O_Inquisitive1
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MIDI keyboard recording trouble
I'm using this product: Cakewalk Music Creator Pro 24 (2004)
I've connected my MIDI keyboard to my PC in hopes of recording what I play. Here are some of the symptoms of the behavior I'm seeing:
- Initially I strike a key and the software picks it up (I hear it through my PC's speakers)
- Generally, for the next 3 to 7 seconds, any keys I strike will not be picked up
- When I strike a key and the software does pick it up, it often sounds as a long sustained note through my PC's speakers, even if I only tapped the key.
I've browsed the forum and consulted the Music Creator Help documentation and come up empty. Anyone know the solution?
Thanks!
O_Inquisitive1
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Beagle
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RE: MIDI keyboard recording trouble
2008/02/06 19:43:26
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it's called latency and there are a lot of posts on this subject. if you're using your onboard soundcard, then you probably can't get rid of it. you can try moving the latency slider to the SAFE side in OPTIONS>AUDIO>GENERAL
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RobertB
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RE: MIDI keyboard recording trouble
2008/02/06 20:16:17
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I don't know, Beagle, This kind of looks like a MIDI data transfer or timing problem. Several seconds of dropped notes, followed by a stuck note. I'm going to guess that O_I1 has a Yamaha keyboard going through a non-Yamaha MIDI/USB converter, which is plugged into an unpowered USB hub. Just a guess.  O_Inquisitive 1, we could use a bit more info. Inquriring minds want to know. 
post edited by RobertB - 2008/02/06 20:31:59
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O_Inquisitive1
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RE: MIDI keyboard recording trouble
2008/02/06 20:49:36
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That's some guess. I do have a Yamaha keyboard (PSR-280... just a toy), and my MIDI/USB interface is non-Yamaha (a MIDISport Uno), and I do have it plugged into an unpowered USB hub. As you suspected, Beagle's suggestion about adjusting the latency slider made no difference in my case. Suggestions?
Thanks!
O_Inquisitive1
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RobertB
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RE: MIDI keyboard recording trouble
2008/02/06 20:56:37
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I have some thoughts, but tell us about your computer. CPU, RAM, especially the sound card. are you using the built=in sound card?
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O_Inquisitive1
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RE: MIDI keyboard recording trouble
2008/02/06 21:05:34
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I'm running Windows XP Service Pack 2.
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 (1500MHz)
RAM: 768MB (1.48 GHz)
The sound card is the OEM, whatever shipped with my Dell back in 2001. I'm looking under 'Sound, video and game controllers' in my Device Manager and I see 'Creative AudioPCI(ES1371,ES1373)(WDM)'... pretty sure that's what you're asking about.
Thanks!
O_Inquisitive1
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O_Inquisitive1
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RE: MIDI keyboard recording trouble
2008/02/06 21:09:30
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By the way, I switched my MIDI/USB device off of the unpowered hub and onto one of the direct ports on the back of my PC, but there is no noticeable difference.
Thanks!
O_Inquisitive1
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RobertB
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RE: MIDI keyboard recording trouble
2008/02/06 21:19:14
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Good, yes, that's exactly what I needed to see.
Your CPU is a little on the slowish side, but you should be ok, as long as you don't load it up too much. We can deal with that later.
Your Creative AudioPCI(aka Soundblaster) natively supports WDM, which is in your favor. The drivers you have may have some latency (which is what Beagle had in mind) There is a free download, ASIO4All, which tricks the WDM driver into thinking it is an ASIO driver. I used it on my old Soundblaster Live!, which was pretty much the same vintage as yours, and it worked wonders. You could get a better sound card, and increase RAM, but truthfully, I would hold off on that 'till you are ready to upgrade the machine on the whole.
Btw, USB hubs are fine fore printers and devices that can dump large buffers, but they are really bad for realtime communication with something like a keyboard. They tend to do hideous things to your note data. For some reason, Yamaha keyboards are notoriously picky about the MIDI/USB adapter. Strange issues have been cured before by getting a Yamaha MIDI/USB adapter. The hub just makes it worse.
At a minimum, get a Yamaha adapter, and plug it directly into an open USB port on the computer.
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O_Inquisitive1
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RE: MIDI keyboard recording trouble
2008/02/07 00:59:55
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Thank you for the insight! I'll see how it goes.
O_Inquisitive1
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