you will need to add a small/cheap 'midi interface' (google it) and a pair of midi cables as well so you can send midi signals to or from the computer and to or from the device.

You might also want to consider a small external audio USB interface instead of using your PC's internal sound card. Many also have standard MIDI in/out connections. As a rule you will get better results with a dedicated audio interface that relying on the PC's internal audio.

A half decent audio interface is a good idea as well, some will combine the MIDI interface with it. I personally use a firewire mixer so I'm probably not the best person to make any recommendations on that front.

Welcome to the world of DAW recording- there's always something to spend money on.

How come everyone's typing quicker than me tonight, must be the lager effect.

Dang, you guys are fast!!! Here's my reply which duplicates some of what the fast typers have already covered. :)
 
Your son is lucky to have a dad with such good taste and generosity! I remember when I bought my first synth. I paid for it with my own money, but my dad went along with me to buy it second-hand from a guy in a sketchy part of town. Times sure have changed!
 
I don't see any reason for you to get Savihost. Your needs are simple and straightforward, so there's no reason to mess with specialized software utilities.
 
You'll need the following:
 
DAW software (X2 Essentials)
 
Audio interface. A basic sound card serves the same purpose, but a DAW is so demanding that you'll suffer if you use a regular sound card.
 
MIDI interface. You need this so the note data (but not the sound) from your PC-88 can go into the computer. Many audio interfaces also have MIDI capability. Your best bet will be to buy a single audio/MIDI interface. I have the Edirol UA-25EX and it works great for me.
 
Virtual instruments. You'll get a bunch of these with whatever DAW you buy. Rapture is really nice and I believe it's still on sale. The LE version of Rapture (included with various versions of Sonar in the past) won't allow you to save your custom sounds, so I'd recommend that you go with the full, regular version. Most of the time you'll run your virtual instruments from inside of the DAW. If you don't want to fire up the DAW program, some virtual instruments will include a stand-alone application that can be run outside of the DAW program. This isn't really that important for a beginner.

Ebosell


I'd like to get my son (age 16) set up with a basic PC-based synthesizer and recording setup. But I can't figure out if I need to purchase Sonar X2 Essential plus the Rapture add-in, or if there is a standalone version of Rapture we can use instead. Can someone clarify? Thanks! Eric

My son just turned 16 last week, so this touches some papa nerves for me in what you are looking to do for your son.  It is really nice to see a parent caring enough to do the research into doing something like this.  I think you and your son will find lots and lots of help here in this forum, we are a community of folks who often go to pretty good lengths ti help each other, so post your questions, do the tutorials, watch the YouTube clips, and this can hopefully ignite a passion in your son for the endless possibilities for creativity and expression that music offer.

Here is a link to the Cakewalk Features page for X2 Essentials, which lists the components that you would get with purchase.  It is really a lot of good stuff for the minor investment that it is.  The link: http://cakewalk.com/products/SONAR/X2-Essential/

So, if you pick up that software, and buy a midi to USB adapter, as someone had mentioned, you could use your existing keyboard to trigger sounds in the computer-based synthesizers that come with X2 Essentials.  There are I believe 11 such instruments that you would get with X2 Essentials.  We tend to call computer-based synthesizers 'soft synths' for short, or plugins, although plugins would also include things like computer-based effects and things like that.

There is also a 30-day free trial available for Sonar X2, and the link for that is found on the Cakewalk home page: http://www.cakewalk.com/

To help you decide prior to buying some version of Sonar, you could choose to pick up the midi to USB converter, but as am typing this - guys help me out here with some additional posts, what would be a good choice for a basic audio interface?  Or do you think perhaps just the free ASIO4ALL drivers and whatever PC-based speakers would do to start?

Anyways, I am hoping some additional information comes your way from other posters here in the forum, to extend or better explain what I have commented on.

Good luck to you both, perhaps you too would rekindle some musical passion from back when you were playing the Kurzweil yourself.

Bob Bone

As you can now see, lots of helpful folks with fast typing skills.

Bob Bone

I personally have never had much issue (in fact no issues) with on board sound using ASIO4ALL but if any sort of audio recording is an aim an interface would definitely be worth getting.

Wow! Thanks everyone for the great advice -- you have considerably "flattened" the learning curve for me. I think I'll go with Cakewalk Rapture and Sonus X2 Essentials. (My experience with freeware/shareware is that they invariably presume more technical knowledge than I've got.) The "last mile" is the MIDI interface. Some cost $5, some at least $40 or more. I don't expect to add any other MIDI-based hardware -- what do you recommend? And, Robert, I do still play the Kurzweil! The band would be happy if I showed up to play something more than piano and organ. Maybe they'll quit calling me the "one trick pony."

I would tend to go with the low end of that price range. There is not much going on in the adapter to justify an expensive one.