36. Can I use more than 16 MIDI channels? How do I use more than one MIDI output port?

The MIDI standard uses 16 channels. These means that on each MIDI port, you can play up to 16 instruments at a time. If you want to use more than 16 instruments, you need to use more than one MIDI port. Also, if you want to use one synth to play a particular instrument, and another synth to play a different instrument, You will need to use more than one port. For example, you might want to use your drum machine to play the drum sounds while your keyboard synth plays the piano sounds.

In the Tracks window, click on the track number field to select the track, then right-click on the MIDI icon. This will produce a menu where you can choose the port. In Options | MIDI Devices | Output Drivers, select all the drivers/ports that you wish to have available. The first one in the list that's highlighted will be port 1. The second one that's highlighted will be port 2, and so on. You can "move selected devices to top" to choose the order of the ports. If you are using a DXi synth, the number of channels you can use is quite large, since multiple instances of a particular DXi can be running, each using 16 channels.


Alyssa - PG Music