Can someone please help a MIDI newbie?
Home > Home Recording Forum > Recording Techniques > Can someone please help a MIDI newbie?
Posted on Nov 22, 2004 09:24 am
jackson5
Member Since: Nov 22, 2004
Hi everyone,
I've asked this in other forums but I get nothing but sarcastic rhetoric from people. Everyone there assumes you're a pro.
I'm trying to turn my 8 MIDI tracks into audio so that I can bounce them down and export them to audio using SONAR.
This is what I've been told what I need to do.
"Using an external MIDI device requires you to route the Audio out of the device to an Audio track, then record the audio track while the MIDI track provides the playing of the notes."
I've got the MIDI from my RS-50 going to my MIDIport and I've got the audio outs going to my mixer, than to my breakout box.
My question is, how do I route this to an audio track? Do I setup the inputs for this track to point somewhere? When I finally record on this track, will my 8 MIDI tracks be recorded onto that 1 track?
frustrated and in need of help
[ Back to Top ]
Nov 22, 2004 09:29 am First, don't go to other forums :-)
Next, welcome to HRC, a slightly more friendly community than many.
Finally, what version of Sonar? v4 has a "track freezing" option that should automate it. Earlier than that I believe you need to run the device that is actually producing the sound back into an audio in on your sound card and record it like any other audio. And, you may have to go through the process 8 times...depending on the number of routing options your sound card has.
That said, I am no MIDI guru either.
Nov 22, 2004 10:30 am I already like this forum much better :)
I am using version 3.11. So from what you are saying it sounds like I have everything connected properly, it's just a matter of recording each track to convert the MIDI into audio.
If the MIDI tracks are already there, I should in theory be able to just record a new track and play back that particluar MIDI track? (Don't know if that made sense.)
Nov 22, 2004 10:33 am Well, I think I understand what you said, but, like I said, no MIDI guru here. However, you should just play the MIDI track out of whatever and run it back into your sound card as audio, with all other tracks muted and record it to an audio track.
There may be a quicker, easier way. Look for Noize2u in the next day or two see this message, he is the resident MIDI geek...and uses Sonar as well, as do I, but we are both on 4 now.
Nov 23, 2004 08:12 am I got it to work but the volume levels are low. I'll keep working on it to see if I can come up with a solution.
shepherdsampatron saint of quality footwearMember
Since: May 30, 2002
Nov 23, 2004 10:16 am I just wanted to say that there aren't any stupid questions here.
This is in fact the only message board I've ever seen that doesn't have members jumping on one another in antagonistic fashion.
Nothing but help here from kind-hearted folks, dB has in my opinion got the best thing going in this community he has given a home to.
Nov 23, 2004 10:19 am thanks shepherdsam, never get sick of hearing things like that :-)
jackson5 - Noize2u should be around tonight (I think) he will probably be able to be more help...
Nov 23, 2004 10:28 am dB thanks for the info.
I second that this board rocks!!
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Nov 23, 2004 12:12 pm ok... so the midi music is already in a midi track in SONAR? or is it programmed into a seperate hardware "thing"? It sounds like you have it in a midi track in SONAR and want that midi track to play the device... so umm... actually I've never done that :)
According to SONAR 2.2XL Help:
Converting MIDI to Audio
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following options cover three basic MIDI setups:
If your MIDI tracks play back through a DXi soft synth, use either the File-Export-Audio or Edit-Bounce to Track(s) commands (see the procedures in To Convert Your DXi Tracks to New Audio Tracks and To Export Your DXi Tracks as Wave, MP3, or Other Type Files).
If your MIDI tracks play back through your sound card's synthesizer, see the procedure below.
If your MIDI tracks play back through external MIDI modules, simply connect their analog outputs to the inputs on your sound card, and record to new audio tracks.
To Convert a Sound Card's Synth Tracks to a Stereo Audio Track
Pick a destination audio track and set the In field to Stereo-(name of your sound card).
Note: If you have more than one sound card installed, select the one that your synth uses as an output.
Arm the destination track.
Mute or archive any tracks that you don't want to record to the destination track.
If SONAR's metronome is set to use any software synth to produce a click, disable the metronome during recording option in the Project Options dialog box. To do this, select Options-Project to open the Project Options dialog box, select the Metronome tab and uncheck Recording in the General section.
Open your sound card's mixer device. This is normally done by double-clicking the speaker icon on the Windows taskbar, or by choosing Start-Programs-Accessories- Multimedia-Volume Control-Options-Properties.
