switchdoc
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Yet another soundcard question
Hey all,
I've been checking out Beagle's helpful list if sound cards and looking especially and the M-Audio stuff which seems good. Super dumb question here...
I see all these audio in and audio out ports. I assume I can.. erm, still, like, hook up my PC speakers and use them for PC speaker related activities like playing games where you blow things up or listening to music.
Right??
I guess the issue as I don't really know what I audio out goes to? What kind of things do you send audio out to beside speakers? I assume audio in is for a guitar and keyboard and things like that correct?
While I'm at this, I was reading about this synths that come with music creator... am I using these by default or do I have to turn them on? A look at the Dimension Pro and man that sounds really awesome. It also looked very complicated :-)
Okay and another thing I guess I should add, when I'm selecting my MIDI in and out my only options are my keyboard. This means that when I go to create tracks, all tracks use the same instrument no matter what I do. I know I'm doing something horribly wrong... can someone give me a hint? Should I be seeing some other type of audio out or is this a problem with my HP media Center built in sound card?
I tell you what, some of you folks who really know this stuff should go into it full time teaching us idiots how to use it. I know I would personally pay for lessons.
Anyway thanks in advance for any answers, replies, remarks, or snarky comments :-)
-Switch
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RobertB
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/11 18:04:43
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Switch, I seriously doubt that you're an idiot, but this software can certainly make us feel that way, especially in the first few weeks. Work through tutorial #8 in the manual. This will show you how to insert the Edirol VSC(or any other softsynth). You are not using it by default. My sound card(E-MU0404) is great for recording, but it doesn't work well with games. It has to do with the code written in the games themselves. There is a solution, and it is fairly straightforward. It involves some Windows configuration, and two sets of speakers. We can go over that when I come up. Write down a list of any questions you come up with. We may have a fairly busy day. By the way, I neglected to check with upper management  on the schedule. How does Sunday look for you?
My Soundclick Page SONAR Professional, X3eStudio,W7 64bit, AMD Athlon IIx4 2.8Ghz, 4GB RAM, 64bit, AKAI EIE Pro, Nektar Impact LX61,Alesis DM6,Alesis ControlPad,Yamaha MG10/2,Alesis M1Mk2 monitors,Samson Servo300,assorted guitars,Lava Lamp Shimozu-Kushiari or Bob
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Beagle
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/11 18:19:19
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I think Bob's got you covered and if he doesn't yet plans to get you covered soon!
Just one tidbit I'll throw in...any powered speakers should be able to be connected to the output of the sound cards in question. POWERED. If they're not powered speakers, you have to have an amp between them and the sound card. That goes for headphones, too. That's one reason it's good to think about a small mixer to go along with your sound card if you're starting out with headphones only.
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57Gregy
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/11 19:20:38
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Audio in: you can connect ANY audio output to it, including electric guitars, electronic keyboards, a CD player or phonograph (the phono may need a pre-amp), a cassette deck, and so on. But you won't be able to insert Edirol from tutorial 8 using a keyboard which is plugged into the audio in of your sound card. That has to use a MIDI input.
MIDI in/out: You have to use the same instrument, but you can select which patch/voice/sound is played back. For instance, say I want a piano on track 1. I select MIDI Omni for the input, channel 1 for the output, and one of the piano patches to play back. It won't matter which sound your keyboard is set to, it could be violin, but when it plays back, it will sound like a piano. Track 2 I want an acoustic bass. Select MIDI omni for the input, channel 2 for the output, and the bass patch.
Make sure you choose different CHANNELS for each TRACK, otherwise the tracks with the same channel numbers will play the same sound, regardless of which patch you have chosen for the subsequent tracks.
The Media Center PC may not play MIDI, even though the device manager in mine has a box to check if you want to use the internal sound card to play MIDI. I can't remember if I ever used mine for MIDI playback.
