Novation X-Station connected with Cubase, please help a newbie ...
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Posted on Jul 21, 2008 02:34 pm
Vladimir Hristov
Member Since: Jul 21, 2008
Hello everyone.
Please forgive my ignorance but I need help with that.
I recently purchased a Novation X-Station 25 controller and am trying to make it work as a part of a DAW.
I am connecting it to my laptop via USB (which is supposed to be a MIDI connection) and everything seems to work but I can't hear it sound through my laptop's sound card.
I changed the BUSes settings in the VST Connections menu but I still don't hear a sound, I can only hear the controller through its headphones connection.
I can also hear for instance the metronome of Cubase through the laptop's sound card but no sound from the controller even though I see the dials of the Audio Activity (Default Input Channel) move when I press the keys on the controller.
When I open the mixer window I only see activity on the left side where are the "Stereo In" settings, on the right one ("Stereo Out") no dials are moving.
Is it because I don't have any VST instruments installed under the VST Instruments menu?
If so, how and what do I install?
Thank you all in advance ...
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J-botByte-MixerMember
Since: Dec 04, 2007
Jul 21, 2008 05:03 pm I could be wrong on this as I don't use an x-station myself (but I do want to get one someday)
Far as I know, if you've only got the keyboard connected via USB, it's only sending midi-data, and powering the keyboard. That is assuming it works like other controllers on that score.
So on that score, yes you'll need to have some VST instruments on some channels if you want to hear anything playing.
As far as the X-Station's own internal sounds, if you want those recording into Cubase, you will most likely need to connect the keyboard's audio out to your recording interface as well. Audio information is not sent across the USB cable, only MIDI data is sent that way.
I'm making some assumptions, but hopefully I got it right. Anyhoo, hope that helps.
-J
Jul 21, 2008 06:29 pm Hi J-bot.
Thank you for your reply.
I succeeded to hear what I play through the sound card but now I don't understand why I am hearing an acoustic piano and on the controller I have a Gaviscon ( a different sound ).
Does anyone know why?
Does that mean that midi can not transfer the voice settings?
Thank you.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jul 21, 2008 10:28 pm That is probably because it is now using the Windows GS wavetable sound synth. That is a basic general midi type instrument in software of course.
As stated above you will need to load a VSTi or 2 so you can then assign the midi track to the VSTi track and then you will here it.
And the piano part, that is because the Windows GS probably cannot interpret the patch change data sent by the controller.
Jul 21, 2008 11:13 pm Thank you Noize2u.
Could you please tell me how to load a VSTi or 2?
Regards.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jul 22, 2008 06:59 pm Well if you find them as a .exe file then they are self installing. If it is only the .dll file you will need to drag them into the VSTi folder of your DAW. Then if your DAW requires you to search for them do so. But most these days automaticlly check their VST folder each time the application loads.
Then you simply create a midi track and the synth track. Pointing the midi track to the synth tracks input and you good to go.
Jul 24, 2008 08:02 am Hi Noize2u.
I am trying but no success.
I believe the problem is that when I try to add a VST Instrument I get a "No VST Instrument" message.
Can you help?
Thank you.
Jul 24, 2008 08:56 am Well.
I finally succeeded to install and run VST Instruments by downloading them from the net and putting them in the folder where they were supposed to be: C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VST2 (by the way the folders Steinberg & VST2 didn't exist and I had to create them).
The problem now is there's a big lag between my pressing on the key and the sound coming out of the PC's speakers.
Any ideas?
Best regards.
Jul 24, 2008 08:59 am That is latency in your system which can be caused by a number of things...your PC being underpowered, your sound device being slow, or other things.
Is you Ccontroller being run off of USB power or is it plugged in to a wall outlet? I have had my controller lag if it runs on USB power, when I plug it in to the wall it improves.
Jul 24, 2008 09:21 am Thank you dB Masters.
You're probably right but after I plugged the DC adapter I still have that problem ...
I have to have the USB plugged in as I use it to transfer the MIDI data.
Any ideas?
Regards.
Jul 24, 2008 09:22 am Oh, yes, you need to have the USB plugged in for the MIDI transfer, my only comment was to not rely on the USB to supply the power to your controller.
Failing that, it's possible your sound card is weak and not fast enough, what kind of computer and sound card do you have?
Jul 24, 2008 09:23 am Oh, I see you are using your laptop's sound chip, uh, yeah, that may be your problem right there...
Jul 24, 2008 09:43 am Thank you for the info dB Masters.
I have somewhere a high quality external USB audio card that I have to find and plug in.
Regards.
