write the name of the tracks one by one

It's a pity because Cakewalk opens the midifile and assigns the tracks perfectly, including the track name, it's great, but it's not useful because have to assign instruments.

Yes, but there are not GM MIDIfiles 

Greetings

And how does CbB (or any other DAW)  know which instrument VSTi  (eg EZBass)  to assign to your midi tracks ? 

i export as midi files from Guitar Pro 8. Then i import said midi into CbB it gives me the name of each track. Then its just a question of transferring the bass into EZ Bass’s midi track and the drums into EZDrummers’s midi track.

Unless i’m missing something …’

J

Edited June 23, 2022 by Jeremy Oakes

[Barth]

16 hours ago, scook said:

After opening the file, add the synths using any method other than the Add Track menu such as Insert > Soft Synth from the main menu or dragging a synth into the project from the plug-in browser.  These methods open the Insert Soft Synth Options dialog.

Select the "First Synth Audio Output" from the Insert Soft Synth Options dialog and point the appropriate MIDI track's output to the synth.

That is all that is necessary to complete the track routing for a synth.

Hello

After importing a MIDI file, I go to the Insert > Soft Synth menu, Insert Soft Synth Options dialog appears, I select "First Synth Audio Output" and then I select the midi track that I want to assign the sound to. (Image 1) I click OK and a new instrument track appears. (Image 2) From here I don't know what to do.

 

 

[Barth]

10 hours ago, Jeremy Oakes said:

And how does CbB (or any other DAW)  know which instrument VSTi  (eg EZBass)  to assign to your midi tracks ?   

-I don't pretend CbB assign instruments to tracks. I want to be able to assign the instruments that I want for myself as a Instrument Track.

i export as midi files from Guitar Pro 8. Then i import said midi into CbB it gives me the name of each track. Then its just a question of transferring the bass into EZ Bass’s midi track and the drums into EZDrummers’s midi track.

- Exactly. The question is how to assign instruments to MIDI tracks.

 

Greetings

Edited June 24, 2022 by Barth

[scook]

4 hours ago, Barth said:

After importing a MIDI file, I go to the Insert > Soft Synth menu, Insert Soft Synth Options dialog appears, I select "First Synth Audio Output" and then I select the midi track that I want to assign the sound to. (Image 1) I click OK and a new instrument track appears. (Image 2) From here I don't know what to do.

Assign the MIDI track output to the synth. The MIDI output drop down is always available in the track inspector and depending on the Workspace and Track Control Manager drop down may be available in the track header.

In the images above, it is impossible to tell if the track inspector has been collapsed or removed from the UI and what the Workspace setting is (it is off image in the upper right of the UI) but the Track Control Manager is set to Custom. By default the Custom setting does show  the track output drop down when a track header is expanded.

Assuming the default Custom setting for the Track Control Manager drop down, here is a video showing how to route a MIDI track to a synth and the optional step of creating an instrument track from the audio+MIDI track pair.

[Barth]

 

Wow, it worked! What a good explanation! The video you attached is very helpful.

Of course, without your help I never would n't have found a way.

Thank you very much scook!

[scook]

You are welcome.

If you ever need access to the audio and MIDI track hiding in an instrument track, bring up the track context menu for the instrument track and instead of "Make Instrument Track" there will be an option to "Split Instrument Track". While rarely necessary as most audio and MIDI controls/functions are available on instrument tracks there are a few things that require audio+MIDI track pair such as synth audio recording.

[Barth]

Ok. I take note ?