MC 5 Beginner Needs Help...

I'm new at this MIDI game (using MC 5) and need some help.
 
Here's the set-up:
I'm using a cheap Casio CKT-611 keyboard as a controller through a M-Audio Fast Track Pro interface to the USB port on a Compaq laptop - 2.16 GHz processor, 2MB RAM, factory sound card.
 
For the first track I used the Cello Section from the Section Strings in the sound center.  For the second track I used the bass section from the Section Strings.... everything is fine.  However, when I try to put down a third track - well, that's when I start to have problems.  Arbitrarily, the sounds from tracks 1 & 2 seem to "meld" together and the notes sustain themselves.  After a few bars things return to normal then start up again even if I use MIDI from the keyboard or TTS for the third track.
 
I've set the latency to just above distortion level on both the interface and MC 5.  When I start the third track my CPU runs at 25-30%.
 
What am I doing wrong?  Do I need a faster CPU, more RAM? (Silly question...who doesn't need bigger, better, faster.)

agreed... although.....

I have not disabled my factory card. I simply went into the cakewalk audio set up and selected my External Interface as the default INPUT & OUTPUT for AUDIO & MIDI and using ASIO drivers.

So when MC fires up it defaults to looking for my Saffire interface.  With a set up like this you can use the lappy's soundcard AT THE SAME TIME.... but for other things.

For example....I have MC running and I'm working on a tune.... I export a mix and I am able to open my wave editor (totally different program) and using headphones because they sound better, I can review the mix outside of MC..... if there are issues with the mix... easy fix because MC is still open and running on the Saffire.

CHECK THIS: when you have a midi signal set up..... it is coming in on a certain channel OR it's on OMNI.... all channels.... I had the same exact issue I think you are having.... here's MY solution.

 Go into the keyboard and change the transmit channel setting. It's probably on OMNI. Select any number...I chose 6. Now.... when you set up a midi channel and it is defaulted to OMNI ... it will NOT pick up the OMNI midi signal because it no longer exists.  You will now be forced to edit the channel number each time... it takes like 3 seconds... so it's not a big deal.

When you get finished working on a midi track.... you can go in and SHUT OFF the input to that channel on midi. The problem with usning OMNI is that any midi input that's on will see the omni signal that you are sending to a different channel..... it will pick it up and play it, as well as playing the stuff you have recorded in the tracks on previous takes.....so teh more tracks you add, the bigger the mess becomes.

One other note and I'm done for this post.... you mentioned that the CPU was bumping 30% with 3 Sound centers..... your limit is 8 synths total...... BUT.... I recommend that you freeze the synth OR, as I do, once the track is RIGHT..... bounce it to audio and bypass the synth to check it, then I do this....I delete the tracks or if I want to keep them... I archive them..... I usually 99% of the time delete them and work in the audio world.  That lets the CPU meter stay really low, so when you add the FX to sweeten the mix... you have the CPU room to do so.

Tap


Did you add another instance of sound center? I don't have MC5 or sound center, thus I'm not sure how many instruments it can play at once.

just one at an instance.  for more instruments you have to add more instances of soundcenter.

Thanks for the input/suggestion/fixes. 
 
I'm a bit of a **** when it comes to computer stuff though....  "grab file xyz and put it in folder CAB, then take lmnop that's in Qtr and addust the para until it reads = urscrewed"  What???   File xyz...xyz...xyz.  Where's xyz?  Ok, done.  Oh crap!  That's alright... I needed to wipe the hard drive and re-install everything anyway.
 
But seriously, thanks for the help.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

I think Mello was kidding, 'Hack.
 
Mello, go into Options>Audio at the top of MC,
 
"M-Audio Fast Track Pro "
"factory sound card"
 
With MC, you should use only the Fast Track. While in Options>Audio, deselect the factory sound card's drivers, if they are selected.
Then, if you haven't already done so, go to the M-Audio web site and download the latest drivers for the Fast Track and for your operating system. They should have good ASIO drivers for you.
What is your operating system, anyway? If Windows 7, you may need to download and install the MC 5 update for Win 7. You can find the link to it in one of the stickies at the top of the main forum page. If it's a 64-bit operating system, you'll need to run MC 5 in 32-bit emulation mode.
You gave a lot of info in your first post, but which OS you're using is also important.

