How would I go about getting the ACTUAL sound of my keyboard into MC3

sorry the sounds are lame...wonk wonk wahhh! sorry.

I'll let the MIDI experts give you some solid advice here, I think you should be able to use another bank of sounds for your MIDI data that you've already created.

Getting direct audio out of your KB shouldn't be too hard, if it's got a line out of some sort, you can just pipe that into your input, be it a mixer or into the line in on the PC soundcard. Play away, also alot of keyboards have MIDI capabilities...I have a couple hundred dollar (Canuck bucks from last year, so about 150US) Yamaha KB that I could use to enter MIDI or use the sounds inside...I think. Check out what kind of options you have on yours.

I'm thinking someone helpful and skilled in the dark arts of MIDI would say to replace your current sound bank with something better, and I'm fairly sure that's there's some nice sounding free stuff available man!

Well, MC doesn't have any sounds at all, unless you're using an included software synthesizer, such as Edirol. You're using either your sound card's imbedded General MIDI sounds, or a soft synth. Which are you using? And what keyboard are you using?
Terry's right, though, that all keyboards have an audio out so you can connect it to an amplifier, or tape deck or other sound recorder, such as your sound card's line in. It may be labeled headphone out, or line out or audio out, or just output. My Yamaha's is labeled 'Phones/output'.
So you recorded your MIDI track, and press play; does the MIDI playback come out your keyboard's speakers or the computer's? If it's your keyboard, then all you have to do is run a cord from the 'board's out to your sound card's line in (a visit to your local Radio Shack may be in order to get necessary adapters). Open an audio track in MC, set the in, stereo if the output is stereo, arm the track, press play and watch the meter, setting it to the best level without clipping. If it's where you want it, stop the playback, rewind, and press the record button. That's how I get the actual sounds of my keybaord into a project.
If the MIDI playback is coming out your PC's speakers, then you need to set the MIDI output to go through your keyboard, instead of the sound card. How that is done is not always easy, depending on what is listed in your MIDI devices list. Let us know how you have it set up now, where the MIDI is sounding from.
Greg

As far as free pianos, there are only a couple that are really coming to mind.

http://www.soundbrewer.com/downloads.php
http://www.pianosounds.com/freesoundfont.htm
http://www.sampletank.com/Main.html?MainPage.php

on the sample tank demo, you used to be able to download some free sounds, piano being one, but you'll have to see what's available now after you fill out their form, which I wasn't going to do to find out if it's still there or not.

as for good piano sounds that you can purchase, true pianos is one that a lot of folks are raving over, The Grand and Ivory are always staples in this market. my main "go to" piano is GigaPiano which you might could still get relatively cheaply if you can find someone still selling the Giga3 Ensemble which has been discontinued but is still available for sale, usually for about $50 and it not only includes the piano, but some really decent ensemble orchestra sounds.

google those that I said were for sale, or just go to a music seller like Musicians friend and search for sampled instruments like those.

Ok so I have a yamaha, brand spankin new may i add, and when i playback a track i recorded in MC, It comes out my keyboard, until i start using the edirol VSC (i read in the pamphlet and in the tutorial that in order to convert it into mp3 i needed to do it through the edirol thing). So it sounds fine on my keyboard of course, thats how i WANT it to sound. but then once i put it into the edirol and the sound starts coming out of my speakers its not the same as when it comes out of my keyboard :/. and i messed around with the instruments in the edirol and they sound like ****
im not sure whether im using my computers general midi or a soft synth actually. im assuming i've been using my computers general midi because im not even familiar with soft synths.

ok so can you explaim more what type of cable i need to attatch to my keyboard and to my computers line in. you mean just a regular USB cable?

and so if i get this cable and do as you said, im basically "re-recording" it as audio so that way i wont have to format it into mp3 through the edirol?

You said you have a yamaha as well so did YOU need any adapters for this? Because I dont know where to begin when it comes to those things

thanks for your help <3

thanks for ur help by the way

ORIGINAL: im_so_lam3

Ok so I have a yamaha, brand spankin new may i add, and when i playback a track i recorded in MC, It comes out my keyboard, until i start using the edirol VSC (i read in the pamphlet and in the tutorial that in order to convert it into mp3 i needed to do it through the edirol thing). So it sounds fine on my keyboard of course, thats how i WANT it to sound. but then once i put it into the edirol and the sound starts coming out of my speakers its not the same as when it comes out of my keyboard :/. and i messed around with the instruments in the edirol and they sound like ****
im not sure whether im using my computers general midi or a soft synth actually. im assuming i've been using my computers general midi because im not even familiar with soft synths.

ok so can you explaim more what type of cable i need to attatch to my keyboard and to my computers line in. you mean just a regular USB cable?

and so if i get this cable and do as you said, im basically "re-recording" it as audio so that way i wont have to format it into mp3 through the edirol?

You said you have a yamaha as well so did YOU need any adapters for this? Because I dont know where to begin when it comes to those things

thanks for your help <3

isl - you can use the sounds of your keyboard to record in MC if you do the following:
record a MIDI track just like you've been doing
set it up to send the MIDI back to your keyboard (which you said you were doing before you insert Edirol - that way)
insert an AUDIO track in your project and set the input to the sound card's input
connect a cable (or cables - whichever is appropriate) to your keyboard's audio output and to the soundcard input
arm the AUDIO track
hit record

MC will send the MIDI data to your keyboard and the keyboard will send the audio to MC to be recorded on the audio track.

all you'll need is a cable to connect your keyboard up to the soundcard.

Thankyou SO much i went and got the cable and things are running smoothly. Once again THANKYOUUUUU to all that helped :]