Greg
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switchdoc
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/11 21:49:05
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Hey guys, I know I am not really an idiot, but I'm definitely out of my element. I do computers for a living so I expected that I would pick this up without any hitches at all. I'm finding it is 100% completely different than networking and firewalls. It's exciting though, I love learning new things. Anyway, you guys answered all of my questions, thank you! 57Gregy, thank you for explaining about the different channels. That will be my whole problem I bet. Beagle, my speakers are powered so it sounds that they should work okay then so that's good. Robert, the only issue on Sunday is that we have church. Usually it's out by noon but we have a class we have to go to afterwords this week. That means I may not get out until 1:30 p.m. or so. Does that work? If not I can still do still later on Saturday evening if that works better for you. Just let me know what works best. I'm happy to work around your schedule. Aside from the church stuff I pretty much have the whole weekend. Just as a general aside, I checked out the soundcard's at Circuit City but I couldn't find anything like what I see in the links Beagle's provided on his webpage. Looks like when the time comes I'll have to buy off the web. Oh Robert, that reminds me, Circuit City has an electric guitar for $115 and an 10W amp for 50. With my wife's discount I can get them both for $134. Do you think those are worth buying or am I wasting my money? Most of the guitars I've seen in the music shop seem to go for more like 200, 250 on upwards. I'm not quite clear what the differences are though. I mean these are obviously low-end but should a beginner be buying a $400 guitar anyway? Perhaps you can also help me formulate a strategy for explaining to my wife why I need a keyboard and a guitar :-) Anyway I'm sure thats stuff we can go over when we get together. I'll definitely have a list for you. You may end up having to come back the day after to finish it up. :-) Thanks for the help guys! What a great message board! -- Switch
post edited by switchdoc - 2007/02/11 22:11:54
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Beagle
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/11 22:03:07
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Just as a general aside, I checked out the soundcard's at Circuit City but I couldn't find anything like what I see in the links Beagle's provided on his webpage. Looks like when the time comes I'll have to buy off the web. You can get some of those at Guitar Center - is there one of those within driving distance?
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switchdoc
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/11 22:05:54
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Beagle,
That's a good point I totally forgot about the music superstore nearby I'll have to check there! Now I have to explain to my wife why I need a keyboard, a guitar and a new sound card.
-- switch
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Beagle
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/11 23:42:01
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Hey, if you can pull that off, let us know your secret!!!
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gamblerschoice
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/12 00:03:52
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Fender Squire guitar are foreign made (korea?) fenders, licensed by fender, great starters, I have their telecaster ($130.00) and their p-bass ($125.00), played them both for more than five years, no problems, and they work very well for recording, great tone, straight necks, clean electronics. Yamaha psr keyboard, midi capable, 63 keys ($120.00). E-mu 0404 soundcard, around $100.00.
My studio has cost me a total of $5,000.00 over the last three years, but that includes the computer, soundcard, mixer, instruments, studs, drywall, amplifiers, mics, stands, flooring, soundproof, the whole package. Maybe you could explain how a "small investment" could pay off in the future as a business venture, or something like that. Worked for me, and I haven't had a paying customer yet.
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switchdoc
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/12 00:46:25
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I was thinking of using the stealth approach...
I got the Keyboard, then explained I needed the music software.
Got the music software, then explained I needed a desk where I could put monitor, PC keyboard, mouse and keyboard.
Next I explain I need a guitar, then bring up the fact the guitar really needs an amp.
Then I show her what I'm doing with the keyboard and guitar and say, this really would sound better with a new sound card...
Before she knows it I'll have a whole studio in the office here and she won't know what hit her. :)
-Switch
The more I read these forums, the more my head hurts.
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Beagle
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/12 08:27:43
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hmmm......mine sees right thru that stuff by the time I'd ask her about the music software.... 
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gamblerschoice
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/12 08:33:14
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Stealth approach.... sounds like a good plan. Seems to be working so far.
By the way, I used both guitar and bass without an amp for over a year, just used vst amp simulators, ran through an old tascam recorder as a pre amp, worked great. Might save the bucks for the amp, invest that into the card. Just a thought, but you seem to have things under control.
Later
Albert
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switchdoc
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/14 00:53:05
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Hey all, just a follow up.
57Gregy, it was the channels causing me difficulty. Now that you've explained that, I made my first short little three track effort last night and it was very satisfying even if it is only about 10 seconds long.
One thing I am noticing is that once I start using MIDI in MC, it completely takes over my keyboard. What I mean by that is suddenly selecting voices on the Keyboard becomes completely screwy. I choose 002 (bright piano) and get a violin or something.
What the heck is that all about? Is it a result of using the Keyboard as both the MIDI in and MIDI out?
-Switch
The more I read these forums, the more my head hurts.
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Beagle
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RE: Yet another soundcard question
2007/02/14 08:24:44
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YES. uncheck the MIDI OUT for your keyboard. Then tell MC to leave you alone and not tell you again that you don't have any MIDI outputs. You can always go back and check it again if you want to send MIDI out to the keyboard, but unless you're routing the MIDI to the keyboard, then routing the AUDIO from the keyboard back to the sound card, then there's usually no point in doing that.
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