M-Audio Oxygen 49 + Focusrite Clarett 2Pre

JJ Fux

New member
Hello,

I'm not sure what I am trying to do makes any sense.

I have an old M-Audio Oxygen 49 keyboard. Yes, it's the silver/grey model. I am hoping to use the MIDI connection; MIDI out from Oxygen 49 to MIDI in to Clarett 2Pre. In addition, I am using Mac + Logic X, Ableton Live and Sibelius 7.

My primary objective is to get rid of the latency and also to achieve real-time recording while monitoring. It's not really bad, but it can be when I am trying to play "complex" stuff in "complex" rhythm.

I heard you can achieve that by lowering the sample rate(?) when recording and then put it back up when listening/mixing. I guess I do understand why, but I was wondering if I can do low-latency recording while using higher sample rate? It would be so cool to get near 0 latency while using Sibelius and Oxygen 49. I just do not have any patience editing the piano score.

Also, what about a keyboard like AKAI LPK 25? It's an okay keyboard, but do people just use this type of keyboard when they are in a hurry? What can I do about a keyboard with just USB connection? How can I get rid of the latency?

Finally, I have a question about connectivity. Do I just have to buy one MIDI cable to connect the Oxygen 49 (MIDI out to in) into Clarett 2Pre (MIDI in to out)?

I highly welcome any suggestions, even about selecting a different audio interface.

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

-JJ
 
The whole issue with using the instruments provided in Logic and Ableton is the latency. You do not change the sampling frequency to achieve lower latency. There are settings in both Logic and Ableton called audio buffer size (in the preference menu for audio settings). The more you reduce the buffer, the lower the latency will be. If you lower the buffer too low, your sound will start breaking up. That being said, you can raise the sampling frequency to 96kHz to achieve lower latency but unless you have a smoking Mac, the sound will break up sooner.

I usually either set my sampling frequency to 44.1 or 48 and set my buffer to an amount lower than 128 (usually 64) when recording virtual instruments and when I'm finished recording and start mixing, I move it to 1024 so I can use more audio plugins. Your success will be affected by the speed of your computer. Some plugins like Omnisphere will not work properly unless the buffer is set to 256. I find it hard to play fast licks or arpeggios at this setting so I use Omnisphere for pads and such. Once you get a shitload of tracks, you'll find that you'll need to raise the buffer and as a result the latency will increase. I usually lay piano and synth tracks first when starting a project then do real instruments once the project gets too busy. It's always a trade off between processing power and latency. You can bounce or freeze your keyboard tracks to audio after you play the parts. Playing audio is much less processor intensive than playing back virtual instruments.

I hate those little 25 note keyboards. There are not enough notes for me to comfortably play. The drum pads are nice and if you're just doing EDM or such it may be workable for you. The connection from the computer to the audio interface also affects latency. USB is the slowest connection, firewire is faster but the best for reducing latency is a Thunderbolt interface.

All you need to connect is the Midi out from your Oxygen to the Clarette midi in. If I remember correctly the Oxygen does not have many fader or knobs. If you require them for any synth controls, the Akai may be a good addition to your setup. I would keep the Oxygen for the size of the keyboard. If you do this, you may need to add an additional midi interface or a midi merge box. I hope this info helps you out.

Cary
 
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