Pro Tools is different from other DAWs is a few significant ways. One of the best known is that audio plugins can’t be controlled from a standard MIDI controller using MIDI Continuous Controller (CC) data. You can use MIDI Learn to control AAX Virtual instruments, but not audio plugins. You can use MIDI control surfaces via HUI but for proper, deep control of Pro Tools from hardware the accepted wisdom is that you need to use a Eucon surface such as an Avid S1.
This is true, but there are a few exceptions. In this article we look at some of those exceptions.
Controlling FabFilter Plugins Via MIDI
FabFilter plugins have a MIDI learn button and as long as you provide a route for MIDI messages to access the plugin you can control them from a MIDI controller. Check out the video to see how it’s done.
As the inclusion of the free Polyverse Filtron plugin in the Fabfilter video above illustrates, this MIDI control can be done with plugins from a few manufacturers, including Avid themselves. The guitar-centric plugins which were created at the time of the launch of the Eleven Rack hardware all responds to MIDI in the same way as the FabFilter plugins do. This might have been to accommodate plugin control from a MIDI pedalboard. In the two videos below I demonstrate how to set this up.
In the examples above, the MIDI is routed using a MIDI track but if you are running a plugin across a submix you can use an Instrument Track as a combined Aux Input/ MIDI track.
What About Other Plugins?
If you want to control your other AAX plugins from a MIDI controller, it can be done using a clever third party solution called Mulligan from reFuse. Luke tested it on the blog some months ago. Check it out below.
While the fact remains that for a first class hardware control experience for Pro Tools you really need to use Eucon, and it has to be said that Eucon control is really deep, to compare it with regular MIDI control isn’t helpful as they are worlds apart. For many tasks SoundFlow is an amazing complement to Eucon, though they excel in different areas, but if you want hands-on control of audio plugins there is a limited alternative availble to you using MIDI Learn if your plugins of choice happen to coincide with the plugins which support MIDI control or if you like this way of controlling your DAW, consider trying Mulligan.