better sound

Hi All,

I am new here, just registered my version of n-track.

I have noticed that the sound from the speakers of my keyboard is much better than the one I get from my sound card so I wonder how can I send out midi notes from CPU to the keyboard and record them back in real time as produced by the keyboard (probably as audio),

Can this be done?

Thanks a lot,

Javier

Hi, If you look at the Midi output devices setup you will find a number of options.As you are currently getting sounds through your PC speaker my guess is its set to Midi mapper or something with “synth” in the title. Depending on your hardware you should have some other options ( e.g I’ve got Creative MPU 401 and Delta 1010) if you change it to a physical Midi output probably with a 5 Pin din plug you will no longer hear anything from your PC speakers as The Midi data will be leaving the computer on the bit of wire. Assuming you keyboard has a built in General Midi Synth and a midi in socket you connect your computer to this and you should hear the sounds coming from your keyboards speaker. At some point you will probably then want to connect the audio output from your keyboard to your sound cards input so you can record the sounds back into n-track.

Nick

It may take some effort on your part,
but two programs ‘Midi OX’, and ‘Midi Yoke’ let
you associate a midi port and direct it to multiple
outputs. It can be done though.
The steps basically are
Download the programs (readily available on the net)
Intall both programs.
Run Midi OX and virtually connect midi port to two
outputs. (Need to read the MAN. - but not too difficult)

What model keyboard? What sound card?

Nick, Sevenofeleven:
Thanks a lot, I will check both ideas.

Toms,
CASIO CTK-900
Creative SoundBlaster AudioPCI

Thank to you too!

Javier

You know, you could record the midi data and use a VSTi - bet you’d get sounds you like even more than the Casio. Lots of free VSTi out there to play with. See, for example:

www.kvraudio.com

all you need to do is connect a suitable cable from the audio out on the Casio to the line in on your SB - insert MIDI track, add a blank audio track, set audio track to record from SBs line input - when you press record the MIDI will be sent to the Casio, the audio from the Casio will be recorded to the blank audio track in the way you want -

Dr J

The short answer is "YES!"

The tricky question is "how?"

First, though, just to make sure we’re all on the same page, there are two ways you can record your synth. One is using MIDI (which you later convert to audio); the other is audio all the way. The latter simply means, playing your synth “by hand” and recording the audio output to the computer. I assume that’s NOT what you’re interested in: instead, you want to record and edit MIDI data (or just paint it in, or download MIDI tracks others have created, or a gazillion other ways) and then get the sound from the MIDI tracks.

Does the CTK-900 have a USB-MIDI port? Are you currently recording MIDI from the Casio? If so, then just set n-Track (in “Preferences -> MIDI Settings -> Devices” or something like that) to use the Casio as the output MIDI port to use.

If not, then you need a MIDI adaptor for your computer. I don’t know whether your SB card has one. It has a MIDI output “port”, or at least, it looks that way to the software. But this is to use the SB’s built-in soundfont player. The built-in soundfonts leave a lot to be desired. (Note that you can upload new soundfonts to your SB card, but IMHO it’s better to use software; more on this later.)

If your hardware has no MIDI adaptor, you’ll want to get one. I recommend an M-Audio Uno, which is a cable with a USB connector on one end and a MIDI connector on the other (and a lump in between). If your Casio doesn’t have a USB port, it will most likely have a MIDI connector, but you have to check. I’ll assume it does.

You connect the keyboard to the computer using the MIDI adaptor. This allows you to do two things: you can play on the keyboard and have n-Track record the MIDI data, which you can then edit or add tracks to. You can also play back the MIDI data on your Casio, so it sounds pretty much how it did when you recorded it. (Or you can change the patch and get different sounds, which can be fun.)

When you’re happy with a MIDI track, you can create a corresponding audio track as mentioned above: send the MIDI output to the Casio, send the Casio’s audio output to your soundcard, and hit “Record” – and stop it when the song is done. This gives you an audio track you can play when the Casio is unplugged, and that you can mix down (perhaps with other tracks from the Casio – more than it could possibly play at once if you like). Better yet, when all the MIDI tracks are converted to audio this way, you can use “offline mixdown”, which is much faster than playing the whole song while the Casio plays it. Of course, if you change your mind about any part, you still have the MIDI data to edit and convert again.

NOTE: If you go to mix down and n-Track says you have MIDI tracks, shall it convert them to audio, do NOT let it. Disable this wizard, which makes too many assumptions and has bad defaults (e.g., DELETING YOUR MIDI TRACKS, OMG! – well, maybe they’ve fixed that by now.)


Now, there’s an alternative to using your Casio, as Tom mentioned. Instrument plugins, “VSTi” and “DXi”. VST and DX are sets of conventions for “plugins”, so that other folks can write audio processing modules that you can plug into n-Track. This is way cool. There are reverbs, delays, all kinds of processing cheap and free. The “i” is for plugins that are software instruments – like your Casio, they can turn MIDI data into music.

For starters, go to http://soundfonts.it, and try the organ emulator and “MrRay73”, the Rhodes simulator. These are way cool shareware (donate a few bucks to get rid of the nag screen for all programs from this site).

Later, download “sfz” from http://rgcaudio.com. It’s a free soundfont player. By itself (plugged into n-Track), it does nothing. However, you can find many free and excellent soundfonts, which are files that have audio data just like your Casio has in its memory – only different instruments. In particular, I recommend one I made, the free jRhodes3, which is a sampling of my Rhodes electric piano (same kind that MrRay is an imitation of).

Sorry if I’ve dumped too much on you at once. If you don’t have the MIDI hardware, I suggest you go ahead and try the software route. If you don’t find any plugin instruments you like as much as your Casio’s sounds, then look into a $50 investment for a MIDI adaptor.

HTH!
Jeff