Digital Performer 11: Working With Instrument Tracks

Screen 1: The instrument track options.

DP’s enhanced instrument tracks offer some powerful new options.

In DP 11.1, MOTU introduced updated instrument tracks. For the first time, DP users can instantiate a virtual instrument (VI), record it and edit it on a single track. Previous versions of DP required an instrument track and a separate, linked MIDI track for any virtual instrument.

The new instrument tracks have plenty of useful features and options. The more you understand them, the more creative control you’ll have over your MIDI production in DP.

Getting Started

You can create an instrument track by going to the Project menu and selecting Add Track / Instrument Track. You’ll then be presented with a list showing the developer names for any AU, VST or MAS instruments installed on your computer. Choose the developer and the desired instrument from the sub‑menu, then release the mouse to create the track. If you hold down the Option/Alt key while accessing the menu, the word Multiple appears before each instrument in the menu. When you then choose an instrument, a small dialogue appears allowing you to create two or more instances of that instrument in one operation.

Screen 2: The Add Instrument Track dialogue.As you can see in Screen 1 above, there are several choices in the Project menu for creating instrument tracks. Selecting Instruments with Options opens the Add Instrument Track dialogue, which allows you to create more than one instrument track. It also gives you the option to add a multitimbral instrument; that is, one that receives on multiple MIDI channels simultaneously (Screen 2).

One of the fields in the Add Instrument Track dialogue allows you to specify the number of instrument tracks to create. It enables you to assign them all to one instrument or leave them temporarily unassigned.

The dialogue also lets you specify how many MIDI tracks to add to an instrument track. This option is handy if the instrument track you’re creating is for a multitimbral virtual instrument — for example the free UVI Workstation, which can support up to four parts on separate MIDI channels (DP owners can download a free soundbank for it). You’d choose Instruments with Options, assign the track to UVI Workstation and specify four MIDI tracks, with or without a Folder. The MIDI tracks will appear above the instrument track in the Sequence Editor and are organised by MIDI channel number.

If you have a session with many instruments, DP’s Folders can help you stay organised in the Sequence Editor or Tracks window. An open Folder shows all of its tracks. A closed folder hides everything but the Folder itself. If you choose the Folder option, the instrument track will be at the bottom, and its associated MIDI tracks will appear above it, as in Screen 3.

Screen 3: MIDI tracks assigned to UVI Workstation in a Folder.

Screen 4: You can add multiple unassigned instrument tracks with a single click.Another option under Project / Add Track is Unassigned. It creates a single unassigned instrument track. In that same menu, you can also choose Multiple Unassigned Instruments, which opens up a modified Add Instrument Tracks dialogue (Screen 4), the sole purpose of which is to specify how many unassigned instrument tracks to create.

Another way to create instrument tracks is via Project / Create Tracks, which allows you to conveniently add any combination of multiple audio, MIDI, aux, or virtual instrument tracks, with consecutive channels and output assignments.

Making...