Newbie needs HELP!!!

Hi Robbie Lou - first you've got a lot to learn, so take a deep breath and take it one step at a time.

it's not easy.  no matter what the marketing hype says. it takes time and effort.

1st - a USB mic is not the best choice.  it is a soundcard, one way, so you have to use your onboard soundcard to hear anything, so once you start using both then you probably will have tracks which are out of sync. 

2nd MIDI is not sound.  MIDI is data only and has to have a synth to trigger sounds with.  you can't record SOUND if you're recoridng MIDI, you are only recording data which will trigger the sounds from a synth.  this is an important thing to learn.  your keyboard IS a hardware synth, so you can use that to trigger sounds with MIDI, or you can use a softsynth to get MIDI to trigger sounds from.

however, if you've not yet had the nerve to download MC (actually you might probably mean INSTALL it) then I can't really help you much until you do that.

Hey RobbieLou.... welcome. 

MC6 is a nice program. I used MC4 for the better part of 3+ years and I loved it.  So MC is a very capable DAW platform. 

It took me 2 weeks to finally get some traction and get sound. 1 week to get sound and another to figure out that dang midi stuff.  Most of that was spinning my wheels trying to figure it out myself. I came to the forum.... (here) and the folks here assisted me in the right direction and soon I was recording. 

Since I read in the OP that you just bought a digital grand (new keyboard), I would assume that perhaps you have another $150 or so laying around?  My recommendation is to buy a nice audio/midi USB interface to make the process of getting the music & midi into and out of the computer easier.  A nice interface (basically a soundcard designed to do nothing but music)  will make this process a breeze. 

Aside from that... hey, get that puppy downloaded and installed.  nothing happens until that takes place. 

Once you get it installed, you might actually find that the audio aspect is fairly easy to do and works OK with the factory sound card. 

Oh yeah... on the USB mic.... take it back if it's new enough to still qualify for a return and use the partial credit to get that interface I spoke of.  Beagle is 100% correct about the USB not being a preferred way to work in MC. 

Let us know when you're ready. 


BTW: if MIDI might as well be Manderin Chinese to you... have a look at my website on Music & Recording... I have a few tutorials there in plain English that may help you to understand midi and setting up a synth.   As always, come here and post questions, and we'll jump in to try to answer.