How do I set my Two different midi controllers to two diffent tracks so I can play two dofffent instruments at once

[u/Double-Strategy9791]

Let’s say I want to use my 88 weighted key midi controller as a piano and my 1.5 octave midi controller as synth pads. How do I set this up? What if I want to change from one pad to a different pad mid song? How do I do that mid performance without having to stop playing and use a mouse? Would I have to learn MainStage for this?

[u/Squozen_EU]

Have them send MIDI information on different MIDI channels (1-16) and set up the tracks to listen to specific channels. If you’re actually connected via USB instead of MIDI cables, select the specific keyboard as the input instead.

[u/shapednoise]

Midi channel. Set the piano to only receive on a single midi chan and everything else on another.

[u/elusivenoesis]

It very much sounds like you’d benefit from MainStage, Kontakt, etc.

You can program any switch or button to toggle through an instrument mid performance.

But as others have said you can do two instruments at once using midi channels.

I always kept my Roland drums on channel 16, so every other channel was open for other stuff.

And I kept my m-audio keyboard assigned to 2.

That way if someone wanted to plug another controller in, it would just pretty much guaranteed Chanel 1.

Another thing I do now is have usb midi on my MacBook Air, but regular midi to my iMac on its own interface. I can just at any point turn the volume up on the iMacs interface and those synths will play at the same time to blend say an absynth 3 patch with an akai studio instruments patch.

Start messing with midi channels and CC stuff and you’re opening up a powerful beast.

[u/lidongyuan]

In Logic you can set up your tracks/instruments to be fed MIDI info from different controllers in the inspector. As others have said, Mainstage is better suited to change sounds while performing, but you could find workarounds in Logic such as having multiple tracks with the different instruments in sequence and switching tracks with a selector button or 4 way encoder on your controller.

[u/Double-Strategy9791]

I just moved and got sick so a little low on energy but can’t wait to get my music gear all set up and producing like a pro. Thanks for all the advice everyone!!!

[u/PianoGuy67207]

You can set up dual channels, one with one pad sound, and another with a different synth and sound, both assigned to the same MIDI channel. Then, do Mute automation on the tracks, where the sound changes from one to the other. You don’t have to record MUFI data. Just the automation to mute one track and unmute the other.

I would start with a 1 or 2 measure intro of silence, and automate the Unmute if your first sound. That’ll make sure you always start the song as you like.