Devices
The audio and MIDI devices to be used by MultitrackStudio can be selected in the Studio menu's Devices window.
MultitrackStudio Pro supports up to 140 audio channels, up to four MIDI In devices and up to four MIDI Out devices. Lower editions support up to two audio channels, one MIDI In device and up to two MIDI Out devices.
Choosing an audio driver type
On Windows there are three audio driver types to choose from:- Windows: Latency can be low, and it supports 'shared mode' so other apps can playback sound while MultitrackStudio is running.
- ASIO: Can only be used if the sound device comes with an ASIO driver. Latency can be very low. If your device comes with an ASIO driver you should use it. Be sure to try the Windows driver type if your ASIO driver causes system instability, or if it doesn't offer the sample rate you need.
If your device doesn't come with an ASIO driver you should try the Windows driver type rather than use a generic ASIO driver. - Early Windows is the last resort. It should work with any sound device, but latency is very high and there's no Soft Monitoring. Multichannel recording isn't possible using this driver type.
On Mac there's just one audio driver type: Core Audio.
Audio Output Control
The Audio Output Control (available from the Studio menu) can be used to set the properties (channel selection, levels etc.) of the audio output device. The controls depend on the audio driver type and devices used.
MPE MIDI Input
There's an MPE check box for each MIDI Input Device. MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) uses separate MIDI channels for each note so each note can have its own pitch bend, brightness and aftertouch controls. MultitrackStudio maps these controls to MIDI 2.0 per-note pitch band / per-note brightness and MIDI 1.0 poly aftertouch respectively.If an MPE keyboard sends RPN messages to change the MPE configuration, the MPE check box will be updated accordingly. MultitrackStudio may not even be running when your keyboard sends these messages, so you may have to switch it on yourself.
Note: do not use the MPE option if you don't have an MPE keyboard. There's no gain but many potential problems.
In most cases the incoming MPE data will go to MIDI channel 1. If an MPE keyboard sends a different configuration it could go to MIDI channel 16 or both 1 and 16 (two MPE zones).
MIDI Out Device Options
The Options button in the MIDI Out Devices section pops up the MIDI Out Device Options window. It contains settings regarding sync code and recording connections.