..... and we have seen our share here of "loosely wound" individuals.....

let's not talk about Rob that way, OK, herb?

Hacker and the Pooch, hacker and the pouch!

(to the tune of pinky and the brain)

What are we going to do today Hacker? Take over the world same as every day Pouch!

I wonder though...could it be that when the computer does whatever it does after I select ASIO that the first thing it runs into is the USB port that my mouse is connected to, and stops, without searching for other possible USB connections?

no, that's not the way it works.  once drivers are installed for a device, windows will recognize that device as a specific type (i.e. soundcard).  once windows recognizes the device, that's where MC gets its info from, not by scanning the USB ports.

since you've installed 2 types of drivers (one for SP1 and one for SP2), I suggest you do the following in this order specifically:

*go to the windows control panel, open the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS function and uninstall the m-audio drivers

*now install the Vista SP2 drivers.  do not install any other drivers.

*make sure your device is plugged in and recognized by windows.  you can verify this by going to the control panel and clicking on the SOUNDS AND AUDIO DEVICES and looking to see if your m-audio USB device is listed and is functioning.

*open the m-audio control panel.  there should be a small white "<" in a red circle in your systray (bottom right hand corner of the computer screen)

*I'm not 100% familiar with the software for the fast track pro, but there are probably several tabs at the top of the window that opens.  look for the hardware tab and look for the sampling rate.  make sure the sampling rate is set to 44100.
 
*open MC.  change to ASIO driver mode.  click apply. 
 
*make sure your sampling rate in MC is set to 44100Hz.  you can tell by looking at the bottom right hand corner of the MC window.  if it says anything else, you need to change it to 44100.  if you don't know how to do that, ask.  I don't remember myself right now, but I can find out or someone else here might remember or be at home in order to find it for you.
 
*if this doesn't work and you're still getting the error message - come back and tell us before you do anything else like download drivers again.  reinstalling driver on top of driver will only make the problem worse.
 
good luck.

Beagle,
 
Followed your instructions: windows says device is working properly.  FT is set to 44.1 Khz 16 bit.  MC is set to the same.  Still get the ASIO sample rate not supported error....  and I have no sound -even using MME.  The only way I've been able to get sound is to use the standard 32 bit driver.  Also, M-audio forces the removal of previous drivers before you can download another one, be it the same or different.
 
 

Beagle,
 
The M-Audio web site has 3 drivers for windows vista 32-bit: 
Windows Vista 32-bit     [I use the term "standard" for this one.  Sorry for any confusion caused.]
Windows Vista 32-bit SP1
Windows Vista 32-bit SP2
 
At one point or other I have tried all three; removing/uninstalling the previous one before downloading another.  I started with SP2: no sound at all in any format.  Then I tried SP1 with the same result.  Windows Vista 32-bit is the only one that I can get sound with, on the laptop or through the interface, at all.  And that's using MME - I get nothing if I try anything else.
 
I understand that MME is not prefered and that ASIO is much more adept at sound processing.  However, no matter what driver I use, when I select ASIO, I get the "...not supported..." error.
 
Sorry for being a pain....

Beagle,
 
Nope, I didn't change anything.  When I tried WDM I didn't get any errors; no sound either.  This is the read out from the wave profiler:
11025    Not avaliable
22050    Not avaliable
44100    Channels 1,2 --Bits 16,24 (4 Bytes), 32-- OK
48000    Not avaliable
88200    Not avaliable
176400  Not avaliable
192000  Not avaliable
 
What's next?
 

yep - I was asleep!

and yes, greg's right - that's the next step.  make sure that the PLAYBACK and RECORDING TIMING MASTERS are set to the M_audio FAST TRACK PRO and make sure they are not set to the SPDIF I/O - if the selections say SPDIF - then change them to the m-audio ANALOG.
 
also, make sure you're trying to hear the audio from the fast track ONLY, not from your computer speakers.  if you are trying to hear audio from your computer speakers this will not work.  either plug in headphones on the fast track or plug your computer speakers up to the fast track.  you cannot use both soundcards at the same time (the onboard soundcard on your computer and the fast track).