Note: Some sound cards, such as the SoundBlaster Live, have their own proprietary mixer. If yours has one, please use it instead.
Open the sound card's recording control window (the command is probably Options-Properties-Adjust Volume For Recording) and make sure all boxes below Adjust Volume For Recording are checked.
Click OK, and locate the slider marked MIDI, Synth, Mixed Input, or What You Hear. Check the Select box at the bottom, then close the window.
In SONAR, click the Record button.
SONAR records all the MIDI tracks that are assigned to the sound card synth as a stereo audio track.
After you finish recording, mute the MIDI tracks that you just recorded so you don't hear them and the new audio track at the same time.
Nov 23, 2004 12:33 pm Yeah, I found that in the manual last night and it worked great. I'm working with a MIDI file I downloaded off the web (8 tracks inside of file, strings, piano, etc.) that I want to convert to audio (mp3) so I can use it as a backing track and overlay some guitar to. So the MIDI sounds are coming from my RS-50.
The only thing I can't seem to figure out is the volume level on my recorded track is very low. Is there a way to increase the input level of the recording track? I'm using a Delta 66 sound card and using the M-Audio mixer standalone instead of linked into Sonar and my sliders are all up to the top.
It's hard to visualize what it looks like when I'm at work so if I'm missing some key info I apologize :)
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 23, 2004 10:04 pm Welcome to HRC!
Hi jackson, it sounds like your well on your way then and got the audio from your extrrenal synth routed into the delta 66 OK. So now the level thing will be simple.
First, make sure the output level/volume control of your external synth is turned up to the max setting.
Second open the Delta control panel and make sure all your inputs level controls are set all the way up to max level. Next go into the mixer view in Sonar and adjust your input levels there so you get them in the section just before they go red. If they bounce into the red at all bring the input level down in Sonar till it doesnt clip any more and you shoucl be good.
What this is called is gain staging. For the cleanist recordings you want the output device such as the synth at it maximum output without clipping. And since most synth modules will not give out more then most devices consider 0dB input then cranking the volume is the best way to do it. Then the Delta is the next device in the chain, and again since there is not pre-amp on the Delta the signal should be at its optimum level from there untill it hits Sonar. Then as I said, use Sonar's mixer to moniter the input levels.
Hope this helps, and if ya have any other questions just ask. I should be here most of the day tommorrow and then part on Thursday, and Friday as well.
I will keep an eye on this thread if ya need more info.
Nov 24, 2004 08:24 am Noize,
Thanks for the information, I'll give it a go tonight. One other question, please bare with the new MIDI guy, I set my 8 tracks to point to sounds on my RS-50, however when I re-play the song, it changes my MIDI instruments. I've set up my Instruments, Audio and MIDI under options in Sonar but I can't figure out why they don't stay 'mapped' with what I originally choose. Am I missing something? Is it hardware or software related?
I understand that some of these things are basic MIDI questions. My problem is being new to MIDI I have no clue where or what to look for. This forum has shown me that it's ok to be new to this. It is a resource definitely worth having to help out everyone without rediculing one's knowledge level.
Happy Turkey Day!!
j5
Nov 24, 2004 08:28 am Don't sweat the "basic questions", everybody needs to learn somehow, sometime...so ask away, thaqt's why this whole web site is here in the first place.
It sounds to me, and I am a MIDI caveman as well, that you should set up, at the very beginning of that song, some sort of SysEx message that will tell all the devices which patch to use for it's sounds.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 24, 2004 01:19 pm Yep, dB has it right for the most part. What you might have with the RS-50 is several banks of patches to choose from. What this means is if you havent also assigned the correct bank in Sonar it will revert to bank one and play its patch instead of say bank 3.
You can avoid this by going in to the options/project options tab and then select the midi out tab. Now uncheck the patch controller search back when play stops button. This is only if you cannot figure out how to make the synth listen to Sonar. It may be an issue of just building a instrument definition or importing one for the RS-50.
Is the RS-50 made by Yamaha or Roland? I'm having brain fade this morning.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 24, 2004 02:46 pm There ya go jackson. Presley seems to have found an INS for the RS-50. It appears it isnt perfect but it will get you goin in the right direction. It will also help you assign the bank and such correctly so you can just set your patch in Sonar and go.
Nov 24, 2004 08:25 pm b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!
Worked like a charm. Thanks again for the help!
:)
j5
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 25, 2004 01:41 am Glad it got ya were ya needed to be.
If ya got any other questions just ask, its what we do best round here.
