MIDI Learn is the ability to assign DAW and plugin controls to physical knobs and faders on a MIDI control surface. Very useful for dynamically controlling filters, panning, volumes, delays and many other parameters that may change over the course of a track.
Make sure your control surface or keyboard is set up properly in Studio One. In this case, I’m using an M-Audio Keystation Pro 88. You can set up your device by clicking Studio One-> Options -> External Devices.
The “Edit Devices” window will offer you some useful advice on configuring your device if it is included in the S1 list of controllers. Make sure you activate all MIDI channels, and if you want, set it as your default instrument input.
Setting up the controller.
Verify that S1 is receiving information from your controller. Arm a track, set its input as your device, and move some of the controls. It should register the movement in the MIDI learn panel in the top left. It will return values between 0 and 100.
If your device is not registering values, refer to the user manual. It’s usually a good idea to reset factory defaults if your device isn’t sending information to S1.
Once your hardware is set up correctly, add a plugin, effect or other module with adjustable parameters. I’m going to use the Mojito synth included in S1.
When you tweak a synth parameter with the mouse, that parameter displays in the effects control panel in real time.
To assign a parameter to your hardware device, you need specify:
- What parameter you would like to control
- What knob / fader you would like to control it with
To do so, tweak the parameter you wish to control, and then tweak the knob / fader you wish to use to control it.
In this example, I want to control the filter cutoff with the knob labelled B26 on my keyboard.
Tweak the parameter, tweak the knob, then click the link between the two fields in the top left panel. This will establish a link between the hardware and the software parameter. You can now control the cutoff filter in real time using the knob.
The same principal works for Virtual Instruments, Effects and DAW / Console Controls.
NI Massive in Studio One
Track Volume Link in Studio One
Pro EQ Link in Studio One
Getting control of your software with MIDI Learn and Control Link in Studio One will greatly enhance your production workflow. Learn it. Use it. Take control!