Question

How do I setup a hardware keyboard/synthesizer in Studio One?

Answer 1

In Studio One, an External Instrument is an external MIDI hardware synthesizer, workstation, or other device that can generate or manipulate sound. External Instruments are set up globally and then are available for use in any Song.

 

To set up your Instrument, navigate to Files/Options/External Devices (Mac OS X: Preferences/Options/External Devices) and follow these steps:

1. In the Options/External Devices menu, click on the Add button.
2. In the left hand browser, choose your device from the predefined device list. Set this to New Instrument if you do not see your device in the list.  If set to New Instrument, you may wish to type in a Manufacturer Name and a Device Name in the appropriate fields. This will make using your New Instrument easier.
3. Specify which MIDI channels will be used to communicate with this Instrument. MIDI channel 1 is selected by default. If you are unsure of the appropriate MIDI channels to use, just leave this at the default setting.
4. Specify the device to which StudioOne is sending MIDI and the device from which the software is receiving MIDI. Select the appropriate MIDI device from the drop-down menu for Send To and (optionally) Receive From.
5. You can choose to send MIDI Clock to this Instrument and/or use MIDI Clock Start by checking the appropriate boxes. You should send MIDI Clock to your Instrument if it has a built-in sequencer or components (such as LFOs) that need to sync to Studio One. Enabling MIDI Clock Start will send MIDI Clock Start signals to your Instrument.
6. Your External Instrument is now available for use in any Song. To use an External Instrument in a Song, be sure that an Instrument Track is routed to it and that the appropriate Audio Tracks have been added and configured.

 

Please note that Studio One views “Instruments” and “Keyboards” as separate devices even if they are integrated into the same piece of hardware.  If your synthesizer also has a built in keyboard, you will need to create a New Keyboard in the External Devices set-up menu by doing the following:

 

1. In the Options/External Devices menu, click on the Add button.
2. In the left-hand browser, choose your device from the predefined device list. Set this to New Instrument if you do not see your device in the list. If set to New Instrument, you may wish to type in a Manufacturer Name and a Device Name in the appropriate fields. This will make using your New Instrument easier.
3. Specify which MIDI channels will be used to communicate with this Instrument. If you’re unsure of which MIDI channel to select, select all 16.
4. Specify the device to which StudioOne is sending MIDI and the device from which the software is receiving MIDI. Select the appropriate MIDI device from the drop-down menu for Send To and (optionally) Receive From.

You can choose to send MIDI Clock to this Instrument and/or use MIDI Clock Start by checking the appropriate boxes. You should send MIDI Clock to your Instrument if it has a built-in sequencer or components (such as LFOs) that need to sync to Studio One. Enabling MIDI Clock Start will send MIDI Clock Start signals to your Instrument.