diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/midi_track.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/midi_track.h
index a96094f140..cf7167e3af 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/midi_track.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/midi_track.h
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ public:
 	boost::shared_ptr<MidiBuffer> get_gui_feed_buffer () const;
 
 	void set_monitoring (MonitorChoice);
+        MonitorState monitoring_state () const;
 
 	void set_input_active (bool);
 	bool input_active () const;
diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/route.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/route.h
index 7b090af35c..1a42999e6b 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/route.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/route.h
@@ -527,6 +527,8 @@ class Route : public SessionObject, public Automatable, public RouteGroupMember,
 	boost::shared_ptr<Amp>       _amp;
 	boost::shared_ptr<PeakMeter> _meter;
 
+	boost::shared_ptr<Processor> the_instrument_unlocked() const;
+
   private:
 	int set_state_2X (const XMLNode&, int);
 	void set_processor_state_2X (XMLNodeList const &, int);
diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/track.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/track.h
index da3b3b24ee..8493d5e4ae 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/track.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/track.h
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ class Track : public Route, public PublicDiskstream
 
 	virtual void set_monitoring (MonitorChoice);
 	MonitorChoice monitoring_choice() const { return _monitoring; }
-	MonitorState monitoring_state () const;
+        MonitorState monitoring_state () const;
 	PBD::Signal0<void> MonitoringChanged;
 
 	MeterState metering_state () const;
diff --git a/libs/ardour/midi_track.cc b/libs/ardour/midi_track.cc
index 2226574e6a..7f2bb641e1 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/midi_track.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/midi_track.cc
@@ -352,7 +352,9 @@ MidiTrack::roll (pframes_t nframes, framepos_t start_frame, framepos_t end_frame
 		BufferSet& bufs = _session.get_scratch_buffers (n_process_buffers());
 		MidiBuffer& mbuf (bufs.get_midi (0));
 
-		/* we are a MIDI track, so we always start the chain with a single-channel diskstream */
+		/* we are a MIDI track, so we always start the chain with a
+		 * single-MIDI-channel diskstream 
+		 */
 		ChanCount c;
 		c.set_audio (0);
 		c.set_midi (1);
@@ -772,3 +774,12 @@ MidiTrack::set_monitoring (MonitorChoice mc)
 	}
 }
 
+MonitorState
+MidiTrack::monitoring_state () const
+{
+	MonitorState ms = Track::monitoring_state();
+	if (ms == MonitoringSilence) {
+		return MonitoringInput;
+	} 
+	return ms;
+}
diff --git a/libs/ardour/route.cc b/libs/ardour/route.cc
index e086bb8b4b..8d59a80580 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/route.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/route.cc
@@ -4114,6 +4114,12 @@ boost::shared_ptr<Processor>
 Route::the_instrument () const
 {
 	Glib::Threads::RWLock::WriterLock lm (_processor_lock);
+	return the_instrument_unlocked ();
+}
+
+boost::shared_ptr<Processor>
+Route::the_instrument_unlocked () const
+{
 	for (ProcessorList::const_iterator i = _processors.begin(); i != _processors.end(); ++i) {
 		if (boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<PluginInsert>(*i)) {
 			if ((*i)->input_streams().n_midi() > 0 &&
@@ -4125,6 +4131,8 @@ Route::the_instrument () const
 	return boost::shared_ptr<Processor>();
 }
 
+
+
 void
 Route::non_realtime_locate (framepos_t pos)
 {
diff --git a/libs/ardour/track.cc b/libs/ardour/track.cc
index c7cff72fd3..52a960fce6 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/track.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/track.cc
@@ -370,19 +370,34 @@ Track::no_roll (pframes_t nframes, framepos_t start_frame, framepos_t end_frame,
 		   into the route.
 		*/
 		be_silent = true;
+
 	} else {
+
 		MonitorState const s = monitoring_state ();
 		/* we are not rolling, so be silent even if we are monitoring disk, as there
 		   will be no disk data coming in.
 		*/
-                be_silent = (s == MonitoringSilence || s == MonitoringDisk);
+		switch (s) {
+		case MonitoringSilence:
+			/* if there is an instrument, be_silent should always
+			   be false
+			*/
+			be_silent = (the_instrument_unlocked() == 0);
+			break;
+		case MonitoringDisk:
+			be_silent = true;
+			break;
+		case MonitoringInput:
+			be_silent = false;
+			break;
+		}
 	}
-	
+
 	if (!_have_internal_generator && metering_state() == MeteringInput) {
 		_input->process_input (_meter, start_frame, end_frame, nframes);
 	}
 
-	_amp->apply_gain_automation(false);
+	_amp->apply_gain_automation (false);
 
 	/* if have_internal_generator, or .. */
 	//_input->process_input (_meter, start_frame, end_frame, nframes);