Signal Flow Help

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FiendishTooth
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2008/05/19 14:54:53 (permalink)

Signal Flow Help

Hello Cakewalk Forum people!

I'm John, I'm currently trying to help a woman who is trying to record the soundtrack to an indie film. This film just needs the soundtrack then it's done and off to wherever that part of the business goes.

Anyway, I need help to help her. I'm an Audio Engineer (for all of one year now, and lets just say digital is not my forte' I am an analog type guy but usually has no issues with digital...till now. Cause it's probably something simple but 3 hours sleep makes brain go BOOM)

She has an Alesis QS8.1 Keyboard, connecting through a Midi/USB cable in to her Dell going in to CW Music Creator 3. I have racked my brain something fierce to try and figure out where I am losing the signal flow.

If anybody has any maybe step by steps or ... something, I need help cause this headache hurts (ha!)

(I'm new to Cakewalk by the way, never used it I've used many others but never Cakewalk...so... somebody make this more of a cake walk?... Bad Bad joke...((Its the sleep deprevation))

Thank you.
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    Beagle
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    RE: Signal Flow Help 2008/05/19 15:35:02 (permalink)
    what do you mean by "losing the signal flow?" you state that you have a MIDI/USB cable connected to the computer, so that's a contradiction of terms. there's no "signal flow" for MIDI, MIDI is data only. if you're trying to record an audio signal from the Alesis, then you won't be using the MIDI/USB cable - you'll need audio cable(s) running from the audio output(s) of the Alesis into the soundcard.

    if you're trying to record MIDI, then you'll need a softsynth inserted into the project in order for the MIDI to trigger sounds

    if you're trying to record AUDIO, then you'll need audio cables as I mentioned above and you'll need to record that in an AUDIO track instead of a MIDI track.

    tell us more about your system (computer, sound card, etc) and exactly what you're trying to record and we'll try to help.

    http://soundcloud.com/beaglesound/sets/featured-songs-1
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    FiendishTooth
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    RE: Signal Flow Help 2008/05/19 15:38:41 (permalink)
    Don't look to heavily in the title of it all.

    What I'm trying to d it record the midi messages.

    As for the computer & sound card I don't have specifics it's a Decent stock Dell that's probably a year or two old. I'm just trying to help a person right now who has no internet.

    edit: I'll try the audio cables though got plenty of them laying around first, an it's more towards what I like.
    post edited by FiendishTooth - 2008/05/19 15:59:08
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    Beagle
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    RE: Signal Flow Help 2008/05/19 15:43:34 (permalink)
    if you're trying to record MIDI and she can't hear anything while she's playing, then she needs to learn to insert a softsynth.

    INSERT>SOFTSYNTHS>EDIROL VSC (or something very similar)
    a window will pop up with selections to choose from
    choose ONE output
    NO MIDI source track

    if her MIDI track is set up correctly for recording, then she should be able to ARM the MIDI track and hear sounds coming from the computer speakers as she plays on the Alesis.

    I would also suggest that she works thru tutorial #8 in the help files and that will help her to understand the concepts of using softsynths with MC3.

    http://soundcloud.com/beaglesound/sets/featured-songs-1
    i7, 16G DDR3, Win10x64, MOTU Ultralite Hybrid MK3
    Yamaha MOXF6, Hammond XK3c, other stuff.
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    JD1813
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    RE: Signal Flow Help 2008/05/19 15:57:57 (permalink)
    Just a note from me as Beagle you are correct in what you said about softsynth hookup but that's not the only way to get the MIDI from the QS8 into the MC. I use an Alesis QS7 and before I even knew anything about softsynths I was recording MIDI tracks into Sonar, and now into MC4.
    What you have to do on the Alesis is hit Edit/bank right to scroll about 5 clicks to the program channel OUT option, and select the MIDI OUT channel that your MIDI track is set to, and it'll record directly into the track. Then of course, you still have to get it mixed down to an audio track before you use it, that's a separate step.
    To monitor, I always use my headphones directly into the Alesis headphone jack, that is if you don't have a hardware mixer set up. Hope this might help - you're using a very similar setup to me so I thought I'd toss my two cents in for ya. Still, the preferred method is to go the softsynth route as Beagle explained- I just didn't know which was easier/faster for you.

    -John  *Acer Notebook Win7 Pro-x64 /Edirol USB UA-4FX/SP B1 Mic/Sonar PE X2a; Alesis QS-7 & Ovation 12-String.  Site: www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=1007877

    Technology drives me to drink. Fortunately, it's a short drive..
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    Beagle
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    RE: Signal Flow Help 2008/05/19 16:44:38 (permalink)
    Yes, and John's way will provide a way to record the MIDI with zero latency. if you're using the onboard soundcard then using a softsynth will have you monitoring with high latency.

    http://soundcloud.com/beaglesound/sets/featured-songs-1
    i7, 16G DDR3, Win10x64, MOTU Ultralite Hybrid MK3
    Yamaha MOXF6, Hammond XK3c, other stuff.
    #6
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