Hey guys, in this video we’re going to cover how to use the XPand!2 virtual instruments
in Pro Tools First.
If you haven’t checked out the previous tutorials in this series, I recommend watching
them, especially the one on how to input MIDI notes.
The main virtual instrument that we use in Pro Tools First is called XPand!2.
This is a software synthesizer that can create a bunch of different instrument sounds, and
it includes percussion as well.
To use XPand!2, the first thing we need to do is add a virtual instrument
Before we do that though, it’s important to understand the difference between a MIDI
track and an instrument track in Pro Tools First.
Both of these tracks have MIDI on them, and can record and edit MIDI through the piano
roll.
The distinction comes when we consider the output.
MIDI tracks only output MIDI, so you won’t, and can’t, put an instrument plugin on it.
Instrument tracks don’t output MIDI, they output as audio, similar to the audio tracks
we looked at in the previous tutorials.
One way to set this up in Pro Tools First is to add 4 MIDI tracks for every instrument
track using XPand!2.
That way, we’re only running one plugin and we can have 4 different instruments playing.
To set this up, add XPand!2 on the instrument track.
Then route the outputs of each of the MIDI tracks to a different XPand MIDI input.
This is done with the output dropdown under the I/O section for the MIDI tracks.
Then we need to consider each of the four modules in the XPand plugin to receive the
MIDI channel input.
To turn on each module, press the power button.
This can be used to disable the different modules we’re not using, especially if we
do layering like we’ll see later.
Pressing the A, B, C, and D buttons changes the Smart Knobs to the ones that control that
module at the top.
We can’t really go through all these in this video, since they vary based on the different
modules we’re using.
Some cool controls that can really make a difference, especially on the pads, are the
attack and release.
The pads usually have a swell in volume when they turn on and off, and these controls adjust
that.
The attack will control how fast it fades in after you hit the note, and the release
sets the fade out after you end the MIDI event.
The sound doesn’t cut off immediately when the MIDI event ends.
You have everything from different instruments like winds and brass, to synth sounds and
pads that can be used to create an ambient background sound.
There’s also drum kit sounds you can use, and you can program drum beats on the piano
roll, but that’s a little tricky because the piano roll doesn’t display what part
of the drum kit you’re using.
Luckily, if you hit a note when you draw it on the piano roll you can hear it and you’ll
know what you’re working with.
The modules also have individual controls you can use to adjust the mix.
They have a volume level to control the balance between them, and there is also a master volume
for the entire plugin at the top right corner.
The plugins also all have a pan knob, and two send level knobs to control the amount
of effects applied down below.
The right side of each module has a few more controls to look at.
First let’s look at the play tools.
This controls how the module responds to MIDI events.
The first section on the left is for transposition.
The top one tunes the synth up and down in semitones.
The one below is for fine tuning.
Both of these can be adjusted by clicking and dragging up and down.
The HI and LO key section controls what MIDI inputs that module will actually respond to.
By default, they’ll respond to the complete range of MIDI notes.
Each module can be restricted.
For example, you can set one synth to respond to only bass notes, and another to respond
to higher notes.
You’ll be able to play those both on the same MIDI track, and XPand will automatically
split them up.
Monophonic and Polyphonic determines how many notes XPand will register at once.
In Monophonic, only one note will play at once, so you can’t play any chords but you
can use it for leads.
Below that, it gives you the options for which note it will choose if you hit more than one.
It can play the first note pressed, last note, or choose based on which note is the highest
or lowest.
In poly mode, the selector decides how many notes it can respond to at once.
The last option of the right is the pitch bend range.
Next up is the arpeggiator.
The first button on the left turns the arpeggiator on and off.
The next button is latch.
In latch mode, the arpeggiator and note will continue, until either a new note is pressed
or the arpeggiator is turned off.
The mode sets the pattern that the arpeggiator will use around each note.
Finally, the rate sets how fast the arpeggiator goes.
So 1 is a whole note, and 8 is an eighth note.
The asterisk represents a dotted note, and T notes are triplets.
The last tool we have is to control the modulation wheel.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to demonstrate this for this video since I don’t have a
MIDI controller with this feature, but we can still talk about what it does.
The first dropdown is for the mod wheel shape.
After that we have a control for what the mod wheel is controlling, such as pitch, volume,
panning, and a few different controls that have various effects depending on the preset
you’re using.
The rate sets the rate of the modulation and the depth sets the amount applied.
To the right, we have controls for aftertouch.
Aftertouch is basically a MIDI signal of how much you’re pressing the key after the initial
press, and it can be used to adjust pitch and other controls as well, with a depth option
for the amount.
At the bottom of the XPand!2 plugin, we have some effects that can be applied as sends
to all the modules together.
The top dropdown selects what kind of effect you’ll be using, and there’s lots of effects
such as reverb, delays, and chorus.
They’ll all have individual controls, but there’s only a few knobs each and they’re
really simple to use.
The last thing we can do with this plugin is use it to layer multiple presets instead
of using them separately with different MIDI tracks.
If we use it on an instrument track, or send multiple MIDI tracks to the same MIDI channel
for XPand, then more than one module can use the same MIDI signal.
That allows us to create some really cool custom sounds by combining whatever different
sounds we want.
Thanks for checking out this video on using the XPand!2 virtual instrument in Pro Tools
First.
If you found this video helpful, don’t forget to check out the rest of the videos in this
Pro Tools First series to continue learning the program.
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