Polyphonic issues with MC4?

Hi b4,
we have a little conflict of terms here. you say you're recording MIDI (sort of indirectly, however) but you say you're having problems recording full poly sounds from the Korg - those things are mutually exclusive. MIDI is data only, there are no sounds associated with MIDI. MIDI is used to trigger sounds in synths - either hardware (like your Korg) or software synths (like is included with MC in TTS-1). so you don't record MIDI and have it only play piano because that's not the way MIDI works. you can use the recorded MIDI to play ANY sound - you just have to tell it which patch to play.

so we'll need a little more info on EXACTLY what you are doing. are you recording MIDI tracks? what is the output of those MIDI tracks? are you recording AUDIO? give us some more details on exactly what you're doing step by step and exactly how you have things connected and we'll try to get to the problem.

It sounds like you're recording the midi data from the keyboard, maybe using the keyboard's patch and when you play it back it simply sounds like a piano....

Are you using TTS as the synth? I know you mentioned you have a Korg workstation with nice sounds.

Bought MC4 and a KORG Triton LE workstation a while back and trying to get some smooth electronic music out of it all. I have a new PC with a decent, but integrated, soundcard (Realtek HD). Also using M-Audio midi connector and I have been able to record some tracks, so basically things are working.

One problem... the realtec HD is not a good card for MC4.... you might get it to work, but I'm betting the results will be less than satisfactory..... but that's another thread for another day.

When you record midi...it's just data and NOT audio that you hear from your workstation. Inside MC4, you must use a soft synth to reproduce the actual audio music. My guess is you are using TTS, and it defaults to a piano. However, even changing the patches, will only give you the built in sounds in TTS's GM bank.

You can double click the midi track that sounds like a piano, and a window opens that is Track properties...or something like that.... in that window, there is a small clickable dropdown that allows you to select the BANK and specific PATCH for other instruments.

You can send the recorded midi data back to the Korg and use it to play the actual patch you like and then record the AUDIO back into an audio channel. Getting the Korg's patches into MC4 will probably not happen, unless you are a programmer.

Another option that many people here use is to use a softsynth to play back the music in audio form. TTS is just one synth that comes with MC4 but any synth...and there are many available...quite a few for free..... that will play back some amazingly beautiful patches and soundfonts.

Wow, I had asked to be emailed if anyone responded and I kept checking me email and nothing...so I just checked the forum and found all this great info.

Yes, you have found me out....I don't know what I'm talking about. MIDI is data not sound...OK...I'll go with that, sounds a little like potato potaato....lol, but I get the gist of it. Sorry to hear my integrated card may not cut it but that doesn't surprise me too much (I don't have much latency at this point).

~Yes, I am recording a MIDI only project in MC4
~The output in MC4 is Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth
~Channel is General Midi
~Bank is Pad2 (warm)

The only reason I understand enough to give this information is because.....I had a friend come over this morning who knows way more than me (and less than all of you), and we came to at least some of the same conclusions as most of you. But I still have some of the same questions it appears. If the sounds/data coming from my keyboard is just bits and bytes I guess I don't understand why those bits and bytes don't record the sound I'm hearing from my synth fully. Let's see if I can answer my own question here. I push a key on my synth and this wonderful sound called "oxygen" comes out, but this is just a note (midi data) that has to be interpreted (read) by the software (MC4) and played back using only the "software synths" (or patches) available with MC4. Is that close?

If that's the case...then why did I spend $1,000 on this keyboard? Looking forward to those answers. Holy crap!

Help!....and thanks again to all...Beagle, Guitarhacker, Peter Rabbit, and 57Gregy...you guys are great!

b4music

OK, here's another question. If I record a "wonderful" sound that the Korg synth creates shouldn't I be able to play that back through the Korg and have it sound the same. I have had no success at this point playing any midi recorded information back thru the Korg. I don't believe I have any hardware/software issues at this point, but I suppose that is possible.

Boy this really is fun! No kidding...awesome...thanks for the help

b4music

Right. The Microsoft Wavetable synth has 128 patches, period. The MC software synthesizer TTS-1 is GM 2, so has more patches. Your keyboard has many, many more, and no doubt sounds much better than either the MS GS Wavetable synth or the TTS-1.
But in order to use your keyboard's sounds, you need to write/record the MIDI track in MC, set the MIDI track's output to your keyboard, set the patch in the MC MIDI track to 'None', set your keyboard to the patch you want to hear, mute ALL other MIDI tracks, connect an audio cable from your keyboard's audio output to your sound card's line input, set up an audio track in MC to record from your line input, arm the track for recording then hit Record in the transport toolbar. MC will play the MIDI through your keyboard's synth, which will be recorded as audio in MC. Simple, right?